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.

And a little light hearted humor from my cousin in Ohio

Once upon a time there was a female brain cell which, by mistake, happened to end up in a man's head. She looked around nervously because it was all empty and quiet. "Hello?" she cried, but no answer. "Is there anyone here?" she cried a little louder, but still no answer. Now the female brain cell started to feel alone and scared and yelled at the top of her voice,"HELLO, IS THERE ANYONE HERE?" Then she heard a faint voice from far, far away..............





"We're down here ..."

Thoughts forwarded from Sondra

Sondra's a peach. She is so wonderful, supportive, loving and frisky - one of the very few people with whom I've worked before and am still friends with.

She sent me this some time ago, and it seems doubly appropriate to share it, now that our Legislature has decided to crown Geo. W King of these United States (won't we need a new name for the country?)

1. COWS
2. THE CONSTITUTION
3. THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

COWS

Is it just me, or does anyone else find it amazing that our government
can track a cow born in Canada almost three years ago, right to the stall
where she sleeps in the state of Washington and they tracked her calves to
their stalls? But they are unable to locate 11 million illegal aliens wandering
around our country. Maybe we should give them all a cow.

THE CONSTITUTION

They keep talking about drafting a Constitution for Iraq. Why don't we just
give them ours? It was written by a lot of really smart guys, it's worked
for over 200 years and we're not using it anymore.

TEN COMMANDMENTS

The real reason that we can't have the Ten Commandments in a
courthouse........You cannot post "Thou Shalt Not Steal," "Thou Shalt Not
Commit Adultery" and "Thou Shall Not Lie" in a building full of lawyers,
judges and politicians -- it creates a hostile work environment.

More on the anti-terror bill

This editorial sums it up nicely - what it is that is being taken away from us with the bill that passed the House of Representatives last night. Registration is required.

Here's a quite from the editorial:

Republicans say Congress must act right now to create procedures for charging and trying terrorists — because the men accused of plotting the 9/11 attacks are available for trial. That’s pure propaganda. Those men could have been tried and convicted long ago, but President Bush chose not to. He held them in illegal detention, had them questioned in ways that will make real trials very hard, and invented a transparently illegal system of kangaroo courts to convict them.

When Hitler was frustrated with the civil court system in Germany, even after having made them swear to look only to him as the source of law and interpretation in Germany - he accomplished his goals by:

• Creating concentration camps, where his irregular police forces (the SS and SA) could take "detainees" without having to have a warrant, and where access to detainees was not allowed
• Created an entire court structure - the "Volksgericht" for sentencing people to punishment that was based on vague and undefined offenses - not against the laws of the state
• Did a complete end-run around the Constitutional protections of fair trial, representation by counsel, voluntary testimony (as opposed to secret testimony or forced testimony from torture) and appeal

Now, re-read the paragraph I just quoted from the editorial. Look familiar?

Time for another quote from the editorial:

These are some of the bill’s biggest flaws:

Enemy Combatants: A dangerously broad definition of “illegal enemy combatant” in the bill could subject legal residents of the United States, as well as foreign citizens living in their own countries, to summary arrest and indefinite detention with no hope of appeal. The president could give the power to apply this label to anyone he wanted.

The Geneva Conventions: The bill would repudiate a half-century of international precedent by allowing Mr. Bush to decide on his own what abusive interrogation methods he considered permissible. And his decision could stay secret — there’s no requirement that this list be published.

Habeas Corpus: Detainees in U.S. military prisons would lose the basic right to challenge their imprisonment. These cases do not clog the courts, nor coddle terrorists. They simply give wrongly imprisoned people a chance to prove their innocence.

Judicial Review: The courts would have no power to review any aspect of this new system, except verdicts by military tribunals. The bill would limit appeals and bar legal actions based on the Geneva Conventions, directly or indirectly. All Mr. Bush would have to do to lock anyone up forever is to declare him an illegal combatant and not have a trial.

Coerced Evidence: Coerced evidence would be permissible if a judge considered it reliable — already a contradiction in terms — and relevant. Coercion is defined in a way that exempts anything done before the passage of the 2005 Detainee Treatment Act, and anything else Mr. Bush chooses.

Secret Evidence: American standards of justice prohibit evidence and testimony that is kept secret from the defendant, whether the accused is a corporate executive or a mass murderer. But the bill as redrafted by Mr. Cheney seems to weaken protections against such evidence.

Offenses: The definition of torture is unacceptably narrow, a virtual reprise of the deeply cynical memos the administration produced after 9/11. Rape and sexual assault are defined in a retrograde way that covers only forced or coerced activity, and not other forms of nonconsensual sex. The bill would effectively eliminate the idea of rape as torture.

Are you okay with the United States using secret testimony to convict and punish someone? Torturing someone to gain evidence or a confession? Being raped as a method of interrogation? Eliminates the right to appeal? Eliminates the right to counsel (representation by an attorney?) Functionally withdraws us from the most significant parts of the Geneva Convention? Gives the government the right to arrest YOU, without a warrant, without a criminal charge, without a reason - lock you up, abuse you to get information you don't have, keep you for however long they feel is appropriate without anyone knowing where you are, without any ability to contact the outside world, without having to be seen by a lawyer or a judge, and never to have any right to be cleared for what you never did but were detained for?

How about some radical ideas:

1. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
2. A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.
3. No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
4. The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
5. No person shall be held to answer for any capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
6. In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.
7. In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.
8. Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
9. The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
10. The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

Now, re-read the summary from the editorial of what last night's bill passage would take away from us. See anything in this list that we're losing by last night's activity?

This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

That means that the Geneva Convention, which is a treaty that we entered into, is the supreme Law of these United States. We don't torture.

Except when people keep voting Republican.

Thursday - more link-a-rama

See, this is good. I find 'em, I tell you about 'em, and I make you do the work of reading them.

First things first. In local news, an air quality study here in Houston has discovered that being the center of the petrochemical universe brings with it certain undesireable elements, and, no I don't mean too many pickup trucks and men chewing tobacco. Our air sucks. Ass. And, we find out that Texas (being Texas) has never implemented recommended air quality regulations AND that our TNRR (which is, I think, only organized to issue fishing licenses) doesn't even know where all of its own detectors are, let alone have them set to measure the national standard for air pollution. Oh, and we don't count automobiles, residential fireplaces, and anything but industrial pollution in our official air counts. Big changes recommended; the real estate developers have probably already huddled to figure out how to keep this from further attention.

Did you hear about the NIE that says we (the 'Murricans) are far less safe than we were before 9/11? That we've done nothing in the war against terror? N-O-T-H-I-N-G? No? Hell, last night my room mate didn't realize that we (the 'Murricans) had tortured people. To death. A couple of dozen of them. Then, he figured we'd only have done that because they were bad people. Our government would NEVER have done that. Re-read yesterday's Habeas Corpus link if you're thinking THAT'S true. Here's an article suggesting that it was our intelligence community engaging in a little karma action - releasing information about the NIE that our government had been covering up since April, 2006.

And, if you've been paying a lick of attention, you've been hearing the rumble that our Army is short-staffed, under-equipped and .. basically in the state of the German Wehrmacht around February 1945. Brigades and divisions that are still deployed as full-strength ON PAPER, but that really don't have even half of their combat effectiveness. Here's inside information that talks about that.

