Taxcut Reality
In todays paper there was a blurb about the Bush logic behind the taxcuts. Essentially the taxcuts spur people to work harder to get more money, therefore increasing the tax revenues by such an amount to offset the cut and to reduce the deficit. That's the logic and, of course, it's flawed both logically and as proven by reality.

In America we have essentially two types of workers - Exempt whom are salaried and don't get paid overtime for hours beyond 40, and Non-exempt whom are by the hour and get overtime. If you're Exempt a tax cut means - yay! - more money in your pocket without having to work harder, plain and simple. You get paid a certain amount of money and taxes determine how much is left for you so a tax cut is a good thing. For Non-exempt workers a tax cut means you may have to work less hard to bring home the same amount of money, or work the same amount of time and take in more money. A tax cut means, if anything, either the same amount of work or less.

In either case it should be obvious that the tax revenues will decrease, period, and that is what happens in reality. Clinton raised taxes for the rich and revenues increased so much that we ended up with a surplus. Bush cut taxes, revenues plummeted fueling a deficit further into debt.

So for Bush to crow that further tax cuts are necessary to reduce the deficits means (1) that he's living in a fantasy and (2) that many Government programs, like Education, Health, etc. are going to be severely slashed (except for the Military and pet projects). Or for all the talk the deficit will just continue to grow and Bush and cronies watch with wide-eyed wonder.

This is the phrase that could destroy America. Seriously.

"Washington, DC, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday police may make an arrest without a warrant if, given the known facts, there is probable cause of a crime."

I see a tremendous potential for abuse beyond the occassional lone wolf officer running amok. This ruling could easily be used by politicos to justify citizen harrassment such as detaining someone because they look like a wanted criminal (that is, black or hispanic, or a white troublemaker) or they swerved slightly in traffic (must be drugs). The burden lies on the victim to prove their innocence all while under the eyes of the police.

Worse is that those who are innocent usually protest loudly as such, which - gosh golly - can turn into "resisting arrest" and turn a mistake into an innocent crime.

At what point does the Police who job it is "To Protect and Serve" the public become accountable to the very people they supposedly protect and serve? I fear that the Supreme Court has jumped on the "Security uber alles" bandwagon, neglecting our civil liberties (such as the right to sue). As we become more and more like the dreaded USSR of old, I remember an old ad that ran during the Reagan presidency warning of a bear in the woods and that we should be wary of the bear. The bear is out of the woods and in Washington.

"Better dead than red" takes on multiple meanings now, doesn't it?

But then my train of thought shifted to California and how we're portrayed as a Blue State. But, in reality, not really. Kerry won the state with something like 55% - not an overwhelming victory. Plus we have the annoying habit of electing Republican Governors (Good boy - I did'nt say "incompetent") such as Arnie. Where the hell is Arnie? What is he doing for California? Can anyone tell me?

And then my train of thought shifted again...to Arnie's wife, Maria Shriver and how she looks like a freaking anorexic skeleton kind of like Karen Carpenter. PBS just had a special on Karen Carpenter - what a talent; such a loss. During the special I mentioned to the wife that Richard Carpenter looked like Richard Chamberlain. Lo and behold, during the special they mentioned that the Carpenters recorded a song originally recorded (poorly) by Chamberlain. RIchard's great role (for me) was Blackthorne in Shogun.

With that I went to try out "Shogun: Total War" which the wife had found for a buck at a garage sale. Interesting game but not my style. It satisfied my curiosity about the game and quelled a minor thirst for things Nippon, though I never did get my edamames for lunch.

Anyway. It's "Hell Monday" and as most Mondays I had massive trouble sleeping. Nothing like a forty-minute commute while semi-conscious to make one ponder mortality and the meaning of life.

(*sigh*) And if this giant of a show survives another 2 years or so you know they'll have a competition between the past winners. Reality TV like ordinary TV gets a bit predictable, just like in real life. Maybe that's why it's called Reality TV. Except many of them are scripted and, of course, edited for maximum effect. What that effect is supposed to be - I dunno.

News Notes
"Canadian high court says Government can redefine marriage to include same-sex possibilities." - Those hell-bound Canucks!! What next? Redefine marriage again to include animals?!? THis is an utter travesty and a complete mockery of the sanctity of marriage. I urge every Red-Blooded American to write Bush and call for a complete invasion of Canada!!! [This is sarcasm, folks]

"Bush pushes for Iraqi eletions in January" - of course he does. Safety, legitimacy, and accuracy be damned. Bush wants the sound bite, the opportunity to crow about elections happening on time despite the insurgents. Remember when it comes to Iraq, it's not about them, it's about us. That's why Bush took us there. And to think, for a few million, we could have hired a hit team to knock out Hussein and Sons. That would have saved hundreds of thousands of lives and billions of dollars. But Halliburton stockholders would've suffered and we can't have that now, can we?

"Ohio vote validation continues" - I'm curious, what if a couple of states did a complete recount and discovered that Kerry did, in fact, win the states, the electoral votes, and the Presidency - would Bush step aside come January? Or, would he claim, that since Kerry conceded he essentially removed himself from running leaving Bush as the unanimous winner?

Light Blogging
Blogging has become more of a chore instead of a catharsis. I'm still wiped from the election and a great part of me just doesn't want to deal with four more years of chronicling the inevitable Bush idiocies. If his incompetence isn't that completely obvious then perhaps something is wrong with America beyond simple ignorance. I dunno and for now don't really care. Bush has won in more ways than one.

For decades the Democrats and Republicans have played the system - fixed the rules - to make our choices essentially boil down to one or the other party. Yes, there are other parties - Greens, Libertarians, Peace and Freedom, and so on - but the cost, Media, and bureaucracy heavily favors the Big Two. Our mind set is one or the other. And both parties were likely sharing a chuckle as they imposed further rules to discourage an attack by a third party.

The Democrats saw themselves as equal to the Republicans and are now more the foolish. With the Republicans virtually in control of our Government they're changing the rules to favor themselves. Check out the DeLay business for an example. Expect to see more of this in Bush's second term. The Republicans will not give up control easily. If, come 2008, the Democrats win the Presidency expect there to be in place a rule that says the new President can't take Office until the results are verified and valid. Then look for a massive nationwide handcount, fraud law suits, and other manipulations. Or a terrorist attack just in time.

