simsblog

Occupy Wall Street - 15 November

2011-11-15T00:42:00.006-08:00

Occupy Wall Street - 15 November

The police have trashed the Occupy camp in Liberty Park. They certainly must feel justified, other wise, why would you do it at 2am, and ban the press, even from the airspace above the park?

When a riot occurs, it is good to ask, "Which side came dressed for one?"

The police have a job to do, but I suspect that most of them understand that in a country that now vilifies teachers as pampered and elite, that the firemen and cops will be next. You're in a union, too, officer.

The movement has been non-violent for the most part, there are always some dumbasses. I'm one of those dumbasses, because I can't imagine how anything changes without a lot of men in expensive, tailored suits hanging from lamp posts in lower Manhattan. It's time these criminals put some skin in the game.

A Defining Moment

2011-08-01T20:37:00.005-07:00

A Defining Moment

I was watching The Office on television, when a commercial came on for an upcoming episode of The 700 Club. I began vigorously rolling my eyes, but before they completely dislodged themselves from their sockets, I couldn't help but notice that the upcoming episode was going to be about 9/11.

"Damn," I thought, "it's coming up on ten years."

Before I could slip into a proper state of melancholy, I heard the voiceover guy read that the attacks were "a defining moment for the US." That jolted me out of my Atheist's Prayer For The Death of Pat Robertson, and got me thinking.

Were the attacks ten years ago a defining moment for the United States? I honestly don't think so.

I think of defining moments in terms of the Civil War, the signing of The Declaration of Independence, or the moon landing in 1969. Events where the nation looked down the road into the future, asked itself whether or not it was up to the task of becoming more than it was, and then began the hard work of making it happen.

9/11? With no disrespect to the dead and their families, I don't feel like it measures up in terms of what it had to necessarily mean to America.

The closest comparison would be Pearl Harbor. When Japan attacked Hawaii, FDR declared that we were no longer sitting on the sidelines, it was time for the US to stop being a provincial backwater, and to either assume its destiny as a world leader, or perish in the attempt. My reading of history tells me that Roosevelt was a great leader at a time we needed one. But even without that, Americans knew what was going to be necessary, that the cost would be appalling, and your grandparents and great-grandparents created the arsenal of democracy, and began giving their lives by the thousands in Africa, Europe and Asia.

Pearl Harbor was not a defining moment. The selfless response of an entire nation was the defining moment. There was no other choice to be made.

In the case of 9/11, the attacks were not a defining moment. Instead, we stared at the moment, had a collective freakout, looked to the president for leadership, were told to go shopping, and just went downhill from there. And this isn't even about Bush, I'm pretty sure any of the weasels in office from LBJ on would have blown it.

This country has chosen to be defined by 9/11, instead of the event choosing our destiny for us.

We are now victims. We aren't simply the wronged, out for focused payback, we are a gigantic angry infant, lashing out at anyone and everyone who doesn't worship art the altar of American exceptionalism. Muslims? Europeans? Chinese? They're all against us, probably socialist, and definitely not Christian! We have been attacked (for some reason!), and it was because they hate our freedom, our iPods and our Jesus.

We had choices on September 12th, 2001. We could have taken effective, highly focused military action in specific places. We could have tried to act like adults who live in a scary world, and sorted out what the best short and long-term responses would have been. There were choices that could have been made that would have made the country and the world a better place for the next hundred years.

Alas, no.

I don't think 9/11 was a defining moment. It did not make plain for us what to do next. No, 9/11 was an illuminating moment, one which shined a harsh light on how truly small we have become since World War II. Walt Kelly called it 40 years ago:

Eyes Wide Shut

2011-03-12T05:45:00.006-08:00

Eyes Wide Shut

Like most reasonable Americans, I usually watch The Daily Show, and The Colbert Report on Comedy Central. I was watching Jon Stewart talk about NY Congressman, Peter King, and the hearings that are being held to investigate the radicalization of Muslims in the US. Aside from the fact that these types of spectacles tend to cause the thing they claim to wish to prevent, Stewart looked into King's long time support of the Irish Republican Army, a group which has been on America's list of terrorist organizations for decades.

King's response? The IRA never carried out attacks on US soil, and his only loyalty is to the United States.

So, I guess that those civilians blown up in Harrod's in London in 1983 weren't killed by terrorism. They all died of blunt natural forces complicated by not being American.

But I don't really want to talk about Peter King. I want to look more at what how people like him can say one thing, and do pretty much the exact opposite without ever appearing to notice the contradiction.

The same people who claim that Americans with an income above $250,000 per year are too impoverished to stand a 3% tax hike, are the first to tell you that a school teacher making 50 grand is a fatcat who is destroying the country.

Newt Gingrich says that it was his passion for America that led to his cheating on his wife. You know, the one with cancer. Also, the other one he cheated on, and presumably the current one.

A Supreme Court justice declines to recuse himself from cases dealing in the federal health care legislation, even though his wife made almost $700,000 between 2003 and 2007 lobbying and organizing against it.

And, you know, pretty much everything Sarah Palin says.

It's the disconnect that bothers me. I understand in some cases, like Clarence Thomas, it's about money, and at least I get the impulse. Gingrich? I don't think he's an immoral man. Gingrich is amoral. That's a different animal altogether.

But how does he do it? And how do people who work hard just to keep a roof over their heads cry so loud to defend the bonuses of hedge fund managers while decrying the health benefits of teachers?

It's irrationality. And I've become exhausted trying to talk to crazy people in a rational tone of voice. The imbalance is glaring, and this kind of imbalance cannot occur in nature without repercussions. I want to help.

Liberals? This is what you need to do:

Arm yourselves.

You are not respected by conservatives, because they have guns, and you do not. You are weak, and everyone knows it. You need to get guns, you need to get trained on how to use them.

Then you need to start showing up at political rallies with them strapped to your hip, just like Real Americans.™

Conservatives don't want to hear your arguments, they aren't interested in logic or rationality. They understand brute force, and they understand fear. You do not currently register on their radar as anything which needs acknowledgment, which is why it is so easy for your point of view to be dismissed, even on the rare occasion where it's heard.

Go to gun shows and pawn shops. Buy handguns, rifles, shotguns and machine guns. The fight you're in isn't a fair fight, and your opponent knows it.

Now, you don't have to start shooting people, although you're certainly welcome to return fire. The point is, until the irrational people understand that you are properly equipped to play their game, your point of view holds no standing. You wouldn't reason with a charging grizzly bear, even if your treatise on why he'd be better off eating something else is well-thought out and incredibly persuasive.

I am imagining the massive rallies in Madison, but with thousands of the protesters sporting sidearms. I adore the irony of streets full of anti-war activists, with legally purchased rifles on their shoulders. I absolutely want to see a march for marriage equality populated by armed citizenry.

Trust me, the first time a few thousand peaceful but armed black folks show up someplace for some political cause, even the most disconnected will begin to wonder if the gun laws aren't a bit too liberal.

I understand an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind, but this isn't about shooting someone's eye out. This is about simply getting the eyes open, where they may at least have a chance to catch a glimpse of reality.

Gabrielle Giffords

2011-01-10T12:42:00.004-08:00

Gabrielle Giffords

It's the Monday following the terrorist attack on a constituent meeting being held in Tucson, Arizona last Saturday, and I've had 48 hours to let things sink in.

I'm sorry, does the word "terrorist" bother you in relation to this incident? Would it make it easier for you if Jared Loughner's first name was instead Jamil? Feel better now? Super. Moving on.

There's a lot of agita spewing as we once again try to pin a political philosophy on a mass murderer, hoping that somehow the Kool-aid the killer drank isn't the same flavor as our own. Now, while some people might assume that he must be one of these gun-toting, anti-immigrant liberals that we hear about so often, reports have surfaced that in addition to Mein Kampf (another liberal must-read), he had a copy of the Communist Manifesto. It might be argued that the only thing we may discern from his reading list is a lousy taste in literature.

It's not nearly as important to understand Loughner's political philosophy (if any), or if it led him to do what he did in Tucson. Ultimately, we're going to learn that he was severely mentally ill, and was going to come to a bad end.

What we need to discuss, and learn from, is what are the philosophies and actions that made this incident, if not possible, certainly more viable?

Loughner purchased his Glock pistol legally under Arizona and federal law. Although considered mentally unstable by many who know him, and with a record of disturbances at Pima Community College, he was able to walk in, pay for and leave with, with no background check, not only a firearm, but also the extended magazine, so he could fire 32 times without reloading, instead of a nearly worthless 10 rounds.

Whose policies made this possible? Who is against background checks? Who has bent over for the gun lobby? Who was paid to fight for the right of Americans to own assault pistols and rifles, you know, for rabbit hunting?

Jared Loughner is obviously mentally unstable. I don't know if he was still on his parents insurance, his own, or uninsured. Did he have access to mental health counseling? If he did, was it an incredibly Byzantine process in order to get it started, as it is with most insurance carriers? Whose policies have made access to mental health providers so difficult, and in most cases, very expensive?

There's already a ridiculous amount of spin coming from both sides, as conservatives and liberals try to distance themselves from Loughner, and whatever it is he believes in. The right is taking it very hard that people are jumping to conclusions that just because he believed in a return to the gold standard, was anti-immigrant (if mostly for grammatical reasons), and a couple of other Glenn Beck chestnuts, the left is dealing with the fact that Loughner was an atheist who was irritated about the military distributing bibles to service members.

Loughner liked his beliefs smorgasbord-style. It may be his only redeeming quality.

It could be a coincidence that he decided to assassinate a Democratic congresswoman (and a Jewish one for good measure), or it could just be that she was the most convenient one available. Maybe if he lived in West Chester, Ohio, he might have blown John Boehner's brains out, or Nancy Pelosi's if he lived in San Francisco. I can't say, all I have are the facts available.

Jared Loughner's beliefs are irrelevant. The question that needs to be answered is, who is responsible for the policies that allowed an obviously mentally ill person to go untreated, and have instant access to a weapon of mass destruction?

Since no one is going to address that question, I'll leave you with another:

Who will be the victims of the next Jared Loughner, and when?

It's Pat-down

2010-11-22T00:03:00.005-08:00

It's Pat-down

Here we are in the busiest travel week of the year, and millions of Americans are about to board planes. This year, however, your trip comes with a bonus plan: Radiation, a grope, or both.

I'm speaking of the new TSA procedures at many airports in the United States, which have been all over the internet and television news for a week. Either you go through a new type of scanner, which essentially gives you a 5-second x-ray (do not want), or you can opt out, and demand a personalized trip to second base in full view of the rest of the cattle being herded onto our nation's fleet of flying Trailways buses.

This is America! Isn't it nice to have choices?

I have joked that if I am forced into needing to use air travel, I am showing up at the airport wearing a tank top, Speedo, and flip-flops, and just carry some other clothes in my backpack. I have nothing to hide after all, especially in the shame department, and if I can help hasten the process for myself and my brave fellow travelers by donning these newly sensible garments, then as ever, I am a trend-setter and true patriot. I probably won't shower for a few days before my trip.

Also, I'm not joking. If I'm to be treated in this manner, I want the government's representative to, at the very least, be made uncomfortable, and at the most, sickened and temporarily rendered blind.

The real issue, I hope, is the question of whether or not any of this makes our planes any safer. It doesn't. That's not just my opinion, it's also that of Isaac Yeffet, former director of security for Israel's El Al Airlines. I suppose I'm going to put some stock in the collected learnings of a man responsible for keeping safe the nation on Earth most threatened by terrorists, especially when El Al has a perfect safety record.

No one seems thrilled with the new procedures, but the least thrilled? The people at FOX News, who see this as yet another intolerable reach by the government into our otherwise bucolic, wholesome lives and crotches.

And maybe they have a point, or at least part of one.