Let's see, where do we go next? I haven't mentioned Chuck yet this morning; he's hooked up to an IV drip of morphine and fenigrin (which I've probably mis-spelled, so forgive me.) Like 46% of the population, he's uninsured. Were you aware that our private pay health care system consumes more of our national economy than that of any other nation in the world? Before you start telling me that people in Canada can't get hip replacements (which is NOT true,) you should read about the economic harm that our health care system is doing to our economy - and then ask yourself the question - "if we ('Murricans) spent a reasonable sum on health care, what could we do with 10% of our annual economic output, which would then be freed up?"

And, last, if you've stuck your head in the sand on the state of our Constitution over the last five years, if you've said "they're only going after bad people," if you've thought "well, this really only applies to non-Americans," if you've ignored that the Freedoms that we are "promoting" around the world are being disassembled - you could read this: the most conservative of the conservative pundits (and I don't include the intellectually bankrupt entertainment staff at CNN or Fox News) are coming UNGLUED about what McCain & cronies have agreed to do with the current government.

I think that it's time for a little refresher. Pastor Niemoller was the Pastor of the largest congregation in Berlin at the time of the Nazi's rise to power. He was an initial supporter of them, and he became one of their most vocal critics. He spent eight years in Nazi concentration camps - from 1937 (two years before the war) until he was released by Allied troops.

Pastor Niemoller wrote a poem about his time in Nazi Germany, which I quite from an excellent discussion over on Wikipedia:

Original	Translation
Als die Nazis die Kommunisten holten, habe ich geschwiegen; ich war ja kein Kommunist. Als sie die Sozialdemokraten einsperrten, habe ich geschwiegen; ich war ja kein Sozialdemokrat. Als sie die Gewerkschafter holten, habe ich nicht protestiert; ich war ja kein Gewerkschafter. Als sie mich holten, gab es keinen mehr, der protestieren konnte.	When the Nazis came for the communists, I remained silent; I was not a communist. When they locked up the social democrats, I remained silent; I was not a social democrat. When they came for the trade unionists, I did not speak out; I was not a trade unionist. When they came for me, there was no one left to speak out.

Now, you take a few minutes - think about that the legislation that the house just passed.

Have a look again at the article on Habeas Corpus from yesterday. The Senate is expected to pass this bill today or tomorrow. The Democrats are too afraid of being painted as "pro-terrorist" to do anything. They are giving themselves (the President, that is) the right to:

• Have someone "detained" without a warrant, including US citizens on US soil
• Never have to charge them with a crime
• Never have to allow them access to a lawyer or to a Judge for a probable cause hearing
• Never have to reveal to anyone who is held, where and why
• Prosecute anyone who reveals information about one of the people who is detained

Does this sound like the values our Country was founded on that you learned about in grade school?

No?

Now, read Pastor Niemoller's poem again and reflect. I'll wait.

Bonus points if you can read it in German.

Two more links for Hump Day

First, the happy-happy, joy-joy stuff. Larry (from Dallas) just sent me this link a minute ago, and I found it to be so very cute. Just trust me and click on it.

This was amazing. Someone in the MEDIA actually SAID this. This is an amazing, powerful, ten minute rant about .. well, everything that I've found upsetting over the last ten-ish years. Media player or QuickTime. Your choice. Clear the decks and watch it.

Hump day - links, and other fun stuff

You just KNOW I have links for you!

First, we have a story of the beginnings of the Bush economic dynasty. Interesting reading, and a series beginning.

Next, a discussion about Habeas Corpus. You probably don't know what it is, or why the Bush/McCain compromise that allows the government to declare an American citizen an enemy combatant and hold them without charge or right of Habeas Corpus would be a huge change. So, a little history and education is in order. Click right up there.

I don't think I've ever cross posted an article about our own rough, tough (except when he sandbagged serving in the military) Dick Cheney! Here's a little piece on his 1% doctrine (if a country has a 1% chance of developing a nuclear weapon, we should invade. Unless it's North Korea, India, Pakistan or Israel.) The article applies this logic to the concept of global warming, which could be considered a stretch, but one has to think about whether such comparisons are valid.

Finally, some amusement - non-partisan amusement, although is just happens that it's a handful of Repubs engaged in the shenanigans. A newspaper article that identifies three different politicians sending in the SAME letter to the editor, asserting it to be their own work and opinion.

I've been doing filing for hours. I have been up to my keister in loose files for weeks; it feels like months. It's been dragging on my mindset, and now each and every piece of paper that doesn't yet need to be handled or worked with has been put away. I made a ton of new files, and made up a file storage list and new labels for everything.

I've also done all the simple tax returns that needed doing; now, tomorrow, I have the jumbo yucko ones to work on. I've been in touch with the mortgage course people, and I've otherwise gotten a jillion things done.

And, yet I feel that I've been unproductive. Craziness. I'm very glad to have finally gotten all of these files organized, but I feel like I should have done this at the beginning of the summer.

Half of tomorrow is going to be picking up stuff at Chuck's, visiting him in the hospital, driving to Clear Lake to see the proposed new church space, and teaching class. This leaves me Friday and Saturday to accomplish the rest of what I need to clear out here in the office.

Nevertheless, it's going to be awesome to have all of this stuff DONE. Holy cow. I feel like there's a light at the end of the work integrity tunnel.

Just after lunch, I walked out to get the mail. The spider who's been spinning the tree outside the front door has been quite industrious - he had a web that spanned the front walk blocking the path from the door to the street. That web was some strong stuff! Then, I noticed that there was a fire ant mound next to the walk that hadn't been there yesterday. So, I went back in (with the mail) and got myself the Amdro. Came out and shook a load on the nest. I went into the backyard with the intention of putting some on the mound in the backyard (which I'd looked at in the morning and seemed to be inactive,) and found a brand new mound since this morning next to the tree stump! More amdro.

Of course, this necessitated standing next to the pool, and I noticed for the second time that the Polaris' bag was chockablock full. So, I pulled him out of the pool, took off the bag, emptied it out, re-assembled it and threw him into the pool. While I was cleaning the pool filter stuff, I had to, of course, pull out the filter basket and empty it.

Then, I thought that I'd pull the hose out of the pool and reel it back up, but then, I thought first about re-arranging the potted plants, as the two hibiscus weren't doing so well and needed more direct sunlight. So, that was done, and I decided to water all the plants with the hose before I wound it up.

How to run through a half-hour doing simple things that need doing.

I wanted to wash the car today, but that didn't get done. Now, I need to run and fill up the distilled water bottles, as they're all empty. Maybe tomorrow morning.

In going through all of these files, I can really connect with that I just don't have a lot to do. I need more work to work on; I function better with good stuff in front of me all the time. Bleh. I really need to kick up my business production. I keep thinking that if I'd just have an effective helper, I could get to executing on my various schemes - that's just no longer going to be a good excuse for me.

Somehow, my back is killing me tonight. Yarg. I want to move these printers into a different space. Maybe this weekend, I'll do that.

I have to take the trash outside and put it in the bin; I am always asleep when they roll up in the mornings. I have two big bags of shredded stuff, plus the regular household trash.

I think I'm done with the computer for a while; I'm going to go downstairs and watch a DVD.

Tuesday link-a-rama

So, today, I am expected to stay at home and WORK.

Link-a-rama!

This is a beautiful article about continuing to focus on the good in life, even when it seems that circumstances are against you. It also points out that perfidy in government isn't a new thing for the United States.

This is a reflection on the emotional expressions of WWI soliders intended to demonstrate what our soldiers are likely feeling in the current day conflicts, wherein they are required to do the impossible.