So, instead of retooling the Democrats, the effort ought to be retooling the entire political system to give opportunity for other parties, to give more voices to the common and uncommon people. We need to strengthen our Election processes and remove loopholes and remove opportunities for fraud. We need to see other colors than just Blue and Red.

Let's face it. You hear the word Republican and you don't picture a happy healthy America. I don't. I picture war, Nixon, crosses, and money streaming upwards. What do you see?

U.S. OKs Evidence Gained Through Torture

By MICHAEL J. SNIFFEN, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Evidence gained by torture can be used by the U.S. military in deciding whether to imprison a foreigner indefinitely at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as an enemy combatant, the government says.

Statements produced under torture have been inadmissible in U.S. courts for about 70 years. But the U.S. military panels reviewing the detention of 550 foreigners as enemy combatants at the U.S. naval base in Cuba are allowed to use such evidence, Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Brian Boyle acknowledged at a U.S. District Court hearing Thursday.

Some of the prisoners have filed lawsuits challenging their detention without charges for up to three years so far. At the hearing, Boyle urged District Judge Richard J. Leon to throw their cases out.

Attorneys for the prisoners argued that some were held solely on evidence gained by torture, which they said violated fundamental fairness and U.S. due process standards. But Boyle argued in a similar hearing Wednesday that the detainees "have no constitutional rights enforceable in this court."

Leon asked whether a detention based solely on evidence gathered by torture would be illegal, because "torture is illegal. We all know that."

Boyle replied that if the military's combatant status review tribunals "determine that evidence of questionable provenance were reliable, nothing in the due process clause (of the Constitution) prohibits them from relying on it."

Leon asked whether there were any restrictions on using torture-induced evidence.

Boyle replied that the United States never would adopt a policy that would have barred it from acting on evidence that could have prevented the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks even if the data came from questionable practices like torture by a foreign power.

Several arguments underlie the U.S. court ban on products of torture.

"About 70 years ago, the Supreme Court stopped the use of evidence produced by third-degree tactics largely on the theory that it was totally unreliable," Harvard Law Professor Philip B. Heymann, a former deputy U.S. attorney general, said in an interview. Subsequent high court rulings were based on revulsion at "the unfairness and brutality of it and later on the idea that confessions ought to be free and uncompelled."

Leon asked whether U.S. courts could review detentions based on evidence from torture conducted by U.S. personnel.

Boyle said torture was against U.S. policy and any allegations of it would be "forwarded through command channels for military discipline." He added, "I don't think anything remotely like torture has occurred at Guantanamo" but noted that some U.S. soldiers there had been disciplined for misconduct, including a female interrogator who removed her blouse during questioning.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said Tuesday it has given the Bush administration a confidential report critical of U.S. treatment of Guantanamo detainees. The New York Times reported the Red Cross described the psychological and physical coercion used at Guantanamo as "tantamount to torture."

The combatant status review tribunals comprise three colonels and lieutenant colonels. They were set up after the Supreme Court ruled in June that the detainees could ask U.S. courts to see to it they had a proceeding in which to challenge their detention. The panels have reviewed 440 of the prisoners so far but have released only one.

The military also set up an annual administrative review which considers whether the detainee still presents a danger to the United States but doesn't review enemy combatant status. Administrative reviews have been completed for 161.

Boyle argued these procedures are sufficient to satisfy the high court.

Noting that detainees cannot have lawyers at the combatant status review proceedings and cannot see any secret evidence against them, detainee attorney Wes Powell argued "there is no meaningful opportunity in the (proceedings) to rebut the government's claims."

Leon suggested that if federal judges start reviewing the military's evidence for holding foreign detainees there could be "practical and collateral consequences ... at a time of war."

And he suggested an earlier Supreme Court ruling might limit judges to checking only on whether detention orders were lawfully issued and review panels were legally established.

Leon and Judge Joyce Hens Green, who held a similar hearing Wednesday, said they would try to rule soon on whether the 59 detainees may proceed with their lawsuits.

US watching Russian arms sales to Venezuela

Tue Nov 30, 7:21 PM ET

OTTAWA (AFP) - The United States is watching possible Venezuelan purchases of MiG fighter jets from Russia but doubts that such sales would destabilize Latin America, a senior US administration official said.

"Let me put it this way: We shoot down MiGs," the official, who spoke to reporters at a White House-organized briefing on condition he not be named, replied when asked whether Washington was worried about such sales.

"It should be an issue of concern to the Venezuelan people. Millions of dollars are going to be spent on Russian weapons for ill-defined purposes," the official said.

Prodded on the purpose of such purchase, the official replied: "My understanding is that they're looking to upgrade their fighter fleet, and they've decided that MiGs might be the fighter to purchase."

White House national security spokesman Sean McCormack said Russian fighter jet sales to Russia "would be an issue we would monitor closely."

Asked about the anonymous official's "shoot down" comment, McCormack winced and said "I would leave that part out."

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez confirmed Friday, after a two-day visit to Russia, that Caracas would buy 40 military helicopters and an unspecified quantity of automatic weapons from Moscow.

The Financial Times reported Monday that this was expected to be followed by Venezuela's acquisition of a fleet of the most advanced model of the MiG-29 fighter jet.

One message is one of confidence that our fighter jocks can outgun any other country's fighter jocks, so if you buy MiGs and go against us you'll lose.

One message is that our fighter plane technology is superior to that of Russia, so if you buy MiGs and go against us you'll lose.

One message is that you should buy American...or else if you buy MiGs and go against us you'll lose.

One message is that the U.S. still considers Russia an enemy or, at least, a lesser ally - one that will take such an insult without complaint...or else.

But the most blatant message is that you will do as we say...or else. Such a nice message to help bring about Peace on Earth. Or maybe it's a clever way to keep our Defense industry and our economy a-float. But I've yet to find a reason to use "Bush" and "clever" in the same sentence, except now.

