EXCELSIOR

Day of the Beast

2006-06-06T11:06:00.000-07:00

What a better day to re-start my blog?

hmm....

Well, I wish I actually had something to say right now. Anyhow, it is the last week of school, and as soon as I have something to talk about, I will. Not that anybody cares, of course. I doubt anybody visits this blog anymore. :( oh, well.

Hail Satan!

The War is not Ending

2006-02-24T15:44:00.000-08:00

"The attack on the Golden Mosque, considered one of the holiest of Shiite sites, has triggered Shiite reprisals across Iraq, including the killings of Sunnis, attacks on their mosques and institutions, and mass protests. At least 132 people have been killed; 87 bodies have been found in Baghdad alone.

The bodies of another 26 men were found across Baghdad on Friday, police said. It was not clear if the bodies were related to the ongoing violence or if they were included among the 87 bodies that have been found in Baghdad thus far.[source: CNN] "

Anybody who says that the war is almost over is misinformed. Mass murders across the country is not a sign of domestic stability.

"In Washington on Friday, President Bush reiterated appeals for unity and restraint, calling the attack on the Golden Mosque 'an affront to people of faith around the world.'"

I'd call it an affront to people without faith also- I don't think the retaliations are only aimed on the faithful. Don't forget the 132+ dead across Iraq. But I like your use of the word 'affront'- very clever-sounding.

You're welcome.

Wait- who's idea was it to invade this place again? Oh, yeah. Never mind.

Mission Accomplished? Yeah, right.

P.S. Now that I'm back in the loop, expect another longer essay this weekend. Now that I've written it here I won't be as inclined to slack off.

This is Way Overdue

2006-02-21T18:29:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know I haven't posted in over a month. School, homework, band, jazz band, play practice, rehab (okay, I'm kidding on that one), yadda yadda yadda. I really haven't had the time to get anything in recently.

Anyway, I could go on for hours but I hope to get something in by this weekend. Just out of curiousity, is anybody still visiting this blog, or have you all given up on me?

Be back soon.

Hopefully.

Victory in California

2006-01-17T13:48:00.000-08:00

Another victory in this "War on Science", this time from Fresno, California:

"A group of parents had sued the El Tejon school district in federal court last week, saying it violated the constitutional separation of church and state by offering "Philosophy of Design," a course taught by a minister's wife that advanced the notion that life is so complex it must have been created by some kind of higher intelligence.
Ayesha N. Khan, legal director for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which represented the parents, said Frazier Mountain High agreed to drop the class." [source: CNN]

Evolution seems to be prevailing. I think the tide has turned.

A Fetus is NOT a Passenger

2006-01-11T20:26:00.000-08:00

I am in a humerous mood today, so I thought I would share this article on CNN:

"Candace Dickinson was fined $367 for improper use of a carpool lane, but contended her unborn child qualified to use the lane. Motorists who use the lanes normally must carry at least one passenger during weekday rush hours. [...] Norton said Dickinson's theory "would require officers to carry guns, radios and pregnancy testers, and I don't think we want to go there." [source:CNN]

Why did this have to go to court? I love being able to sit back and laugh at the crazy things Americans do.

Pat Robertson Strikes Again

2006-01-07T10:02:00.000-08:00

... This time against the Israeli Prime Minister for withdrawing from the gaza strip. He suggested that the Prime Minister's recent stroke was "divine retribution"

"He was dividing God's land, and I would say, 'Woe unto any prime minister of Israel who takes a similar course to appease the [European Union], the United Nations or the United States of America,' [...] God says, 'This land belongs to me, and you'd better leave it alone,'" [source: CNN]

Even Bush looked like a saint in comparison:

"We pray for his recovery [...] He's a good man, a strong man. A man who cared deeply about the security of the Israeli people, and a man who had a vision for peace. May God bless him."

Ironic.

American Acceptance

2005-12-23T20:46:00.000-08:00

What does it take to be accepted in modern America?

