Post Part-um

Sitting here waiting for my friend Jayne to come by and pick up her phone. It was so good for her and my other church friends to come last night.

The house looked terrific, updated and modified by Matticia, who fixed the cooktop, did party decorations outside, re-wired the home theater, etc., etc., etc. I'm now awash in champagne (the bev fridge is FULL) and vodka. Jeannie's food was smashing. The kitchen looked outstanding - I just need to get a breakfast table and chairs (and a dining table now.)

Nothing was broken, but I was just wiped out. I sat in my chair most of the evening like a queen on her throne. The patio was a hot place to be, populated until well after I went to bed at 2:00 a.m.

The home theater just sounds AWESOME. The house looks great. Last night and today, some of my guests seem to have used one of the upstairs bathroom sinks like they were trying to flood the #6 boiler room of the Titanic. The dining room ceiling is soaking wet. Again. It's dripping water like crazy. Matticia figured out what happened and has solved the problem, but it's prayer time that it doesn't collapse the ceiling.

Installed the AirPort card in the iMac DV that we've put in the kitchen. It's got a signal from the network, but it's not connecting. My Mac friends will be coming over shortly, and they'll get it connected.

We're watching the movie "Slevin." It's amazing.

Now, I want to increase the size of the television. By about 6000%.

I'm enjoying just sitting here. I should think about using my FABULOUS COOKTOP again and making some dinner.

I need to fold up all of these gift bags that are populating the hearth.

Donna sent me my horoscope on Friday; it was really something. I'm still trying to digest it.

Matticia just took a wire coat hangar and attached it to the wireless router, and now we've got massive signal strength. I still think that I'm going to buy a Linksys wireless N router.

WHOOP!

You just knew that they weren't telling what they knew -

The just resigned Chief of Staff for Reynolds (R-NY) has now said he told Hastert TWO years ago.

Humpin' Linkarama!

This is just more fun than stompin' baby chickens, as my friend Andy (from Mesquite) would say.

Read about one editor's opinion that dumping Hastert isn't going to be enough - the Foley scandal is a symptom of a "power at any cost" mentality that has been demonstrated by DeLay, Hastert and others in DC.

Or, you could read about how the Demos could go a "bit" too far in their response to the Foley scandal - since they don't offer a reasonable alternative (boy, isn't THAT true?"

And another editorial that discusses how the Republicans are "flip-flopping" faster than a cheap pair of beach sandals and trying to blame this scandal on the Demos, who are inhibiting the war on terror by pursuing this.

And, a clarification from the Washington Times on why Hastert must go.

As this day goes on, it just keeps getting funnier!

I have a whole string - a mess - a mountain from a sexual molehill of links and articles on this developing Foley scandal.

It starts with Fox News trying to tar the Democrats with the responsibility for the Foleygate massacre. Notice that both Fox News and the Associated Press have been mis-identifying Foley as a Democrat.

Shimkus, who's one of the three Congressman supervising the page program also blames the Democrats. It's also supporting the terrorists, ya know. Another Congressman, not attached to the scandal (yet) also says it's the fault of the Democrats.

Several articles on how Reynolds (R-NY) encouraged Foley to run again AFTER they knew about the naughtiness.

Speaking of Reynolds, he's wrapped up in the attempt of his chief of staff to persuade ABC News to refrain from releasing the Foleygate material. Said chief of staff has now resigned, and his pointing his own fingers.

Moving on to other central figures, Alexander (R-LA) whose page it was that Foley was chasing around has flip-flopped twice now on whether he told someone, anyone .. what was going on.

A KOS writer, georgia10 (from whom much will be heard later in life - she's still a youngster) has a compelling piece about the willingness of the Rulers to recklessly endanger anyone to keep their place in power.

Lies, lies, lies. If you lie big enough and keep repeating it, it becomes the truth. Watch.

Wondering how those activist judges on the Supreme Court are behaving, now that they're fortified by some good ol' conservatives? How about open racial epithets in the courtroom?

And, if you're wondering who the heck it is that's voting for these buffoons, here's an example. A Georgia mother (white, naturally, and blond) is trying to get Harry Potter books banned because they teach witchcraft.