Oh! - you say - but Bush didn't say we shoot down MiGs, so why blame him. It's the mentality - the "US (U.S.) against the World and we're Right because of our superior weapons" mentality. Don't be fooled. Bush is not a man of peace. We have four more years of war, if not in Iraq then somewhere else. And when Bush pisses off China...

So behave or Santa won't bring you that DVD you so desperately need.

But - damn - Firefox 1.0 is it. I can tweak the configuration or add plugins to do what I want. It's damn fast and secure, and a relatively small download. Highly recommended if my opinion is worth a damn.

Thanksgiving
On tap for the long weekend: eating, visiting relatives, eating, watching Harrius Potterus 3 (don't ask), eating, fixing the house, and eating. Worst part is that I'm not a big fan of turkey and especially not stuffing. Whoever came up with stuffing was a sick bastard (or bitch). "Hey, let's take the floor sweepings, put them in the turkey, and watch people eat it!!!"

And I haven't quite figured out what Thanksgiving is really for: Is it that we're thankful that we wiped out the Indians before they wiped up out? Is it that we're thankful the family can get together once a year and giggle as the stuffing is passed around? What is it?

Well, have a Happy Thanksgiving y'all!

Now picture Bush, here with no accountability. Weighing a massive deficit on our country and using the money for...ostensibly America and rebuilding Iraq but no one is exactly sure. I wonder if Japan, Britain, and China will forgive us our massive debt once we collapse.

But this morning I felt different, that perhaps this freefall of our country is a good thing in that from the ashes that will result at the bottom splat, we can rebuild the country properly and fulfill the vision of the Founding Fathers: a country of fairness, equality, and diversity. Instead of the American Eagle, our symbolic animal could be the Phoenix to represent the undying hope that True Americans hold for a better life for all not just a select few.

So go ahead Bush, preach your words and make your laws. Let your Neocon, Business, UberRight, and Religious friends dictate policy. Show us just how your world view with its narrow, intolerant, discriminatory blinders can apply to all peoples fairly. Prove to us that a Christian America with a substantial non-Christian population can be impartial. Demonstrate to us that Big Business can call the shots and can value humanity over profits. Stay in Iraq. Invade Iran and North Korea. Go ahead. Do it. ou've got the buttons.

When it all fails and you stand there like a buffoon with that befuddled look on your face, don't expect any sympathy from the half of America that didn't vote for you. Don't expect any convenient scapegoats, they've resigned. Don't expect the world to pat you on the back. In fact, the wolves will come to feast on the sheep you've happily led to slaughter. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

What a week! Meetings and work. Too many meetings which interfere with doing real work and then when you get to the real work you end up calling more meetings to clarify the work. Wasted time and inefficiency or job security...

First, I've been having a Buffy orgy. Buffy - Seventh Season is out on DVD. As a Buffy fan this is, of course, a must-have, plus the pricing for the set - $40 - is right in line with my "DVDs should be less than $8" philosophy. Having seen the first 6 episodes so far...nice. The season started out well. Insane Spike. Teenage-Angst-from-Hell Dawn. The "Demon with a Heart of Gold" Anya...all nice. It makes up for the simpering, whimpering Willow.

On, to quote Tyra, "AmericasNextTopModel" Nicole got the axe though for a split second it looked like Yaya may get cut. The models were in Japan doing commercials in Japanese. One challenge had them promoting some sort of sweet plum that apparently tasted rank. All the girls except Yaya made faces but continued witht the plug. Yaya spit out the product (so she doesn't swallow...) which in Japan is a serious offense. At the end with the serious announcements of who stays it came down to Yaya and Nicole. Right - sure, cut the odds-on favorite! This must have been the shows attempt at tension. Meanwhile my pick Amanda keeps getting stuck with these stupid ugly-ass hairstyles which, of course, the judges harp on. It's not Amanda's fault that the hairstylists have no talent. She's working her best with what she's stuck with even if she does look dorky. It's a conspiracy I tell you to make Yaya the winner! I think Yaya and Amanda should go two-out-of-three falls in the underwear...

No political comments today. There's certainly plenty to comment on but it's almost too easy. And if the comments keep flowing out daily then the readers will become used to them and stop caring about politics. No, it's better to patiently wait until the big stuff hits the fan, likely by Monday with this Administration.

Russia Developing New Nuclear Missile

MOSCOW - President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Russia is developing a new form of nuclear missile unlike those held by other countries, news agencies reported.

Speaking at a meeting of the Armed Forces' leadership, Putin reportedly said that Russia is researching and successfully testing new nuclear missile systems.

"I am sure that ... they will be put in service within the next few years and, what is more, they will be developments of the kind that other nuclear powers do not and will not have," Putin was quoted as saying by the ITAR-Tass news agency.

Putin reportedly said: "International terrorism is one of the major threats for Russia. We understand as soon as we ignore such components of our defense as a nuclear and missile shield, other threats may occur."

No details were immediately available, but Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said earlier this month that Russia expected to test-fire a mobile version of its Topol-M ballistic missile this year and that production of the new weapon could be commissioned in 2005.

News reports have also said Russia is believed to be developing a next-generation heavy nuclear missile that could carry up to 10 nuclear warheads weighing a total of 4.4 tons, compared with the Topol-M's 1.32-ton combat payload.

Topol-Ms have been deployed in silos since 1998. The missiles have a range of about 6,000 miles and reportedly can maneuver in ways that are difficult to detect.

Earlier this year, a senior Defense Ministry official was quoted as telling news agencies that Russia had developed a weapon that could make the United States' proposed missile-defense system useless. Details were not given, but military analysts said the claimed new weapon could be a hypersonic cruise missile or maneuverable ballistic missile warheads.

Now after hearing Bush go on and on about our own missile defense, despite the experts saying it's a waste of money and wouldn't work, aren't you comforted that Russia will develop the missiles to beat our system? And if their technology is stolen or sold? Folks, we're back to Arms Race Millenium version. Russia and the U.S. are building these insane missile defense systems against terrorists...

But...why would terrorists waste the money, time, and effort to develop nuclear missiles? If a terrorist group gets nuclear material the last thing they'll do is develop and test a missile system. Why alert everyone to what you're doing? No, a terrorist group would likely create a portable or shippable nuclear bomb thereby bypassing any missile defense system.