"Osama bin Laden's niece, in an interview with GQ magazine in which she appears scantily clad, says she has nothing in common with the al-Qaida leader and simply wants acceptance by Americans.
[...]
'I want to be accepted here, but I feel that everybody's judging me and rejecting me,' said the California-born Dufour, a musician and law school graduate who lives in New York. 'Come on, where's the American spirit? Accept me. I want to be embraced, because my values are like yours. And I'm here. I'm not hiding.'" [source: MSNBC]

Does anybody see the hidden message here? Do you have to appear scantily clad in GQ to be 'accepted' in America?

How's Bush?

2005-12-19T21:33:00.000-08:00

So who's right?

"President Bush's approval ratings do not appear to have changed significantly, despite a number of recent speeches he's given to shore up public support for the war in Iraq and its historic elections on Thursday." [source: CNN]
"President Bush's approval rating has surged in recent weeks, reversing what had been an extended period of decline, with Americans now expressing renewed optimism about the future of democracy in Iraq, the campaign against terrorism and the U.S. economy, according to the latest Washington Post-ABC News Poll." [source: MSNBC]

It just goes to show how inaccurate and subjective polls really are.

Personally, I'd prefer to believe the first, but that's just my liberal bias surfacing there. Ignore it.

Winter Break!

2005-12-17T18:15:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of posts the last few weeks... Now that school is out (at least temporarily) I shall begin posting again. ...Soon. Anyway, check back later for a real substantial post.

Silly Russia...

2005-12-03T12:16:00.000-08:00

"Russia confirmed on Saturday it had signed an arms deal with Iran but sought to ease U.S. concerns over the sale, saying the weapons were only for defence.
Local media reported on Friday that Russia has signed a contract to sell more than $1 billion worth of tactical surface-to-air missiles and other defence hardware to Iran in one of its biggest deals." [source: MSNBC]

Why is Russia giving missiles to the country who's president said he wanted to wipe out Israel? Missiles aren't for kids!

Another Republican Bites the Dust

2005-11-28T16:09:00.000-08:00

Representative Randy "Duke" Cunningham pleaded guilty to taking two million dollars in bribes in a criminal conspiracy today.

"After entering his plea in San Diego, California, the eight-term California Republican (surprise!) said he was 'deeply sorry.'" [source: CNN]

This guy actually put on a pretty good stunt:

"'the truth is I broke the law, concealed my conduct and disgraced my office,' he told reporters, his voice strained with emotion. 'I know I will forfeit my reputation, my worldly possessions -- most importantly the trust of my friends and family.'"

Maybe he should have is next career be in Hollywood. C'mon, since when has a politician, Republican or Democrat been "sorry" for breaking the law.

And speaking of breaking the law, isn't it funny that in the last couple of years, the great majority of high-ranked politeness accused and convicted of breaking the law have been Republican? Coincidence? I think not...

We Need Stricter Gun Control

2005-11-26T17:30:00.000-08:00

... And this story proves it -

In Alabama, a man with a history of mental illness killed two police officers with a rifle he bought on Christmas Eve.
In suburban New York, a schizophrenic walked into a church during Mass and shot to death a priest and a parishioner.

In Texas, a woman taking anti-psychotic medication used a shotgun to kill herself. [MSNBC]

This appears to have happened because licenced gun dealers DO NOT have to check for mental illness when selling a gun, becuase, apparently, it's illeagal.

Most states have privacy laws barring such information from being shared with law enforcement. Legislation pending in Congress that has bipartisan support seeks to get more of the disqualifying records in the database.

If you're going to allow people to wield guns, you better check to make sure they're not mentally ill before you hand one over to them!

The Absence of Miracles

2005-11-20T17:57:00.000-08:00

I have never experienced a miracle. I will almost certainly say that any other human being on planet Earth has never experienced one either.

Many religious people of any faith will use miracles as proof of their God or gods. But what really is a miracle anyway? Is it Divine Intervention? Something that seemingly breaks the laws of physics?

If it's the first, what events are just naturally occurring, and which are actual Divine Intervention?

Then again, if it's the latter, how can you tell when a miracle is actually is a miracle, and not just an illusion or a stroke of luck?

There are things people say are miracles but can be easily explained by science. Some of them seem like miracles at first glance, but if you look deeper, it can be explained by science. Then there are those that cannot be explained by science. Does that make it a miracle? Or does it mean that science has just not progressed enough to explain it?