My question, though, is how can a citizen raise so much hell about the new TSA protocols, and have no qualms about the Patriot Act, warrant-less wire taps, or any of the other infringements that have taken large bites out of the Constitution in the past decade?

If you have nothing to hide in your underpants, you don't need to be worried, do you?

Let it burn

2010-11-04T15:20:00.002-07:00

Let It Burn

Got a hold of a phenomenal transcribed speech today, passed along via Twitter by Andy Richter, of all people. The speech was given by Bill Moyers at Boston University on October 29th, 2010. It's a long read, and even if you know a little something about how the owners of this country run things, you'll likely still pick up some interesting facts as you read it, and I hope you will.

The guts of it deal with the de-evolution of the United States into a plutocracy, or as Citigroup calls it, "plutonomy." The plan is to continue the 30-year shift of wealth from the working and middle classes to the very wealthy. None of this is being done in a particularly secretive fashion, but the vast majority of the ones catching hell don't seem to be able to form enough cohesion as a group to give a damn.

Well, you might want to consider what your passivity and fealty to wealth has gotten you. According to Moyers' speech:

I must invoke some statistics here, knowing that statistics can glaze the eyes; but if indeed it’s the mark of a truly educated person to be deeply moved by statistics, as I once read, surely this truly educated audience will be moved by the recent analysis of tax data by the economists Thomas Piketty and Emmanuel Saez. They found that from 1950 through 1980, the share of all income in America going to everyone but the rich increased from 64 percent to 65 percent. Because the nation’s economy was growing handsomely, the average income for 9 out of l0 Americans was growing, too – from $17,719 to $30,941. That’s a 75 percent increase in income in constant 2008 dollars.

But then it stopped. Since 1980 the economy has also continued to grow handsomely, but only a fraction at the top have benefited. The line flattens for the bottom 90% of Americans. Average income went from that $30,941 in 1980 to $31,244 in 2008. Think about that: the average income of Americans increased just $303 dollars in 28 years.

That’s wage repression.

This isn't just bad luck and poor career choices. There has been a highly concerted effort to roll back the gains made by the middle class during the post-war boom when unions were growing strong and creating a living wage for the majority of Americans. Since Reagan started busting unions in '81, your average income has increased about $11 a year, instead of almost $500 per.

You can't even support a starving African kid for $11 a year.

So, what are the remedies? Moyers continues:

Obviously Howard Zinn would not have us leave it there. Defeat was never his counsel. Look at this headline above one of his essays published posthumously this fall by the Progressive magazine: DON’T DESPAIR ABOUT THE SUPREME COURT. The Court was lost long ago, he said – don’t go there looking for justice. “The Constitution gave no rights to working people; no right to work less than 12 hours a day, no right to a living wage, no right to safe working conditions. Workers had to organize, go on strike, defy the law, the courts, the police, create a great movement which won the eight-hour day, and caused such commotion that Congress was forced to pass a minimum wage law, and Social Security, and unemployment insurance….Those rights only come alive when citizens organize, protest, demonstrate, strike, boycott, rebel and violate the law in order to uphold justice.”

Organize. Protest. Demonstrate. Strike. Boycott. Rebel. And violate the law in order to uphold justice.

Let me expound on that last one.

I grew up in the Midwest, close to a major GM assembly operation, and Delco labs, founded in 1909, which, in addition to building the only American-built plane to see action during World War I, invented the first dashboard-mounted car radios, and at one point employed 30,000 workers in the US. Union workers.

Even though no one in my family worked for GM or its subsidiaries, it was obvious the value that these jobs brought to the community. People who have good jobs and good wages spend money like no one else, including the rich. Their families go to the doctor and stay healthy, the kids go to college and get even better jobs, and the whole god damned country prospers.

Since the recession of the 70s & 80s, solid manufacturing jobs like these have disappeared. In fact, the assembly plant near where I grew up, after hemorrhaging jobs for 30 years, closed down this year. The city where I grew up, has largely dried up and blown away.

Sadly, I doubt that the information I've given about the town will help you narrow it down to less than a dozen possibilities. This story has happened thousands of times since 1980.

Getting back to it, the only union workers whom I actually know as neighbors today are police, fire fighters, prison guards and teachers. I know there are a lot of unions, but they have almost no power. However, they are certainly welcome to take part in what I'm suggesting.

Police, when a call comes in from a neighborhood of the sort where residents could afford private security, you should really take your time getting to those calls. Think about it! People of means can pay private guards to patrol their property and keep it safe from any type of intrusion. Even better, the wealthy are always well-insured, and can have any item replaced or reimbursed. Why hurry? Most of all, they really hate paying your salary, and in some regards, pay less of a share of it than working-class types, who do not have tax shelters, and cannot find the Cayman Islands on a map.

Fire fighters, same thing. Many of your nicer homes have state-of-the-art fire suppression systems that should be able to handle any manner of calamity. Why race out to some beautiful suburban estate to put out a fire and save a couple lives, when you just know that you're going to get an earful about water damage, tracking soot on the Italian marble, and trampling the rose garden? Heroes! Have some more chili, and go back to sleep.

Teachers? Stay home, you don't feel well. You probably get more crap from the ignorant who think your jobs are sunshine and lollipops because you actually get due process should someone want to take your job from you. Prove them right. Refuse to babysit their idiot progeny, make them pay for day care, or skip work, assuming they still have a job to go to.

Of course, the wealthy often send their precious snowflakes to private schools, so wouldn't this only really hurt the people I'm claiming to want to help?

You bet.

As the Moyers speech details, you can't really hurt the rich through actions like the ones I've outlined, because they are attempting to construct a separate economy from the one the rest of us are living with, anyway.

You! Working class, middle class, unemployed, and everyone hanging on by their fingernails! You need to start feeling this in a way which doesn't just make you scared or frustrated. You need to be angry about this.

Your country and its promise is being stolen away from you, and stolen by people that could afford to pay for it if the law didn't make it so simple for them to just confiscate your dreams and hopes. Until you stop being subservient, stop showing up and making the shareholders wealthier as your wages and benefits shrink, this will not stop.

Organize. Protest. Demonstrate. Strike. Boycott. Rebel. And violate the law in order to uphold justice.

Nothing worthwhile ever comes easy. People are going to get beat over the head, thrown in jail, gassed, shot and killed. You can wait until you have nothing left to lose, but that day is closer than you think. Heroes act. The effort required is Herculean, and it will take all of us working together for what's good for all of us. Otherwise, to quote the late, great George Carlin:

"It's called the American Dream, because you have to be asleep to believe it."

Wake up.

I am concerned

2010-09-25T23:57:00.007-07:00

I am concerned

Concerned, as a matter of fact, that we, as a country, may be fucked.

The economy is still very rough for a lot of people, we're mired in a couple of very costly wars, oil rigs are tipping over and exploding, and I can't think of a snappy way to end this sentence.

In the past, when I felt a little down about the state of things, I'd take a step back from it all, remind myself that this country has been in rougher spots, and we always managed to tighten the belts, pull together, and do what was necessary to stop the ship of state from sinking. We'd emerge stronger, wiser, and the next generation would be on its way to doing better than the current one.

Not this time. I can't see it happening. Why? There are a lot of reasons.

First of all, I think we have a fascism problem that needs to be addressed. Some of you are probably smirking in a knowing fashion. "A-ha! He sees Obama for what he really is!"

Sort of. You're right, but for the wrong reason.

Fascism is not when men in garish uniforms stand at podiums demanding racial purity or national superiority. Fascism is much more an economic theory than a political one. Essentially, when the government and corporations collude to determine national policy, that's Fascism. Corporatism would do equally well as a description.

So, when you cry that Obama is a Fascist, it's because you think he's coming after your guns and Christianity. He isn't. If the president has Fascist leanings and policies, and he does, you should at least be somehow content that it's only because he is allowing corporations to write law and policy at the federal level, whether they are good for the citizens of the United States or not.

So, stop calling Obama a Fascist, unless you're actually concerned about the creeping corporatocracy that is ruining the country.

But ignorance of the meaning of the word brings me to another equally large problem that makes me think we're going to have a tough go bouncing back this time: We are getting dumber by the year.

We may live in the information age, but most people only want the information that jibes with what they already believe. The world is only 6000 years old? Of course it is, hundreds of websites and my pastor say so! You can cut taxes and reduce deficits? I've found an entire cable news channel and one-and-a-half major political parties in the US who insist it's so! Evolution is a myth? Damn straight, otherwise monkeys would have human babies, right?

Check and mate.

I can almost live with the willful ignorance. I mean, people are taught a lot of really dumb things as children, and bad wiring is tough to rip out once that house is built. If you were taught that the Bible is a literal record, there's always the possibility that you may, upon reaching maturity, understand that they are loosely historically-based fables. Many have good morals, some have really bad ones, and you can still manage to believe in your deity without worrying too much about whether to eat shellfish, or selling your daughter into slavery.

We're past willful. We've moved on to prideful ignorance.

These are the people who will stick their fingers in their ears, screaming how climate change is a myth, even as reams of data rolls in about the continuing streak of hottest years on record. You show them fossils, they trot out Genesis and stories of how dinosaur bones were put in the ground by Satan to fool us. What great things can you hope to accomplish with dependence on people like this?

So, we're ignorant, and dumber. What else? Lazy.

Now, I don't think it's so much a lack of work ethic. People in this country work hard, many because they take real pride in doing good work and earning their pay, although more do it because they're afraid if they don't crush it every second, they'll find their asses fired.

Our problem is that a lot of us want to believe that there is a magic bullet to solve our problems. Crumbling infrastructure? Someone will fix that, the free market, most likely. We're fat, so instead of eating better and exercising, we wait around for science to invent a pill that will allow us to do whatever we want and stay thin, and erect for more than 15 minutes, but less than four hours.

I don't believe we have the will to pull together and achieve anything important anymore. Could this country, as it exists today, build the Interstate Highway System, electrify Appalachia, the South and West, or send a man to the moon? How could we hope to manage them, when everyone is so insistent that things be done the way they want, common good be damned?

Which brings us to intolerance.

We've actually spent a good hunk of the summer arguing about whether or not American citizens with spotless criminal records should have the right to build a community center on a city zoning-approved site they own, two blocks from where some radical religious assholes knocked down buildings nine years ago.

THIS IS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

The First Amendment is very clear about this. The government doesn't get to decide how or where you pray. A local government can pass restrictions about types of construction allowed, and usage of areas of land, but if you pass muster on the zoning, you get to have your prayer shack.

Why isn't anyone getting in the ass of the greedy capitalist that sold "sacred ground" (near the strip club), to these awful weirdos, who, let me remind you, had nothing to do with any terrorist attacks on American soil, or anyplace else?

"Well, turning a profit on real estate is as American as apple pie."

And so it is. A corporation made money on the sale, investors were enriched, and the wheel keeps turning, greased in the same manner we all understand.

Greased, not with the tens of millions of gallons of oil that flowed into the Gulf, while government stood by impotently, as BP was allowed to control beach access and the airspace over the disaster, because they've got more flex than any government agency. The feds couldn't stop it, and it turned out that the almighty corporation didn't have a plan for such a contingency, either.

No plan for trouble was needed. The government trusted the corporation to do the right thing. And BP will deliver on that promise, larger profits when all of this blows over.

Which will be sooner rather than later.

This country lacks the will to achieve anything much greater than finding a more comfortable way to watch television. It will be built in China, and it will be paid for with a credit card.

There are still things to be thankful for, of course. I am mostly thankful that I won't be alive in a hundred years to see how bad it gets.

Any remaining popularity I had?

2010-07-30T23:19:00.003-07:00

Any remaining popularity I had?

Shot to hell.

One of the stories dominating the news this week has been about a massive screw-up at Arlington National Cemetery, the largest and best known place where America buries her war dead.