A missile defense system is good only against those countries with missile capabilities. Whom is Russia really arming against? My guess is China and the U.S.. China because of simple strategic reasons and the U.S. because having Bush means having a loose cannon shooting around.

Terrorism has become the new justification. Five years ago Putin would have announced this development using another context. Fifteen years ago that context would have been the U.S. military growth. But now terrorism justifies all policies even if it means stretching things a bit. Prepare to see even more money wasted for missile defense because of terrorism, not, errrr, becuase of Russia's new capability.

Which side will win when it comes down to ideology versus profits? For the Democrats which side will they take?

But we have more of same in Iraq (just like Kerry said). Considering that America boasts a policy of no assassinations of foreign leaders, it sure would have saved a lot of everything if someone conveniently popped Hussein And Sons for, say, five million tax-free.

And, in closing, farewell to Powell. He had the credibility but unfortunately lacked the cajones to really stand up to the Bush Cabal. He could have put himself in a good position for 2008 (McCain / Powell). But now we got Rice - wonderful, you know she won't ever disagree. Farewell to Ashcroft and Ridge - don't let the door hit your asses on the way out. If only the Administration cleansing could continue all the way up to and including Bush...

Rent-a-BlogTroll(tm)
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And I can't stop watching it.

Toccara got axed last night. She wanted to be the first plus-size supermodel and now she'll only be a plus-sized model. Her personality, her upbeat personality faltered. Her pictures didn't click with the judges. Adios.

But there's six girls left, one of whom will be - according to Tyra - "Americasnexttopmodel" said just like that. Here's the breakdown in order of odds to win:

(I can't believe I just handicapped that show. Damn Bush! ) What I find nauseating and fascinating about the show is this concept called "glamour". The girls are supposed to be glamourous at all times or at least when there's cameras or humans around, meaning copping an attitude. Sadly, this attitude is one of friendly condescension, that they are glamourous models and we're not. That they are what we should aspire to be, that it's all about looks and attitude. Considering that combined IQs of the remaining six girls wouldn't equal Toccara's bust size, I guess looks and attitude are all these girls have to offer. I guess it's their attempt to switch packs from the commoners to the privileged. They should take a look. If Janice Dickinson (judge and "worlds first supermodel") is any indication, their future is less than guaranteed. Janice comes across as an alcoholic - barely in control of herself.

What else I find fascinating is the shoots, of "working the camera" or "working the runway". I don't get it. The wife and I watch each week as girls "work it" and we've yet to discover what "it" is. Maybe it's an ESTian thing but the pictures that the judges either orgasm or puke over...usually look stupid. Most of the pictures they proclaim as perfect the wife and I look at each other in confusion. It must either be a big inside joke or we're just not part of "that crowd".

Damn Bush! Go Amanda!

Arafat
is dead. Maybe now there can be true peace worked out in the Mideast. But not likely with "Bomb first" Bush on board.

Rumsfeld stated that the fight for Faloujah wouldn't result in many civilian casualties. In reality, the fighting is fierce and the bodiesd for both sides are mounting up. I wonder how The Rummy will explain this minor dissonant event. I mean, gosh, he said something and it didn't turn out to be true. Reality doesn't jive with the Bush view - what will we do?

Meanwhile, the moral highground is rearing its ugly head in pharmaceuticals. "The American Pharmacists Association, with 50,000 members, has a policy that says druggists can refuse to fill prescriptions if they object on moral grounds, but they must make arrangements so a patient can still get the pills. Yet some pharmacists have refused to hand the prescription to another druggist to fill." So, here's a woman taking responsibility for her life and using birth control in order to not have to take care of a potential unwanted life. But some pharmacists with "moral objections" are deciding for her that she must either abstain from sex or chance getting pregnant. And with the Right slowly turning the noose tighter around everyone's neck, our choices are disappearing. Ironic - Republicans boats about smaller Government yet here they use Government to force decisions on everyone. If they pass laws making abortion illegal will they institute a new department to enforce the law (and thus grow Government even more)? Truly sickening.

We have our Government supporting Faith-based charities and allowing religious plaques in our National Monuments. As the separation between Church and State fully crumbles, as this once great Nation descends into a dark, mediocre Christian-based enclave I can only wonder if one day there will be waiting for me and my family a package full of yellow stars for our clothing, courtesy of Uncle Sam. And while our Government seeks to make everyone a good Christian I wonder if they'll remove the Theory of Evolution from our science classes. I wonder if they'll even care that Johnny can't read or even think. But - hey! - you got to have Faith for God will provide, right? Besides we got nucular weapons and Big Bubba.

Every so often while channel-flipping I'll watch Dr. Gene Scott just to catch a gander at his wife. She fancies herself a singer but (and please don't tell anyone) she's truly awful. Anyway, apparently old Doc has some sort of cancer and it seemed like he refused to go to a doctor, claiming that God will take care of him. Recently, however, it appears that God (and a fervent belief therein) isn't enough. The good Doc is seeking professional medical help. He even kinda, sorta, quietly hemmed-and-hawed and said that his belief wasn't enough. It's sad, besides the fact that he looks like Hell. Here's a typical preacher claiming the superiority of God and the Powers of Belief with the misguided impression that having the Belief will solve all problems. Well, it won't. Add in a bit of common sense. If I come down with cancer, I can Believe all I want and play the odds that maybe God will intervene (not likely) or I can visit doctors for treatment. Why not consider medicine a gift from God? Problem resolved - you can maintain your Belief and get help. Common sense.

Last rant. The previews for "Polar Express" are pissing me off. It's all about believing and how it's OK and safe to believe. Believe in what? Santa Claus? The Easter Bunny? It's not OK or safe to tell your kids that if they believe hard enough then great things will happen. If they believe hard enough that they can fly and go up to the roof and jump, guess what? If they believe hard enough that the bottle of lye is just like water and they take a drink, guess what? If they believe hard enough that a bullet won't hurt them and they take out daddy's gun, guess what? Belief is all well and good up until reality intervenes and demonstrates otherwise. Hopefully common sense will intervene before reality but I find common sense gets lost in the Fanatics.

