This is Lame, just plain Lame

We all know the President is an "idea" man, like Reagan. Yeah, right. Mr. Altzheimer, the idea man. G.W. sure knows how to pick his heroes. He's allowed to say whatever shit he wants, but when he's held to account, his people tell us "he's not a statistician." Or like, whatever. You know, they really do talk like that. Like, really. They must, because they could never spout shit like that if they didn't believe it, and they couldn't believe it, unless, like, they were totally so lame. You decide.

First Bush, now Perry?

Of course, this is just rumor, but Byron over at Burnt Orange Report is pointing towards a story over at Buzz Flash that says Rick Perry, the Republican governor of Texas, is about to be divorced by his wife for his sexual shenanigans with another (gasp!) man, pictured here:
. Geoff Connor is the Secretary of State for Texas. Which one do you think is the top? I say it's definitely Perry unless, of course, Geoff has a huge dick. Everybody curtsies to the real big dick.

Y'all are thinking: he's getting kind of gross here. We are not here to talk about the size of anyone's appendage, especially the fucking governor of Texas. Okay, to you sensitive ones, I apologize. I have only one question: who did you call when Bush was fucking over us? Define once again what you mean by obscene. "Gross" is what those bastards have done to us and our republic.

Not that there's anything wrong with it, but ya' know, first Bush tells the Canadian Prime Minister's assistant that he has a pretty face, and now this. It gets curiouser and curiouser.

Of course, they are a cute couple.

What did you do during the war, daddy?


I've said it over and over. I'm not mad at Pres. Bush for avoiding Vietnam. I'm mad at him for being dishonest about his motivations and how he succeeded. He pretended to be for the war but worked hard to keep his own ass out of harm's way. That is just wrong. This country's success is predicated on our equality before the law. For him to take a short cut on his responsibility and then lie makes him lower than pond scumb in my mind. Anyway, the other night the Prez warned others not to denigrate service in the Guard. Let me tell you, service in the Guard today is a far cry from what it was during Vietnam. I'm copying a column by Larry David as he talks about his experience in the military reserves during Vietnam. The guy is funny and totally on target. Those of us who were there, know. From the New York Times, [registration required, that's why I quoted the entire column].

My War
By LARRY DAVID

LOS ANGELES

I couldn't be happier that President Bush has stood up for having served in the National Guard, because I can finally put an end to all those who questioned my motives for enlisting in the Army Reserve at the height of the Vietnam War. I can't tell you how many people thought I had signed up just to avoid going to Vietnam. Nothing could be further from the truth. If anything, I was itching to go over there. I was just out of college and, let's face it, you can't buy that kind of adventure. More important, I wanted to do my part in saving that tiny country from the scourge of Communism. We had to draw the line somewhere, and if not me, then who?

But I also knew that our country was being torn asunder by opposition to the war. Who would be here to defend the homeland against civil unrest? Or what if some national emergency should arise? We needed well-trained men on the ready to deal with any situation. It began to dawn on me that perhaps my country needed me more at home than overseas. Sure, being a reservist wasn't as glamorous, but I was the one who had to look at myself in the mirror.

Even though the National Guard and Army Reserve see combat today, it rankles me that people assume it was some kind of waltz in the park back then. If only. Once a month, for an entire weekend — I'm talking eight hours Saturday and Sunday — we would meet in a dank, cold airplane hangar. The temperature in that hangar would sometimes get down to 40 degrees, and very often I had to put on long underwear, which was so restrictive I suffered from an acute vascular disorder for days afterward. Our captain was a strict disciplinarian who wouldn't think twice about not letting us wear sneakers or breaking up a poker game if he was in ill humor. Once, they took us into the woods and dropped us off with nothing but compasses and our wits. One wrong move and I could've wound up on Queens Boulevard. Fortunately, I had the presence of mind to find my way out of there and back to the hangar. Some of my buddies did not fare as well and had to call their parents to come and get them.

Then in the summer we would go away to camp for two weeks. It felt more like three. I wondered if I'd ever see my parakeet again. We slept on cots and ate in the International House of Pancakes. I learned the first night that IHOP's not the place to order fish. When the two weeks were up, I came home a changed man. I would often burst into tears for no apparent reason and suffered recurring nightmares about drowning in blueberry syrup. If I hadn't been so strapped for cash, I would've sought the aid of a psychiatrist.