On the other hand, if something can be explained by science and yet is so implausible that I would confidently bet my life on it that it wouldn't happen ever, and it DOES happen, does that constitute as a miracle?

I guess the reason this post is full of questions is because I would like to know what the theists out there that read this post constitute as a miracle. Have you ever actually personally experienced a miracle?

I would guess that you have never actually experienced a miracle. Am I wrong to say this?

Vatican Astronomer Attacks ID

2005-11-18T19:41:00.000-08:00

VATICAN CITY - The Vatican's chief astronomer said Friday that "intelligent design" isn't science and doesn't belong in science classrooms, the latest high-ranking Roman Catholic official to enter the evolution debate in the United States. [Source : MSNBC]

Maybe the Vatican isn't so bad after all.

... if you discount the pedophile priests, their anti-feminism, and anti-homosexual views. Along with their "colorful" history.

Well, they're getting there.

Yay for me!

2005-11-14T18:50:00.000-08:00

Much thanks to PZ Myers for including my Sunday School piece in the latest Carnival of the Godless (XXVII) and for giving me well over 2000 hits. The next one will be held at The Evangelical Atheist a week from Sunday.

Thank you.

O' Reilly, Robertson Hit Home

2005-11-11T10:43:00.000-08:00

The loving conservative Bill O' Reilly said on Fox new's "The O' Reilly Factor" that it was just fine with him if San Francisco was hit by terrorists. [source: MSNBC]

"Listen, citizens of San Francisco, if you vote against military recruiting, you're not going to get another nickel in federal funds. Fine. You want to be your own country? Go right ahead," ... "And if al-Qaida comes in here and blows you up, we're not going to do anything about it. We're going to say, look, every other place in America is off limits to you, except San Francisco. You want to blow up the Coit Tower? Go ahead," O'Reilly continued, referring to the 1933 San Francisco landmark that sits atop Telegraph Hill.

I've never actually watched "The O' Reilly Factor", but I've listened to his radio show on occasion. This doesn't really suprise me. It sounds just like something O' Reilly would say. And oddly enough, I couldn't find anything about it on FOXnews.com.

And in related news, the Christian Evangelist Pat Robertson warned about "God's wrath" on the citizens of Dover, Pennsylvania for kicking out school board members who endorsed "Intelligent Design" [Source: CNN]

"Conservative Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson told citizens of a Pennsylvania town that they had rejected God by voting their school board out of office for supporting "intelligent design" and warned them Thursday not to be suprised if disaster struck."

Luverly, Pat. If you can't beat 'em, exterminate 'em.

A Grim Day for Science

2005-11-08T17:35:00.000-08:00

Intelligent Design wins in Kansas. Big suprise, huh? Smack dab in the middle of Jesusland.

In addition, the board rewrote the definition of science, so that it is no longer limited to the search for natural explanations of phenomena.

What?! You can't do that! Pathetic. Look at what this country is coming to.

Ah well. We're still waiting for a decision on the ID trial. Hopefully we'll have better luck on that one.

P.S. GOD or NOT #2 is up at Eternal Revolution.

Sunday School

2005-11-06T17:15:00.000-08:00

A recent post at Kingdom of Heathen found me digging up a cheat sheet I compiled a while ago about the Bible's view on women. Christian feminists, this is for you.

BIBLE VERSES ON WOMEN (a short summary):

OLD TESTAMENT:

"Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee." – Genesis 3:16

"Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, an do ye to them as is good in your eyes." – Genesis 19:8

"And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire." – Leviticus 21:9

"If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city." – Deuteronomy 22:23-24 (But it's okay in the countryside.)

NEW TESTAMENT:

"...The head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man." – 1 Corinthians 11:3

"Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak.... And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home." - 1 Corinthians 14:34-35

"Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord." - Ephesians 5:22

"Let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing." – Ephesians 5:24

"Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands." - Colossians 3:18

"I will ... that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array." – 1 Timothy 2:9

"Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence." – 1 Timothy 2:11-12

"Teach the young women to be ... obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed." – Titus 2:4-5

"Wives, be in subjection to your own husbands." – 1 Peter 3:1

Thanks to www.skepticsannotatedbible.com

E-mail this to all your Christian friends and enemies!

