hating...

how random play always seems to throw out an endless string of horrifically sad tunes when they most fit your mood...

the utter lack of blues music in the southwest...

too many 60 degree days in december, january and february...

fire scortched earth beside I-40, undoubtedly the result of some schmuck throwing a cigarette out his or her window...

texas license plates and the people who drive the cars they adorn...

suv's that are impossible to see around, and despite their behemoth size their inability to fit half the shit my bru can pack in...

the failure of the american auto industry to be responsible and put out vehicles that use less than 30 mpg...

the needless, slow slaughter of hundreds of thousands of iraq's children compliments of radiation, a decade plus of constant bombing, famine and disease...all done in the name of keeping weapons of mass destruction out of saddam's hands...and then us going in there to kick him out because we figured he could still make them anyways...

a century of western mishandling of the middle east and the resulting anger and hatred causing death and misery everywhere...

the way we always act like it isn't the end...like this goodbye isn't really goodbye...

checking my wallet at the gas station and realizing my atm card remained in the machine at smith's...(but very grateful to whoever turned it in rather than go on a spending spree)...

this town and everything it represents...

that my trust has been tampered with...

how it is always easier for the one with someone else...

how it used to be so easy, how i never even tried...

how every day i regret that conversation in november of 1998, the pain it caused, and the rift that perhaps never healed...

that i could not escape the midwesterner in me, that after all this, i just want to go home...

that i don't even know where home is anymore...

that memories get tainted...

and that it takes them far too long to cleanse themselves again...

that growing up always seems to mean heartache...

that ignorance, and not knowledge, actually is bliss...

what has become of the party of lincoln...

that democrats have become the party of clinton...

that nobody pays attention to history anymore, and their failure to learn from it will mean the end of us all...

that they shot lincoln, mlk, bobby kennedy...and left others alone...

any position relating to law enforcement or reducing crime that comes with the unofficial title of "czar"...

mild winters...

how it seems that everything serves as a reminder of mistakes, regret, hurt and lost hopes and dreams...

that i feel jealousy and bitterness...

that the cubs will never win a world series during my lifetime...

that the cubs will never even be in a world series during my lifetime...

that as a chicagoan from the northwest suburbs, my happiness is linked to the cubs success...

that i'm thinking of jumping...

that i haven't really been happy since boston stole my best friend...

something went wrong...can't be to blame...

fingers crossed for illinois...

not long since declaring all children within the state will receive health care...illinois may be on the verge of taking a huge step and by guaranteeing the same for every resident of the state. currently they are in the process of holding town meetings and the like, feeling out how much support there is to mini-nationalized healthcare. so far, responses seem favorable, even from the medical community. people are turning out to tell their state legislatures that it is time for aggressive action, and it is no longer acceptable that old folks are forced to become hermits to avoid the possibility of an accident they will not be able to afford. medical professionals are realizing that if they don't get in the process now, the result may be something they will not be at all pleased with...all-in-all, i have high hopes...maybe it's just because it's my homestate that i think it can be done...or maybe that is what makes me realize that corruption will inevitably destroy whatever good ideas and intentions result from a historic attempt to give everyone access to health care...either way, my fingers are crossed...

every once in awhile i run into a story or a person that restores my faith in humanity...which, unfortunately, tends to dwindle when you work with alleged sex offenders, murders, drug dealers, and the multitude of ignorants trying to build their resume by placing yet another young man or woman in prison to ensure they never become a productive member of society. lately i've had a hard time believing that there are good people out there...that there is hope for the human race...that human nature will not be the end of us all...that it's not too late...but every time i'm ready to throw in the towel, someone comes along that reminds me of the possibilities...and to those of you, who are too few and far between, i say thanks...

and finally...nbc printed a short blurb about dating and what pets say about a potential partner. here is what their "expert" had to say about guys with cats...