In those days, reserve duty lasted for six years, which, I might add, was three times as long as service in the regular army, although to be perfectly honest, I was unable to fulfill my entire obligation because I was taking acting classes and they said I could skip my last year. I'll always be eternally grateful to the Pentagon for allowing me to pursue my dreams.

Still, after all this time, whenever I've mentioned my service in the Reserve during Vietnam, it's been met with sneers and derision. But now, thanks to President Bush, I can stand up proudly alongside him and all the other guys who guarded the home front. Finally, we no longer have to be embarrassed about our contribution during those very trying years.

Larry David, who served in the Army Reserve in the 1970's, appears in the HBO series "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

Reading Others

I just added another blogger to my roll on the right. She calls herself Viking Zen. I do not know her human name, just her virtual identity. I'm cool with that. She is Viking Zen. She's a hybrid mixture of culture and language, combining American and Brazilian, themselves both hybrids. I came across her blog one day after she was spotlighted by our host, Blogger. She's has a unique and well formed observation of things, and she's articulate enough to share them with feeling and color. Those are good things. Go visit, read her tale about the furnace, and if you're so inclined, say hello. Don't forget to tell her Houston sent you.

Anger

I ran into someone yesterday who read my blog here and said that I seemed angry. I don't think I'm exceptionally angry as a person, and it comes as a surprise to me that one would read my blog and come to that conclusion, but you know, when you're painting a picture, you have to allow that each person will have a different impression. Some will like the colors you use, and some won't. I don't think I'm especially angry, but I do get mad from time to time. I think there's plenty to be angry about in our society. However, I think I celebrate life more than I complain or rant about the inequities of it. Today I'm going to spend a few hours alone in quiet reflection, thinking about the colors I use. Today, color me curious yellow.

Making a Statement For Fashion Freedom

I was by Jennifer's History and Stuff this morning and was pointed towards this story. For the record, I have no idea who the people at Jennifer's History and Stuff are, but for some reason I put them on my list of Favorites some few weeks ago, so I stop by and visit from time to time. I thought the conversation about men wearing skirts to be interesting. I have always believed that men should have the freedom to wear skirts. If I can find a picture of me in mine, I'll come back and put it up.

Al Gore Gets in Right

I just saw a blip of Al Gore attacking Dubya for betraying our trust. That's exactly what Bush did. He told us that we were being threatened, but we were no more threatened than we had been for 11 or 12 years. He told us they had weapons of mass destruction. We believed him. He told us that there was a threat of nuclear weapons. We believed him. What he did was to play upon our fears. He lied to us. He exaggerated the threat. Was this about family honor? Was this about oil? I don't know. When you realize that your boyfriend's lying to you, the next question you ask yourself is "for how long?" I began this blog back last March in support of the President's decision to go to war. I argued with friends, family, acquaintances. What did Bush do with my trust? He allowed the extremists in his party to accuse my friends of aiding the enemy for opposing him. He allowed the extremists in his party to call my friends traitors. He also used the support he was getting for his conduct of the war against terrorism to consolidate his political position at home. He did not try to build a coalition. He attempted to brutalize any opposition to him or to his political party's extremist platform.

He was a coward during the Vietnam War. He avoided the draft for dishonorable reasons. He joined the Texas Air National Guard, after having a slot made available to him because of who is father was. If he supported the war, he should have joined rather the fight rather than dodging. His country needed him, but he was a coward.

His tax cuts have helped no one but the rich. He is breaking the economic back of the government. We are going to be saddled with so much debt that we will be unable to function as an efficient government. The Republicans are treating the government as a huge, all you can eat buffet, and they are cleaning the platters. There won't be anything left. He's so fucking stupid that he doesn't see or understand the results of what he is doing. I vote for stupid. He's not smart enough to be evil. That would be his brother, Jeb.

His political party, however, is evil. Tom DeLay would send his own mother to a concentration camp if it enhanced his political power. I love the quote about him responding to being told he couldn't smoke his cigar at a restaurant telling the poor chap trying to enforce the law that "he [Tom DeLay] was the government." That sounds real good when written in a history book.

Cheers.