Maybe she should visit Salem for vacation. And try that dunking chair on for size.

More of Circus Scandale!

It's like a French acrobatic circus! It's all interwoven, and interlocking.

Links, links, links!

They knew that Foley was after the pages in NINETEEN NINETY-FIVE.

An analysis of how bad this is for the ruling party - "dead man walking."

Here's a little discussion of how clear it is that the GOP ignored the sexual predator to stay in power.

When one asks .. "how could you be a Democrat?" The best answer isn't "'Cause I'm gay, silly.." but this.

Yolks.

How does one get a Republican to come? Page him!

New bumper sticker - "my congressman sodomized your honor student."

Mark Foley has written his memoirs - a real page turner.

Why don't Republicans use bookmarks? They'd rather just bend a page over.

Tuesday night reflections

Sitting here watching another disc of "The Hustle," which Guy brought over the other day. Today was interesting. I think that things went forward in life.

Was talking with Guy this afternoon - and trying to come up with names for the Phaeton and the Impy. He thinks that the Impy deserves a name that calls up the early 70's. Something that conveys blunt power combined with elegance.

The Phaeton, he asserted, needs to have some name that suggests high elegance.

Today, I was driving back from Nicole's place and was cruising on Westheimer .. a black Phaeton W12 went sailing by me. It was so fine looking. I know that Brian hates those cars from the depth of his soul, but they are stunning in an understated way. The one I want is so subtle as to be a mere whisper as it glides through traffic.

The kitchen looks fagulous. Fantastic. Amazing. It's not even close to being done, and it's just stunning. The halogen lamps in the breakfast area that were glaring and harsh are now looking elegant and more colorful.

I was hunting around on Craigslist tonight and found a very cool Mies van der Rohe knock off table and four chairs that would go great in the revitalized breakfast room.

Matticia comes in just 30 hours.

Up to 37 guests confirmed for the party. Shooting for 48. You know, 48 for 48 years.

This show (The Hustle, remember?) is awesome.

Ruby after being cleaned last week - still looking DAMNED good. Turning 97,000 miles this week. 

The desk area - look at how the slate goes with the new colors (as opposed to the orange and gray) 

Sage with a bit left of orange 

The coffee area with the slate cabinets 

More sage 

With the sage green on the walls -  

The kitchen; halfway through 

It's the Five Ring Circus o'Scandal!!

Let's start with some new Mark Foley material - he didn't just flirt with boys online, he DID THE NASTY with them. I can promise you. Read here, here and here and see what you think. That last one carries an explicit content/language warning from the Divo.

Hereis a fun little rant about what we CAN count on Republicans for. Don't take it personally if you're a Republican kind of person; if the Demos had had power for the last fourteen years, I'm sure that they would be in the same boat.

Here you can have a look at different quotes from today's new media about the developing Foley scandal (which is like riding my favorite roller coaster - every few hours, something else juicy and delicious is coming out of GOP scandal-land!) It seems that the "liberal media" may have found some of its bark again.

This article suggests that the House Leaderships' conscious indifference to Mark Foley's pursuit of young boys wasn't endemic to the Congress. We can read Condi's ongoing defenses of her refusal to listen, act, react or anticipate when it was HER JOB TO DO SO. If she had acted in the same way during the Cold War, and half our cities were radioactive dust, would these excuses have seemed reasonable?

Perhaps the most conservative newspaper in the country (and one owned by Rev. Moon) calls for Hastert's resignation.

Here is someone else who posted what occured to me last night - are they KIDDING? They didn't want to upset gay folks? What about that whole anti-gay amendment, and "Don't ask/don't tell," and opposition to hate crime legislation?

This one's a shocker. One of the most conservative pundits around says the GOP is unworthy of leading or running this nation. Really.

Herewe find proof that Bob Woodward is telling the truth when he reveals in his latest book that Condi, Rummy and Ashcroft were WARNED IN DETAIL that Al Queda was about to attack, probably the US on its soil in July 2001 and DID NOTHING.