"Coleman has nothing but good things to say about this unfairly maligned dating archetype. A man with cats tends to be a more introverted, homebody type. He's comfortable being single, but that doesn't mean he's not desirous of a relationship. At this stage, he's not feeling a lot of pressure."

as a guy with two cats...i feel vindicated...we aren't the strange ones...we don't need a big dog to make up for our feelings of inadequacy when it comes to the size (or lack thereof) of our...um...feet...so comfortable in our masculinity that we can own a cat or two...without making excuses...kind of like being a gymnast. so give us a break ladies (and men, if that's your cup of tea)...let the "cat" guy take you to dinner...you'll be pleasantly surprised...

this is no declaration...i just thought i'd let you know goodbye...

kids: sentencing them and educating them...

cody posey was sentenced...despite the state's best efforts he will not be receiving a life sentence for the murder of his family on sam donaldson's ranch here in new mexico. (for those of you that didn't see...donaldson's testimony was a riot...this is about how it went..."i was walking up to the door and i saw a large dark spot. i immediately recognized it as blood. [pause]...covered the war in vietnam, saw a lot of it there." very amusing)...

this kid was all of 14 when the murders were committed. 14 years old, and the state was hoping to keep him in prison until he died...presumably another 50 years down the road. why is this still an issue? what is it about young people committing crime that makes us want to punish them worse than adults? why is it that we cannot recognize that kids do not have the same cognitive abilities as adults...that kids do stupid shit...that they are kids. we seem willing to write off kids pulling stupid pranks as harmless because they are kids and don't know any better and haven't fully realized the consequences of their actions...yet when kids get into shit they understand even less...we condemn them as adults. i just don't get it.

lots of states have this problem too...there are far too many people sitting through life sentences for crimes committed before they got out of middle school, before they could drive, before they could vote...and what good has come of it? are our violent crime rates really lower? how many tax dollars do we spend holding these kids in prison forever? and wouldn't it be cheaper in the long run to address the causes of child crime? wouldn't a bit more up front to educate these kids and give them opportunity and hope save billions over the long haul? why don't we recognize this? is it merely because the results would take too long to appear? that by the time society saw a benefit from it the politicians would be long gone and wouldn't be getting credit for it? is it that our system has become so indoctrinated in the quick fix that none of our leaders can ever think ahead? we need a hero...

educate these kids...give them opportunity...give them hope...and they will turn away from crime. it would not cost near as much as people think either...for starters, spread the wealth around. why do wealthy folks hoard all their resources and refuse to share with those that need it most? why is no child left behind designed to cut funding to "failing" schools? when will it stop being about "me and my own" and start being about us?

you throw a kid in prison for life...instead of spending tens of thousands of dollars for the next 40 to 60 years...throw a tiny portion of that up front to rebuild his/her school...throw some to quality teachers...throw some to after school programs designed to keep them off the street...throw some to updating facilities (and not just the football field or assembly hall)...put a tiny bit of that into their education and watch us reap the rewards for generations to come.

but we never will...don't know why i bother dreaming...

i don't know where i'm wanting to be...i just know i have to be there alone...

selling ports, denying aid to hamas and the end of clean water...

congress is up in arms again, this time due to the planned takeover of a british company's work by a united arab emirates owned company. apparently the problem is that the work to be taken over is the management of major u.s. ports. yea, yea yea...national security...bla, bla, bla...terrorism. but this raises a totally different question to me...and i am glad this happened, because i had no idea our ports were being run by foreign companies.

which makes me wonder only this...forget if it is british or canadian or french or chinese or iraqi or iranian or algerian or nigerian or angolian...why are we auctioning off the running of our ports to foreign companies period? i still haven't bought into globalization...i am not sure it is good for anyone...although in the long run it may work out for everyone...i am pretty damn sure that it is not good for this country. and when the american worker is falling farther and farther behind where he once was...shouldn't the government be doing all it can to promote american business? and isn't the easiest way to do that by allowing american companies...or hell...even the government...to run things like, oh, i don't know...port of entries? this just seems ludicrous to me. talk all you want about terrorism and national security and get your sound bites out so you can run for reelection...but what about economic security? bring back fdr...if we're going to waste this much government funding...the least we could do is put people to work...