Bush Meets the Press

Oh, but if he only would. Instead he's being fluffed by Tim Russert Sunday morning on NBC's Meet the Press. I don't get NBC so I guess I'll have to be satisfied with the wrapup. I don't expect much. Tim Russert is such a suck-up. His idea of a tough question is going to be "who d'ya think will win the world series this year?" There is so much shit on the table, I just don't know how Russert can't ask a couple of on point questions. The challenge to Russert is to follow up when he gets a bullshit answer. And that's the standard I'm going to hold Tim to: if he answers with a non sequitur, you better damn well ask him to explain himself.

Friday Cat Blogging

My unofficial blog block captain, Kevin Drum over at Calpundit, usually does cat blogging on Fridays, although not today for some reason. He has two cats, Inkblot and Jasmine. I have one. Or does he have me? Say hello to Beauregard:

Missing the Point

I saw Janet's titty. Oh whoopidee shit! Here's a picture of it if you're interested in seeing it for yourself. This guy is outraged. The idiots at Right Wing News (no way I'm linking to that sort of trash) think Dr. Dean is unsuited to be President because he wasn't outraged enough to condemn everyone involved. No, really, that's what they said over there. I was over there this morning to see if there was any shock at what Justin Timberlake did. He tore a woman's top in a similated act of male aggression. In their dance of sexual illusion, he responded to the dominitrix's supposed control of him by turning the tables and taking control, humiliating her by exposing her. I've seen the x-rated version of the movie already. I thought I recognized the plot. But no, cynicism ran high, and no one seem especially offended.

Am I the only one to notice that Justin Timberlake has no hips? Bless his heart. My friend Stacy was over watching the show with us. She thought Justin sounded like Michael Jackson. That's interesting, huh? If Michael had been doing the dance with Janet, no one would have noticed Janet, with or without her boob haning out.

Tim Goodman, writing in this morning's San Francisco Chronicle, totally pegs the entire story. Ah, America.

Farting and Calling it Singing



The Bush budget. I'd laugh it it didn't have such serious repercussions as a result of its distortions of truth.

Adding Comments

It's a sign of the times. Now you don't have to write to me, you can just leave your witty bon mots here without grief or effort.

Is Bush Gay?

There's this guy over at the Gay Porn Blog who writes wickedly about many diverse subjects, but mostly Gay porn. Gay porn is one of those things that most practitioners would rather not talk about. Myself included. As we used to say about Playboy magazine back in the late 60s, I only buy it for the articles. But the guy who writes over there is a very interesting person. I've met him a couple of times, but he only knows me in conjunction with someone else, so he doesn't have a clue as to who I am, and it really doesn't matter. You don't have to know someone to think they're interesting. This week he's been writing about the new to this country baseball player from Japan, Kazuhito Tadano, who apparently was in a gay-themed porno back home in Japan. Apparently in some circles that's quite extraordinary. But he finishes up with that story, and moves on to the following which is very interesting. You should draw you own conclusions. You would anyway. So, here's what we're doing: I'm quoting him quoting them. He's footnoted his comments with links. That's good enough for me. Here we go. Here's a picture of Canadian Scott. At least we now know Bush's type.


Bush prefers our pretty boy to his pretty boy
By JANE TABER
Friday, January 16, 2004 - Page A1

OTTAWA -- This is the tale of the two Scotts -- one American, the other Canadian. One is dark-haired, the other blond. Both are 35 and both work for the most powerful men in their respective countries.

Scott McClellan is the press secretary to U.S. President George W. Bush; Scott Reid is the senior strategist to Prime Minister Paul Martin.

But, according to Mr. Bush, Mr. Martin has the prettier Scott.

Indeed. Welcome to a new era of "pretty face" Canada-U.S. relations.

This is what happened:

Mr. Bush met Mr. Reid earlier this week at the summit in Monterrey, Mexico, just after the President's breakfast with Mr. Martin.

Mr. Reid was not initially in the hotel room where the two leaders and their closest advisers met, but was called in to brief the Prime Minister at the end as the group waited for the media.

Mr. Bush wandered over during Mr. Reid's chat with the Prime Minister. Mr. Reid introduced himself and shook hands with Mr. Bush.

"Well, what do you do for this guy?" the President asked as he pointed to the Prime Minister.

"Well, you know, sir, I can't really say," Mr. Reid said. "It's not that I don't want to. It's just that, you know, I don't really know from day to day."