For some real amusement, let's have a look at what the Religious Right (those who know what a blog is and how to use a computer) are saying.

Finally, we have a discussion by someone who is so disgusted with the entire mess that he sought to shut off his brain and join the rest of the nabobs who are voting for these idiots. It didn't work.

Twitch hasn't been heard from all day. He was snappish with me yesterday (when trying to come by to pick up his headboard after six months without planning in advance, and after blowing me off Sunday when we had made arrangements. Again.) and I was snappish last night in an email to him reminding him of a meeting tomorrow that he has to go to. He hasn't called nor returned a call all day, which leads me to believe that he's either cranky with me, or has fallen under a bus. Or a vodka bottle.

So ..

So, tonight, I'm working on putting the dining room back together, cleaning up some things and talking to Bram about what we do next. Some good news; Curtis knows just how to hook up the cooktop, and tells me to get a dryer plug. He's going to come by in the next few days and do that.

Church website, group, calendar, newsletter are all now done.

Yurg.

Monday, Monday ver 834.01

As has become a recent custom, I'll start this morning with some blog links that I found particularly compelling:

Here is a link to the Wm. Jefferson Clinton smack-down of Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday yesterday. The transcript is here. Just for grins, compare the edited version that aired on Fox with the full transcript and see where your liberal media is. If you'd like to see what the "liberal media" is saying about this unequal fight (A battle of wits where one party, Wallace, is an unarmed man) read here. Here's what the REAL liberals think about the event. You should read it. I agree with her. Clinton did no one any favors by his actions. What? Nora Ephron isn't liberal? Well, Arianna Huffington is, and she wasn't patting Clinton on the back either.

This is an article from a sports writer that pillories the current administration for their perfidious hypocrisy. Interesting that our free press is now resident in the SPORTSWRITERS.

Here you can read a Rolling Stone article that discusses the electronic voting machines that are now in use all across the country, and insiders who are coming forward to reveal that these machines were, more likely than not, manipulated by their owners during recent elections. I've told you about this before, but .. you weren't listening to me.

Volkswagen Phaeton At Nelson Ledges

And when I'm driving the W12 Phaeton, this is how it feels

phaeton

the reasons why the Phaeton is so unique and fabulous - as validated by the BBC

VW Phaeton

SO, I've been yapping about the VW Phaeton now for a year or so - and, here's a zippy video of the car. I'm intending to go up to Minneapolis to pick up the very one that I want within the next few weeks.

Proof that Bram exists. I have to check for myself sometimes. 

Curtis' little brother. I mean LITTLE. 

Curtis, who knew about the martinis already 

Nick disbelieving the description of a martini .. before 

Nick shortly after his first martini 

Nick right before he learned about martinis 

Curtis' friend Nick installing said switchplate 

Cracked and dented a bit, but the five gang wallplate final covers the open switches that have been there since before I moved in. 

The garage light (with the unsightly basketball hoop still on the roof) Let there be LIGHT! 

Just a little Sunday night p.s.

Three more blogs of note:

If you think that the torture of nameless, faceless "terrorists" doesn't affect you, you should read this.

If you read that article, and then start wondering what methods of torture are being employed, you should consult the torture bible.

Then, once you've sated your prurient curiousity on how you can be tortured, let's hypothesize for how long you can be subject to this torture .. forever is a long time.

George Orwell, we hardly knew you.

Cleaned and scrubbed

The yard stud worked yesterday for six hours power washing the house to get ready for Divo48. It looks FABULOUS on the patio, and the fence between the garage and the house looks like new!

While waiting for him, and while waiting for my internet connection to come back up (he got the cable connection wet,) I read a bunch of blogs that I think you should be aware of .. just in case you're feeling like being better informed.

Here's the list:

This one describes the administration's war on reports that reflect anything contrary to the political message devised by the administration.

This one sums up George Will's paid shilling for Wal-Mart in the press and on punditry shows.

This one was something that made big waves in my circle this weekend - describing growing up gay in a fundamentalist family as being like a hate crime.

Then, we have the empty tradition of celebrating Labor Day after thirty years of eliminating labor as a political force, and fifteen years of cramming down worker pay and benefits.

This one is kind of surreal - the guy who rescued the WTC flag from the 9/11 wreckage was denied medical benefits and compensation, because he "couldn't prove he was there," and then uncovers the severe health risks that were hidden by the EPA, FEMA and the City of New York and is then raided by a SWAT team for his effort to reveal the truth.

Here we have a cool website by someone who's more in love with the Phaeton than I am; it's a virtual love fest of why it's probably the world's coolest car, ever.

Lastly, Guy showed me a great article about how you have to think yourself thin before weight loss will truly work for you.

By the time I went to bed (0200) my little brain manager was shutting systems down. I slept through the alarm, and got up .. late .. and barely made it out the door for church, which was AWESOME again.

Had lunch with a client, drove home, fiddled, talked to Chuck on IM some more, then Curtis from the Days of Yore came by with a friend of his and his little (and I mean LITTLE) brother. They trimmed up the sheetrock hole in the dining room ceiling, and sanded down the texture that needs to be blended, hung the outside garage light (which is FABULOUS) and his friend installed the five gang switch plate cover that's been annoying me for months. And, they fixed an under-counter lamp that had burned out.

All good stuff.

Just to make sure that you're all keeping on your toes, I found THREE MORE ARTICLES that you just simply must have a look at -

If you're one of the 46 Million Americans (not Canuckistanians, but USers) who have no health insurance, then you may find this article interesting about how to present the concept of universal health care in a more appealing way.

He's baaa-aaa-aack!! It's another Contract with America! Newt Gingrich (whose re-emergence in the world proves Nixon right that the American voting public has the memory of a hamster and the attention span of a gerbil) has for your conservative pleasure that New (!) and improved (!) ways to make America better, brighter and safer! These methods include stripping the Supreme Court, and, well, hell - all of the courts, of the obligation to oversee the operation of the executive, putting all power squarely in the hands of white Christian people, and other fun, amazol-a ideas.

Just to keep things light, you may have been wondering what tricks the Administration has up their sleeves to keep and secure power in the mid-terms in just a few weeks .. well, it seems that information is burbling up to the top. No, it's not the collapse of gas prices. It's .. attacking IRAN!

Here, re-posted, is a synopsis of the Time magazine article that reveals that .. we're going to war AGAIN! WHOO HOO!

The first message was routine enough: A "Prepare to Deploy" order sent through naval communications channels to a submarine, an Aegis-class cruiser, two minesweepers and two mine hunters. The orders didn't actually command the ships out of port; they just said to be ready to move by Oct. 1. But inside the Navy those messages generated more buzz than usual last week when a second request, from the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), asked for fresh eyes on long-standing U.S. plans to blockade two Iranian oil ports on the Persian Gulf. The CNO had asked for a rundown on how a blockade of those strategic targets might work. When he didn't like the analysis he received, he ordered his troops to work the lash up once again.

What's going on? The two orders offered tantalizing clues. There are only a few places in the world where minesweepers top the list of U.S. naval requirements. And every sailor, petroleum engineer and hedge-fund manager knows the name of the most important: the Strait of Hormuz, the 20-mile-wide bottleneck in the Persian Gulf through which roughly 40% of the world's oil needs to pass each day. Coupled with the CNO's request for a blockade review, a deployment of minesweepers to the west coast of Iran would seem to suggest that a much discussed—but until now largely theoretical—prospect has become real: that the U.S. may be preparing for war with Iran.