here is a big surprise...egypt is pissed that we want to cut off all aid to hamas after they won elections. gee, didn't see that coming. yet another example of the hypocracy of the western world when it comes to democracy and freedom, especially in the middle east. we spent decades screaming that the palestinians needed to stop their "terror tactics" (never mind that they were less devestating and less productive as far as promoting terror in a populous than most actions israel took over those years) and instead move to the democratic process. so guess what...the militants weren't getting very far anymore with suicide bombs...so they went to the ballot box...and won. they used the system we implored them to use...only we never thought they actually would, so now we don't know what to do...and since we never negotiate with terrorists, even if they have abandoned terrorism and moved to the democratic process (although we have no problems negotiating with terrorists we helped in destroying democratic institutions in some countries)...we cut off aid desperately needed by the people. bad idea genius...

after a century of such back stabbing from western powers...numerous lost opportunities to show the world we mean it...to uphold un resolutions against israel as well as iraq...to say "this aggression will not stand" whenever someone invades their neighbor...to come to the rescue of africans as we did europeans...to come to the aid of arabs and asians instead of cutting of their medicine...i'd be pretty pissed too...

the supreme court heard arguments on the clean water act and whether it was meant to include tributaries and all parts of waterway...doesn't sound very promising. here is the problem...as much as i wish it were different, as much as i wish the u.s. government could regulate dumping and polution...two centuries ago this didn't occur to those folks...i've often wondered how in god's name congress got away with legislation like this...especially the endangered species act. i'll give them credit...they had to try...and i hope to god the justices find a way to manipulate the constitution into allowing congress to do it (afterall, they are the supreme court, they can make the constitution say and protect anything they want)...i'm not holding my breath though...

when i met you i was just a kid, hadn't built up my defenses...so i gave my heart completely...

i'm with shani...

shani davis somehow chose speed skating as his sport...somehow an inner-city black kid from chicago developed into one of the best in the world in a sport which caters to the over-privileged white kids growing up on the cities edge, not the forgotten youth left in it's center.

now he's catching a lot of flack from those over-privileged white kids because he didn't kiss their asses and carry them to gold in the team pursuit in turin. i can't even begin to imagine the shit he must have put up with from others in the sport and from the kids in his area to become a worldclass speedskater...

and then they wanted his help...i would've done the same thing. fuck them. what did they do for him? i've got a friend that deals with the an institution like that...(shameless plug time...her name is shannon...she hits a shuttlecock, hard...and the folks at u.s. badminton have done anything and everything to fuck her chances...so go to shannonpohl.com and send her money)...and after seeing what she has gone through, i don't even want to think of what they must of put shani through. and despite all this, he makes the olympic team, grabs a world record, and has himself poised for gold...and then comes america's next olympic hero, chad hendrick...hendrick got a gold earlier...but wanted five...and so when shani pulled out of the team pursuit and he couldnt do it himself, he got angry...and since the media had built him up, they followed suit...suddenly shani is being portrayed as a selfish asshole for resting himself for the one shot he may get at this...for resting himself for a race that so many hoped he would never race...he was the selfish one for not sacrificing his race for some schmuck who likely never would give him the time of day...hendrick wasn't the selfish one, insisting that everyone race for his try at a record...

and the media doesnt mention that by him not racing, another athlete got the opportunity to participate in the olympic games...so what if hendrick didn't get another gold...he obviously wouldn't have earned it, it would've come from the hard work of another athlete...and nobody would have talked about shani davis, they only would've wanted to talk about chad.

shani went on to win the gold in the 1000 meters, and you could see the pent up frustration and anger in an interview after he got his gold. and who could blame him? i can't say i get it...but i get it. that he would even be willing to race for the united states is a small miracle in itself. they never wanted him to be a part of the u.s. speedskating team, until they realized they needed his talent...i would've told them to fuck themselves too.

so raise your glass to shani davis tonight...and hope chad hendrick chokes...

i can't ask you to take me and be true, but i can ask you to love me as you do...

albuquerque next 19 exits...

that sign just north of town on I-25 broke my heart yet again last night...albuquerque next 19 exits...