This is true. Mr. Reid handles a number of files and performs a number of different duties, depending on the issue and the day.

The President chuckled. "Well, you got a pretty face," he told the surprised Mr. Reid. He wasn't done. "You got a pretty face," he said again. "You're a good-looking guy. Better looking than my Scott anyway."

This is true. His Scott has a receding hairline and is on the chubby side, while Mr. Martin's Scott has a full head of hair and is quite fit.

For the first time in his life, Mr. Reid had no reply. "I didn't know what to say," said Mr. Reid, noting later that he wished that Mr. Bush had referred to him as a "rugged-looking young man or something.

"But I'll take what I can, I guess," he joked. "When a Texas Republican says you've got a pretty face, then I guess there is just no way around it."

[Joe Richardson: Does any of this sound familiar?]

But wait, there's more from the Ottawa Xpress,:



January 22nd, 2004
Frontline
THE DATING GAME
Stuart Trew

The gossip pages were nearly unanimous: Paul Martin's first date with new American boyfriend George W. Bush went so well that the two are talking about seeing each other again very soon! According to the press, Bush actually paid attention to Martin's hopes, dreams and needs. But did Martin pay attention to ours?

 We heard from Martin early last week that he had "already begun to change the tone" of Canada-U.S. relations. Talking the language of relationships in everyday life, he said, "If, in fact, you know the person you are dealing with and if you have confidence with the person ... then you are going to be able to make much greater strides than if you don't."

 As it turned out, both leaders love sausage, and over breakfast talk about business and baseball at the Summit of the Americas, Bush said that although he won't promise he'll never deport another Canadian to a foreign torture chamber, Martin will be the first to know before it actually happens. Tell that to Maher Arar, or even untortured Canadians worried about the country's sovereignty.

 Martin also allegedly sweet-talked us the right to at least try and profit from Bush's occupation of Iraq, although there's no guarantee we'll land any of the reconstruction contracts. Bush said last Tuesday that Canadians "want Iraq to be free. They understand the stakes." Prior to the meeting, the U.S. idea of "the stakes" meant a world under threat from Saddam-backed terror. We didn't see it that way, and thankfully we have no more troops to send.

 "I think it went very, very well," Martin told reporters. "The vibes were very, very good on both sides." Louise Elliott, with Canadian Press, was impressed enough to note that "Bush spent close to a half-hour of private time with Martin and another 45 minutes with him at breakfast with officials from both countries - in total, half an hour more than the allotted time." Yeeouch - a cuddly favourite in the American harem.

 But as Jane Taber wrote in Friday's Globe, Bush might have his eyes on Martin's right hand man, Scott Reid. "Well, you got a pretty face," Bush told Reid, after asking him what he does for the PM. "You're a good-looking guy. Better looking than my Scott anyway," referring to presidential press secretary Scott McClellan. Maybe the prime minister should leave him at home next time.

Back to Me.
Have we discovered the real reason Andrew Sullivan is so hot to be Bush's bitch?

This is by Bruce Yurgil. He's dynamite. Visit him here. He's dynamite.

This is me:

I Used to be a Republican


No, really, I did. I was young. They had better parties. They were just a crowd and I worked them. I don't know why, but at one time they made sense to me. I used to be a Catholic in the same way. When it was a romantic idea to be Catholic, I enjoyed being there. When I found out what they believed, I was appalled! Same with Republicans. Trouble is, I have close friends from that period. Not only are my close friends Republican, but they are devout Bushies! Oh, God. I maintained with them as long as I could, but one day Leon called and started spouting that nazi shit, er-I mean, her Fox-news inspired commentary on current events, and I lost it and told her what I really thought. I mean, I told her what I really, really thought.

So now she's mad at me for having an opinion different from her own. You know, I can live with that. She and her people have been good to me. Thank you. My people and I have been good and generous to her, as well. She's welcome. But there is a history at work here, as well. My families and her families have been on opposite sides of almost every war and subwar they have ever experienced together. I was as adamant in my opposition to the war in Vietnam as she were in her support of Nixon and his lies. During the Civil War, my great-grandfather and his brother were deserters and copperheads. My Ashworth great-great grandfather avoided service to the South and named one of his boys, Ulysses. Just guess who he thought the real hero of the Civil War was? During the American Revolution, her family was rebels, my family was loyalist. Even before that, during the Regulator-Moderator fight in South Carolina after the Cherokee Wars and before the Revolution, her family was Regulator, mine outlaws and Moderators. There's a pattern here, duh?