Great! Now I have a headache. Politics and Religion aer guaranteed headache inducers. The next four years will be murder.

First, the map of the U.S. all nice and Red is an illusion. Even though most of the U.S. is shaded red that doesn't mean every one in a red state voted for Bush. The geographical representation doesn't take into account population density. Sure, less blue but blue counts for more people. Second, the electoral college is (mostly) all or nothing. A state can be red or blue but it doesn't mean everyone in that state is red or blue - it's just the color of the "winner". I ran a re-count of the electoral distribution awarding partial votes based on the popular vote for each state and the results were still a Bush win but not by nearly as much. Don't be fooled. We're not a Red, Republican American. We are pretty much evenly divided.

So for Bush to proclaim a mandate that America is behind him is pretty naive. Half of America is not for him. Sure, Bush may have gotten more votes than any other election but he also got more votes against him (for Kerry) than any other president. We are a divided nation and seeing what Bush has done the past four years, the divide is likely to get greater. Nice, comforting article in todays Los Angeles Times about how all the companies that supported Bush during the election are licking their chops and making wish lists - reduced corporate tax cuts, reduced corporate oversight, open up Alaska (and other environmentally sensitive areas) for "exploration", and so on. So Bush answers to corporations and the Religious Right. Ummm, when does he listen to us Americans?

The wife and I talked about Election 2008. Already there's talk about Edwards as the candidate. I hope not. I wasn't impressed with his debate or his personality. For the Democrats, Edwards would be more of same. Wouldn't it be daring, truly daring, if the Democrats had a ticket of Clinton / Obama? Sure, Obama would be attacked on his lack of political experience but he has the charisma to sidestep the issue. For the Republicans, Bush has shown that an idiot can win as long as the party and the evangelicals unite behind him so the thought of Jeb Bush running may be right (in more ways than one) even though their best ticket might be McCain / Guilani. But McCain might not be far enough to the right to satisfy the Republicans. We asked ourselves - if McCain ran as an Independent could he suck up the middle from both parties...interesting though, especially since Kerry courted him. My wife admitted she would vote for him in that context. I might do the same though Clinton / Obama sure is appealing. All I know is that I'm sick of rich, white dudes.

I took my two older kids to see The Incredibles - what a great film! Pixar has yet another hit and another franchise on their hands. Sure it's a cartoon but it has enough James Bond - geek elements to satisfy most adults. We saw the early morning matinee and the theater was packed. But there wwere some kids there a bit too young for the film. Please! It is a cartoon but the action may be too much for little ones under 6. Get a babysitter.

Evidence against Saddam probably lost: rights group

AMMAN (AFP) - US-led forces compromised the case against Saddam Hussein and former Iraqi leaders by failing to safeguard official documents and secure mass grave sites, according to a leading human rights group.

So Congratulations to us Americans. We get four more years of the most capable incompetence money can appoint. But don't blame me when the rightwing thought police come a-knocking. I didn't vote for Bush.

Faith and Intuition has won over Intelligence. "Lowered expectations" is continuing as the American calling card. Mediocre will continue as our standard of achievement. We may leave no child behind but be assured that little Johnny won't be able to read or write but that's acceptable as long as little Johnny can make his mark on the army papers. Education will belong to the wealthy and well-connected. For the rest of us, better teach our kids Arabic while they play in the sand box. Get them used to sand.

Stubborness has won over flexibility. From "United We Stand", we have progressed to "Divided We Fall" as our Liberties will continue to disappear. Bush will lead the world as a nation alone - the U.N. be damned, for we all know that the country with the most advanced military calls the shots.

With the Republicans in control of all branches of the Government - or soon will be once a few Supreme Court Justices retire - expect this to be the beginning of an American Dark Ages. The separation between Church and State will fall and we will become the Christian version of the same Islamic states that we are fighting. Abortion, gay marriage, stem cell research will become non-topics.

For the next four years Bush has to account to no one. He has free reign. If the last four years didn't scare the crap out of you, wait until you see the massive bait-and-switch Bubba pulls. Who knows? This could guarantee that the next four Presidents will be Democrats, or more likely our country will continue to swing to the extreme right until we do have a Nation Divided, with Liberty and Justice for the Privileged Few.

Kerry talked about a "Global Test" of our actions, that is, we have to have logical, demonstrable reasons for our actions. Bush has failed the "Global Test" and the "National Test" with his distortions, manipulations, and ignorance of facts. His Administration thrives on secrecy and control. How can we trust and back our Government if they won't trust and play fair with us? That's what Bush represents - a Lone Star, "trust what I do", Lone Wolf who really is little more than a mumbling head for his advisors.

Be scared. But if you didn't vote for Bush try not to be ashamed or embarrassed. It's still our America. We have four years to recruit, to unite, and to eventually make things right.

Osama
Any one want to bet that Bush still won't get Osama over the next four years? Not that any one will notice because we'll have the Hussein Trial to divert our attention.

Weird Thought
Assuming our election process doesn't change, how long before we see people "moving" to other states just to vote and perhaps reverse the Electoral outcome? Will we ever become that desperate?

Halloween
This year was a surprise - we had a large turnout, about 30 kids, knocking on the door - including a handful of teenies and some absolutely adorable wee-uns. The trend for the past few years was maybe 10 kids at most even though our neighborhood is relatively safe. So we had bought candy accordingly and came close to running out. I'm wondering if nervousness about the election brought people out. Y'know, something to take their minds off the craziness, though I'd expect Halloween horrors to serve as reminders of political horrors. Ah well. I have my chocolate stash ready in case Bush steals another one.

Stupid PC Obsolescence
I picked up Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 over the weekend. I loved the first 2 versions and had high hopes for the latest and greatest. So while at the Northridge Maul (sic) I purchased the oddly shaped box and with kids in tow, went home, and installed it. On my "new" XP machine (i.e. inherited) with a geForce 2 MX 400 64 mb the game ran OK with the lowest video setting. But the game recommends ATI Radeon cards. OK, fine. On my older Win 98 machine I have a Radeon 7500 with 64 mb. Installed the game and it chugged. The video looked terrible and kept tearing.