19 exits and sprawl at it's worst. less than a million people spread out over more dry land than most cities much, much larger than it...row after row of home with green yards in a corner of the country that barely can hold enough water to sustain the life that is here without humans. a complete lack of preparation and planning for an expanding populous...subdivisions being thrown onto the map without any thought at their effect or the necessary infrastructure to support them...roads subsequently being built through historically fantastic landmarks, sacred to many in the area, all so those in the new subdivisions can keep their green lawns in a desert and drive their gas-guzzlers to work because the city has utterly failed at providing a mass transit system with any usefulness whatsoever only to add to the disgusting brown haze that covers the "city"...albuquerque next 19 exits...but if we weren't so attached to the white-picket-fence-never-was-american-dream we could cut that to 5...and in the process conserve what little we have left of this beautiful landscape...

albuquerque next 19 exits...too many for too few people, but horribly depressing to a kid from the second city...a reminder of time lost in a town that only serves to weigh on one's soul after time...a reminder of the hustle and bustle left behind...a reminder of all that could have been, so hastefully given up...the skyline appearing after that sign showing a people with no interest in living, working and being closer...albuquerque next 19 exits...someone take me home.

one day you'll see it's worth it after all...

cartoon fever, bad music, winter weather and "conviction"...

seems the university of illinois daily illini was not alone as a college paper publishing the cartoons "to begin a productive dialogue" (and how insulting a section of your readership opens productive dialogue i may never understand)...oddly enough, the list mostly includes midwestern schools (namely those in wisconsin and illinois). ah yes...the hidden bigotry of the midwest. the area of the country where anyone will smile to your face, but if you are brown, black, yellow, red, or any immigrant their eyes will burn you with the distrust and hatred hiding beneath their exterior.

don't get me wrong, i love the midwest, it is my home...but it is racist as hell. you want to see where brown v. board never made it? hit up the school system in any midwestern urban center...hell, even champaign schools are divided eerily along racial lines. afterall, chicago police took it upon themselves (at the mayor's order) to bash in the skulls of any black that so much as looked like he might agree with mlk back in the day.

so thanks daily illini (and yes, a paper with a name like that, representing a school that appealed a decision by the ncaa that they could not use the racist symbol they were used to, even after being allowed to keep the name...printed more bigotted crap in the name of free speech)...you've done us transplants proud.

i was perusing the music collection of a young man yesterday...unfortunately he was not young enough to forgive such horrors as two blink 182 albums, jack johnson, and an inexplicable hatred of all things bowie. so to the rest of you simply thumbing through the top 40 lists for the latest additions to your collection...please god...get out more...support the music, not the machine.

it looks like winter today...grey skies, slight wind...snow is on it's way. and hopefully it won't stop for a month. god i miss winter...those shots of the east coast burried after the latest blizzard actually brought tears...somebody get me out of this place...

there is a new show coming out called "conviction" based on the lives of young prosecutors. where is the show for the ones that really struggle to do justice...the young public defender. you want to know how life is for young prosecutors? they get twice the pay of a public defender for one tenth of the case load. they ignore constitutional safeguards, and they lie, cheat and steal as much as any attorneys out there. many of them do not consider justice done unless they add a "win" to their rap sheet... and contrary to everything they like to pretend on law and order and all those crappy shows... they are mostly beyond conservative (although they will claim they are liberal democrats). please god let that show fail...

you've got a damn big suv... it can ride through a swamp, climb a hill real tall, it's got 4-wheel drive so you can cruise around the mall.

is it a bad sign when...

you wake up every morning wishing you were somewhere else?

you open the door and the new jar of jelly ($1.78 jelly mind you) rolls out onto the driveway and breaks sending glass under your car and it causes a slight breakdown?

sunshine has become your mortal enemy?

you wonder if everything and everyone is phony?

the people you miss most are those that are the closest?

you would rather spend an evening alone reading than just about anything else?

even though you can't find the time or energy to get in touch with distant friends you find yourself begrudging the same from them?

you don't play with the cats anymore?

you begin to feel that mid-20's is grown up? or at least should be?

having had a problem putting on weight your entire life you find yourself checking the nutritional value of food and avoiding those high in fat?

you finally reach a healthy body-fat percentage, and you long for the days when it barely registered in the lobster claw thing?

the place you want to be most may just be the place you couldn't wait to never see again?