The mistakes are many and they are various. Graves unmarked or marked incorrectly. Grave site maps with erroneous information. Caskets and cremation urns with different people in them occupying the same grave site. Cremation urns being found in piles of fill dirt. At last check, 6600 graves could be either wrongly marked or unmarked.

It's disgraceful. There's really no better way to say it. The remains of the men and women who fought and died defending our country deserve far better treatment than to be misfiled like so much useless paperwork.

Between 2002 and 2009, $5.5 million to $8 million was spent on contracts to automate Arlington's paper-based operations, yet the cemetery still has no computer system to track graves and manage burials. The incompetence is criminal, and one has to wonder whether there hasn't been some misappropriation of funds, embezzlement, call it whatever you want.

I agree absolutely that when it is your job to do something, then you really ought to try and do it the way it's supposed to be done. There is always someone up the chain you can consult with if you have questions, or don't understand some part of your job. What was required of the administration at Arlington was to receive the remains of our honored dead, and not mishandle or lose them. It's a big job, but not that complicated.

Everyone involved in this fiasco should be fired, and charged, if malfeasance can be proven.

This is where I get my ass kicked.

If one of your loved ones was affected, I am sorry for that. If you traveled to Arlington (and I encourage everyone to do so), visited the final resting place of your serviceperson, and it turns out you happened to be standing over the remains of some other person...

Well, practically speaking, what difference does it make?

I am not trying to be flippant, I want to make that clear. I know with certainty that I am going to stand alone on this opinion. I feel like once a person is dead, what happens to the corpse is of almost no importance. I'm likely to go with cremation, and that's only because I can't convince anyone that I would actually prefer to have my body dumped in a river or field where it can do the planet a small measure of good. I understand funerals are for the living, but realistically, so are burial sites, head stones, mausoleums and all the rest. We seem to want to have a place to visit the departed, and the nicer it is, the less bad we feel about it.

Admittedly, if you paid for that (and handsomely, no doubt), then you want the place to be nice. I get that. You purchased a small piece of real estate, and generally maintenance is part of the contract. So, if the marker is clean, the lawn is tended, and the flowers are tasteful, what difference does it make which remains you're standing over, if any?

I know some people go out to grave sites, and speak to the departed, and it can be therapeutic. I'm not opposed to that, or whatever helps people deal with grief. I don't think they're prone to speaking back, and I would humbly suggest that if they do, that's obviously being generated within the visitor's imagination. Again, whatever helps the living feel better is okay.

I'm not for cover-ups, especially with this kind of gross incompetence. Ideally, the responsible people would be punished, fired, prosecuted, whatever remedies are available for this sort of thing. I guess I'd have preferred if it somehow could have been handled internally, since the publicity and righteously thunderous Congressional speechifying results mostly in additional crushing heartbreak for the families of America's war dead. Even worse, families who aren't actually affected will always wonder if perhaps their deceased is one of the mishandled or mislabeled.

And for what? To carry on eons-old superstitious traditions of visiting the bones of our dead? What good is it?

On the day you read this, an American man or woman will die in Iraq or Afghanistan. A small handful of people will ask why this person needed to die, whether it was necessary. The rest of us, if we even bother to become aware of it, will shake our heads slowly, and think, "Well, I sure hope the remains are dealt with properly for the family's sake."

Traditions can be glorious, and they often give us a sense of community and country. We have some wonderful ones in the United States.

The one where the dust of the dead is considered more sacred than the skin of the living is one we would do far better to outgrow.

Good luck pinning me down

2010-05-02T01:50:00.001-07:00

Good luck pinning me down

Like most of us, I've spent the past week looking at pictures from the Gulf Of Mexico, and the spread of the oil after an offshore rig blew up on April 20th. It's a disgusting thing, seeing oil floating in the Gulf, and made worse by the fact that BP isn't anywhere close to shutting off the flow, even after something like a million and a half gallons have been spilled.

I'm old enough to remember the Exxon Valdez spill, and how grotesque and widespread the damage was. I've seen footage of enough oil spills to know how damaging they can be. Interestingly, this is the first large one I recall since the advent of Facebook.

I've noticed a few people "sending prayers to the plants and animals in harm's way." 12 people are missing and presumed dead in the explosion that set off the spill, but I think I understand why no one has much sympathy for them or the bereaved left behind.

They were complicit, right? Their hands were, quite literally, dirty, no? Would you be so bold as to suggest that they got what they deserved? I hope not.

The "drill, baby, drill" crowd is, in a moment of reasonableness, largely keeping their simpleton mouths closed on this one. Truth be told, I'd prefer it if someone in a position of responsibility would make a sensible case that justifies this inevitable result of a backward-looking US energy policy, but I likely won't hold my breath.

The Gulf Coast is about to be inundated with toxic sludge, and should the tides fall badly, a lot of inland areas, lakes, streams, wetlands, will suffer catastrophic damage. It's even possible that this floating cesspool may drift into the Gulf Stream, and let a whole lot of the rest of the world share in our special brand of energy security.

Also this week, after nearly ten years, the people who want to build an enormous wind farm off the coast of Nantucket, finally received the go-ahead to do so. My feelings about the project are mixed, although not for the normal reasons.

On the pro side: Hey, wind power! Neato! The stuff is out there, let's harvest it.

On the con side: Wait, there aren't any places left on dry land to build these turbines? There are vast areas of North Dakota, Texas, and other areas in the Southwest to build these things. The cost of building a 440-foot high structure in the ocean is far more expensive than doing it on dirt. Let's grab the low-hanging fruit first.

What I don't care about is people on Nantucket bitching about their view being ruined. I've seen projections, and on a clear day, if you stare way the hell out to the horizon in just the right spot, you might be able to see these things from shore. They aren't going to be 50 feet out in the harbor.

And a special dishonorable mention to Ted Kennedy and his powerful family, who have been instrumental in holding up the process. I have a great deal of respect for the late senator, and the decades of great work he did for the country in his service. But for my money, on his list of shameful acts, this isn't up there with Chappaquiddick, but it makes the top 5.

Getting back to the energy question, I was reading a column by David Brooks this week, and one of his figures jumped out at me.

Technology companies spend 5 percent to 15 percent of revenue on research and development. Energy companies, on the other hand, spend only one-quarter of 1 percent. The federal government spends $30 billion on health research, but only $3 billion on clean energy research.

BP's first quarter profit rose to $6.1 billion in the first three months of this year, which I suppose is nice, because even if they spend a billion dollars trying to clean up their own mess, everyone is still going to walk away with nice fat dividends.

But getting back to Brooks' column, my question is, why doesn't the government use a gigantic stick & carrot to get us on to the next thing?

The oil companies, in an adorable attempt to appear green, have re-branded themselves as energy companies. Well, I should hope you are, we need a great deal of it. Maybe you ought to consider spending more than one dollar in every 400 on researching what the next viable method of providing energy will be.

So, how about this? For every dollar of revenue you put back in to research on solar, wind, tidal, more efficient methods of moving electricity over great distances, etc, you receive a 1-for-1 free pass on your profits. Let's say, for the hell of it, you make a profit of $6.1 billion dollars in a quarter.

Ridiculous, I know, but I'm in a silly mood.

If you want to have 20% of it absolutely untaxed, all you have to do is put $1.2 billion into research. Not only have you effectively lowered your overall tax burden, you've also kicked some money into a future, where you'll have to opportunity to continue making fat profits, only on cleaner, safer forms of energy that don't require the fouling of our coastlines, or funding of insane people who want us to pray like they do.

Besides, you're going to want to get that tax break, because the taxes on revenues from carbon energy sources are going to rise significantly. I'll set it up so that you can continue to make a ton of money, but only if you start realizing those profits from cleaner energy sources. It'll be in your interest to make it work, because otherwise, you'll be taxed out of business.

So liberals, don't take too much shameful joy in this shaming of the Palin philosophy and the energy companies. And conservatives, don't become too fearful that I am trying to steal your way of life and ability to make a good living in America. You can still charge me too much for your energy services, you're just going to need to stop fouling beaches and exploding rig workers while you do it.

Senator Mitch McConnell

2010-03-09T07:00:00.004-08:00

Senator Mitch McConnell

The esteemed Senator from Kentucky was kind enough to advise Democrats that if they manage to pass health care this year, it will cost the Democrats their majorities in both houses of Congress.

Then why aren't you doing everything you can to help them pass it, asshole?

I assume it's because you know that once a health care bill passes, even the extremely lame one the Democrats have managed to sell out the American people to assemble, improvements will occur. Not big ones, but some people will be in a better position to get or keep access to health care. No one will give a damn about the legislative process, they will only see a reform bill in their rearview mirror.

Take back the Congress for your party, Senator! Why aren't you aiding the Democrats in slitting their own throats? If you believe it, then stop holding up the process. When your enemies are determined to do themselves harm, only a fool would stand in their way.

I wish I knew why I bothered.

2010-01-30T10:21:00.003-08:00

I wish I knew why I bothered.

I don't know why I talk to people, I really don't. The following is the result of something I saw on Facebook:

Jacqueline: Shame on you America: the only country where we have homeless without shelter, children going to bed without eating, elderly going without needed meds, and mentally ill without treatment - yet we have a benefit for the people of Haiti on 12 TV stations. 99% of people won't have the guts to copy and repost this.

Kevin: You can thank mr obama for that. I'm right with u on that, but I wouldn't say were the only country like that. We r actually way better off than most countries. Shame on obama, not america.. Lol
January 25 at 3:55pm

sims: Because no one was ever homeless before January 20th, 2009.

Add "lol" to that, if it'll help.
January 25 at 4:01pm

Ryan: Thank Obama???? Keep listening to Fox news...

Audra: hey girlie girl, i couldnt agree more! charity begins at home. and to add injury to insult, the italians are saying our relief efforts over there are all mere attempts at notoriety. whatsmore, the day when devastation hits this nation, you can bet we'll have to fend for ourselves without relief from any one else!

sims: Well, we are the richest country in the world. I wouldn't expect Haiti to offer their limited resources to attempt to help us.

But for the record, lots of countries offered to help us after Katrina, including Cuba, which isn't exactly a rich country.
January 25 at 5:30pm

Kevin: Come on ryan, u can't possibly think this asshole is a qualified prez. Lol. He's so ass backward. And I'd rather listen to fox news than george clooney, whoopi goldberg, or any other self proclaimed actors turned politicians. Check ur facts son. Still love ya tho! Lol

sims: Let's see...He's over 35, a natural-born citizen of the US. Yeah, actually, he is qualified. You probably think that being white is a requirement, but it's not.

And do define "ass-backward," would you please? Or just keep posting LOLZ!!1!!!111
January 25 at 7:31pm

Kevin: I posted my opinion like everyone else and u get personal? Wow. If I had to explain why he's ass backward it would take me all day. But no, no because he's not white, because he for one was a senator. Senators have half as much responsibility as governers. as a senator he voted present indtead of yes or no on more than half the bills voted on in his time as senator. Don't u want a decision maker in office? He makes people rely on the government and not giving them the tools to rely on themselves. That's dictatorship not democracy. When counrty is in debt, u don't spend more money to get out of it. That's economics 101 buddy. The reason I wrote lol was to keep the mood light, but if wanna get personal, come meet up with me sometime and c how far that gets you! I guess liberals r the only ones allowed to have an opinion.
January 25 at 7:54pm

sims: Well, I think referring to a person far more educated than either of us could ever dream of being as "ass-backward" is somewhat personal. But, point taken.

Voting "present" in the Illinois Senate is a common tactic, and essentially counts as a no vote. In may of said votes, he was acting in concert with other members of his own party as part of a strategy. You know, like voting no on everything, regardless of what it is.