Politicians and Ethics?

2005-11-05T19:38:00.000-08:00

This just doesn't make any sense:

Bush is requiring his executive office staff to attend refresher courses on ethics and handling classified materials, according to a White House memo. [source]

Since when do politicians care about ethics? When have the two ever gone together? This is probably just another stunt to make it look like Bush is doing something about the CIA leak.

"The President has made clear his expectation that each member of his Executive Office of the President (EOP) staff adhere to the spirit as well as the letter of all rules governing ethical conduct for EOP staff," states the memo sent to Bush's staff.

Define "ethical conduct". Maybe I'm just being too much of a skeptic here, but hey, it's what I do best.

"Screw the Animals" Says the Senate

2005-11-04T22:32:00.000-08:00

Why did the Senate vote to drill in wildlife refuges? Is an animal's life worth less than American's need to consume oil like an ever-expanding black hole?

Environmentalists said drilling platforms and a spider web of roads and pipelines will threaten the ecology of the refuge's coastal plain which is used by caribou, polar bears, musk oxen and millions of migratory birds that land there during warmer parts of the year. [source]

Save a moose. Use less gas.

Tax The Church!

2005-10-29T17:07:00.000-07:00

Source: CNN

"Janet Mavis Marcusse was convicted of defrauding 577 people of $12.7 million and laundering the money through bank accounts opened under the names of nonexistent churches. Marcusse presented her scheme as a way for investors to capitalize on the tax-free status of churches."

Yet another reason why we shouldn't give churches (mosques, synagoges, or temples for that matter) tax free status. Basically, this is just the same thing as giving free money to the church. What we need is better laws protecting the sepration of chruch and state. At the time being, I believe, the only laws we have prohibit congress from establishing an official religion and eliminating any religious qualifications for goverment positions.

This is a very important issue these days. Who's with me?

Recruiters On Campus

2005-10-26T14:49:00.000-07:00

Every time the army recruiters come onto my high school campus, kids will bring picket signs to school and protest the recruiters on campus.

I think this is a) stupid, and b) pointless.

Last year the army fell short of its goal of 800,000 recruits by 6,627. [source] They army needs new recruits to help keep this country safe and free. If these kids are sucessful at driving the recruiters off campus (very unlikely) it would become even harder to the army to reach their recruiting goal. Besides, the school is recuired by law to allow recruiters to visit campus.

The recruiters aren't lying, they are just trying to show people the benefits of being in the army. Every person entering the army knows what they are getting into. The kids enlisting know that they are risking their lives, and have a possibility of dying or being terribly injured.

Don't get me wrong however, I am against the war in Iraq, but I think it is EXTREMELY important that we support our troops. The young men and women who risk thier lives to serve this country deserve much more respect than that.

Man...

2005-10-23T13:45:00.000-07:00

My blog is worth $0.00.
How much is your blog worth?

Yet Another Complaint About the Media...

2005-10-20T16:39:00.000-07:00

Does anybody still remember the earthquake that struck the Middle East a couple of weeks ago? According to CNN [link]:

The October 8 quake already has been blamed for the deaths of 47,700 people and injuries to 67,000 in Pakistan, according to its government. India says the magnitude 7.6 quake killed another 1,200 people there.

I'm sure EVERYONE remebers Katrina about 2 months ago. It caused only a couple thousand deaths. Yet the media still considers it front page news, while news about this earthquake is buried back on page 7. Read on:

UNICEF said it has yet to reach an estimated 120,000 children in Pakistan's mountainous north, and about 10,000 of those could die of hunger, hypothermia and disease within a few weeks.

This is WAY more important than an "Extreme Makeover" winner having a criminal record [link] (front page on CNN). CHILDREN are STARVING to DEATH in the THOUSANDS!!

I could rant on about this for another hour, but I think you get the point. The media in this country is totally screwed up.

More about the earthquake here and here if you're interested.

