Does the nation approve of W's job?
Approve: 40%
Disapprove: 55%
Duh..I..duno: 5%
There is a big price to be paid by politicians like W that allow their handlers to strictly control the kind of people they see. bush never sees a crowd that isn't 100% pro-Bush. He never gets to listen to people who think he is wrong. It looks like the only info he gets about people that do not like him or his policies is vetted and processed through his handlers in such a way as water it down. He seems so disconnected from the pulse of America as to be on a different planet. The hardcore cadre of Bushleaguers is shrinking by the day. Yet he still meanders on in the fog of "mandate" as if he had one to begin with. I think at some point in the future it is going to come out that he is off the wagon and really off the seat of power. He does not even seem to be President anymore. This would be fine with me but for the fact of all the misanthrops that surround him who wield enormous power like 3 year olds who found their dads 357.
Monday, February 27, 2006
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Why conservatism is a mental disease
American conservatism is not so much a political philosophy as a neo-fascist religion, similar to Nazism. It is not based in any kind of empirical reality but in a set of apriori dogmas designed to scapegoat the all of the nations ills on a single set of people. Like the Nazis before them the modern American conservative blames, the liberal intelligency for all the nations ills. Unlike the liberal community that is always reevaluating itself and wrestling with moral and ethical dilemas, the conservative see no need to question him/her self. To question someone elses morals is the only requirment, never their own.
I am, of course, not really serious about the whole "mental disease" bit. That is hyperboli and a homage to MS. American neo-conservatism does not rise tø the level of a disease. It is an induced set of behaviors concocked by the elites that run the country to get a certain segment to vote their way at all times. The behavoir is continously reinforced by dozens of magazines, hundreds of radio stations, thousands of books, and most television networks.
Their dogma is perfect and the best a conservative can hope to accomplish is perfect adherence to the dogma. That is why, to those who do not live in la-la-land, conservatives never reallly are able to solve problems. They spew rage and self-righteous indignation aplenty but when push comes to shove they can't actually consumate. That is why all that is great about America is traced back to progressive politics, not conservative politics. The sad fact is that if the people of America, in 1776 had listened to the conservatives of their day, we would be sining God Save the Queen at football games and the damn ball would be black and white and round.
The modern American conservative expends most of his energy in adherence to dogma. He feels he has accomplished something since he sees adherence as a worthy goal. Where progressives see strengthening of nationhood through cooperative acction (government). The conservative is at a loss to understand why a nation should even exist. All he needs is a flag to wave and a drum to beat and the liberals to hate and he is fine. This is, the the enlightened human, perfectly obvious and desired by the power-elite. The powerful want a populace to give their rights away and freedom away, while "privatising" government; taking the power from the hands of the people and giving it to a very small oligarchy to control.
The modern conservative has a mental blockage that prevents them from appreciating the truth. They will watch FOX news and rail against the liberal media all the while watching a media empire that, in London, publishes full frontal nudity in its papers as a way to sell them. They will go bankrupt with healthcare bills, dutifully giving thousands of dollars a year to insurance companies, yet with bloody eyes rail against any attempt to put the control of our nations health into the hands of the people. What is worse is that they see themselves as perfect so that their actions, though anything but in the eyes of the reality based community, are perfect too. They are a sick lot and need a cure. They have been programmed and brainwashed to monkishly spout the latest radio induced diatribe and dogma at every problem, while beinig blind to the fact that their dogma is useless, unworkable, and based on lies.
While the liberal or progressive sees people as their country, the conservative has been brainwashed to see only himself. They cannot see beyond their own self or family. It is ironic that conservatives rail against liberals for being pleasure seaking hedonists. The truth is that the selfish people, who put their own desires and needs over anyone else are the conservatives. By being brainwashed into fearing cooperative action for the common good. They will cooperate to help remove freedom from the hands of the people, because they have been trained to do so.
Progressives have always faught to make this country better, while conservatives have always faught to keep things the same or move them back to some utopia that never existed. That is their mental disease. Unlike most organisms that strive to be the fittest to servive, they seek to retrograde, to devolve to a lower lifeform. The modern conservative movement is a movement to oblivion. I only wish they would hurry up and get back to the ooz and then maybe even back to carbon.