Does anyone remember the post I made about eight months ago discussing Iran's powerful and deadly Russian made anti-ship missles that can kill a Nimitz class aircraft carrier with one hit?

My thoughts on the death of Ann Richards

I cried last night when I read the unexpected news that Ann Richards had died. Just a little, but, as an icon in the life I've experienced, she was a politician who generally brought a pleasant tenor to her atmosphere, even when she was running a spike through the other guy.

That sort of politician, somehow, brings vitriol and spite from those who think only of winning.

Somehow, in the last thirty years, American Politics have been converted to a "team sports" mentality of win at all costs. There is no more opposing opinion, there is only the enemy who must die for their convictions and affiliation. No more is it agreeable to have two or more viewpoints at getting to the common goal. There is only the Morally Right way, the Conservative Way, the Christian Way, and the Self-Righteous demagoguery of those who view things from a conservative mind set.

In their minds, Ann Richards was a waste of a human being, and a smear on the political landscape. In their minds, the opposing viewpoint doesn't deserve to draw breath.

The comments posted here that slander Ann Richards personally are unnecessary. One can disagree with her politics, her choices, or her actions without having to demean her as a person. To those who engage in such sanctimony, I ask you - have you engaged the strength of your convictions to go against an entire social and organizational structure to accomplish the things she did personally?

The answer to that question is given by whether or not you've run for, and been elected, Governor.

Yes, my affinity for Ann Richards is rooted in a common general set of viewpoints on how the society would best work. I didn't always agree with her, and, as is consistent with most of history, as we have become removed from those days, I have come to see some of her choices that I find quite disagreeable, especially in political appointments. However, one cannot criticize her for her life.

I celebrate that we have had an Ann Richards, and I doubly celebrate that we have had her in Texas, where she was so sorely needed. She is needed yet.

I feel that the world is somewhat diminished today, until the next person who can step forward and advance the cause of inclusion is recognized.

Wow

Ann Richards died today. That made me cry a little bit.

Day two of "it's all about me getting work done today." Lots more progress. I yanked out files; church files, reading files; other files - shredded six bags of paper. Made up files. Organized things. Got things ready for tomorrow night's class, for Chuck's appointments tomorrow, and so on. Tomorrow is going to be another day fully away from the house, though. Until about midnight.

Will they lower the flags here in Texas for Ann? Somehow, I doubt it.

Monday, Monday ver. 832.01

Okay, so I've been distracted lately. Haven't felt much like blogging.

I'm going to start by cross posting links to some very interesting blog articles that I've found (and have had open on my desktop for days...)

The first one is about air traffic controllers, and how their treatment today is far worse than anything back in 1981 - and creates safety concerns that are being ignored by Congress and the media.. here.

Then, if you're offended by Disney's production of the Path to 9/11, you can read an article about how to cause Disney to pay attention here.

This next one is an interesting evaluation of the Iraq policy and how we as a nation are far less secure than before.

The third one's going to spin your wig if you're a conservative, but it goes through the Declaration of Independence and compares the current administration's actions to those of George III. Tea party, anyone?

This final one is a chilling description of third-world life inside of the United States.

Okay, so - back to the regularly scheduled blog.

Its Monday morning, and mostly, I've accomplished getting the trash out just as the little guy rode his trash hamper up the driveway, fed the dogs, fed the birds, watered the plants, put the hummingbird feeder to soak in bleach water, cleaned the kitchen, emptied the dishwasher, read all the morning blogs and news (such that the news gives us,) and talked to Chuck.

Today, it's tax returns and editing web content. All day. Wall to wall. Boxes and shopping bags of loose paper to be turned into reasonable records. It's my life these days.

Yesterday, I was at church until nearly 6:00, then visited my Dutch Auntie in the rehab hospital (which was great fun!) and then came home. I know Chuck really wanted me to come over, but I needed some down time.

A Liberal Walks Into A Bar..

From Daily Kos

by georgia10

Sat Sep 02, 2006 at 02:45:25 PM PDT

As many of you know, I spent most of August vacationing on a small Greek island. My nightly ritual included visiting a tiny rock bar owned and inhabited by my friends. Beyond the draw of its brick walls (which remind me of home sweet home), there's four computers tucked into a corner with satellite internet access. Internet access AND a friendly bar. Heaven, some might say.

A few nights before I came back to America, I was finishing up a column, and after a bit, I signed off and went over to the bar. This guy (oh, let's call him Dick, shall we?) approached me. He was a young thing, slightly younger than me, I would say, and it was his first summer in Greece. He was a friend of a friend, and he was about to regret approaching me. Really, really regret it.

The guy committed several sins when he plopped himself next to me (chief among them were wearing more jewelry than I was and dousing himself in half a bottle of cologne). But the night really took off when, upon learning that I was a political writer (and a liberal one, to boot), he laughed, said that "liberals suck" and declared George W. Bush to be "the best fucking President EVER."

Ahem.

Now, many of you I'm sure had heard the same stomach-turning phrase, and it never ceases to have to same effect. I reflexively cringe, shake my head, and wonder how on earth a single person can be so supremely ignorant of the truth. I could have ignored him, I suppose, but there wouldn't be any fun in that, now would there?

Join me on the flip...

• ::
• 
  

I took a slow sip from my drink, smiled, and asked Dick "why?". "Why what?" he asked. "Why do you think he's the best president ever? Enlighten me."

He belted out the predictable GOP answer, something about "fighting those fucking Muslim terrorists" and "not taking any shit from no one."

"Which terrorists is he fighting, exactly?"

"The ones in Iraq," he stated flatly. "Because Iraq attacked us on 9/11."

Oh boy. He shouldn't have said that.

"You trust your President, right?", I asked, knowing full well that his answer would be "absolutely." Then what, pray tell, would Dick make of the fact that his President just acknowledged in a press conference that Iraq had "nothing" to do with 9/11?

"He said that?"

Yep. Needless to say, that sure cut the Iraq conversation short.

Onto abortion.

Abortion is "murder", he proclaimed (but in cases of rape, it's ok, because, you know, "it's not the girl's fault, she wasn't a slut"). "You're absolutely SURE that a fertilized egg is a human being, worthy of protection?" I asked. Of course, he replied. So why should a fertilized egg, (or a "human" as he called it) that is the product of rape be any less valuable than a "human" which is the product of a loving relationship, I asked?

Silence.

And why, if he really believed abortion is murder, I asked, was he so unwilling to jail women who had abortions? ("Uh, ok, you got a point"). By the time I got to the burning building problem (you've got a toddler and a petri dish full of fertilized eggs, which would you save?), a small crowd had gathered around the bar. There were a couple chuckles and a very loud "She's got you there, man!"

At that point, he did what any cornered conservative would do. He whipped out Clinton's penis and waved it in my face. "Well, back to terrorism. It's all Clinton's fault you know. If he wasn't so busy getting blown, he would have killed Osama. You know he knew exactly where Osama was, but didn't pull the trigger?"

Rather than try to dilute the man's Koolaid, I decided to poison him with his own drink. I asked, assuming his assertion was true, did he believe Clinton's alleged failure to aggressively going after Osama was an impeachable offense? Of course! he replied. I then proceeded to educate him on Tora Bora, "I truly am not that concerned about him," and introduced him to three little letters: PDB. All three instances of Bush incompetence were completely foreign to him, but as I laid fact after fact at his feet, his brow furrowed and his head dipped down. I finished. He remained silent.