Was Bush also a dictator, for taking a huge surplus, wrecking it, invading Iraq, and then running up the largest deficits in history while cutting taxes to the wealthiest 1%? He was an MBA, but maybe he skipped Economics 101, because he was so goldarned smart.

Have your opinion, you're entitled to it. It'd be nice if you weren't so...emotional.
January 25 at 8:14pm

Kevin: Alright, I hear ur points. Wasn't gettin emotional, I just don't kno u and it seemed like u were the one gettin emotional. But that's what makes america great, were all entitled to our opinions. I have mine, u have urs. Done talkin about it on someone elses post. Wasn't tryin to make a big deal about it.
January 25 at 9:45pm

Just one last comment here and I'm done. Ass backward doesn't mean dumb. It means that his beliefs in my opinion don't make sense... And a degree or education doesn't make u "smart" anyway. Anyone really smart would know that. When u try to give rights to criminals and terrorists and then take away the rights of an innocent unborn, yet living thing, that's what I mean by assbackwards. Not just obama, the whole liberal way of thinking is ass backward to me. I can honestly go toe to toe with u on politics and talk a lot more about it, I'm not just some idiot. I love america, those who don't shouldn't live here. But to end this back and forth, I don't care about u enuf to even explain anything further. Its politics, shouldn't b so personal dude.
January 25 at 11:11pm

Then I get a message.

Kevin: Jan 28 at 7:08am Report
So, I know I don't know you, and I kno I got a little too personal with u on jaquelin's post. I obviously feel very different than u but at least u sound like u do research and don't just talk out ur ass like most liberals I kno. The only reason I'm taking the time to write this message is because I felt bad for making it personal. That makes me no better than the people I despise. I stand by my thoughts and am passionate about politics to a certain extent, but I have a lot of liberal friends and our different views have never caused us to despise eachother. So, as an american citizen who cares about my fellow americans, I apologize for getting too personal. That's why I always write lol on those posts. Cuz its such a sensative subject. I will say tho, that when u said "our prez is over 35 and an american citizen and that makes him qualified"... I'd have to disagree with u on that. It takes a lot more to be truly qualified to run this country, not just age and citizenship. It takes backbone and heart! Cuz it aint ez takin all the shit a president gets in his time in office. He has to be grounded in his beliefs and stand by them regardless of what his adversaries think.He needs to have the ability to stand FOR something, not AGAINST everything. Anyway, kindof a random message, but I wanted to be a bigger person than I was acting on jaquelin's post.

sims: January 28 at 4:49pm
Honestly, don't sweat any of it, Kevin. The "lol" thing is just a pet peeve of mine, the same as when people say something really shitty, and then think you should forget about it by adding "just sayin'."

I'm probably a great deal less liberal than you suspect, but likely more liberal about some things than you are. That's okay, I don't pretend to have all of the answers.

My issue with those that use the conservative label at this point in history, is that they seem to have completely yielded on many issues to simple, willful ignorance. The issue with Obama's birth certificate for example. The proof of where and when he was born are beyond question, and even with the several proven fake documents people like Orly Taitz have produced, some people refuse to believe that the President was born in this country. I'm sorry if it offends you for me to say this, but anyone who truly doubts this man's origins is either stupid, or being stupid on purpose.

And the other problem with wasting effort on idiotic fake controversies, is that it takes time and effort away from real debate. If you're against health care reform, more power to you. But did you actually believe that Obama was going to set up death panels to pull the plug on grandma? The entire premise is ridiculous, and in order to believe it, you must have a serious disconnect from reality.

The larger problem, of course, is that this country is in a rough spot. There are a lot of reasons for it, and while many of W's policies over the past 8 years contributed, every president going back 30 years had a hand in it. Clinton was the one who set the deregulation of the banks in motion. Bush might have gone ahead and done it anyway, but Clinton allowed Bush to wreck banking regulations a lot more quickly and thoroughly than he might have otherwise. What happens going forward is up for debate, but the economic situation right now simply isn't Obama's fault. The next 12-18 months will reveal a great deal, but this country got hit with an economic tsunami under Bush, and just because the water has receded, doesn't mean the cleanup is going to happen quickly or easily.

The country is where it is, because we have allowed it to get there, either by not paying attention, or just nodding every time a politician said "tax cut," and pretending that somehow infrastructure maintains itself, wars pay for themselves, and that a good education should be cheap, but don't raise my damned taxes. It just doesn't work that way.

The politicians have been treating us like children, because we refuse to be spoken to like adults.

Sorry for the rant, but we're here because we begged to be here.

Kevin: January 28 at 7:34pm Report
Well I agree with a lot of that believe it or not. I'm not a consperacy theorist and definitely don't believe obama wasn't born here. There r so many extremests on both sides that have confused a lot of people because of their ongoing rants. Its hard to kno what the truth is anymore so I don't listen to any of it. When a politician is talking, I look in his eyes to see the truth and I trust what my heart tells me to believe. I did stand behinf W. But don't claim that he was right about everything. However, I do think he got a bum wrap. We probably disagree on that, but one thing we can agree on I think is that even tho we r in a tough spot currently, we r all still very lucky to b americans. That's where I get offended, when people bash america. We r the luckiest people on earth to have the freedoms we have... To even have the freedom to have this very conversation. Anyway, thanks for the reply. Take care

sims: Jan 29 at 12:30am
I will simply say that I don't believe for a minute that criticizing my country is the same thing as not loving it. I'm fully capable of appreciating what's great about it, while recognizing that isn't the same thing as saying it's perfect, or has no room for improvement. We got to be the greatest country in the world by living by the principles laid out in our Constitution and Bill of Rights, not simply by virtue of being born here.

I'd be interested to know in what way you think that W got a bum rap, you know, really be specific. I know you can't blame everything on one guy, but let's face it, he's been a pretty substantial screw-up since he was a kid. He couldn't find oil in Texas, you can look it up.

Anyway, it's late, take care of yourself.

And then it began, long, long diatribes, all of them a single paragraph.

Kevin: 29 at 8:25am Report
First, I don't care where Obama was born. I do care about his phony chin in the air presence and lack of experience and qualifications. George Bush cut taxes and grew the job market by 6 million jobs over 8 years. He responded forcefully and directly to an assault on American soil by terrorists. He warned us it would be a long and painful war against terror and we all supported it. Not three months later, the liberals in Congress tried to cut his legs out from under him. He brought down a vicious, cruel dictator who had continually threatened America. Had we known what Hitler was going to do to millions of Jews, wouldn't it have been better to stop him before he could do it. Bush used the same intelligence which prompted Hillary Clinton, Al Gore and John Kerry to claim his dad, George Sr., allowed Hussein to produce weapons of mass destruction. All three made speeches saying we should take Saddam out. When W did just that, they all jumped ship because they all said he lied. He may have had some bad information but the fact is, there were weapons of mass destruction at one time and Saddam used them against his own people. They either were destroyed or removed, but that doesn't mean W. lied. A lie is when you know you're not telling the truth, he believed every word he said. W. never once whined about his treatment by the left wing press as have both Clinton and Obama about their treatment by the right, even going as far as wanting to shut down all conservative talk radio and news (liberals think freedom of speech only applies when they are speaking!). W. upgraded our nation's security, the libs held him hostage with the funding for the war by including billions in earmarks and entitlements that had nothing to do with the war. If he vetoed the bills, he would have been blasted for not supporting the troops. Still he did not whine or complain. Finally, his last two years in office he had a democratic congress. Check the national debt over these last three years, which includes Obama's first year and you will see a phenomenal jump in debt and a reduction of jobs. Obama blames Bush for everything. Bush, on the other hand, took the heat like a man and has never (as a past president) said anything derogratory about Obama. Therein lies the difference between a man and a boy.

sims: January 29 at 12:04pm
"Boy?" Really? Funny how things subtly reveal themselves.

You said, "He responded forcefully and directly to an assault on American soil by terrorists."

By invading Iraq? No one, not even GWB still believes Iraq had anything to do with any attack on the US. So, your "man" invaded a country, at a cost of over 5000 dead Americans (a lot more than died on 9/11), costing two TRILLION dollars. That will put one hell of a drag on an economy. It still is.

Your comparison of Saddam to Hitler is disgusting. The only people in history who even approach that level are Stalin, and maybe Pol Pot. Saddam was a piece of shit, and a brutal dictator, but he was never even remotely the type of threat to this country that Hitler was. It could easily be argued that the world is a better place with him gone. But I would also suggest that America would be in far better shape if he was still running Iraq. He was completely contained, and no threat to anyone, even his neighbors. The cost to carry out W's Oedipal revenge fantasy has been too high. Your concern for the plight of the Iraqi people is touching, but I imagine that will not lead to calls from you for humanitarian aid to them after our troops have come home from there. And Somalia? *crickets*

And feel free to cite more Democrats who enabled Bush to get away with the snow job he perpetrated on all of us. You won't find me trying to defend them for allowing what happened with the Patriot Act, waterboarding, any of it. They can all go to hell as far as I'm concerned, for thinking that they somehow knew better than our founding fathers what was necessary to defend this country.

Bush constantly blamed Clinton for the recession that started not long after Bush took office, and he also repeatedly tried to blame the Clinton administration for the intelligence failures that led to 9/11, although I'd still like to know how it was Clinton's fault that Bush never responded to the daily briefing titled "bin Laden determined to strike within US."

There may be liberals who are serious about trying to shut down right-wing radio, but none who are worth a damn. Awful things are said by people of all political stripes, but I will always defend their right to say them. There may be consequences, but everyone has the right to say whatever they choose, no matter how stupid. It isn't pretty speech that needs protection.

Besides, the press completely rolled over for Bush after 9/11, completely frightened out of doing their jobs, afraid that if they dared to mention that not ONE hijacker was from Iraq, or that al Qaeda and Hussein were enemies, that the frightened American people would turn on them. The press didn't even think about doing their jobs again until after New Orleans drowned.

You sort of forgot about that one, it appears. Heckuva job, Kevvy.

Kevin: January 29 at 4:32pm Report
Wow, u basicly just proved every point I make about liberals. U asked my opinion, I gave it, and once again u got personal and obviously completely offemded. I could argue every point u just made but its ull just come back w more false info. Ur so full of shotty info it makes me laugh. I apologized to u for getting personal, but I wish I didn't. I didn't kno u and obama were so close. U have his back like he's ur best friend. Please don't write back cuz ur impossible to have a reasonable coversation with. Ur use of big words makes u think ur smasrt I bet, but I see right through u and every other liberal. Tried to have a nice discussion w u but u won't have it. So go live in ur fantacy world and go on believing what u think is truth. It doesn't bother me as much as it obviously bothers u to hear someone elses opinion and take it respectfully. U think ur right and ur wrong! Do not bother me anymore please, ur a waste of time to hv a reasonable discussion with. Wow! Ur amazing!congratulations on being a complete idiot, with all ur rambling all I heard was "blah blah blah"

So, he's all done with me, right? I should be so lucky. Apparently, while I was out last night enjoying myself, he was stewing because he got no response from me.