I am, of course, not really serious about the whole "mental disease" bit. That is hyperboli and a homage to MS. American neo-conservatism does not rise tø the level of a disease. It is an induced set of behaviors concocked by the elites that run the country to get a certain segment to vote their way at all times. The behavoir is continously reinforced by dozens of magazines, hundreds of radio stations, thousands of books, and most television networks.
Their dogma is perfect and the best a conservative can hope to accomplish is perfect adherence to the dogma. That is why, to those who do not live in la-la-land, conservatives never reallly are able to solve problems. They spew rage and self-righteous indignation aplenty but when push comes to shove they can't actually consumate. That is why all that is great about America is traced back to progressive politics, not conservative politics. The sad fact is that if the people of America, in 1776 had listened to the conservatives of their day, we would be sining God Save the Queen at football games and the damn ball would be black and white and round.
The modern American conservative expends most of his energy in adherence to dogma. He feels he has accomplished something since he sees adherence as a worthy goal. Where progressives see strengthening of nationhood through cooperative acction (government). The conservative is at a loss to understand why a nation should even exist. All he needs is a flag to wave and a drum to beat and the liberals to hate and he is fine. This is, the the enlightened human, perfectly obvious and desired by the power-elite. The powerful want a populace to give their rights away and freedom away, while "privatising" government; taking the power from the hands of the people and giving it to a very small oligarchy to control.
The modern conservative has a mental blockage that prevents them from appreciating the truth. They will watch FOX news and rail against the liberal media all the while watching a media empire that, in London, publishes full frontal nudity in its papers as a way to sell them. They will go bankrupt with healthcare bills, dutifully giving thousands of dollars a year to insurance companies, yet with bloody eyes rail against any attempt to put the control of our nations health into the hands of the people. What is worse is that they see themselves as perfect so that their actions, though anything but in the eyes of the reality based community, are perfect too. They are a sick lot and need a cure. They have been programmed and brainwashed to monkishly spout the latest radio induced diatribe and dogma at every problem, while beinig blind to the fact that their dogma is useless, unworkable, and based on lies.
While the liberal or progressive sees people as their country, the conservative has been brainwashed to see only himself. They cannot see beyond their own self or family. It is ironic that conservatives rail against liberals for being pleasure seaking hedonists. The truth is that the selfish people, who put their own desires and needs over anyone else are the conservatives. By being brainwashed into fearing cooperative action for the common good. They will cooperate to help remove freedom from the hands of the people, because they have been trained to do so.
Progressives have always faught to make this country better, while conservatives have always faught to keep things the same or move them back to some utopia that never existed. That is their mental disease. Unlike most organisms that strive to be the fittest to servive, they seek to retrograde, to devolve to a lower lifeform. The modern conservative movement is a movement to oblivion. I only wish they would hurry up and get back to the ooz and then maybe even back to carbon.
Along for the ride
Is it just me or is the US looking more like it is just along for the wild ride in Iraq? Our Ambassador, when lecturing the Iraqi's about the dangers of sectarian violence, sounds a bit odd since it was our intervention that has caused this mess to begin with. If he wants to lecture somebody about the dangers of stirring up sectarian violence he should start with the gang in the White House.
When I was a kid we took a trip to the beach and my brother and I were playing around in the sand when we noticed a bit of seaweed sticking up out of the sand. There was a tiny trickle of water aroundt the little weed. I pulled on the seaweed. Within a few minutes there was a gorge 5 feet deep with a torrent of rushing water. I had unwittingly openned the floodgate to a stuffed drain. There are so many life lessons that one can learn from childhood and then apply to your adult life. Such as when you see an iregularity in the sand, you might do well to leave it alone. When hiking in the the high desert of Oregon you would be stupid to stick your arm under every rock since you would probably get bitten by a rattle snake. Or if you are climbing Mount Everest you would be seen a fool to go up in only your long underwear and bunny slippers.