I'll spare you the rest of the bloody details, but suffice it to say that a lethal dose of logic left transformed this cocky young Republican into a quivering pool of confusion. I won't claim that any conversion took place at that bar that night; however, at the very least, some seeds of doubt were planted.

My little anecdote is nothing special. Many Kossacks have shared similar experiences. But not enough.

Millions of us wait around for the 247 Democrats in Congress to speak up and stand up. Brilliant diaries are penned about exactly what Democrats should say, and how they should say it. Other diaries rightly rail on "spineless" Dems who shrink from confrontation.

But we must never forget, my friends, that we are also Democrats. And every time we let a wingnut email go unanswered, we are the spineless Dems. Everytime we hesitate to jump in when our family or friends complain about politics, we are the cowards.

We're the front lines of progressivism, a 50-state army composed of millions of articulate, informed, and fundamentally right soldiers of truth. We're armed with facts, that weapon that deals a deadly blow to any Republican propaganda. And yet, in the chambers of our daily lives, I think we don't use them enough.

For example, why is it that my inbox is cluttered with right-wing chain mail but rarely any liberal forwards? And why is it that upon reading yet another email about "staying the course", my tired self is tempted to just click "delete" instead of "reply all"?

Because it's easier to let it slide, of course. It's easier to ignore than instigate. Too often, we are so afraid of getting into political fights that we shy away from having political discussions. But if we don't defend liberalism and our party, who will?

So, Kossacks, let us not shrink from educating the ill-informed, from converting the conned with logic, and from building a new Democratic majority, one voter at a time.

From now until election day and beyond, I want anecdotes. I know you have them. I want to hear about how you debunked economic myths at your Labor Day picnic, how you struck up a conversation with your co-worker about universal health care, and how your managed to get your dittohead brother to grudgingly admit that maybe, just maybe, Republicans have lost the ability to govern.

Whether it's at work or in a bar, in the presence of friends or strangers, let us become the Democrats we urge our elected leaders to be--"political warriors" in every sense of the phrase.

Cheers.

Friday whirlwind

Let's start by posting the links to a BUNCH of blogs that I found very interesting today.

Lisa chastised me severely for emailing (or paying attention to) the "condemn the brand" blog I forwarded around last week, so I have to be more careful.

This first one is here - the truth about bin laden and the Clinton administration.

The next one is a history lesson. How Iraq came to be Iraq in the first place. Talk about deja vu.

Here is one that discusses our relations with two of the "stans," and how we're promoting human rights abuses.

This next one is quite important and interesting - how privatization of government was pawned off on us, and how it hasn't worked.

Other than that, my whirlwind has taken all the support out of my sails tonight. I'm just .. wiped. I have a ton of stuff to do this weekend, yet and am

At Paladium for Surgery

I’ve been working on my talk for Sunday in church already. It’s a complex engagement.

This morning, the temperature just felt cooler – like the temperature had broken, and that the hottest part of the summer had passed already. That would be just awesome.

I worked on a client’s train wreck of a file last night until about 11:00, then gave up and went to bed rather than fall over. I felt like such a loser, compared to Bram, who worked until 2:00 a.m. or later. I have to get that file work completed by tomorrow, and a bunch of other work as well. Yurg.

One of my friends dropped in yesterday; she hadn’t been to the house yet. She was very excited about all the roooooom I have now, and was walking around asking what my thoughts were about painting and so on. She asked if I had selected the colors for the kitchen, and I said “uh, no.” She then was telling me that she had been working on color selections for her new kitchen and that she had some ideas for how I could paint the kitchen in “rich” colors that would bring out the slate floor, and make the stainless and counter tops “pop.” She had the color chips in her CAR. And, what fabulous ideas they were, too – holy schmoly. She thinks that the walls should be painted in a dark, dusky sage green, and the cabinets and wood trim in a dark, nearly black grey/green. The idea is FABULOUS. I can’t wait to get it painted now, even with the risk of moving out soon.

I’m reading the follow on book to “Wicked,” about which I just raved a while back. It just isn’t grabbing me like “Wicked” did. I guess now that the Wicked Witch is dead, I don’t have as much interest. This story is about her son she had with the man whose death took her to the castle Kiamo Ko that we remember as “her” castle from the Frank Baum story. I don’t know that it’s starting slowly or what. I want to finish it quickly so I can send it to my sister.

So, yesterday I was snooping around on the internet (‘cause I do that sometimes,) and ran a search on Secret Agent Man’s license plate number. I had always thought that he worked in government, because his cars always looked like pool cars. Well, he does.

So, if everything he’s told me about his job is a lie .. what else is? The story that he doesn’t have a wife?

I guess it’s of no real consequence.

Also found the true identity of the Cajun daddy from two months ago. VERY interesting, but what could I do with it? Nothing, really. Knowledge is power, except when discretion and moral fibre prevents one from using the knowledge.

A woman just sat down next to me with a Treo 700p. She says it’s LIGHTNING fast, and she loves it. I’m really jealous now. I need to research what my 650 is worth used on eBay, and see if I can make sense of getting the newer one. She also said that she had heard there would be a NEWER version coming in November.

My evil sister Mikey finally had two minutes together to chat with me yesterday; I was SO glad to finally be able to just chew the fat about nothing at all. I’ve missed his company.

I wonder how long this is going to last?

I think it’s time to reflect on the Virtues, of which I’m speaking the next three Sundays.

Sunday - the day before Monday

An interesting day today indeed. Church was awesome. Came home right after, and Rick came by and groomed the dogs - while he did that, I cleaned the laundry room. Cleaned it - you understand? I pulled everything out of the laundry room closet, cleaned it all, sorted it out, hung up the ironing board, the mops and brooms, the can crusher, the grocery bag holder/dispenser, re-folded all the towels...

Rick clipped and bathed and groomed and clipped and shampooed and groomed and conditioned .. He got about a trash bag of hair out of Jackie. So, the garbage can outside is already full, the kitchen counters are cleaned up and the kitchen desk drawers are all cleaned out for the first time since I moved in. I hung the cool tea light hangers that I got in New York, re-hung some plant hooks on the patio covers, and then .. FINALLY cleaned the white chairs in the breakfast area.

My evil sister Mikey - he's a smart cookie. He got this Oxy/spray cleaner thing for his car seats, and I was really impressed with how the stains came right out of his car seats. So, I asked him, I asked "Mikey, evilness, would this clean my white cloth parsons chairs in the kitchen?"

He said that it would, and told me JUST how to go about doing it .. I finally cleaned those chairs today, and he was absolutely right. They look great! I have to do it again, but what an improvement.

Watching the movie "Adam and Steve," which is pretty silly. Bram's at the ambulance company, being an EMT. He's happy.

Bram and I painted part of the upstairs hall yesterday - I painted two of the doors, and he painted the trim coming up the stairs, so we can finally take down the blue tape. We learned several things - first, that the cheap foam brushes that I had before were crap, and only a decent brush works worth a flip. Second, that the grill for the A/C cold air register was REALLY dirty, not just old. Third, that the white paint WILL cover the FOUR colors on the doors and trim. The guest room needs to be repainted before his friends from Atlanta come in on Friday. I picked out colors from the Behr website for that room; hopefully that can yet come together.

I think I've made a deal to trade doing some really old tax returns for having the outside lighting installed before the weekend - and I'm going to ask the yard stud if he can power wash the house Friday when he comes to mow.