But I'm mad at her right now because she's giving that draft dodging lowlife a free ride. I love her dearly, but she brought the skunk to the dinner table and is now mad at me for saying it stinks. Leon showed me disrespect by her original call to me, and then got mad at me when I gave you my opinion on the subject she brought up. Think about it. I would immediately call her and say whatever would be necessary to heal this breach I feel, but I can't change my mind about how stupid I think she is for not ever questioning the obvious in regards to Bush's claimed military service during Vietnam. Her failure to acknowledge that fact to my satisfaction has become a barrier between us.

And just to harden my heart, her political party has declared itself anti-Me. They want to AMEND the Constitution to permanently and forever exclude ME from full participation in the many rights inumerated within it. Her memory is short, but let me remind everyone of this fact: the Germans never did anything to the Jews that wasn't perfectly legal. They wrote the laws that made it legal to persecute Jews. Leon's people, her political party, would make my people legal targets. If you allow those people to speak in your name, you're fucking well endorsing all of their points of view. You're as evil as they are.

There. I feel better. Well. Okay, I'm going to save you the grief of banishing me from your life this time, though. I'm just going to say goodbye now. Good-bye.

Free Lunch Conservatives

I like that term. I'm starting a list: Free Lunch Conservatives; Cheap Grace; inflated salvation.
More later.

Celebrity Watching


I watched Diane Sawyer interview Jennifer Anniston last night. Yawn. On both counts. Diane Sawyer's pablum serving delivery did nothing to warm Miss Iceberg up. Nothing she could ask made Ms. Anniston sound interesting or engaged. I watched as long as I could, flipping back and forth between something on PBS that was much more interesting. Towards the end of the interview, Ms. Sawyer asks Ms. Anniston to say something about her five co-stars that they probably don't know about themselves. Ah, shucks, Diane, that's powerful stuff. And wow, what an answer Ms. Anniston gives: Why, the tin man doesn't need a heart with all that love! And scarecrow, you're the smartest person here. You just need a degree. Or in the case of Courtney Cox, why Courtney, you're absolutely beautiful with an inner beauty! Oh please, dear Jesus. What drek.

We did learn that Jennifer got mad at her mother for a book her mother wrote that Diane tells us Jennifer felt was exploitive of her fame. Jennifer didn't have to say anything, and as inarticulate as she came across, it's a good thing. I hope both she and her mother live long enough for her to get over herself and beg her mother for forgiveness. The question she should be asking, is not whether her mother made any mistakes, but whether she did the best she could given the circumstances. Ms. Anniston is now old enough to interact with her mother as an adult, and the standard of expectation is different for adults than it is for young girls whose mothers drive off their daddys.

Thanks, Diane, for an evening of vapidity, yours and hers. (houston)

Mars, my Ass

Listening to NPR this morning, I heard that Bush is going to announce a new space exploration mission this week. Why? Did they hear that there was oil there and the locals were hiding terrorists? That's about the only reason I can think of that might warrant how this administration actually spends our money. They sure don't spend it on education where they said they would. This is actually an example of how much power the White House has in setting the agenda in an election. For the next week, reporters will be asking the Democrat presidential candidates what they think of the President's plan, not what they think of space exploration. Why? Because we're all for space exploration. It's like motherhood. Who's against it? That isn't the issue. The President's vacuous, attention getting "plan" is the issue. It's not going to fly. The President knows it won't fly. Everybody for it knows it won't fly. Everybody against it knows it won't fly. So why are we even saying the word "fly"? It's just bullshit. Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit! I'm sick and tired of bullshit.

We need to be talking about what's going on. There's no reason talking about where we're going if we don't know where we are. (raven)

Happy New Year!

I'm back from the holidays. If you're curious, this is what I've been up to.


Well, Britney's back in the news. Is there any better example of how marriage has been trivialized by heterosexuals? I am not a proponent of Gay marriage. I am adamant about equal treatment of Gays and Lesbians, but I have never thought we should emulate a failed institution.