We went into Iraq with, depending on your point of view, with good intentions. However the road to hell is paved with many of those. It is a mark of how obtuse we rich fat people are that we thought we could make a happy land out of a dictatorship. General George Marshal would have really cautioned against getting our hopes up with Iraq. History is filled with failed attempts at nation building, the vast majority of such attempts colapse. Assemblies of millions of people are just too complex to make such affairs work out. The only reason it worked out with Germany and Japan was that both naitons had the gun of Soviet Russia pointed at their heads. They simply had no good alternative to us. Iraq has no such gun. On the contrary the population is given pause to trust us, and given reasons to believe in those who fight against us. Suni and Shiite have lots of reason to kill each other. Regligion is always a good reason to butcher your fellow humans. The land of Europe is filled with the bones of Catholics, Cathars, Franciscans, Calvinists, Lutherans, Baptists, and a whole host of other sects that cut each other to peices over religious differences. Us going into Iraq and trying to make a democracy is like us going into a time machine and trying to hammer out a democracy out of the insane Holy Roman Empire of the 15th century.
When I was a kid we took a trip to the beach and my brother and I were playing around in the sand when we noticed a bit of seaweed sticking up out of the sand. There was a tiny trickle of water aroundt the little weed. I pulled on the seaweed. Within a few minutes there was a gorge 5 feet deep with a torrent of rushing water. I had unwittingly openned the floodgate to a stuffed drain. There are so many life lessons that one can learn from childhood and then apply to your adult life. Such as when you see an iregularity in the sand, you might do well to leave it alone. When hiking in the the high desert of Oregon you would be stupid to stick your arm under every rock since you would probably get bitten by a rattle snake. Or if you are climbing Mount Everest you would be seen a fool to go up in only your long underwear and bunny slippers.
We went into Iraq with, depending on your point of view, with good intentions. However the road to hell is paved with many of those. It is a mark of how obtuse we rich fat people are that we thought we could make a happy land out of a dictatorship. General George Marshal would have really cautioned against getting our hopes up with Iraq. History is filled with failed attempts at nation building, the vast majority of such attempts colapse. Assemblies of millions of people are just too complex to make such affairs work out. The only reason it worked out with Germany and Japan was that both naitons had the gun of Soviet Russia pointed at their heads. They simply had no good alternative to us. Iraq has no such gun. On the contrary the population is given pause to trust us, and given reasons to believe in those who fight against us. Suni and Shiite have lots of reason to kill each other. Regligion is always a good reason to butcher your fellow humans. The land of Europe is filled with the bones of Catholics, Cathars, Franciscans, Calvinists, Lutherans, Baptists, and a whole host of other sects that cut each other to peices over religious differences. Us going into Iraq and trying to make a democracy is like us going into a time machine and trying to hammer out a democracy out of the insane Holy Roman Empire of the 15th century.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
What does he think he is doing?
I am trying to be less partisan toward the current occupent of the White House but he is really making it hard for me not to think of him as a lame-assed dumbshit who cares more for his foreign terrorist-funding buddies than he does for his nation or the poor slobs he has bravely sent dies or get maimed in Iraq. As an American I am pretty sick of this SOB. Giving control to 6 of the nations largest ports to a company that is owned by the royal house of the United Arab Emirates is NUTS! But in Bushland this all makes sense. Since his family has been buddy buddy with the terrorist funders for years he really doesn't see much of a contradictioin. Bush makes it soooooooooooooo easy to be a Democrat. I was so pissed at Clinton for his lack of morals but at least he stuck up for his country most of the time. This little texas cow pie isn't worth the pennys his body would be worth if it were turned into fertalizer or, dare I say, Bio-diesel.
Friday, February 17, 2006
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
A great Mass
I just finished to listening to the Messe De'Notre Dame by Guillaume de Machaut 1300-1377. I do not like all medieval polyphony, it gets on my nerves, but there is something about the Messe De'Notre Dame that grabs me by my...well it grabs me... and doesn't let go until the end. It is a complex and difficult piece of music to listen to and unless you are willing to be patient and listen to it five or six times you will fail to appreciate all the levels of polyphonic, isorythmic detail. Machaut was not known as a religious composer so much as a composer of poetry and secular songs to punctuate the high art of courtly love. The music is large, complete, and done by one man. It gives you a window into the grand religious life of the 14th century. Probably performed at the new cathedral of Notre Dame of Rheims, this must have been shocker. There had never been anything like this before in the presentation of liturgical music. Machaut seems to have wanted to use the Mass itself as a kind of musical stage. Anyhow he rocks and the Messe D'Notre Dame is a great work that is like a very complex dish of food that takes time to enjoy.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Review of Crash and VP marksmanship
I want to really unload on a crappy movie and rip it to shreds but I cannot do this for this film. Crash is awsome and I highly recomend it. Superb all the way around. It paints a pretty complex picture of race relations and nobody comes out looking good, well almost nobody. It gets a 9.