Things are very focused for me today - I'm being boiled in my own money issues, having to be responsible for someone else that I'd do anything for. Having to produce to keep someone else comfortable and secure is about sixty thousand times more intense than having to try to trudge along keeping myself supported.

I have a lot on my mind about this ..

Perhaps I had a wicked childhood
Perhaps I had a miserable youth
But somwhere in my wicked, miserable past
There must have been a moment of truth

For here you are, standing there, loving me
Whether or not you should
So somewhere in my youth or childhood
I must have done something good

Nothing comes from nothing
Nothing ever could
So somewhere in my youth or childhood
I must have done something good

Monday, Monday ver. 830.01 (but written on Tuesday)

Ahh, fresh java made from real beans that aren't New Jersey snarky.

Woke up today in fine fiddle, but without an internet connection, mostly. Spent most of today without much of one.

Been peeling open mail, on the phone hither and yon, been to the grocery, talked to Bram(bo,) washed the car (yes, I repeat - I washed the CAR.) Worked on the website development, was invited to be the instructor of record nationally for mortgage courses by an online company, listened to a tax client freak out totally because the IRS sent him a dunning notice, and shredded a bunch of "stuff."

More trip reports:

My Aunt Kay, who's the size of a green bean and is always worried about her weight, told me just as she was leaving that I looked five months pregnant and needed to do something about my weight. My Aunt Jackie, who's a bit larger at a stalk of asparagus, said that they were worried for my health.

Not that they asked about my health at all.

After two days, my assembled aunts began to criticize my sister's cottage; a stain on a table cloth, a slight depression in a gravel walkway, etc. If it's not perfect (in their taste and viewpoint,) it gets a turd bomb. I was also informed Saturday evening that I should take the (volunteered) responsibility of preparing the evening meal AND cleaning up, which carries the statement that I needed to make up for what I had not yet done.

Saturday morning, my stepmother launched this turd bomb - my flight Sunday left ALB at 0630; that meant a checkin time of 0530. Being an hour away from the airport, it meant leaving the cottage by 0430, and arising at 0330. My sister's partner had volunteered to drive me (us, my cousin was also going) at that hour, and said she loved getting up that early. This was confirmed before I traveled up there, and twice while there.

At the breakfast table (where I was not) my stepmother announced:

1. It was unreasonable for me to require carriage to the airport at that ungodly hour
2. If I were considerate, I'd offer to take a hotel room near the airport and stay there overnight
3. However, if I were to make such an offer, I'm so irresponsible that she would end up having to pay for it

Later that morning, said partner o'my sister and I headed into town to pick up more .. something food oriented, and she said she was looking forward to having some alone time at their home in town to recover from the endless, shrill talking (my words, not hers) and commotion that she'd been dealing with for three days. She WANTED the time away, and taking me to the airport was the excuse.

My stepmother, therefore, made up a problem that didn't exist, created a solution for the non-existent problem that suggested , since hadn't proposed it, meant I was thoughtless, and then added on a SECOND (or was that a third) assertion that I was thoughtless and imposed on others unreasonably for not having the ability to pay for the solution to the non-existent problem (although she never asked if I could or couldn't.)

On the same car trip with my sister's partner (SSO for sister's significant other) I asked what their plans were for the holidays. She replied that they (she, my sister and her son) were headed to my dad's in Ocala for Christmas, and that they were likely just staying home for Thanksgiving.

For years (and I mean .. twenty) I've felt hurt and punished because I wasn't invited to these family events. HELLO!? (hits self with clue by four) THESE PEOPLE ARE OBSESSIVE NUTBALLS. Would I *want* to spend Christmas with my judgmental, brutal stepmother? Uh, no thanks. How about just dowsing myself in lighter fluid and voting Republican instead?

Less painful.

SO - FREEDOM from feeling like I'm not part of things. WHOO HOO!

I'll just hurl in unrestricted love bombs from afar "oh, here's an XM radio for your car .. just was thinking of you." "Oh, here's another $150 in hardcover novels - I've already read them, but thought you'd enjoy them." "No, I'm so sorry I can't attend - I'm busy launching another website."

Drop the shackles and step into the sunlight.

Now, where was I? Oh, yes.

So, while gone in the land of enforced social contact, I had lots of time to reflect when I wasn't trying to block out the cacaphony of three aunts and a stepmother talking simultaneously and endlessly about nothing at all. Some of the things I reflected on were:

• Things I'm no longer willing to put up with in myself
• That I need to work a lot harder
• I am committed to executing on my (unwritten) business plan to have my website(s) support me fully by the end of the year
• I have a TON of work to do to make that happen
• I was going to start with the mortgage exam prep and mock exam course for that

So, there it is. A few days spent contemplating the exam prep and mock exam; talked to Tom about it yesterday, made some other steps. Then, last evening, I have an email from a client who asks "don't you have an exam prep course?"

Uh, not yet, but soon. He wants to buy a copy.

Today, I have a scheduled call with the people on the east coast; oh - just as an aside, would I be willing to be their instructor of record as they roll out into forty some other states? On retainer?

Yep.

I got in two of the lamps for the outside yesterday; two more are in transit, I guess. The eBay seller isn't writing me back anymore.

So, lots done today, and nothing done. Craziness.

I'm reading a book about the influenza epidemic of 1918-19 in which nearly 675,000 people in the United States died. It's fascinating from any angle. I hope to finish the book tonight.

Okay, I'm tired of writing and tired of sitting here. I did write up the "Standard Sugar Daddy Agreement" today - everyone who's seen it has been floored.

Sunday catch up

Oct 18, 2006

At Camp Casa Luna

Cassayuna, New York

The dozen or so family member are assembled outide on the patio, talking about real estate, assembling a complex puzzle, reading, knitting, and some inside cleaning up from lunch. The tree are blowing shit everywhere, including something that seems to have landed under my “S” key, making my typing rhythm somewhat difficult.

Here on the lake, there is no cell signal at all, and no cable, television signal, television, DVD player, and a rotary dial telephone with limited service. It’s enforced socialization.

Earlier today, Edgar, Sam and I trekked into Greenwich to pick up a few things and re-visit the nearly abandoned railroad yard in town. It was refreshing to have a few minutes of relative solitude. In a few hours, my stepbrother arrives from New Hampshire, and the birthday celebrating begins. Tomorrow morning, about 1/3 of the guests leave, and then I’m out of here at 6:30 Sunday morning.

The flight up was very nice. Bram dropped me off at Intercontinental, and I had an hour before departure when I hopped out of the car. Nearly fifty minutes in line for security – no one seemed to know anything at all about where to go, or the fastest way to get through. The side of the security lines that I chose had only one lane open. I walked up to gate C16 and was there just in time for final boarding. The plane was a nearly new 767-224ER that’s usually used on overseas routes; I was in the second row of coach, against the window wall, but had no window at my seating position. I was seated behind a couple who were very nice, and serious recliners. They both knocked back as far as the seatbacks would allow seconds after rotation from the runway, and kept their seats in the oral surgery position until landing. Next to me was a funny little guy who kept twisting and pushing up to see out the window (which was a row behind us,) and pulling on his crotch. I mean – PULLING on his crotch. Over and over. I kept wondering what sort of condition would make one’s penis that uncomfortable.

Walked off the plane at C76, right on time, and left out of C101A, which was a walk of one gate to the main terminal, over one pier, and out to the first gate. I barely had time to pee and they began boarding the XJT flight to Albany. Those Brasilian Barbie Dream jets have not been holding up well – I remember well when they all came into service five to seven years ago, and they look like .. well, like my sister’s car.