OK, look for new drivers for the ATI. Nope. The latest ATI driver for the 7500 support up to DirectX 8 and RCT3 uses DirectX 9. None of newer graphic cards support Win 98. Fudge.

OK, look for a new graphic card for the newer machine. Off to Frys to look at an ATI Radeon 6800 XT which concistently gets good reviews. Hmmm, $200 or so. Errr, arrrgh! Can't do it. Plus the fine print on the box says the card needs an AGP 2.0 spec slot and a 300w power supply. Drive back home and open the XP machine. AGP slot is unlabelled and can't find any info on what version it is other than it supports 4X. Doesn't matter because the machine has a wimpy 200w power supply (my older machine has a 400w supply). Do I want the hassle of getting a new card and power supply? That's about $300.

Or I can buy a new computer for about $800 and get all the latest. To play a game.

This is why consoles are so popular...

Tax Cuts
One of the keystones of the Bush Administration and campaign has been tax cuts. While channel flipping yesterday I came across a talk show with a Bush flunkie. The flunkie said that Kerry would raise taxes. The show host replied that Kerry said he would repeal the tax cut on people making $200,000. The flunkie looked aghast and said in a smug voice that such a cuts hurts jobs since most people making over that amount are business owners and it removes an incentive for them to hire more people.

Once again the Bush logic is terribly wrong. (If challenged the Bush Administration would probably say that the flunkie didn't understand the topic well enough to comment properly - always blame someone else!) Let's examine this.

While many Americans earnings over $200,000 may own businesses, many do not. For those who don't how can they increase the number of jobs? They can't! For those who do own businesses it's highly unlikely that they are sole proprietors (meaning the person is essentially the business) therefore a taxcut for the person has no influence on the business. None! Zilch! Nada! Again, a tax cut for a person has absolutely no bearing on a business that employs that person. A CEO getting a massive tax cut isn't going to go to work and spend HIS money on hiring more employees. It doesn't happen that way.

And look at this. Even with Bush's tax cut the number of jobs hasn't increased. Bush will still show an Administration overall loss of jobs. There is no relationship between personal tax cuts and job hiring.

But Bush quite recently did give a massive tax cut for businesses and that should influence jobs, right? More money for the company, more hiring - that's what Bush says so it must be true. Except it isn't true. A company receiving an influx of money from a tax cut has many choices as to what to do with it. Here's some options:

But maybe I am wrong. If I am would a nice Bushie clearly and calmly explain the logic behind the taxcut and give examples of where the tax cut has directly and demonstrably lead to some sort of economic growth, because I'm not seeing it. In fact, these tax ctus smell suspiciously like Reagan's Voodoo Economics - give more money to the wealthy and the money will trickle down. Well, it didn't then and it sure looks like it isn't happening now.

Bush is truly a Faith-based President. He has Faith and expects you to have Faith in him. He is more preacher or mullah than President.

And for this he won't get my vote. We're in a war in Iraq against people like him, who refuse to look at issues logically but instead call upon Faith (intuition) to guide them and allow them to persevere (heart). It's this type of tandem that sets back civility and human progress, not that the qualities are inherently bad but that simply we have more aspects to our being that we can use, namely intelligence.

And Bush prides himself of being a yokel like the common folk who don't need to use ther noggins fer figurin' out this here terrorist problem: we jus' need more guns and warm bodies, shee-yuck.

And like everything else about Bush, it's a lie. He's not a common folk, he's a privileged player who has essentially failed or performed mediocrely in almost every aspect of his life. He's gotten where he's gotten by the contacts of his daddy, not by any genius of his being. He's proven as President that he doesn't belong in that difficult and prestigious position, hence his frequent absences. That he has reduced the prestige of America should not be a cause for his re-election. He broke what should'na been broken and despite his claims to make better, he likely won't as his vision gets sidetracked to topics that interest him.

Bush may have qualities that make him an interesting person but as a President we need better, we deserve better, we demand better.

Vote for Kerry - you may not like Kerry, but he's a step in a better direction. He has intelligence and heart and intuition. He will inherit a veritable mess from Bush and will likely get vilified by the Republicans for four years as an underachiever. But we don't know. Kerry may prove himself an incredible leader or as someone totally unable to deal with the mess left by Bush. But this we do know - Bush created these messes and was unable to deal with them or simply didn't care. Bush proved himself already and was found lacking. Vote for Kerry.

Another Stifled Report
Another report stifled by the Bush Administration showed that Hussein didn't have links to al Qaeda. Folks, we've been played. Bush and the D.C. Boyz wanted Iraq and made damn sure the intelligence went their way even if it had to be massaged or manipulated. It would have been cheaper to simply assassinate Hussein if it was so important to get him out of power. It would have saved a few thousand lives too.

Stormy Weather
We've had our first rain the past few days and it's gotten cold, around the 50's. Yeah, I know, for much of the U.S. temps around the 50's would be considered borderline warm but for Los Angeles, it's parka time. Once i had a roommate from Chicago and when the weather got cold (to me) he'd be running around in shorts and a t-shirt. He was always bugging me about how in Chicago it would get a real cold, none of this wimpy pseudo-cold, and I should take off my jacket and sweater.

But his laughter was shortlived. When the rainy cold season ended and we got into the typical hot, smoggy days he was like a fish floundering for fresh water and air. On the days when it broke 100 degrees I could usually find him collapsed in a semi-coma, unable to move due to the heat.

Even better we had an earthquake, a little rumblor about 5.5 or so. Some folks say that hurricanes are the worst but c'mon the news tells you when they're coming and you can make adjustments. Tornados happen in certain types of weather. Thunder, lightning - scary and sometimes dangerous. But earthquakes are essentailly unpredictable. The ground moves suddenly and you are frozen. Meanwhile, if you're in a building, everything is falling and moving and - shit! - what if the building collapses on you. Worse, it's never a single shock. You get the big one and then aftershocks - lots of them - for the next week, so you can never quite relax and say the earthquake is over.