Cheney's little incident:
Snickering, followed by giggling, followed by laughing, followed by a sense of pitty for such a bunch of pathetic turds occupying positions of power, followed by sense of impending doom because the turds on in power in my country.
Cheney's little incident:
Snickering, followed by giggling, followed by laughing, followed by a sense of pitty for such a bunch of pathetic turds occupying positions of power, followed by sense of impending doom because the turds on in power in my country.
Monday, February 13, 2006
"Why is Iraq war only getting bad press?" and other stupid questions
The answer is that IT IS A WAR! Wars are usually 100% bad news until the very end when the good news of peace comes about. So people that like to beat war drums and are all cranky about bad press should not be so clueless about the reality of a real war.
Here is a little ditty from Herman Goering doing an interview before he killed himself at Nuremberg:
"Why, of course, the people don't want war. Why would some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best that he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece. Naturally, the common people don't want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship."
"There is one difference," I pointed out. "In a democracy the people have some say in the matter through their elected representatives, and in the United States only Congress can declare wars."
"Oh, that is all well and good, but, voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country."
Here is a little ditty from Herman Goering doing an interview before he killed himself at Nuremberg:
"Why, of course, the people don't want war. Why would some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best that he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece. Naturally, the common people don't want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship."
"There is one difference," I pointed out. "In a democracy the people have some say in the matter through their elected representatives, and in the United States only Congress can declare wars."
"Oh, that is all well and good, but, voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country."
Friday, February 10, 2006
Brownie is giving wedgy to Bushy
Today the former director of FEMA, the infamous Mr. Brown, told a congressional subcommittee that he had actually told the White House to prepare for the worst two days prior to the disasterous hurricane Katrina. We also learn that the levy breaches were known the very day that they happened practically while they were happening. Ouch! I cannot blame Bush for the weatherm however if this is true then it really makes this lackluster and incompitent administration look even more lackluster and incompitent.
A long time ago I said that this administrations worst enemies are its former employees since it garners absolutely no loyalty. So Michael Brown is squealing on them and also we have Scooter Libby now saying that his "superiors" told him to leach classifeid info to the press. This of course leads into the POLL CRUNCH!!!!!! These numbers are before you add in the current revelations.
Approve: 41%
Disapprove: 53%
Duh I Duno: 6%
Still W is plugging along like he has a mandate for something other than resignation. Whats more is that the administration is going out of its way to appear pushy and tightlipped. Instead of Clintonian humility, even false humility, we have eitehr bravado, or stupifying silence. The administration seems paralyzed by the world situation and the domestic situation. Their warfare is only making matters worse at home and abroad and they have no idea how to either win the war, or even know what the war is really about. The mighty ship of SS Bush, its hull scrapping along the bottom, is slowly coming to an unglamorous stop to be buffeted by the waves of fate until it is beaten to pieces.
A long time ago I said that this administrations worst enemies are its former employees since it garners absolutely no loyalty. So Michael Brown is squealing on them and also we have Scooter Libby now saying that his "superiors" told him to leach classifeid info to the press. This of course leads into the POLL CRUNCH!!!!!! These numbers are before you add in the current revelations.
Approve: 41%
Disapprove: 53%
Duh I Duno: 6%
Still W is plugging along like he has a mandate for something other than resignation. Whats more is that the administration is going out of its way to appear pushy and tightlipped. Instead of Clintonian humility, even false humility, we have eitehr bravado, or stupifying silence. The administration seems paralyzed by the world situation and the domestic situation. Their warfare is only making matters worse at home and abroad and they have no idea how to either win the war, or even know what the war is really about. The mighty ship of SS Bush, its hull scrapping along the bottom, is slowly coming to an unglamorous stop to be buffeted by the waves of fate until it is beaten to pieces.