Since our arrival in Albany, I’ve been stripped of my normal internet access, except for a daily jaunt into Greenwich, which allows for intermittent signal. I’ve been checking my email using my Treo, and only answering those emails which were vital. Fun stuff.

I cannot remember a family gathering (for this family, anyway) in which there were no hostilities. Amazing. Perhaps it’s the six vats of cheap white wine.

Their lake cottage (called a “camp” up here in upstate New York) has bats galore. At dusk, one can see them swooping out of the furnace vent – dozens of them. They’re fun to watch, but one has to wonder about all the bat guano that’s deposited into the attic and the furnace unit.

This afternoon, my task is to shuck thirty-six ears of fresh corn. Later, I’m sure that there will be clean-up duties; tomorrow will involve quite a bit of cleanup to assist after the departure of the first 1/3 of guests.

Will there be another trip into town tomorrow? It’s hard to say.

This cottage is just as cute as it could be; they have worked so hard on this place. Most of the neighbors’ places look like Green Acres, complete with junked 1977 Plymouths and other dead appliances as yard art.

It’s almost time for today’s big afternoon nap.

August 20, 2006

Newark Liberty (how noxious) International Airport

In search of a wireless connection. And a decent cup of coffee; I seem to be in a nasty coffee zone. Four dollars and two cups of coffee later, none of it is drinkable.

So, it’s been since the 16^th that I’ve been able to nab and internet signal and actually connect with my world. I’ve been able to check email occasionally using my Treo, but that’s imperfect.

It’s a sunny, brilliant day here in Newark, after strong rain at Casa Luna that lasted all night long. The rain continued this morning until I dashed inside at the Albany airport for my 0630 flight – at 0540. I was up this morning at 0330, waiting until 0410 for my cousin to get out of the shower so I could finish getting ready. She’s an interesting study. The whole family is, actually. They’re lovely people, especially when we first get together. After a few days, though, the turd bombs start coming fast and furiously.

As my aunt Kay left yesterday morning, she advised me that I really needed to lost weight, as I looked like I was five months pregnant. Then, my aunt Jackie chimed in saying that they were only concerned for my health. Mind, they never ASKED about my health, only assumed that it had to be bad since I was fat. Last evening, I volunteered to cook, and the same aunt suggested that I should clean up after also. Since I’d not been helpful enough up until then, of course. Yesterday morning also, my stepmother volunteered to the group assembled that it was unfair of us to impose on Debbie to take us to the airport at the ungodly hour of 0430, and we should find a motel near the airport. Then, she assumed (verbally, for everyone’s enjoyment) that neither I nor my cousin Jay would have the money to do that, and they’d end up having to pay for it.

Interestingly, Debbie was looking FORWARD to taking us to the airport, as it would give her several hours of solitude from the four days of eight to sixteen Hords talking over each other endlessly at a high volume.

Debbie and Wendy have a smashing lake cottage; it was featured on the first page of the living section in today’s Schenectady Gazette. I picked up a copy in Albay’s airport. It’s quite the article.

Newark Liberty is very international this morning – Peter Max is here at gate 110, ElAl has a 747-400 parked at B61, Singapore has a brand new A340-500 tits up with a busted #1 engine at B59. Virgin has an A340-200 over in lower numbered B gates. The airport is already busy as you can imagine, even at 0800.

I’m now headed back to the land of air conditioning. I’ve been damp for five days. They don’t use ceiling fans. They have the windows open – I had to ask someone what that meant. They don’t use air conditioning in the CAR for god’s sake. They do have XM radio, but that’s … IT.

Who made this coffee? Die Hard by Sears? Yurg. I’m giving up on the java idea and heading toward the gate for some wireless signal.

Am I wireless now?

CRAP - the people in Stafford sold the damned car.

More after I get back to the land of air conditioning.

Monday, Monday ver. 829.01 (but written on Tuesday)

$670.00. For electricity. For a month. I finally worked up the courage to open it.

What's it going to be in August, one wonders?

We got up into the attic, as Bram was engaged in sexual congress Sunday, and had water unexpectedly drip onto his bare butt from the ceiling. I figured his bed was therefore: a.) under the water heater, the drain pan for which was leaking, or b.) he was under the A/C condensor, the drain pan for which was leaking.

Upstairs we went, and found the attic looked like a garage sale after a Hezbollah rocket attack. Christmas stuff, shoes, school stuff, children's stuff (from children that don't belong to either of the prior residents) packaging materials, empty boxes, etc. So, we viscerally enjoyed throwing every last piece (except for the VERY 80's cocktail table that we found) down the hatch to the hallway below.

The attic insulation is just thrown everywhere - it's cut into pieces, old, yellow and .. bleh. Since the power bill was just (points) I think I may need to think about buying some more insulation and laying it out upstairs (now that we have it all clean and such.) Who knows? It could save me a bundle.

Bram also went and looked at the Phaeton yesterday; he LOVED it. Was going to go with Kevin today to see it, but Kevin's in Lafayette, and I have a TON of work to get done. So, no bueno.

It's time to get cleaned up and go pick up Chuck!

NBC: U.S. Rushed Brits to Bust Terror Plot, Says Source

posted on TPM Muckraker

NBC News has learned that U.S. and British authorities had a significant disagreement over when to move in on the suspects in the alleged plot to bring down trans-Atlantic airliners bound for the United States.

A senior British official knowledgeable about the case said British police were planning to continue to run surveillance for at least another week to try to obtain more evidence, while American officials pressured them to arrest the suspects sooner. The official spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the case.

In contrast to previous reports, the official suggested an attack was not imminent, saying the suspects had not yet purchased any airline tickets. In fact, some did not even have passports.

In your dreams

Got up this morning, and fiddle-farted around some - read a bunch of political blogs about Dick DeVos, the likely new governor of Michigan, about financial malfeasance, and about the Republicans (in the voice of CNN, Cal Thomas, Tom DeLay, Tony Snow and others) calling the Democrats who voted for Lamont in Connecticut "Al Quaeda democrats" or "in favor of terrorism."

Oh, okay. Thanks for warning us. Had a haircut at noon, then tried to work out just how it was that the Brain Trust that closes freeways intended for anyone to get from the downtown to the west side today. Seems that it was a mystery.

Got home, talked to a few people, and then was off to test drive THE CAR. We tried to find the Sugar Land CompUSA on the way, so I could buy replacement stylii for my Treo - they were the only store in the Greater Houston Metropolitan area that had the stylii for a Treo 650 - after several mis-steps, we found the store, the stylii, the cashier and .. on the way out of the parking lot, I discover that the silly thing has a built in PEN. Who knew?

Next, we were off to Stafford to look at THE CAR. It's the same car (essentially) as the one in Minneapolis, but ten thousand dollars less and 1300 miles closer. I'd been to this dealer before, in February (or something) to see a car that was similar, but black with beige leather, and many fewer miles on it.

That car (black/beige) I drove and was completely uncomfortable in. I hardly turned on the stereo. Drove it around the block. Okay, so up the street, on the freeway a minute, and back.

This one - it was dirty. Hadn't been cleaned up since the owner turned it in. Smelled of cigarette smoke. Silver with black leather. We got into it - the salesman suddenly remembered me, that I had wanted a four seat, so on - we nattered a minute. I asked if I could take it for a drive - he said sure, let me have your driver license and I'll pull it out for you.