Of Hobbits and Humans

2005-10-12T20:42:00.000-07:00

Scientists have discovered hobbits! Read about it here!

Okay, I'm partially kidding, but the article still raises some intresting points (and issues):

"Scientists say they have found more bones in an Indonesian cave that offer additional evidence of a second human species -- short and hobbit-like -- that roamed the Earth the same time as modern man. [...] The discovery of a jaw bone, to be reported in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature, represents the ninth individual belonging to a group believed to have lived as recently as 12,000 years ago."

This is very intresting. This also raises a problem for Creationists and IDists. Why would a designer create another species of humans, only for them to die out relatively quick? This is another great example of evolution at work.

Unfortunalty, its inconclusive:

"But the vocal scientific minority that has challenged that conclusion since the discovery of Homo floresiensis was announced last year remains unconvinced. [...] A vocal scientific minority insists the Hobbit specimens do not represent a new species at all. They believe the specimens are nothing more than the bones of modern humans that suffered from microencephaly, a broadly defined genetic disorder that results in small brain size and other defects."

Hmmm... good point. Right now we don't know.

"Daniel E. Lieberman of the Peabody Museum at Harvard said the specimens are so unusual that they deserve a more detailed analysis in order to adequately answer the critics' complaints.

'Many syndromes can cause microencephaly and dwarfism and they all need to be considered,' said Lieberman, who wrote a commentary in Nature. 'The findings are not only astonishing, but also exciting because of the questions they raise.'"

Deadly Gaming

2005-10-09T10:06:00.000-07:00

An addiction to video games has been proved fatal in some cases.

I don't think I ever expected that anybody could kill themselves playing video games. Right now, it looks like only a few people have actually died, but my prediction is that within the decade, this number will skyrocket.

Python Invasion

2005-10-05T20:15:00.000-07:00

This was just so weird, I had to post it - Python tries to swallow an Alligator. And apparently, this wasn't the first time it's happened. I guess this does raise concerns about other animals invading fragile ecosystems, such as the Everglades.

This might be a stupid question, but how did the Python even get into the Everglades in the first place?

Dante's Inferno

2005-10-04T18:06:00.000-07:00

The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Sixth Level of Hell - The City of Dis!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Very Low
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	Very Low
Level 2 (Lustful)	Moderate
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	High
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	Moderate
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	Very High
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	Very High
Level 7 (Violent)	High
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	Very High
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	High

Take the Dante's Inferno Hell Test

God or Not

2005-10-03T16:18:00.000-07:00

The first GOD or NOT carnival is up at skeptic rant. The topic is "sin" My Hypocrisy of Sin essay is in it. The next one will be held at Eternal Revolution on Nov. 7

Bible Blog

2005-09-29T18:23:00.000-07:00

My Christian friend "Carmunelk" has started his own Bible blog here. He's a great writer and I would urge everyone, especially atheists, to check it out.

Go.

Sheehan Arrested

2005-09-26T17:29:00.000-07:00

Read it here.

Sheehan, carrying a photo of her son in his Army uniform, was among hundreds of protesters who marched around the White House and then down the two-block pedestrian walkway on Pennsylvania Avenue. When they reached the front of the White House, dozens sat down -- knowing they would be arrested -- and began singing and chanting "Stop the war now!"

Police warned them three times that they were breaking the law by failing to move along, then began making arrests. One man climbed over the White House fence and was quickly subdued by Secret Service agents.

Kind of a pointless thing to do, if you ask me. I don't see how getting arrested is going to help anyone. She's got the whole "civil disobedience" things down, anyhow.

The Hypocrisy of Sin

2005-09-24T11:45:00.000-07:00

Have you ever asked somebody to follow a rule that you don't even try to follow? It's happened to all of us at one point or another.

Christians out there: Most of you probably consider the Ten Commandments a basic guideline of Christianity. But have you actually tried to follow it? Take a look:

The 3rd commandment:

"Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain."

Have you never said "Jesus Christ!" in you life? Many Christians haven't, I'm sure, but plenty have.

The 4th commandment:

"Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee.

Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work:

But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou."

How many Christians actually make an effort not to work on Sunday? Is this commandment less important than any of the others?