Here we have Rick Santorum whining about an "unfair" political ad in which a veteran uses an AK-47 and shoots up the body armor with which our soldiers were equipped in Iraq. Then, he shoots up a modern body armor mannequin, and .. nothing happens to it. "Rick Santorum voted against me having this body armor. Now it's time for us to vote against him." The Philly newspaper investigates and finds that the ad is based on FACT.

HereMolly Ivins endorses Chris Bell for Governor of Texas in her inimitable style, and asks that we elect him for "Annie's sake."

Hereis a wild ride story - the writing of a NYT reporter who was on the Embraer Legacy business jet that seems to have collided with a GOL 737-800 in mid-air over the Brasilian Amazon, with a loss to all aboard the GOL jet.

Remember when I said that this Foley scandal was a wild ride? Well, now Hastert has laid the blame at the feet of the Democrats and the KIDS WHO WERE PAGES. It's THEIR fault, and they're AGAINST THE WAR ON TERROR. So, I guess it's okay to hide and protect someone who's using his official position to violate Federal and state laws against sex with minors AND to pollute a volunteer program that was designed to give exceptional youth exposure to the political process - a program that's been around for 150 years. BECAUSE PROTECTING AND HIDING THAT PEDOPHILE PREDATOR IS SUPPORTING THE WAR ON TERROR. Yes, it is. I looked it up. Had to call God on the hotline to be sure.

More slime. Reynolds, to whom the Foley complaint was originally brought as head of the RNCC, held a press conference today at a DAY CARE CENTER! Surrounded by children. Random children.

And, Foley now claims he was abused by a "clergyman" as a child, and that he's gay. However, is that justification for abusing others and continuing the cycle?

Monday, Monday (a bit later)

Well, I've been plugging away here today - between the barrage of emails about the developing Republican sex scandal, which I am SO enjoying - it seems that Foley pusuring illegally young boy butt was a forgiveable sin, but Clinton's escapdes with Lewinsky was Satan incarnate. Even the Focus on the Family said so!

What happened to the Gay Marriage Ban?

I've moved some things around here in the office, which has improved my mental state some. They're more accessible. I've started working on some disorganized client files (my favorite) and have a clear day ahead of me tomorrow for getting work done. By Friday, this office is going to be pin-neat, and nothing left undone.

This morning, a most unusual thing happened - I had a call from an old theater friend. Long story short, it seems that the financial questions I had raised five years ago were quite true. The malfeasance was occuring, and the coverup was real. I not only felt vindicated, but I felt like a huge weight was lifted from my heart.

I think that contributed to my productive output today.

Haven't heard from someone all day, and I'm wanting to.

I think I'm headed to bed early tonight.

Monday, Monday ver. 837.01

An important consideration...

In Case I Disappear
By William Rivers Pitt
t r u t h o u t | Perspective

Friday 29 September 2006

I have been told a thousand times at least, in the years I have
spent reporting on the astonishing and repugnant abuses, lies and
failures of the Bush administration, to watch my back. "Be careful,"
people always tell me. "These people are capable of anything. Stay
off small planes, make sure you aren't being followed." A running
joke between my mother and me is that she has a "safe room" set up
for me in her cabin in the woods, in the event I have to flee
because of something I wrote or said.

I always laughed and shook my head whenever I heard this stuff.
Extreme paranoia wrapped in the tinfoil of conspiracy, I thought.
This is still America, and these Bush fools will soon pass into
history, I thought. I am a citizen, and the First Amendment hasn't
yet been red-lined, I thought.

Matters are different now.

It seems, perhaps, that the people who warned me were not so
paranoid. It seems, perhaps, that I was not paranoid enough.
Legislation passed by the Republican House and Senate, legislation
now marching up to the Republican White House for signature, has
shattered a number of bedrock legal protections for suspects,
prisoners, and pretty much anyone else George W. Bush deems to be an
enemy.

So much of this legislation is wretched on the surface. Habeas
corpus has been suspended for detainees suspected of terrorism or of
aiding terrorism, so the Magna Carta-era rule that a person can face
his accusers is now gone. Once a suspect has been thrown into
prison, he does not have the right to a trial by his peers. Suspects
cannot even stand in representation of themselves, another ancient
protection, but must accept a military lawyer as their defender.