Off we went - immediately the low fuel chime started bonging telling me that the trip was going to be SHORT. I put ten bucks of premium into it. Guy fiddled with the myriad computer settings, including the stereo which was AWESOME. I had made up a CD of different MP3 files; most of them were files Guy had sent me, starting with the "Divo car shopping music." He got a huge kick from that. The stereo was AWESOME - did I mention that? Holy cow.

Back in the car, which I had left running while I was filling it with petrol. The car was quieter than the outside ambient noise while RUNNING. No noise. No vibration. Nothing. I adjusted the seat around a bit and tried to set the seat memory to keep my settings. We pull out into traffic and stop immediately at a traffic light. I page through the user ID files (up to five drivers can have memory pre-sets for how they like their climate control, radio settings, mirror, seat, steering wheel, etc.) and the primary user ID was a naughty word. A common word for fellatio. We busted up laughing.

Light turns green. The accelerator doesn't feel like a normal car, as it's drive by wire. There is resistance, but the pushing doesn't immediately produce acceleration, as the computer is contemplating the wind speed, the last primary election vote, and the neighborhood you're in before delivering the results. In the 'hood, you get away from the light faster than you do in Sugar Land, where they expect more dignified motoring.

The car goes around the corner as if it were tethered to a post. 80 miles per hour is upon us and the car hasn't kicked above 3000 rpm. I decide to slow down a bit in a car without license plates. We get to the freeway. Screw zoom, zoom, zoom - this thing is more powerful than a 757.

Quiet? Did I mention that it's quiet? Guy was playing with the suspension settings (six) as we dashed up the on-ramp to US 59 and glass smooth pavement. Oh, did you need to get into that traffic hole over THERE? Why, sure!!

It's a 6,000 pound car that's larger than a big Mercedes and it goes like stink. Point and click and you're THERE. Think and it moves.

Off the freeway to head back to it's [temporary] home. Around the underpass u-turn. FAST. WHOOSH. I'm driving this car like I did my 1990 Grand Am HO coupe. A quick look out the right rear quarter and we beat ALL the traffic coming through the light. Hm. How's that fuel economy? 16 - not BAD.

Eucalyptus wood with near black leather and a light gray headliner. Built like a Tiger Tank, goes like a Stuka. Holy schmoly. We get back and I ask Guy to take my picture with my crappy cam phone. I tried not to look overly happy.

I walk in with the keys - the sales man is heaped onto the sofa in the office. I don't really want to give it back - but I left my checkbook at home, and I'm pretty sure (today) that the check would bounce. He says "call me with a $500 credit card deposit and we'll pull it from sale while you get your financing together."

Seems reasonable.

I'm more comfortable driving this car than I've ever been driving my Buick. The woman who hired my work for the online mortgage CE course said "Drive it like you stole it."

THAT'S what that meant.

Are ya proud NOW?

From America Blog

White House official gleeful that terrorists wanted to kill thousands of Americans on ten US airlines over the Atlantic
by John in DC - 8/10/2006 06:19:00 PM

"Weeks before September 11th, this is going to play big," said another White House official, who also spoke on condition of not being named, adding that some Democratic candidates won't "look as appealing" under the circumstances. - AFP, August 11, 2006

Well that didn't take long. The Republicans never did meet a threat of mortal injury to thousands of American lives that they didn't welcome as a political windfall.

This is a scathing piece from Agence France-Presse, and a brilliant example of what real journalists do. They don't just parrot what the White House tells them, they actually investigate and report the facts. Our American brethren could learn a thing or two:

US President George W. Bush seized on a foiled London airline bomb plot to hammer unnamed critics he accused of having all but forgotten the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Weighed down by the unpopular war in Iraq, Bush and his aides have tried to shift the national political debate from that conflict to the broader and more popular global war on terrorism ahead of November 7 congressional elections....

His remarks came a day after the White House orchestrated an exceptionally aggressive campaign to tar opposition Democrats as weak on terrorism, knowing what Democrats didn't: News of the plot could soon break....

Bush aides on Thursday fought the notion that they had exploited their knowledge of the coming British raid to hit Democrats, saying the trigger had been the defeat of Democratic Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut by an anti-war political novice....

Snow said Bush first learned in detail about the plot on Friday, and received two detailed briefings on it on Saturday and Sunday, as well as had two conversations about it with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

But a senior White House official said that the British government had not launched its raid until well after Cheney held a highly unusual conference call with reporters to attack the Democrats as weak against terrorism....

On Wednesday, Cheney had suggested that Democrats believe "that somehow we can retreat behind our oceans and not be actively engaged in this conflict and be safe here at home, which clearly we know we won't, we can't, be," he said.

While some Democrats have opposed some steps in the war on terrorism, and more and more are calling for a withdrawal from Iraq, no major figures in the party have called for a wholesale retreat in the broader conflict.

But Bush's Republicans hoped the raid would yield political gains....

"Weeks before September 11th, this is going to play big," said another White House official, who also spoke on condition of not being named, adding that some Democratic candidates won't "look as appealing" under the circumstances.

Happy Hump Day

Hump day - an interesting morning already.

My cable modem is doing its level best to interfere with my ability to do anything today. In the last 20 minutes, it's

recycled on and off at least eight times - meaning that my internet connection goes on, goes off, goes on, goes off -

Spent a long long time last night thinking about my big ol' trigger issue (the one that I said I was taking a vacation from in

August) and last night, after some meditation and reflection came to understand the link between the apparent trigger issue

and my sister - everything suddenly made sense. I felt a ton better, after being fully resolved last night to not go to my

dad's birthday party at her house in New York next week.

I got up this morning (still feeling a ton better,) had an email from my aunt telling me I had probably just mis-understood

my sister - still feeling all better - and thought I'd write my sister a simple email explaining to her that we needed to

establish a new paradigm - still feeling better!

And then, I realized, anything I said to her would be completely invalidated by her saying it was my own fault and

interpretation, and that she's done or said nothing and I needed to get over it. While medicated, preferably.

And that was the end of that.

So, I've written to her telling her that I'm expecting to not attend (the reasoning being that if I'm going to be punished by

the family for being an unreasonable bastard, better to not have to attend and take the beating in person,) and that talking

to her about any of it was pointless and that she should not call me anymore.

Yup. (visualizes cruise across the Atlantic on the Queen Mary 2 with Chuck en tuxedo) I can focus on the things I want

and how I want to feel, and I can chose to not engage in old patterns with people who aren't going to change their

behavior and expectations just because I've been working on mine.

Spent all that time last night going through financial claims and writing up a report. Sent that out last night around 10:30 -

and had a call this morning around 8:00. Seems I knocked that one out of the park. Looks like I've continued to polish

my halo there.

Cable modem's been offline now for a half hour. And, I'm on the phone waiting to talk to the cable company - seems

that they're busy today. "All agents are busy assisting other customers."

Ah! An agent! And a snippy one, at that.

After this phone call, I need to start getting ready to have a day. It's looking like I'm going to have to cancel with Rosita so I can be available for this client all afternoon.

Monday, Monday ver. 828.01 published on Tuesday

I've just not been feeling bloggy these last few days, I guess. I've been all wrapped up in the Liebermann/Lamont race, in getting tax returns finished up and out, and in other work. Spent this evening working on a bunch of spreadsheets - going through about six different source documents and creating a report. Fun stuff. Also worked a lot on church stuff today.

I'm fixing to go to bed, I think. I have a big big day tomorrow. Away from the house nearly all day. Actually, all day after the morning is over.