you begin to lose faith in a system you just entered a few months ago?

i think it very well may be...

and now the olympic update. bode miller blew it again...leading after the downhill of the combined and poised for gold, he straddled a gate in the slalom and was disqualified. the thing i love about bode miller...he doesn't give a shit. and to add the cherry on top little known ted ligety came from 32nd in the downhill portion to putting together the run of his life on the last slalom run to edge into first place and hold on for the us ski team's first gold. and after a horrific crash the other day, lindsey kildow skied the woman's downhill. sure she took eighth, but if you saw her crash, just getting to the gate was impressive.

today jeremy bloom goes for it in moguls...the kid that exposed the ncaa as the ridiculous heartless organization it is. good luck to him.

believe me, there's a better president to look you in the eyes and lie...

amid all the bad news, a nice guy finished first...

another onslaught of depressing news these days...

the government is giving oil and gas companies a free pass on taking from federal public lands and not paying for what they take. federal lands, i.e. owned by taxpayers, being exploited again. so not only are we going to give these companies our shit for free, but then they are going to charge high prices to "line their pockets" (as heather wilson likes to say) for us to get access to the oil and gas which we gave them, for free. and before you get in a hizzy and blame only the bush administration for this...take a look at when a bunch of it started. sounds like a hell of a deal to me...hooray for a government of the people, by the people and for the people.

fema strikes again...katrina victims still living in hotels will lose those rooms as the government stops paying for them. but if they want, they can move into empty mud-filled delapitated trailors the government set up for them in arkansas. or the government will give them "rent assistance", which i am guessing will amount to about 1/3 of what it actually costs to find housing for a family. and i thought brownie got fired...

the media is up in arms over the white house not immediately going uber-public with the news that cheney accidentally shot a hunting partner. somewhere lost in all this is the fact that a 78 year old man was hit with shot in the face, neck and chest...and our main concern is not whether this man's condition (which by the way, he is no longer in intensive care) will be life-threatening, but why the members of the white house didnt run to the press immediately while their friend lay in the hospital. where was this indignation from the media when it mattered?

saddam is on hunger strike. i have no response to that.

and now the good news...

an american speed skater took home the gold in the 500...and what did mr. cheeks do with the money ($25,000) the olympic committee delivered to him for his gold-medal winning skate? he immediately announced in his press conference following the race that every penny would be donated to refugees in dafur, and then asked his sponsors to better that donation. of course nbc is still slow getting to this story...but what do you expect, i mean, we still haven't heard all there is to hear about michelle kwan. this guy should be getting all the press in this country now...he is what an olympic athlete should be. congrats cheeks...and thanks for restoring some little bit of my hope for humanity.

i am afraid of growing old, i am afraid to die...but it's something i must do.

why i am a bad american...

the olympics have arrived...and watching the games this weekend (or the annoying tape delay and waiting for nbc to quit showing nascar qualifying...that's right, not even a race...qualifying...so i can watch some highlights) i realized that i am not a very good american these days, here is why...

i don't give two shits about michelle kwan...was anybody else appalled by the amount of coverage nbc gave to an athlete who dropped out? don't get me wrong, i have the utmost respect for her for stepping aside and giving the kid a chance...the kid that was stranded in new york because our ioc didn't have the foresight to have the alternate handy even despite knowing kwan was hurt...but that warrants a mention...if there is a story at all, tell me about the kid who got a call telling her to get her ass to italy. if you are going to give me sappy athlete stories...at least tell me about someone who will compete so i can have a rooting interest...

i smiled when apolo faltered...maybe it is the over-hype, maybe it is the bullshit way he won last time...maybe it's because i don't get the sport...or maybe it is just that ugly-ass-creature he has on his chin...but i was rooting against him...and he didn't even make the finals...the best part is he was trying to show off, trying to unnecessarily pass the guy in front of him when he was in position to advance. karma's a bitch...

i hate figure skating...it is up there with rythmic gymnastics as the most boring sport in the world to watch...(another reason i really don't care about michelle kwan not competing). here is how i look at it...i was a gymnast, i can appreciate what gymnasts do...and i get bored out of my mind watching gymnastics most of the time. figure skating is even less exciting...why does this country love it? or does everyone just watch it to see who falls and who cries? i can maybe understand that...