The 5th commandment:

Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

Have you ever dishonored your parents?

The 8th commandment:

"Neither shalt thou steal."

Perhaps some people have never stolen something purposefully in their life, but most people have. Stealing a pencil or a stick of gum is still stealing whether somebody notices or not.

How about the 9th?:

"Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour."

Does any Christian never lie? You can’t accidentally lie, can you?

And the 10th?:

"Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour's wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour's house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour's."

Do Christians really have NO desire AT ALL for something they don't have?

It really isn’t difficult to follow the 10 commandments, though it might take a little bit of work. But wouldn’t it be worth it to enter heaven? Of course nobody wants to not lie, steal, covet or work on a Sunday. God doesn’t even want to. How many times has God killed somebody? (Hosea 13 is my favorite example) Does God ever lie? Does God really not work at all on Sunday?

You have to be a hypocrite to expect people to even TRY to follow the 10 commandments. But this is a post for the Atheists as well as the Theists: The next time you tell somebody to obey a rule, ask yourself if you have even TRIED to obey it. It’s not that hard. It just takes guts.

Kingdom of Heathen

2005-09-24T10:30:00.000-07:00

I've joined a new atheist blog, Kingdom of Heathen. It's a teen athiest blog started by Aeger and Seth. Everything I post there will also be cross-posted here. At this time, Kele also has agreed to join, and any teen atheist who wishes to join is more than welcome.

In other blogs, my sister started a Shakespeare blog. If anyone wishes to visit and check it out, please do.

ID Going To Court

2005-09-23T16:45:00.000-07:00

The latest from CNN dot com:

"Eleven parents of students at a Pennsylvania high school are suing over the school district's decision to include "intelligent design" -- an alternative to evolution that involves a God-like creator -- in the curriculum of ninth-grade biology classes."

Good for them. It's good to know that at least some people know the difference between science and religion these days. Take a look at this:

"But the American public appears to back the school district.

At least 31 states are taking steps to teach alternatives to evolution. A CBS poll last November found 65 percent of Americans favor teaching creationism as well as evolution while 37 percent want creationism taught instead of evolution."

At least 35% are/were against it. For America, that's not bad.

EVOLUTION = SCIENCE
CREATIONISM = RELIGION
INTELLIGENT DESIGN = CREATIONISM
INTELLIGENT DESIGN + SCIENCE CLASS = A DISRESPECT FOR SCIENCE

Don't teach religion in the science classrom!

Deja Vu

2005-09-21T18:50:00.000-07:00

Hurricane Rita becomes third most intense hurricane. Somehow I don't think that two catagory 5 hurricanes within a couple of weeks is coincidental. Is global warming the reason? We still have over two months of Hurrican season left, I believe.

At least this time we will be prepared, right?

Good luck to everyone out there...

Police Break Up Sheehan Rally

2005-09-19T19:38:00.000-07:00

Not positive that this actually happened, but I had to post it anyway:
read about it here, here, and here. (Thanks to UTI for the links 1 & 3)

So... police forcibly remove Sheehan from speaking at Union Square in New York. As far as I can tell, she didn't break any laws, or anything like that. Any ideas why the police would do this? Normally I would point fingers at Bush or New York's republican mayor, but I don't want to jump to any conclusions here.

More later as the story develops.

UPDATE: 9/20:

Okay, it's official. Apparently, they didn't have permits to use a microphone in Union Square.

Is that justification for forcibly breaking up a rally and arresting someone? That's right, the event co-ordinator was arrested for not having the proper permits to use a microphone in public.

Police shouldn't respond with violence to something as simple as no permit for a microphone, especially when the person was speaking out against violence.

The Political Circus: Katrina

2005-09-17T15:31:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I know this post is about a week late, but I think the whole thing is so apalling, I just have to wrtie a post about it.

I just read a in Newsweek: How Bush Blew It. It was very intresting, and I wanted to say a couple things about it.

"[...] President Bush knew the storm and its consequences had been bad; but he didn't quite realize how bad.
The reality, say several aides who did not wish to be quoted because it might displease the president, did not really sink in until Thursday night. Some White House staffers were watching the evening news and thought the president needed to see the horrific reports coming out of New Orleans. Counselor Bartlett made up a DVD of the newscasts so Bush could see them in their entirety as he flew down to the Gulf Coast the next morning on Air Force One."