Thursday, February 09, 2006
How to tolerate the intolerable
I cannot speak for people who are upset about the insulting cartoons of the prophet Mohammed peace be upon him. As a Christian I have seen all manner of views of Jesus from The Passion of the Christ to Monty Python's Life of Brian. And of course there is no good protrait. How can there be a good protrait of the Divine? God, exaulted his He, is not some bearded old foggy sitting on a cloud. But we are visual creatures so we like to give that which is without form a form for us to recognize. As there is no good form there is no bad form. All the good and righteousness that the prophet represents cannot be defamed by any silly cartoon. Just as all the good and righteousness that Jesus represents cannot be defamed by movies or books. If I let my absolute faith, and love, for God, exaulted his He, be hurt by books or angry words, then it is weak and needs to be strengthened for that which we believe in, both Muslim and Christian, is the rock eternal, the maker of all the is seen and unseen, and He cannot be assailed by anyone.
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Chemical Jihad
I am using the word Jihad in hopes of the Bush Administration reading my Blog.
The chemical Jihad I am referring to is the holy war against depression. Depression is the great satan, moo-hoo-ha-ha, and I will use any and all means, including underhanded chemical attacks, to fight it. Enter Fluoxetine, aka Prozac. This little guy goes into your synaptic connections and blocks the re-uptake of serotonin so that more of it can be transfered from one nero-transmitter to another. So how does it feel? Well it feels okay. It does not make you feel happy go-lucky, or stoned, or anything like that. All it seems to do, at least for me, is even out the ups and downs, particularly the downs. The problem with depressive illnesses is that they cut your abiliy to function. It is harder to concentrate, to remember stuff, and it becomes a self reinforcing problem that spirals downward. The chemical Jihadist is able to get back to normality while still dealing with the issues that bring about the depression. Prozac, for me, is not a substitute for counseling and other mental healthcare but is just another part of it.
The chemical Jihad I am referring to is the holy war against depression. Depression is the great satan, moo-hoo-ha-ha, and I will use any and all means, including underhanded chemical attacks, to fight it. Enter Fluoxetine, aka Prozac. This little guy goes into your synaptic connections and blocks the re-uptake of serotonin so that more of it can be transfered from one nero-transmitter to another. So how does it feel? Well it feels okay. It does not make you feel happy go-lucky, or stoned, or anything like that. All it seems to do, at least for me, is even out the ups and downs, particularly the downs. The problem with depressive illnesses is that they cut your abiliy to function. It is harder to concentrate, to remember stuff, and it becomes a self reinforcing problem that spirals downward. The chemical Jihadist is able to get back to normality while still dealing with the issues that bring about the depression. Prozac, for me, is not a substitute for counseling and other mental healthcare but is just another part of it.
Monday, February 06, 2006
Interesting Historical Mumbo Jumbo
In AD 874 king Burhred of Mercia abdicated in the face of overwhelming Danish raids into his kingdom. So he split to Rome where he lived out his life and finally was burried in the church of Sancta Maria Antiqua. I decided to find out more about this church, if it still existed etc.
It does not really exist as a functioning church anymore. It was built in the 5th Century near the Roman Forum and was the seat of the Bishop of Rome. It's ruins are part of the Forum tour today. It was buried under tons of rubble when the Forum was burned in 1084 when the Normans set fire to the city. In 1902 it was excavated and there are many 7th and 8th century frescos still on it's walls. There is still one sarcophagus present in the church. Maybe its king Burhred?
It does not really exist as a functioning church anymore. It was built in the 5th Century near the Roman Forum and was the seat of the Bishop of Rome. It's ruins are part of the Forum tour today. It was buried under tons of rubble when the Forum was burned in 1084 when the Normans set fire to the city. In 1902 it was excavated and there are many 7th and 8th century frescos still on it's walls. There is still one sarcophagus present in the church. Maybe its king Burhred?
Friday, February 03, 2006
I find your lack of faith disturbing..Part MXCVLM
I am an American and a Christian. Every once in a while South Park has Jesus (peace be upon him) appear in a totally religiously incorrect episode. But I have never thought about launching a Crusade against Comedy Central. So I ask muslims to "give it a rest" as far as their overreaction to the whole mohammed cartoon deal. I think Mohammed (peace be upon him) is probably too cool to bother with such stuff. Both gentlemen are way beyond wasting their imortality on getting pissed at being profaned. As a Christian I would not insult a fellow believer even though he or she may not recognize Jesus (peace be upon him) as the Christ. However our faith should be strong enough to insight us to be conduits of mercy to our brothers and sisters dispite the insults.
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