Illegally-obtained evidence can be used against suspects, whether
that illegal evidence was gathered abroad or right here at home. To
my way of thinking, this pretty much eradicates our security in
persons, houses, papers, and effects, as stated in the Fourth
Amendment, against illegal searches and seizures.

Speaking of collecting evidence, the torture of suspects and
detainees has been broadly protected by this new legislation. While
it tries to delineate what is and is not acceptable treatment of
detainees, in the end, it gives George W. Bush the final word on
what constitutes torture. US officials who use cruel, inhumane or
degrading treatment to extract information from detainees are now
shielded from prosecution.

It was two Supreme Court decisions, Hamdi v. Rumsfeld and Hamdan v.
Rumsfeld, that compelled the creation of this legislation. The Hamdi
decision held that a prisoner has the right of habeas corpus, and
can challenge his detention before an impartial judge. The Hamdan
decision held that the military commissions set up to try detainees
violated both the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the Geneva
Conventions.

In short, the Supreme Court wiped out virtually every legal argument
the Bush administration put forth to defend its extraordinary and
dangerous behavior. The passage of this legislation came after a
scramble by Republicans to paper over the torture and murder of a
number of detainees. As columnist Molly Ivins wrote on
Wednesday, "Of the over 700 prisoners sent to Gitmo, only 10 have
ever been formally charged with anything. Among other things, this
bill is a CYA for torture of the innocent that has already taken
place."

It seems almost certain that, at some point, the Supreme Court will
hear a case to challenge the legality of this legislation, but even
this is questionable. If a detainee is not allowed access to a fair
trial or to the evidence against him, how can he bring a legal
challenge to a court? The legislation, in anticipation of court
challenges like Hamdi and Hamdan, even includes severe restrictions
on judicial review over the legislation itself.

The Republicans in Congress have managed, at the behest of Mr. Bush,
to draft a bill that all but erases the judicial branch of the
government. Time will tell whether this aspect, along with all the
others, will withstand legal challenges. If such a challenge comes,
it will take time, and meanwhile there is this bill. All of the
above is deplorable on its face, indefensible in a nation that
prides itself on Constitutional rights, protections and the rule of
law.

Underneath all this, however, is where the paranoia sets in.

Underneath all this is the definition of "enemy combatant" that has
been established by this legislation. An "enemy combatant" is now no
longer just someone captured "during an armed conflict" against our
forces. Thanks to this legislation, George W. Bush is now able to
designate as an "enemy combatant" anyone who has "purposefully and
materially supported hostilities against the United States."

Consider that language a moment. "Purposefully and materially
supported hostilities against the United States" is in the eye of
the beholder, and this administration has proven itself to be
astonishingly impatient with criticism of any kind. The broad powers
given to Bush by this legislation allow him to capture, indefinitely
detain, and refuse a hearing to any American citizen who speaks out
against Iraq or any other part of the so-called "War on Terror."

If you write a letter to the editor attacking Bush, you could be
deemed as purposefully and materially supporting hostilities against
the United States. If you organize or join a public demonstration
against Iraq, or against the administration, the same designation
could befall you. One dark-comedy aspect of the legislation is that
senators or House members who publicly disagree with Bush, criticize
him, or organize investigations into his dealings could be placed
under the same designation. In effect, Congress just gave Bush the
power to lock them up.

By writing (or by me cross posting)this essay, I could be deemed an "enemy combatant." It's
that simple, and very soon, it will be the law. I always laughed
when people told me to be careful. I'm not laughing anymore.

In case I disappear, remember this. America is an idea, a dream, and
that is all. We have borders and armies and citizens and commerce
and industry, but all this merely makes us like every other nation
on this Earth. What separates us is the idea, the simple idea, that
life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are our organizing
principles. We can think as we please, speak as we please, write as
we please, worship as we please, go where we please. We are
protected from the kinds of tyranny that inspired our creation as a
nation in the first place.

That was the idea. That was the dream. It may all be over now, but
once upon a time, it existed. No good idea ever truly dies. The
dream was here, and so was I, and so were you.