The hurricane hit on Monday, right? Why is the president so out of touch with the news?

"President George W. Bush has always trusted his gut. He prides himself in ignoring the distracting chatter, the caterwauling of the media elites, the Washington political buzz machine. He has boasted that he doesn't read the papers."

I've heard Republicans talk about the "liberal" media, but this is just bizzare.

Maybe that explains why this happened:

"Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, a motherly but steely figure known by the nickname Queen Bee, knew that she needed help. But she wasn't quite sure what. At about 8 p.m., she spoke to Bush. "Mr. President," she said, "we need your help. We need everything you've got."

Bush, the governor later recalled, was reassuring. But the conversation was all a little vague. Blanco did not specifically ask for a massive intervention by the active-duty military. "She wouldn't know the 82nd Airborne from the Harlem Boys' Choir," said an official in the governor's office, who did not wish to be identified talking about his boss's conversations with the president. There are a number of steps Bush could have taken, short of a full-scale federal takeover, like ordering the military to take over the pitiful and (by now) largely broken emergency communications system throughout the region. But the president, who was in San Diego preparing to give a speech the next day on the war in Iraq, went to bed."

Allow me to recreate* some of the dialogue that might have happened between the two:

Gov: "Bush! WE need all you can get! Three levees have broken and the city is flooding!"

Prez: "Don' worry Bee, everythin'll be all right."

Gov: "We need help now!"

Prez: "Y'all be fine. [yawns] gosh, its almost 8 o'clock, I gotta go the bed. BIG speech tomorrow. Chao.".

"By the predawn hours, most state and federal officials finally realized that the 17th Street Canal levee had been breached, and that the city was in serious trouble. Bush was told at 5 a.m. Pacific Coast time and immediately decided to cut his vacation short. To his senior advisers, living in the insular presidential bubble, the mere act of lopping off a couple of presidential vacation days counts as a major event."

Puh-leez. If it's such a major event to cut off a couple of vacation days, i think Bush needs to spend more time in the office. Most Americans don't get anywhere NEAR as much vacation time as he does.

"Bush blithely proceeded with the rest of his schedule for the day, accepting a gift guitar at one event and pretending to riff like Tom Cruise in 'Risky Business'."

Vjack posted a picture about that here. I think that pretty much sums it up.

There's much more in the article, if anybody's intrested.

*Dramatization may not have happened.

He'll Be Bahk

2005-09-16T15:57:00.000-07:00

The Govenator just announced his plan for re-election. My two cents? He's doomed. Kahlifoania is one of the most liberal states in the USA, and especially with his popularity plummeting, he's not going to make it. As long as the Demos have a decent canidate, I don't think Mr. Schwartzenegger will be bahk.

The only reason he was elected in the first place is becuase of the crazy recall election which screwed up all the votes. I think Davis actually got more votes than Schwartzenegger, but he didn't have enough to stay in office. There were about a hundred people on that ballot, though that might be a slight exaggeration. This time, he'll get pummeled.

Hasta la vista, baby, and good riddance.

One Nation, Indivisible

2005-09-15T15:28:00.000-07:00

For those who don't follow the news, yesterday the 9th Circut Court ruled that the words "under god" in the Pledge unconstitutional.

This can only be a good thing. Finally, prehaps the Supreme Court will hear the case instead of dismissing it becuase Michael Newdow didn't have custody over his daughter. With Renquist dead and O' Conner gone, Liberals actually have a majority in the Supreme Court, unless of course Roberts is confirmed.

Prehaps this is the first step in bring back a strictly secular goverment in America.

Prehaps someday Atheists won't feel excluded from our goverment.

I did notice however that the person over the P.A. this morning at school still said "under god" during the pledge. Does anybody know where the 9th Circut Court has authority over?

First Post

2005-09-14T19:11:00.000-07:00

Hello Everybody. This is my first post, and I just want to welcome you to my blog.

So there it is. Have a good one.