Kevin: January 30 at 6:26am Report
And to say my comparison to hitler is "disgusting" tells me enuf about u to kno ur literally too stupid to argue with. How do u possibly get off defending that guy even a little. And the war was not against any one country, it was against terrorism and anyone who backs or harbors terrorists u dum ass! Was sadaam not a constant supporter of terrorism? He posed a huge threat and because of guys like him, we lost more americans in one sitting on american soil than any other event in our history. That's enuf to piss me off. But I'm sure u thot sadam and other terrorists were reasonable enuf to talk to and negotiate with. If u negotiate with them. U r one in my book. That's what ur party wanted to do. Every man and woman who served in that war knew what they were getting into, don't dare take that away from them...they died for a much greater cause than u and I will ever get the chance die for... Including my best friend who died in iraq. Its people like u that try to tear our country apart and make it much easier for those who pose a threat on us to attack us. No one can defeat us if we all stood together. But no, ud rather stand behind those that flew planes into our buildings. Sometimes, it is just that simple!!! Everything u have has been faught for at one time. U wouldn't have a pot to piss in if it wasn't for war. So do I think war is a good thing? No... But it is an unfortunate nescessity when u have people around the world who have no care for human life. Ur rehearsed dialog is so sickening and full of shit that I literally cannot hear it anymore. I've played professional baseball for 8 yrs and the large majority of my fellow ball players would second my statements to u... Because we know what its like to sacrifice something for a higher goal. Pencil pushin bitches like u have no idea what its like to sacrifice anything. U just expect everything to be handed to u. I guess that's why u like obama. The bailouts are a joke. Give me the tools to better myself, don't do it for me. That creates dependancy on our government, we should depend on ourselves. U watch what happens in the next few years with this guy running things. U can already see if u open ur eyes. Go talk it out with sadaam, watch him say one thing to ur face, and then stab u in the back immediately after. Those type of people do not give a fuck! And yet, u come to his defense?? Un freakin believable. If u write back, I won't even open the email. I'm done letting ur ideology into my life cuz its pure crap. The thing that bugs me so much is how u think ur so smart. Words are words buddy. U can pull numbers and so called "facts" from anywhere. Real truth lies in ur heart and backbone, two things u clearly do not have!

sims: January 30 at 10:20am
Shocking, you've resorted to name-calling. And text-speak. But as noted earlier, you do seem to be quite emotional, and I have apparently hurt your feelings, which was certainly not my intent.

I'm also sorry that you managed to completely miss my point about trying to compare Saddam, or anyone, to Adolf Hitler. Hitler started a world war, exterminated 10-12 million people in concentration camps (6 million of them Jews), invaded nearly every country in Europe, resulting in something like 50 million deaths by the time the war was ended. Saddam was an irredeemable piece of garbage, responsible for many, many atrocities. Saying that he wasn't as awful as Hitler is not in any way defending him, it's a statement of fact, the same way it would be if I said that you aren't as bad as Saddam.

But he ain't in Hitler's class. Maybe if he hadn't been completely contained by the US & UN forces, almost completely disarmed after the first Gulf War, etc, MAYBE he would have wanted to wreak the kind of havoc Hitler did. But he couldn't, so he didn't. And if you still truly believe that there is an actual equivalency there, I'm not surprised that you view history as you do, because that would mean you lack the ability to understand perspective. You wouldn't be the first.

As for 9/11, that really wasn't the event where "because of guys like him, we lost more americans in one sitting on american soil than any other event in our history." Saddam was a secular Arab, and al-Qaeda are Sunni extremists, much like the Saudis who bankroll them. Saddam was a douchebag, but not a particularly religious one, which is another reason bin Laden hated him. I know it's tempting for you to lump all Arabs or Muslims into the same simple stereotype, and likely useless for anyone to expect you to begin to understand the philosophical differences between Shia and Sunni Muslims, and how that actually relates to the war on terror. But don't feel bad, Bush didn't understand it either, although I guess you can feel bad for your friend who died bravely in Iraq. It's too bad his commander in chief felt the need to sacrifice him in Iraq instead of the country where 15 of the 19 hijackers came from, Saudi Arabia. It's too bad that the Bush family's relationship with the Saudis goes back so far that he was more comfortable putting young American men and women at risk in order to take out a man in no way responsible for 9/11, rather than deal with the people responsible. That decision to let his friends off the hook for 9/11 may be the worst foreign policy decision in the long history of this country.

I think it's funny how you talk about "ur party" as though this was about something as base and simple as politics. I'm not a member of any political party, because all they do is gum up the process so that nothing can get done. I have no use for political parties, or people who are unable to see beyond the simple scorekeeping that they use to measure success and failure, while the country's future is at stake. I would abolish them all, actually.

I love baseball, played for many years myself. Not really sure how toiling away in the minor leagues in hopes of getting a fat Major League contract is an equivalent sacrifice to a higher goal in the same way joining the Marines and going to war is. But hey, I've had to stay in some lousy motels for road games, and been hit by pitches, too. You would appear to be suggesting that makes both of us just about Pat Tillman. Frankly, I doubt you can sell your sacrifice argument to anyone who understands the word. But I have no doubt you fall asleep with a clear conscience, like most children, and I do envy you for that.

You are right about the fact that al Qaeda cannot defeat us, though. If you think about it, they could carry out a 9/11-type attack every month for a year, and they still wouldn't kill as many of as as die in car accidents each year. They just aren't big enough to defeat us. The way they win is by scaring people like yourself, who then beg authoritarians to protect you at any cost, even by violating the Constitution and Bill of Rights. I know you think that you're a better American than I am because you're willing to send our own to die for payback against a country that wasn't a threat to us, but you really aren't. What you are is a frightened little boy who is willing to give up the rights and protections that MILLIONS have fought and died for, in order to gain some small illusion of safety.

You are pathetic, and it is people like you that will be the death of our way of life, not a few thousand Muslims with death fantasies. Sleep well, and just keep on never thinking about the cost.

There's really nothing you can say to people like this, I mean, just nothing at all. You would think people as panicky as this wouldn't sleep like babies, but they do. I sometimes wonder how well I'd sleep if I could give up 25 IQ points.

Well, I thought it was funny.

2010-01-26T08:05:00.003-08:00

Well, I thought it was funny.

I'd hate to think a joke this crude is still going over most people's heads.

Oooh, you're so macho!

2010-01-20T19:30:00.002-08:00

Oooh, you're so macho!

Eat me

2010-01-14T09:41:00.003-08:00

Eat me

Rock bottom

2010-01-11T16:16:00.002-08:00

Rock bottom

There is now officially no remark too stupid for me to make. 2010 is looking like a groundbreaking year for me, in the same way meteorites are groundbreaking.

Purty Mouth

2009-12-26T14:56:00.002-08:00

Purty Mouth

Ask a silly question

2009-12-26T00:49:00.003-08:00

Ask a silly question

Saved: the cost of one gift

2009-12-24T11:23:00.002-08:00

Saved: the cost of one gift

On the road

2009-12-22T09:27:00.002-08:00

On the road

"Just not worth the effort."

2009-12-19T19:24:00.001-08:00

"Just not worth the effort."

It's Facebook, for Christ's sake.

English! Do you speak it?

2009-12-18T21:03:00.002-08:00

English! Do you speak it?

A rare two-fer

2009-12-14T13:28:00.002-08:00

A rare two-fer

I'm going to Herr

2009-12-12T10:23:00.000-08:00

I'm going to Herr

You wanna know why?

2009-12-10T19:50:00.001-08:00

You wanna know why?

You keep tweeting.

2009-12-08T16:05:00.002-08:00

You keep tweeting.

I'll let you know when you say something that isn't completely asinine.

The economy? The deficit? The state of education or health care? The fact that this country is wholly owned and operated by corporations? Anything?

You're frightened that the children of today will use a DVR, and not give a fuck about videocassettes? Do you use your Victrola often, Einstein?

Cheer up, STUPID.

2009-12-08T15:52:00.002-08:00

Cheer up, STUPID.

This strikes me as insensitive, but maybe I'm just overly prone to being hurt...

E F P T O Z

2009-12-08T15:12:00.001-08:00

E F P T O Z

See? Hilarious!

Dr. Pepper lacks punch

2009-12-06T20:05:00.002-08:00

Dr. Pepper lacks punch

Ass, Ph.D.

2009-12-04T17:54:00.000-08:00

Ass, Ph.D.

The other answer is good, too.

Luke 4:8

2009-12-03T13:03:00.001-08:00

Luke 4:8

Comprehension

2009-12-02T06:47:00.001-08:00

Comprehension

I'm making a peace sign

2009-12-01T19:48:00.001-08:00

I'm making a peace sign

Dog Years

2009-12-01T16:49:00.002-08:00

Dog Years

Why you should always take a dump at the truck stop

2009-11-25T12:14:00.003-08:00

Why you should always take a dump at the truck stop

Another reason why driving is better than flying. I've never seen anything that was even remotely as entertaining as this in an airplane lavatory.

I didn't call, but if anyone does, please let me know how that went in the comments section.

Bring the flatbed!

2009-11-23T18:40:00.001-08:00

Bring the flatbed!

My new thing

2009-11-22T19:56:00.002-08:00

My new thing

Because lately, I have nothing to say, except in short one-sentence bites, I will now just start posting random garbage I've written on other people's Facebook pages.

And one day, you will say you were here at the beginning.

"The stakes are nothing less than..."

2009-11-06T09:01:00.002-08:00

"The stakes are nothing less than..."

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

The 11/3 Project

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Health Care Crisis

Zero

2009-10-23T07:06:00.001-07:00

Zero

He's more than just a funny man and a pretty face. Al Franken is good at this being-a-senator thing.

The accent makes you sound smart, ma'am. But that is all.

Alan Grayson ain't done

2009-10-09T08:15:00.000-07:00

Alan Grayson ain't done

Why It Matters

2009-10-08T07:08:00.001-07:00

Why It Matters

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Health Care Shocker

2009-09-30T20:28:00.005-07:00

Health Care Shocker

Medical science has discovered a growth between the legs of a Democrat.

Finally.

Hearing the truth really got under the skin of some Republicans, who demanded an apology. Alan Grayson was happy to comply.

It's too bad more politicians don't have this guy's balls, especially Democrats. If you can't get a legit public option in the bill, you should take your supermajority and cram it with walnuts, losers.

UPDATE:

Grayson appeared on the Situation Room on CNN today, and kicked holes in every argument thrown at him.

Also, Wolf Blitzer may be brain-damaged.

Don't call it a comeback

2009-09-28T21:36:00.003-07:00

Don't call it a comeback

Monday in Tehran, students at the University were out in force, chanting slogans against the president, such as “Death to dictator!” and “Ahmadi, Ahmadi, this is the last message, the green movement is ready for uprising!”

Reuters reported that the website Norooz put the crowd at around one thousand.

Ahmadinejad was supposed to make an appearance at Tehran University today, but did not, and no official excuse was offered for the absence.

Reports that demonstrations may take place again Tuesday to celebrate the birthday of Mir Hossein Mossavi.

It's so important right now for the people to show the world that Ahmadi and Khameini do not represent the will of the Iranian people, especially in light of the recent revelations about Iran's nuclear program, and the recent missile firings. Keep spreading the word, stay aware, and stay strong. Illegal regimes cannot stand forever.

He's back

2009-09-25T06:35:00.002-07:00

He's back

I don't ever agree with him 100%, but I'm glad he's around to make the comfortable among us squirm.

"I wonder if there was a Wolf Blitzer 200 years ago who asked Thomas Jefferson or John Adams or George Washington, ‘hey, you know, you guys are wealthy land owners…"

He's a heterosexual, too, Wolf.

Czar chasm

2009-09-15T15:25:00.004-07:00

Czar chasm

50-70000 people showed up in Washington DC Saturday to protest...something. Everything! A few snippets:

The remarkable thing here, is that there is very little of this which has been taken out of context. It's easy to make people look stupid via editing, but the interviewer was really only asking them why they were so upset about the things that their signs claimed that they were upset about. Again, I'm not really wild about the debt and deficit being where they are, but when the economy is where it is, this is the only recourse. You don't have to be happy about it, but it'd be nice if you could veer close enough to reality for a moment to at least acknowledge a couple of things:

Barack Obama isn't responsible for cratering the economy.

Things would be a damn sight worse if the stimulus bill had not passed.

Thus, here we are in a very strange moment, where we have the chance to make some real improvements in the way this country operates, and there are people, even those who would benefit, who are opposed to it because televised multi-millionaires have told them they ought to be. I will not go so far as to refer to them as "oligarhs."