We had a quake and, having been through a few, I wasn't too worried. I knew that the cleanup would be a pain but a 5.5 wasn't cause for concern. My roommate, on the other hand, thought armageddon had hit. He was a wreck, shaking, sweating, eyes bugged out. It gave me no great pleasure to sneak up on him in the following weeks and shake his shoulders while yelling. Revenge is sweet.

(Mentions are my own preferences and do not reflect the prevalent media-fueled norms)

Kristin Kreuk - the more I see her, the more I appreciate her total beauty. Captivating head to foot.

Michelle Trachtenberg - OK, her nose is too big, her lips are slightly crooked, and her figure is awkward at times but she's mesmerizing in a Lauren Bacall sort of way. Although Lauren Bacall must be considered as an all-time goddess and Michelle isn't quite at that level, especially as an actress. Still, MIchelle does capture the eye.

Amanda (from America's Next Top Model) - stop laughing! Even though the show is crap and Amanda is a flake ("Where are my crystals?"), she is amazingly photogenic in an Annie Lennox sort of way (which, believe me, is a good thing). It's ultimately ironic and tragic that she has these amazingly beautiful eyes and she's going slowly blind due to retinitis pigmentosa.

Hudson Leick - Callisto from Xena, oh she of the pointy chin and evil demeanor but what a stunner! For some strange reason i think she'd be perfect as Dagny Taggart if they ever made Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" (hint, hint).

Charisma Carpenter fell of my list since appearing in Playboy. Believe it! The mystery and my interest was lost since the spread (and the demise of Angel). Same for Eliza Dushku. Her new show wasn't as interesting as Buffy and she wasn't interesting as previously thought.

To Halle Berry, Lindsey Lohan, Hillary Duff, Britney, Olsen Twins and all the other media babes that we're supposed to fawn over and buy their products. Too many flavors of the week and no lasting taste, although Hillary could be yummy in a pinch...

Oinkers away for now. Time to return to political correctness.

The Rut is when you find yourself doing the same work grind day after day, year after year, when your thoughts and aspirations are elsewhere. Being Stuck in The Rut comes about when you are saddled with responsibilities - mortgage, children, etc. - that necessitate you staying in The Rut to maintain at the very least a status quo. And the motivator to keep you in The Rut is not necessarily a sense of duty as it is a sense of Fear. Fear to change jobs, fear to try something new, fear to take chances. Because you know that if you try something new and it doesn't work out, you're screwed. You may not be able to go back to the old job or to the old status quo.

To make things worse is that if you've invested enough time in The Rut - in a job for example - you hate to lose all that you've accrued: vacation, sick leave, seniority. And so you keep at it, all the while looking over you shoulder, fearing that you'll lose your job to someone younger or just from being unable to keep up with changes (which is part of being Someone Who Does Things as opposed to being a manager).

I hate it - the commute, the expectations that I'll give more than my 40 hours per week to my job to show that I'm a team player, the way managers get raises far in excess of their actual worth and participation because they mutually support each other to get the raises.

I hate it. I see 25 more years of drudgery before retirement when I can do what I want, but by then I'll be too damn old to really enjoy my free time. Assuming I live that long and have the finances to enjoy a relative amount fo freedom. And this because I didn't inherit a small fortune or have family connections to get into the right schools. It's a terrible feeling when you see that most of your life belongs to someone else. Slavery in America - modern style.

It's very tempting to buy a chunk of land, decent acreage, somewhere away and live apart from Society. I've given up on TV except for a few sports. The constant barrage of how we could live like celebrities if we just buy like celebrities makes me sick. Trends, trends, trends simply means a quicker path to poverty. Who needs it? I make sure to tell my kids that if they want trendy clothes then they can help pay for it. And for them it quickly becomes a matter of priorities: trendy clothes or a videogame.

But how to break out fo the rut... Start my own business? I've tried it but not many companies want to outsource their data analysis and computer techies are a dime-a-dozen. Two main skills down. I tried screenwriting but in LA everyone has a screenplay. Pimp my kids into showbiz? As cute as they are, it's not worth the effort if they're not truly interested and committed (and they aren't).

So I blog, I bitch, I complain, and play the stupid Lottery. Maybe someday...

Congrats to Boston
For beating the Yankees and for staging a fantastic, exciting comeback. Win the World Series now...

Mmmmm, Schilling vs Clemens....

Today, Cheney said that terrorists could bomb American cities with nuclear weapons and expressed doubt that Kerry could deal with that. That's a scare tactic - right? It implies that not only will terrorists strike if Kerry is elected but that he will be incapable of dealing with the catastrophe. But as with all the Republican rhetoric the logic doesn't hold. Terrorists could bomb American cities with Bush as president and Bush could do what he did during 9/11, continue reading a kiddy book. A nuclear bomb would make 9/11 look like a tea party. With Bush all we'll get is the Look of Grave Concern and a call for prayer. He proved himself incompetent with his pursuit of bin Laden. Today a terrorist group we're fighting in Iraq has pledged themselves to al Qaeda. The enemy is getting stronger while we stagnate.

And while Bush crows incessantly about his being a strong leader and leading the war against terror, fact is we've done some damage but not enough. Terrorists are getting stronger and cleverer. Bush has spent the last 3 years fighting terrorism while essentially ignoring U.S. affairs. Now he's running on a platform that claims he can fight terror and deal with U.S. problems. When did he gain this ability? Certainly not in the past 3 years. He's proven he can't chew bubblegum and pat his head at the same time. So either he'll ignore U.S. problems (again), or try to deal with more than he can handle and really screw things up. This has the makings of yet another Bush bait-and-switch.

For us as a country to go in to another land, overthrow the Government, install a new political system, and proclaim automatic victory is facetious, dangerous, and possibly counterproductive as any country invaded generates a share of people embarrased or angry about an invasion. To install a new government requires the blessings of the vast majority of the people, which in Iraq is obviously not happening as various factions are fighting the U.S. and against each other for control. If Bush has plans to bring peace to the Middle East by the method of invasion his first step has failed, unless he plans to invade and control the entire MIddle East. This is likely not to happen. If he planned to use Iraq as an example of a Happy Democracy, that too has failed as the interim government is seen as nothing more than a puppet for the U.S. Government. It is not an Iraq Government for the Iraqi people.