i really hope that bode miller was out drinking the night before the downhill...in fact, i would be willing to bet if he was, he didn't medal because he didn't have enough to drink. i am amused that people are saying he didn't live up to the hype now...never mind that the downhill is an event decided by fractions of a second after a two minute race...

and i'll admit it...i was rooting for the french guy to win the downhill...that run was incredible...at the end of the day...written off by everyone in attendance...barely coming back from a big crash in time to make the olympics...and he puts together one of the most dominating performances a downhill race has ever seen...nobody was going to catch him that day...so congrats to the frenchman, antione deneriaz...

our boy didn't get a medal in the luge...but the italians got a repeat on their home track...and did you see how matter of fact the guy was about it? those are the stories that nbc should focus on...not michelle kwan quitting...

i spent some time trying to come to terms with snowboarding halfpipe being an olympic event...and it was difficult...it just didn't seem right, still. but then i finally understood...these guys were out there because they love to fuck around in a halfpipe, they were out there because the sport is a fun, they were out there because the x-games is already over...and to top it off the flying tomato was in tears when he saw his mom and dad after his last run...i finally get it, oddly enough, snowboarding halfpipe might just be one of the most olympic of the olympic events...

and finally...i am rooting for the norwegians in the medal count...

on a side note, during a commercial break last night there was an add for an agency to eliminate or reduce your credit card debt. i forget the name of the company, but it's spokesman was a bad choice...his name (and i am not making this up)...todd crook. you'd think a guy trying to rope people into high risk loans that may end up costing them their cars and homes would have the foresight to go by a name that wasn't crook. i thought it was a joke...

this town simply cannot compete, so i'm packing my bullets and silverstones and heading east to a brownstone up three flights of stairs...

freedom, responsibility and dustbowl 2006...

freedom of the press, freedom of speech, freedom of expression...all wonderful things us westerners claim to hold dear. don't get me wrong, i am a big proponent of such freedom, of the ability of people to live as they choose, and (at least in theory) have a fair shake, and the opportunity to (again, in theory) speak and illustrate as they choose...and i have never been a big fan of overdoing political correctness...but there is a line, and even i will admit if the publishing of those damn cartoons didn't cross it, then the republishing of them surely did.

for starters, as far as editorial cartoons go...they aren't that good. they really don't make you think, they aren't creative, they don't make much of a point, and the illustration is second-rate.

secondly, at some point one must make a distinction between being politically correct and just being plain not being an asshole. afterall, what purpose did these cartoons serve? they were originally published simply as a means to lampoon a religion...to make an example for free speech. but why?with freedom, just as i've said with privilege, comes responsibility. we must be aware of the world around us...sure, you have a right to say whatever the hell you want...but why do it just for the purpose of offending a significant portion of the population? i just don't understand that...at all.

and then there is the reprinting of them "in solidarity" with the danish paper...and the reprinting them as "news"...the good old daily illini did the latter. claiming that a serious discussion couldn't be held if people did not see the cartoons...in the same editorial where the writer basically said "look how big my testicles are! i have more balls than all the rest of the american media combined! freedom of the press is great!" good job buddy, you did it...be proud...just like your teeball trophy says...you've come so far.

needlessly offending people for the sake of showing that you are free to offend them...isn't freedom grand.

as further proof that the end of days is near (never mind the natural disasters, the clash of cultures between the middle east and the west, the proliferation of nuke-u-lar...it's pronounced nuke-u-lar...weapons, etc. etc.)...the united states is on the verge of another dustbowl period. drought, unseasonably warm and dry weather...if this keeps up we'll all be heading to california to pick grapes...and then we will really be pissed at the mexicans that cross the border to do that job in the hopes they can better their families' lives...

the touch of skin gives me reason to believe again...

toying with vernon, dueling senators, europe's slow death, and a pharmacist's conscience...