Oligarchs, maybe. Plutocrats? Definitely.

I try very hard to see issues and events from all sides, because I have no use for political parties, and no ideology has a lock on good answers or common sense. So, I watch these events, and I wait for the moment where someone says something that makes me think, "Okay, I can agree with you in principle on some of that." But there's just so much WHARRGARBL, that it's nearly impossible to latch on to something that doesn't make you feel lobotomized.

Honestly, I'm to the point anymore where I'm halfway in your corner if you can just say what's bugging you without screaming or starting to cry. The right has turned into the left, all emotion and no brains, just angry, scared, and making everything about everything all the time, which is a classic liberal mistake.

For example, the anti-war protests. You're against the war? Great, march make signs, show the colors. But when the left turns out, PETA shows up, NORML is there, Greenpeace blows in, looking to roll severely obese marchers back into the nearest body of water.

But the right has guzzled down that particular gallon of left-wing stupid. These people who showed up in DC Saturday were angry about health care, that Obama is African, that we have officials called Czars, higher taxes, that Obama is a Muslim, ACORN, the death of Mary Jo Kopechne, to support Joe Wilson, a civilian corps of volunteers to do work in the US, the new combo philosophy of Communist Fascism, that Jesus isn't president, Barney Frank, to take the country back, mandatory abortions for all females over 11, that the country has been mostly destroyed, that "Barack Obama" means "anti-christ" in Hebrew, and just dozens of other really sensible, well-thought out reasons to be upset without needing to admit that the president is colored and that ain't America.

I know that this isn't all about racism, there are legitimate political and philosophical reasons to dislike what the president is doing. But most of this is about racism.

Say it loud:

2009-08-19T11:52:00.001-07:00

Say it loud:

I'm white, stupid and proud.

Barney Frank may be one of only a handful of people in politics that can still speak blunt truth.

It's over

2009-08-18T17:59:00.004-07:00

It's over

When the health care debate began, Congress was quick to throw the best option out the window. Single-payer health care.

"That's Socialism."

It appears we've reached the point where a public option, something that would offer an alternative to monopolistic for-profit health care, is now about to be abandoned by the large Democratic majority in Congress, because the Republicans have insisted:

"No, that's Socialism."

And even before the Democrats can reach the point where they can suggest the completely ineffectual and useless notion of health care co-ops, the Republicans are noting, quite obviously:

"That there would be Socialism."

We will, at some point this year, end up with something called "health care reform." It will be worthless to the average citizen, will further enrich insurance companies and pharmaceutical makers, and will still be declared by the Republicans as a boondoggle, and, who are we kidding - Socialism.

President Obama and the Democrats are worse than worthless, and will deserve to lose many seats in the midterm elections. The Republicans, while transparent and hypocritical, are, if nothing else, consistent.

Did you know that there is only one person in the United States that can have government-mandated health care without being labeled a Socialist?

And Republicans love her, because she has since become cost-effective.

Woodstock + 40 (pounds)

2009-08-17T10:26:00.003-07:00

Woodstock + 40 (pounds)

Every time I begin to think that a generational shift may be occurring, I am bombarded with reminders from the Baby Boomer generation that they aren't quite done destroying the country, or making everything about them.

The 40th anniversary of the Woodstock concert?

No. The health care debate.

I couldn't help but notice that the same generation which took drugs in the mud of Bethel, New York in 1969, is now flinging mud at the best opportunity to give access to health care to all citizens of this country.

The grandma whose death-by-unplugging is so feared by multitudes of dimwits at town halls and online? She was at Woodstock, undoubtedly laying the groundwork for becoming a grandma, and probably any unwashed scumbag with a tab of acid in his pocket.

This greedy generation, which was all about peace and love when it was their turn to go to war, was all about rape and pillage in the 80s, when easy millions beckoned you from a different locale in New York.

But just selling out for money wasn't enough, you wanted power, too. That's natural. Your bloated generation, in numbers and size, thought nothing of sending other people's children off to war in 2003. Of course, in keeping with your "principles" the war wasn't about ideology, it was about another chance to make money with no risk to your own skins.

Have you achieved anything since 1969?

"Oh, sure," you say, "pick on George W. Bush. He's an easy target."

Yep, and you elected him. Twice.

"Can we at least get credit for Bill Clinton?"

I laugh, because you think that his presidency somehow validates your alleged principles. And I suppose it does.

The Baby Boomer's first president: A real triumph.

The Glass-Steagal Act of 1933, which established the FDIC and prohibited bank holding companies from owning other financial companies? Repealed by Clinton's signing the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act in 1999.

Any of you addled fatasses recall anything bad happening recently as a result of that?

Welfare reform in 1996: Threw millions of people off of the rolls, and actually increased poverty in the next decade.

Oh, and the Baby Boomer pièce de résistance: Health Care Reform in 1993.

Like so many other things you've failed at as a generation, you had good intentions. But once you realized that it would be hard, and might cost you a second term, you put your hands behind your back, started whistling, and shuffled off to have a one-sided chat with some intern.

You have achieved NOTHING since 1969.

And now you're feeling your oats again, storming town hall meetings where people might actually get to ask questions and learn something about the health care proposals, and instead drowning them out as you scream about fears that some bureaucrat might pull your plug when you end up in the hospital for your inevitable gastric bypass surgery.

I can't help but marvel at how much better off this country would be if Roe v. Wade had been passed in 1953 instead of 1973.

I am of the generation which follows you. The one that will be the first in American history to do less well than the previous generation, which is no coincidence. I am asking you for a favor, which would actually give you the opportunity to do something for someone besides yourselves.

Can you stop, just this one time, trying to keep everything for yourselves? You have Medicare, can you let the rest of us have something to keep us from dying when our appendixes go bad?

But since it isn't in your nature to do for others, will you at least consider dropping dead?

"Unlikely to serve full term"

2009-08-07T13:01:00.002-07:00

"Unlikely to serve full term"

The Italian news service, ADNKronos, published an analysis of the situation in Iran. Ali Ansari from the London-based think tank Chatham House, and co-director of the Institute of Iranian Studies at St. Andrews University in Scotland told AKI:

"I would not want to predict a revolution but I definitely do not think Ahmadinejad will fulfill his full term."

Government opponents pledged to continue their protests after the swearing in of Ahmadinejad this week and there is speculation that the government may be unable to repress the simmering opposition, particularly as the economy is weak.

"I think they are in a very difficult position and unless ultimately they find some compromise, I think they will have serious problems," said Ansari.

"I mean the underlying thing you have to bear in mind about Ahmadinejad is he is taking over a country whose political and economic health is not good. So if you wait long enough, the economy will basically bring him down."

Suzanne Maloney, a senior fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution in Washington, also gave insight:

"The firebrand president's allies among the political elite distrust him profoundly, his cabinet is in shambles, and conservative rivals in the parliament have threatened a no-confidence vote," said Maloney, in a report published this week.

A hundred people are facing trial in Tehran on various charges, including conspiracy, rioting and vandalism allegedly committed during the street protests after the poll.

Defeated opposition presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi and Iran's former reformist president Mohammad Khatami, have denounced the hearings, that were due to resume on Saturday.

"Though battered and detained, the opposition remains energised and appears to be prepared to wage a long-term mutiny against the regime's effort to stifle any dissent," said Maloney.

Keep up the support!

Kianoosh Asa - 40 Days

2009-08-06T22:10:00.002-07:00

Kianoosh Asa - 40 Days

Protesters marked the 40th day since Kianoosh Asa was found murdered after disappearing for 10 days into the hands of security forces. Here's the video:

The video was shot in Asa's hometown, Kermanshah.

Also, Iranian blogger, Mehdi Saharkhiz, has posted some incredible photos on his blog, click here to see protests near Modares Highway in Tehran.

As a frame of reference:

View Larger Map

Video - 6 August

2009-08-06T22:05:00.001-07:00

Video - 6 August

Shot late in the day Thursday:

Marg bar diktator!

Catching up

2009-08-06T21:59:00.002-07:00

Catching up

Twitter being under attack all day severely limited information getting out of Iran on Thursday. Here's what I've found:

Reuters reports that:

The renewed protests come despite a heavy police presence and the mass trial of some 100 leading reformers accused of fomenting the unrest that has continued for eight weeks since disputed June 12 polls returned hard-liner Ahmadinejad to office.

"Hundreds of people are in Vanak square, chanting 'death to the dictator'. Others are also honking car horns," said the witness. "Hundreds of riot police are there as well."

The witness said riot police tried to disperse protesters.

"They are telling protesters to leave the area or face being arrested," the witness said.

Some video up next.

Association of Iranian Journalists shut down

2009-08-06T11:37:00.002-07:00

Association of Iranian Journalists shut down

Late Wednesday night, a group of armed men stormed the offices of the Association of Iranian Journalists in Tehran.

A member of the press group, who requested not to be named, was quoted in the report as confirming, "It is true, it has been closed down."

The International Federation of Journalists was quoted in the report as condemning the raid, as well as calling for the Islamic republic to release over 40 journalists currently held in prison.

"Government actions against media and journalists erode further the credibility and standing of the Government in national and the world opinion," an IFJ statement read.

Full article from the Jerusalem Post available here.

Could it be...SATAN?!?

2009-08-06T00:40:00.003-07:00

Could it be...SATAN?!?

Today (Thursday), Iran's hardline newspaper, Kayhan, congratulated Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for standing up to Western countries, and warned that the Islamic Republic would stand up against American plots.

From the AFP article:

"The US is not going to give up its plotting against Iran," said Iran's leading hardline newspaper Kayhan, which last month criticised Ahmadinejad over a number of controversial political decisions.

"But it has clearly understood it can't stand against a powerful Islamic Iran which saw 85 percent turnout in the election. It has realised that adopting its old methods is useless," said the paper, whose editor is appointed by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

"But what is unfortunate is that some reformists are not learning from the lessons from the Satan who has deceived them," the paper said referring to Ahmadinejad's rivals who have refused to acknowledge his victory.

It's noon in Tehran, I've not found anything yet about the protests that were being rumored for today.

NO to Nokia

2009-08-05T16:09:00.004-07:00

NO to Nokia

If anyone thinks that the vast opposition in Iran has forgotten about Nokia/Siemens role in selling equipment to the regime which helped to track down dissidents, well, you'd be wrong.

With video goodness:

Reports that people are trying to get action together for Thursday, I'll pass it along as I hear of it.

Eyewitness account

2009-08-05T15:59:00.004-07:00

Eyewitness account

The Guardian translated the text of a Farsi blogger named Mehdi Saharkhiz, who wrote earlier today about the level of force used by security in attempting to break up demonstrations today.

I was sitting in the Metro. While approaching Imam Khomeini Square, the driver said very politely: “We have to follow police orders, so we can’t stop at Baharestan and Mellat.” People started whispering.

When I emerged from the Metro the streets were full of military forces. Some had masks. Imam Square was full of special forces. Civil police were in the other streets, especially outside the mosques. They had closed Ekbatan Street.

Suddenly we heard an argument. A woman was running away. A man was chasing her and kept kicking her, until she dropped to the ground. I was very frightened. The kind of scene I witnessed make people insensitive, deaf and blind.

The woman being harassed made people boo and shout, while moving towards Jomhurii Street. They were shouting out slogans, such as “God is great” and “Death to the Dictator.”

Then we saw plain-closed police coming on their motor bikes, filming us, and pouring spray on us. We ran into an alley. A woman’s hands were burnt from the spray.
One woman shouted: "death to Khamenei". Boys as young as 15 were carrying lashes.
There was another gathering around 15th Khordad Square. and then towards Naser Khosro, people shouted "Merchants support us".
One old seller shouted to us: "American bastards!"
Someone asked "Why doesn't Bazar support us?" Another answered "because it would cost them too much".
The Bazar was as crowded and tense as Baharestan. It was full of plain-clothed police.
Back in the metro, a man asked: " Where are we supposed to gather in the evening?"
What an inauguration morning!