No more excuses. No more Bush. We need to restore our Democracy before we can preach Democracy to other countries.

U.S. Hits Debt Limit After Senators Put Off Raising Ceiling

Fri Oct 15, 2:46 AM ET

By Jonathan Weisman, Washington Post Staff Writer

The federal government reached its $7.4 trillion debt ceiling yesterday, forcing Treasury Secretary John W. Snow to delay contributing to one of the federal employees' pension systems to avoid running out of cash and possibly defaulting on government debt.

The situation will probably be temporary, as it has in the past. Congressional leaders said that when they return for a lame-duck session after the election, they will raise the debt ceiling to allow the government to borrow the money it needs to pay its bills. At that point, any overdue contributions to the pension fund would be paid, with interest.

Snow has pleaded with Congress since Aug. 2 to raise the debt limit, but Senate Republican leaders -- whose aides said they were worried about the possible political backlash -- adjourned for the campaign this week without acting on Snow's request. The Treasury secretary repeated his plea yesterday in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), appealing to his "commitment to maintaining the full faith and credit of the U.S. government."

And in the Iraq Invasion, failing to learn from lessons past:

U.S. Orders Freeze on Zarqawi Network Assets

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Friday ordered a freeze on assets of the militant group led by Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, which has claimed responsibility for a series of bombings, kidnappings and beheadings in Iraq.

The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control added Zarqawi's Tawhid and Jihad group to its list of suspected terrorists and terrorism financiers.

The move, which came a day after Britain ordered banks to seek out and freeze any assets of the group, blocks any accounts, funds and assets of Tawhid and Jihad in the United States.

Now they put on an asset freeze?!? It should've been in place immediately after the first act of violence. This is a stupid as not closing the borders after the invasion. Again the Bush Administration shows its complete incompetence at anything other than blowing things up.

Find a Pro-Bush web site - a blog or something - and post questions, lots of questions, every day - that call into account Bush's inaction and ineptitude. Be nice - no namecalling, no falsities, no distortions. Let's not act like Them. Just a bunch of questions from an undecided person.

Question why Bush, for someone claiming to be strong on terrorism, hasn't pursued bin Laden as well as he could of. Question the switch from Afghanistan to Iraq using false pretenses. Question th elack of plan for peace. Ask them to explain the disparity between having a plan to invade Iraq before 9/11 and the claim that Iraq invasion was due to 9/11. Question the disparity between Bush's claim that we're safer now and the increase in violence in Iraq and the increase in terrorist recruiting.

Question Bush's claim that the second term will focus on domestic issues. Why wait until the second term? As President he should have focused on all issues during his first term. That's the President's job.

Ask them to explain clearly how a Federal surplus could so quickly turn into the largest deficit ever. Trillions of dollars in swing money. Iraq accounts for $120 billion (to use Bush's numbers). Can the rest truly be due to a minor recession? Have them explain clearly as to where the trillions disappeared.

Question how Bush will now assume fiscal responsibility when for the past four years he has shown none, particularly with the Republicans in control of everything in Washington. Question how he will erase a massive deficit by tax cuts? To do so will require tax increases and/or federal cuts. Which programs will he cut? Defense? No! How about...education, social security, healthcare. How will Bush pay for all his promises?

Keep asking questions - have them explain repeatedly - and catch these people in their lies and hypocracies. By showing that there's another way to interpret Bush's actions we want to give these blowhards a glimpse of reality, make them question their views when caught in a conflict of statements.

Don't play up Kerry but simply downplay Bush. Bringing up Kerry puts you on the defensive. Let them do the explaining. Just keep attacking. All we want is for a few of them to not vote for Bush. That's right - we don't want them to necessarily vote for Kerry, we want them to not vote for Bush.

Good luck and stand firm, stand resolute! It's hard work, really hard, hard work to be anti-Bush! Remember to wipe the smirk off your face and turn your brain cells back on afterwards.

Like the first debate I felt Kerry came out better - more focused, answering the questions and generally remaining calm and looking presidential. Bush - whatever the hell he was on - was manic for the first couple of questions but settled down into his usual befuddled "Aw shucks!" routine. This guy is President - scary. He downright avoided answering the question about minimum wage to go on a tangent to ramble about education. He rambled quite a bit about education. Kerry cut him out about education. Bush should shut up about education because he's not doing much for education. I know this because, as a parent, I get monthly pleadings from my kids' school to donate supplies such as toilet paper. And I know that when I went to elementary school my mother never had to provide toilet paper. I'm not convinced that my kids will get a better education than I did from our schools (but as a parent I'm not going to fully rely on schools to educate my kids either.)

It's one thing to start a program with even the best of intentions and it's another to fund the program so that those intentions can be realized. Bush natters away on the programs and Kerry calls him on the lack of funding. This theme was repeated throughout the debates.

After four years you'd think Bush could talk in a style more becoming to the position as President. Consistently he would ramble on and then get to a sound bite or something funny and then stop talking suddenly, even if he had time remaining to talk. There'd be a pause as he looked on eagerly as if awaiting a non-existent pat on the head. "Yip, yip, I said something good. Pat me on the head, pat me on the head!" To be fair, Kerry veered at times between looking like he was asleep or passing a gall stone. I kind of expect him to have two little electrodes on his neck and a doctor shrieking around him "I need more electricity! It's barely alive!!!"

I like what Kerry said about America if for those with Faith and for those without. Now if he'd take the next step and get Religion out of Politics we'd have clean pants.

Hate to say it but the most presidential person at all these debates was Cheney and I don't even like him.

Kerry won the debates. He offered plans; Bush offered more of same, which is uncertainty, lack of action, and lack of direction for America. Bush has had four years to prove himself and he did, as the incompetent that is his trademark. No more incompetence and settling for mediocrity. We shouldn't have to lower our expectations for our President. Lowered expectations means a lower quality of life for America. We don't want a worse America, we want a better America. We shouldn't lower expectations we should raise them. You can't achieve greatness, you can't fly, by staying on the ground. Vote Kerry.

Questions of Faith
For those who believe in God and all that stuff could someone answer a few questions for me...

That's enough for starters.