vernon evans was moved from death row to a cell closer to the execution chamber...is that really necessary? so after being moved from death row, to even more death row...and preparing himself to be killed by the government in an effort to show that killing is reprehensible (??), he got his stay. another round of appeals to be heard...another shot to remove yet another stain on the criminal justice system in this country...let's hope they get it right...

things are getting interesting on capital hill as a result of attempts by both sides to "reform" lobbying in congress. (we all know these people will not seriously do anything that may damage the vast amount of gifts and useless crap they receive from [insert your favorite special interest here] because if they did, who would want to be in congress anymore?). apparently john "if-only-republicans-had-picked-him-six-years-ago" mccain had a meeting with some republicans and a few democrats trying to pull some sort of bill out of both sides from the latest corruption scandal. barack "please-god-don't-let-him-get-sucked-into-the-washington-way-of-doing-things" obama was there. afterwards it appears obama really pissed off mccain by maybe, possibly, not really sure if he did, pulling out of the "bipartisan" (adj. meaning we are really all the same anyways, if you've got money we're listening) efforts to reform the mess that is politics as usual in america. find the story and read mccain's letter to obama...it is pretty amusing...but here is a summary..."forgive me for thinking you were sincere in your efforts to not be a jackass, now i know you only care about yourself...good luck bitch." obama's reply is not as amusing...a little less angry too. either way...god i hope these guys run against each other for the next presidential election...imagine it, a choice, two people worth voting for...(sigh) we can dream. in the meantime it's good to have transparency in the process...

europe's population is shrinking. parents are averaging far below what they need to to keep the population up...and so governments are considering tax incentives and other things for people to knock up and get knocked up. hmmm...not sure i see the logic in this. overpopulation worldwide, overpopulation which inevitably leads to some things nobody likes, such as disease, crime, poverty, environmental disaster...so we finally get "advanced" enough to slow down the earth's agonizing death, and we decide we need to turn it around. maybe they are just taking their cue from america and it's attempt to return to the past and eras of population explosions...like the gilded age, manifest destiny...you know...the good days...

walgreens is getting sued by some pharmacists who were fired when they wouldn't sign something that said they would deal out the day after pill. they are claiming it is a violation of illinois' "conscience" law which allows health care workers to refuse to do shit if they find it wrong on religious or moral grounds or something like that (i admit...i haven't read the law). this seems a little problematic to me...health care workers able to refuse treatment based upon religious beliefs...if you've got a problem doing it...get out of the business. and doesn't that totally go against the hypocratic oath (sp?)...imagine if public defenders were allowed to refuse to assist a defendant because he was accused of rape or murder. of course, judging by the amount of "how can you defend those people" questions i get...this country would probably support that...but then they complain about their phone being tapped...pick a side on the civil rights debate people, either everyone gets them, or nobody does. this whole "my religious beliefs trump all" thing is going way too far...unless you are mormon, because the correct answer is mormon.

now that i'm older, my heart's colder and i can see that it's a lie...

cheney's turn and running up the score...

perhaps not wanting to be outdone by any democrat putting their foot in their mouth (although democrats don't seem to be saying much of anything), dick cheney decided he wanted to see why other politicians and leaders are so intent on eating their own feet...hence the inevitable comparison of a modern day tyrant to hitler. this time the distinguished award went to pres. chavez of venezuela...now i am not denying that there are rulers in that corner of the world (and just about every other) that are, well, one over good...but enough with the hitler comparisons every time someone nasty and possibly even evil is in office. hitler comparisons should be limited to those that truly deserve it...like say stalin. so here's a new rule...until the number of people you have brutally murdered reaches, say, 500,000...you don't get hitler comparisons...maybe young hitler...or early hitler...but just plain hitler is left to the devil incarnates. so dick...hope your socks are clean...

a prep basketball star put up 113 points against one of the worst teams in her league this week. she had more than 50 by halftime and her team was up by about that much...they ended up winning by 105 points. what happened to sportsmanship? what happened to coaches being embarrased by running up the score? what happened to the unwritten slaughter-rule? her coach sent her back out after halftime...said she had a chance and so they "let her go for it"...this is just disgusting...moreso than kobe "she-asked-for-it-rough" bryant's 81...atleast that was a close game. this girl (and i refuse to recognize her by name here on principle), her coach and her teammates should be ashamed of themselves...what is accomplished by this? teaching a young girl that the game is all about her...ignoring teamwork...ignoring sportsmanship...showing up weaker athletes? maybe they learned it from the federal government...what happened to role models? good ones...