"Brave Iranians Back us Up!”

2009-08-05T15:54:00.001-07:00

"Brave Iranians Back us Up!”

Video shot Wednesday in Tehran, with the chant “Back us up! Back us up! Brave Iranians Back us Up!”

Rafsanjani to deliver sermon again

2009-08-05T14:17:00.002-07:00

Rafsanjani to deliver sermon again

Sheyda Jahanbin Tweeted that Iran’s former president, Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani will deliver the sermon again on Friday 14 August.

Friday August 14th’s prayer will be by Rafsanjani again. Hope to see another big turn out.

The last time Rasfanjani gave the sermon, it was a momentous day in Tehran...

Murder to be investigated

2009-08-05T13:18:00.003-07:00

Murder to be investigated

A member of the Iranian parliament's investigation committee claims that parliament intends to look into the death of Ali Reza Tosali, according to the National Iranian American Council.

Tosali, who was 12, was at the demonstrations which took place last Thursday at Behesht Zahra cemetery, and got separated from his father. At some point, he was clubbed in the head by a police baton, and died from his injuries. Ali is believed to be the first child to die as a result of the unrest.

Government authorities refused to return his body to his family for four days.

Karoubi speaks out

2009-08-05T12:39:00.003-07:00

Karoubi speaks out

Defeated presidential candidate, Mehdi Karoubi, has called on the government of Iran to stop squelching democratic protests.

"Using frightening methods to suppress people will bear no result. Allow people to protest in the streets and to chant slogans ... an imposed state of security will harm our national security ... mass arrests of moderates and having such mass trials will endanger the country's national interests."

Full story from Reuters is here.

Back story

2009-08-05T10:28:00.002-07:00

Back story

If there is still a great deal that you want to learn about Iran's recent history, there is a really fine three-part series by the BBC that really goes over it in depth.

You may stream or download it here, and the other two parts can be linked from the same page.

Gibbs revises statement

2009-08-05T10:08:00.003-07:00

Gibbs revises statement

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, said yesterday that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was "Iran's elected leader." From a Reuters interview aboard Air Force One:

"Let me correct a little bit of what I said yesterday. I denoted that Mr. Ahmadinejad was the elected leader of Iran. I would say that's not for me to pass judgment on," Gibbs told reporters aboard Air Force One.

"He's been inaugurated. That's a fact. Whether any election was fair, obviously the Iranian people still have questions about that, and we'll let them decide about that."

The Obama administration has been walking a very thin line, wanting to support the Iranian opposition, while at the same time dealing with the reality that Ahmadinejad is likely to be the face they must look at in any diplomatic overtures, at least in the short term.

Hopefully, this eases, at least a little bit, the minds of all who want to see real change in Iran.

"Share the Shah's fate"

2009-08-05T10:00:00.003-07:00

"Share the Shah's fate"

The Associated Press observed today's protests outside of the Iranian Parliament.

Hundreds of protesters chanted "Death to the Dictator" before security forces broke up a demonstration near parliament, striking people with batons and blasting them with pepper spray, witnesses said.

Some of the protesters wore black T-shirts in a sign of mourning and others wore green — the color of the opposition movement. A middle-aged woman carried a banner warning Iran's leaders if they do not listen to people's demands, they will face the same fate as Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was toppled in the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

It's a very thorough article, definitely worth a read.

Try harder, will ya?

2009-08-05T09:52:00.002-07:00

Try harder, will ya?

There is just no propaganda like state-sponsored propaganda.

Iran's PressTV, reporting on the swearing-in ceremony today, also analyzed the activity outside Parliament, which was fascinating, even though there wasn't any.

Parliament News reported that more than 5,000 security forces were guarding the downtown block while other reports said officers with sniffer dogs patrolled the area searching for possible bombs.

All shops and businesses in the area were ordered to close. Security forces had cordoned off the neighboring areas near the Majlis hours before the ceremony began, reports said.

In a separate move, Head of Tehran's metro company Jafar Rabiyi said the authorities ordered the trains not to stop at two stops near Parliament -- Baharestan and Mellat stations -- until the end of the inauguration ceremony.

Rabiyi stressed that the move was not due to any technical problems and was only because of the swearing-in ceremony, announcing that the trains would stop at regular stations after the event.

Despite the heavy security presence, opposition supporters held sporadic demonstrations in protest at the inauguration of President Ahmadinejad, who garnered almost two-thirds of the vote, repots said.

Several people were arrested and police used tear gas to disperse demonstrators, according to the reports.

However, Iranian deputy police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said the inauguration ceremony was held in a peaceful environment.

"Despite mass propaganda by satellite TV channels and foreign media calling on the people to gather in front of Majlis, no illegal protests were held [in the area]," Radan said.

Sporadic demonstrations were held, and there were no illegal protests in that area. Which is it? Or were these legal protests, and if so, why are you beating and arresting people?

More protests

2009-08-05T09:43:00.002-07:00

More protests

Reuters is reporting that there are protests all over Tehran today, and the crackdown is still in effect by security forces:

"I was beaten by police who wanted to disperse protesters," said a witness, who declined to give her name.

Another witness said dozens of protesters gathered at the vicinity of Tehran's Bazaar.

"They were chanting Allah-u Akbar (God is greatest) and Mousavi we support you. But riot police dispersed them," said a witness from southern Tehran, where the Bazaar is located.

Police arrested at least 10 protesters, witnesses said.

Some of the reports I have read place the number of arrested much higher. This video looks to have been taken outside of Parliament, in Baharestan Square:

Protests @ Tehran's Bazaar

2009-08-05T09:38:00.002-07:00

Protests @ Tehran's Bazaar

Crowds of protesters have gathered in what looks like the bazaar in Tehran, take a look:

In this other video, the people are still angry about Russia's fast acceptance of the fraudulent June 12th election results:

And rightly so.

What Ahmadi said

2009-08-05T09:30:00.002-07:00

What Ahmadi said

The English website of Iran's parliament has summarized what Ahmadinejad said in his address today:

In his first address during his second term, the president struck a defiant tone at ‘oppressive powers’ who seek to deal with the Iranian nation through ‘interference and foul language.’ “We will resist oppressors and try to correct the global discriminatory mechanisms in order to benefit all the nations of the world,” he said.

Ahmadinejad also took a swipe at Western powers, including the United States, France and Germany, for their refusal to congratulate him on his reelection. “We heard that some of the Western leaders had decided to recognize but not congratulate the new government … Well, no one in Iran is waiting for your messages,” he said. “Iranians will neither value your scowling and bullying nor will they pay attention to your smiles and greetings.”

The ceremony was attended by 244 of Iran’s 290 lawmakers, as the Reformist faction of the Iranian Parliament had boycotted the ceremony, news reports said. The official website of the faction added that from its 70 members only 13 had taken their seats at the Majlis, while a number also walked out as the president began his address to the parliament.

Other notable figures not present at the ceremony were former president Mohammad Khatami, the head of the Expediency Council Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani and Ayatollah Mohammad-Reza Mahdavi Kani, a member of the powerful Assembly of Experts. Defeated presidential candidates, Mohsen Rezai, Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi were also absent.

He is a real charming son-of-a-bitch.

The one that get away

2009-08-05T09:18:00.002-07:00

The one that get away

France24 tells the story of protesters being arrested around Saei Park in the Vali-e-Asr district of Tehran. Iranians managed to free one demonstrator from his captors, the video is here:

Meanwhile, Omid Habibinia has been busy Tweeting:

More than 20 protesters arrested at Sepah St, Black Shirt forces attacking ppl brutally.

Heavy Security

2009-08-05T09:06:00.003-07:00

Heavy Security

Iran's PressTV gave an estimate on the size of the security force for today's swearing-in ceremony in Tehran:

More than 5,000 security and police forces gathered around the building of Majlis in central Tehran. Sniffer dogs were securing the area.

In any case, the video seems to indicate that this was the case, or that someone has opened the world's largest used motorcycle dealership. Still, Iranians are trying to gather:

Trudy Rubin - Neda

2009-08-04T21:22:00.002-07:00

Trudy Rubin - Neda

Columnist Trudy Rubin, has posted a very interesting read about the state of the Iranian government. From the essay:

Whoever is in charge, the deaths of Neda and the others have pushed some senior clerics to compare the current situation to the repression under the former shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. "Was the regime of the shah able to resist the wave of dissatisfaction by using terror, oppression, censorship, torture, forced confessions, and lying propaganda?" asked a senior cleric, Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri.

The elderly Montazeri is a longtime critic of Iran's current leadership, but in the past has been put under house arrest and muzzled. The fact that he can now issue such stunning critiques reflects an Iranian regime uncertain how to proceed.

A must-read, it can be found in its entirety here.

Riot police massing

2009-08-04T21:01:00.002-07:00

Riot police massing

Hundreds of riot police and Basij thugs are gathering near Iran's parliament as the swearing-in ceremony/farce for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has begun in Tehran. The streets leading to parliament are also being occupied by government forces, in an attempt to keep protesters from gathering.

Farda News interviewed Ahmadinejad, who made unveiled threats to the demonstrators:

"A new period has begun," he told the Association of Basiji Scholars at a meeting in Mashhad last Thursday. "Let me take the oath of office, and wait for the government to begin its work," he told the Basiji members, who are affiliated with the militiamen clubbing demonstrators in the streets.

"Then, we'll seize them by their collars and stick their heads to the ceiling," he said.

A very long day is beginning...

Ahmadinejad swearing in Wednesday

2009-08-04T18:24:00.003-07:00

Ahmadinejad swearing in Wednesday

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is to be sworn in for his second term as Iran's president at 0900 local time in Tehran, which is about three hours from now.

A peaceful protest is planned, as Moussavi supporters are asked to gather outside to protest as Ahmadinejad takes the oath inside the Parliament building. Opposition leaders say they have no intention of stopping their dissent, even after the swearing-in.

Wednesday is going to be busy, I will update as soon as I get information.

What you are is not in dispute

2009-08-04T00:37:00.002-07:00

What you are is not in dispute

We are only haggling over the price.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

This is important, stop being douchebags, and get this done the right way.

Heavy government forces today

2009-08-03T14:29:00.002-07:00

Heavy government forces today

Video from different times today of the tight security on Vali Asr Boulevard in central Tehran:

Lots of those bastards on motorcycles.

View Larger Map

Voices and car horns

2009-08-03T14:01:00.002-07:00

Voices and car horns

New video of demonstrations today, with crowds chanting "Marg bar diktator!" while motorists honk their horns along in unison.

The clerics and Ahmadinejad are still using all of the disgusting tactics at their disposal, but the people of Iran seem less and less concerned with their own safety as each week passes.

Central Tehran?

2009-08-03T13:35:00.002-07:00

Central Tehran?

Video of a peaceful opposition protest in what may be the central part of the capital.

Some photos here from Gooya News:

A bunch more can be seen here.

3 August - update

2009-08-03T13:07:00.003-07:00

3 August - update

A BBC report about today's ceremony and protests:

After the ceremony, witnesses said hundreds of people had attempted to hold a demonstration in Vanak Square in the north of Tehran, but that they were dispersed the Revolutionary Guards, the Basij militia and police.

One protester called Maryam told BBC Persian the protest had been peaceful and that they were attacked indiscriminately. “Plain-clothed officers started attacking people from the middle of the crowd,” she said. “People were chased away and many were beaten up. Electric batons and tear gas were being used to displace the crowd.”

There were also reports of a demonstration being prevented by riot police in Vali Asr Square. Mr. Karroubi is also said to have appeared at one rally.

Additionally, Lera Setrakian of ABC News in Dubai tweeted:

A supporter says Karroubi was at today’s #iranelection protest, at Beheshti & Valiasr. Fars News wrote he participated in “illegal protest.”

She also wrote that her source in Tehran told her that

“the buildup of forces around Vanak, Valiasr, Fatemi & Enghelab Square was unprecedented… fearsome.”

Inaugural protest

2009-08-03T12:28:00.004-07:00

Inaugural protest

Video has surfaced of protests in Tehran today. It looks like it was shot by someone on their cell phone, while they were pretending to have a conversation, possibly near Vanak Square:

View Larger Map

The second video appears to be an opposition protester being arrested:

More as it filters in...

New protests, 3 August

2009-08-03T10:24:00.001-07:00

New protests, 3 August

This tweet from about an hour ago:

Confrontation for the past hour in Vali Asr. Sq and Knowledge Park , Basij and security forces using tear gas.

This seems to be in reaction to the swearing-in ceremony/farce from this morning.

Swearing-in boycotted

2009-08-03T10:17:00.003-07:00

Swearing-in boycotted

Ayatollah Khameini officially swore in Mahmoud Ahmadinejad this morning in Tehran, but the event was boycotted by two former presidents of Iran, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami, along with Mousavi and Karroubi.

If you like really awkward body language, you'll enjoy the video:

At the ceremony four years ago, Ahmadinejad kissed Khameini's hand to show his loyalty, but not this time. These guys do not like each other one bit.

Show trial-folk are the best folk

2009-08-01T07:17:00.002-07:00

Show-trial folk are the best folk

Iran's official news agency, IRNA, is reporting that 100 opposition political activists and protesters stood trial in Tehran today, on charges that include attacking military and government buildings, having links with armed opposition groups and conspiring against the ruling system.

According to FARS English site, the Deputy Prosecutor General of Tehran's public and revolutionary courts said that the foreign media contributed a major role in the post-election frenzy in Iran.

"It should be noted that foreign media, including BBC Persian, VOA, Al-Arabia, Radio Farda and Radio Zamaneh, have played a salient role in training and provoking illegal gatherings and unrests," he said.

The prosecutor alleged that Newsweek reporter, Mazyar Bahari had told him that the policy of the western media was based on inculcating fraud in Iran's 10th presidential election even before voting started.

"I asked the issue from Mr. (Mohammad) Khatami (former Iranian president) in an interview and after the interview I witnessed a movement in the country which accorded with the classic paradigms of velvet revolution," he quoted Bahari as saying.

The government's claims of legitimacy just get more and more pathetic by the day.

Summary of 30 July

2009-07-30T21:43:00.002-07:00

Summary of 30 July

A couple of very good reports going over today's events. The first is from Britain's Channel 4 News, filed by Lindsey Hilsum.

The second one is a BBC report, combining amateur footage with film from someone in country with professional equipment, click to see it here.

I can't help but wonder what Friday will bring in Iran, especially after Thursday showed unrest all over the country, and not only in Tehran. Since the first week after the election, there really has not been sustained opposition activity in the streets of Iran, only on special dates and anniversaries.

Was the 40th day since Neda was murdered just a single important day, or was it the start of something sustained, and ultimately bigger?

Protests in Isfahan?

2009-07-30T14:21:00.004-07:00

Protests in Isfahan?

The demonstrations appear to have not been limited to Tehran today. Here are two clips filmed in Isfahan, which is several hundred miles south of the capital.

It's already 0200 Friday in Iran, not sure how much more there will be today.

Behesht-e-Zahra video

2009-07-30T13:03:00.002-07:00

Behesht-e-Zahra video

Very clean video from today's protests at the Behesht-e-Zahra cemetery:

As a point of reference, the location of the cemetery:

View Larger Map

Beheshti Street - today

2009-07-30T10:54:00.002-07:00

Beheshti Street - today

Video from Behesht-e-Zahra cemetery

2009-07-30T10:01:00.001-07:00

Video from Behesht-e-Zahra cemetery

Newly uploaded video from Behesht-e-Zahra cemetery in Tehran:

That is a lot of people, several thousand at least.

Iran's Freedom Riders

2009-07-30T09:50:00.003-07:00

Iran's Freedom Riders

New video of passengers on a commuter bus, chanting opposition slogans:

I find it very interesting how many passengers appear to have cameras and phones with video capability, and especially by what a fine time the riders appear to be having.

It's a nice moment in an atmosphere that has been very ugly at times.

Brush with the truth

2009-07-30T09:39:00.003-07:00

Brush with the truth

PressTV, Iran's state-supported TV channel, is actually reporting on the protests going on in country today. The demonstrations weren't the lead story, but hey, the fact that they are reporting it at all is progress.

Police forces on Thursday used tear gas to break up supporters of defeated presidential candidates Mehdi Karroubi and Mir-Hossein Mousavi who had gathered at the Behesht-e Zahra cemetery to commemorate the lives lost in recent unrest in the country.

Elsewhere in the central street of Abbas Abad in the Iranian capital, witnesses said protesters set garbage bins on fire as the security forces tried to prevent them from gathering for the banned memorial ceremony.

Don't hold your breath waiting for them to report accurate vote counts, though...

Violence against protestors

2009-07-30T09:09:00.004-07:00

Violence against protestors

Newly uploaded video from Tehran shows police attacking demonstrators in the streets. Noises that sounds like gunshots are also audible:

Reuters/Iran is also reporting via Twitter that police are arresting Mousavi backers in central Tehran, in addition to smashing windows, and firing tear gas.

Karroubi in video?

2009-07-30T08:53:00.002-07:00

Karroubi in video?

Opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi appears to be in the middle of this demonstration, look for the man in the white turban around 21 seconds into the clip:

I cannot tell where this protest is taking place, unfortunately.

Vali Asr Boulevard

2009-07-30T08:37:00.002-07:00

Vali Asr Boulevard

Newly uploaded video of what looks to be a sizable crowd on Vali Asr Boulevard in Tehran today:

It sounds like one of the words they're chanting is "Mousavi," but I'm not certain.

More protests in Tehran

2009-07-30T08:03:00.002-07:00

More protests in Tehran

Witnesses in Iran have told Reuters that a couple of thousand protesters have gathered in central Tehran near the Grand Mosala, a prayer center where huge crowds are able to gather.

"There is a lot of police and at least 2,000 people have gathered outside Mosala," the witness said.

Opposition leaders had asked for, but were denied permission to hold a mourning rally at this location today.

Kianoosh Asa

2009-07-30T07:52:00.006-07:00

Kianoosh Asa

Members of his family were at the cemetery today.

Asa was abducted from a dormitory at Tehran University on June 15th, and his body turned up 10 days later, bearing signs of torture.

Standing strong

2009-07-30T07:37:00.004-07:00

Standing strong

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that "thousands, maybe tens of thousands of mourners, many of them black-clad young women carrying roses, overwhelmed security forces today at Tehran’s largest cemetery.”

Uniformed security forces initially clashed violently today with some of the mourners, supporters and leaders of the opposition, who were there to protest and grieve for those killed in recent unrest. Unsuccessful presidential candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi attempted to attend the graveside ceremony marking the religiously significant 40th day since the death of Agha-Soltan and others killed in the fighting.

"Oh, Hossein! Mir-Hossein," the mourners chanted in support of him.

According to one witness, who asked not to be identified for fear of reprisal, Mousavi stepped out of his car only to be surrounded by police, who forced him back into his vehicle and out of the cemetery. At first, mourners were confronted by security forces, who struck some with batons and made arrests in an attempt to bar them from gathering at Tehran’s Behesht Zahra cemetery, the country’s largest. The tree-lined streets leading to the graves of Agha-Soltan and others were blocked by riot police, the witness said.

The witness said protesters identified and violently confronted several plainclothes Basiji militiamen. “Police, police, support us,” the crowd chanted. “God is great!” But as people poured out of the nearby subway station and taxis along the highway, security forces retreated. One witness said police released detainees and began cooperating with the mourners, directing them to Section 257 of the cemetery, where Agha-Soltan and others were buried.

Definitely an encouraging sign, if the police have lost their enthusiasm for defending this illegal regime, anything is possible.

More filmmakers arrested

2009-07-30T07:33:00.002-07:00

More filmmakers arrested

Lara Setrakian, who is in Dubai for ABC News, Tweets that more Iranian filmmakers have been arrested:

Source: filmmakers Jafar Panahi and Mahnaz Mohammadi were arrested today. Mahnaz is a wonderful, passionate, independent woman #iranelection

Video from today

2009-07-30T07:27:00.004-07:00

Video from today

Video appears to show protesters at Behesht-e-Zahra cemetery in Tehran.

It looks like a pretty substantial crowd to me.

Interview w/Neda's mother

2009-07-30T07:20:00.003-07:00

Interview w/Neda's mother

Today, the BBC published an interview with the mother of murdered Iranian woman, Neda Agha-Soltan.

The audio is here, and an English transcript is available here.

I have had no contact with Mr Mousavi. But Mr Karroubi… came to our house on Monday night. It’s important for me that he visited us. He was very supportive and I found that comforting. Our conversation was published in Etemad, which is Mr Karroubi’s own newspaper. He said she was innocent… she was a martyr. And he said her killer must be found. [...]

Yes. I went to visit the mothers of Sohrab Arabi and Ashkan Sohrab… they were two teenagers who were killed. And then both the mothers also came to my house too. [...]

Emotionally we are all broken. What can we say to each other? Our loved ones were too young to die… what can three mothers in the same situation say to each other? All we can do is just sit there and cry.

She's waiting for her daughter's killer to be brought to justice.

No mercy

2009-07-30T07:12:00.003-07:00

No mercy

Jim Sciutto of ABC News, reports via Twitter, that the mother of Neda Agha-Soltan was asked by the government not to attend today's memorial for her daughter:

Neda's mother pressured not to attend: 'for reasons I can't say, I cannot attend the ceremony of my own daughter' #iranelection #neda

And this:

Crowds chanting ‘death to the dictator’, others saying ‘Neda isn’t dead, the regime is’

Mousavi was at the cemetery

2009-07-30T07:07:00.002-07:00

Mousavi was at the cemetery

Updating the earlier Reuter's report about mourners being arrested at the cemetery where Neda Agha-Soltan is buried, opposition candidate, Mir Hossein Mousavi was there, too, and was forced to leave.

Iranian police forced opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi to leave a Tehran cemetery where hundreds of mourners had gathered to commemorate victims of the unrest that erupted after the June presidential election. “Police forced Mousavi to return to his car and leave the cemetery. Police are also warning mourners to leave the place or face the consequences,” a witness told Reuters.

There is no report that he was detained by police.

As promised

2009-07-30T07:01:00.003-07:00

As promised

Reuters is reporting that police in Iran have arrested mourners who had gathered at a cemetery in Tehran to honor some of the protesters who have dies since the election in June.

"Hundreds have gathered around Neda Agha-Soltan's grave to mourn her death and other victims' death ... police arrested some of them ... dozens of riot police also arrived and are trying to disperse the crowd," a witness told Reuters.

This 40th day promises to be busy...

40 Days

2009-07-29T00:29:00.004-07:00

40 Days

Those who have studied the 1979 revolution in Iran may recall that a large part of the push behind the demonstrations was the ongoing remembrances of dead protesters which occurred 40 days after they had died. In the Shiite religion, the 40th day after one's death is a time for an important mourning ritual.
Thursday will mark 40 days since Neda Agha-Soltan was murdered by Basij thugs working for the Khameini/Ahmadinejad government. 40 days. No one has been charged, no one has been made to pay for the brutal death of an innocent Iranian citizen at the hands of the government. Let us hope Thursday 30 July is an eventful day in Iran.