one more chance to get it all wrong...

alito and vernon, both human...

it appears alito is not just a clone of scalia willing to follow him willy nilly on any decision for any case for any reason. gee...who wouldv'e thunk it, an educated, intelligent man with a mind of his own. and here i was wondering why we just didn't give an extra vote to scalia on the court.not that it is a major deal (although it is an interesting indicator of things (not) to come)...alito voted with the hippies on the court and shunned the nazis in upholding a stay of execution in missouri. people tend to forget that once you get to the supreme court, you don't have to posture anymore...you can do whatever the hell you want...o'connor, a reagan appointee, ended her stay on the court viewed favorably by liberals...so don't write this guy off too soon, he just may be human afterall. besides, the conservative ones tend to be better for us criminal defense...so cut us some slack, the system is designed to fuck criminal defendants...they need all the help they can get.

vernon evans is awaiting death next week. a federal court denied his request for stay of execution on a cruel and unusual punishment claim saying it would be an exercise in speculation...that statements is, quite frankly, idiotic. is this suggesting that since we don't really know how excruciating it is to be put to death by lethal injenction we won't step in to review it? the dead guy can't tell us it hurt like hell and took too long, so we'll just let it go.

evans is a classic case of why capital punishment is so very wrong for america. when the stakes are highest, defendants need the very best of representation, and he did not get it. his attorneys didn't call the only eyewitness, who would have testified that the actual shooter's description does not match evans, and furthermore, his attorneys at sentencing did not present the vast array of mitigating evidence available. putting a man to death when he didn't get a fair shake is humiliating to this country.and yes, evans is a man, a human being...on occassion he contributes to a blog...so go to meetvernon.blogspot.com to see the human side of capital punishment. i suggest you don't read the comments though, unless you believe that the commandment of thou shalt not kill was meant to include "unless that person broke this commandment in the first place"...that part must have broken off when chuck heston threw the tablets at the golden cow.

capital punishment serves no purpose but revenge, it does not help with closure for victim's families, instead the sentencing and appeals process forces them to keep wounds open for decades longer than necessary. it doesn't lower crime rates...countries without it have far lower violent crime rates than we do. it is unnecessary, inhumane, and unbecoming of a "civilized" people...this man and countless others are paying for the crimes they were convicted of...serving a life sentence in the inept and inhumane prison system in this country is punishment far beyond what many of us could endure.

everyone is for capital punishment and tougher penalties and less rights for criminal defendants until they find themselves in the system. it goes both ways.

just listen to the rhythm of your heart that pounds and trust it all to chance...

another loss mourned and someone tell congress down in front...

in another sign of the coming of the end...coretta scott king passed away. times like this make me mourn not only the loss of strong leaders...but the loss of strong leadership in this country. maybe it is inevitable to believe that leaders of your time cannot hold a candle to those of past generations, maybe the magnitude of causes has just diminished...although we continue to fight for the things our past great leaders strove for and gave their lives for...and with the way leadership in this country is going, it doesn't look like there is an end in sight for those struggles against poverty, racism, bigotry, tyranny, genocide, hunger, disease...it's going to be a long century, for us and the rest of the world.

speaking of leadership in this country, the state of the union and the response were painful...as usual. for starters, i am really not sure why bush's people felt that they needed to come out firing against isolationism...or maybe i am just out of the loop. maybe it's 6 years in office...but is this the same president that was reelected? the speech had moments where i thought "maybe this is it, maybe this will be the call that awakes this country and brings labor and brainpower to accomplish the impossible"...unfortunately everything i thought maybe he had an idea with...i don't buy that there will be any real effort for it. energy independence, renewable energy sources, getting the oil monkey of our collective back, education...i don't think we have anyone strong enough to make it happen.

the response, much like the state of the union, was just too token for me. both focused too much on why they are wrong and not why i am right.

the whole spectacle, as it does every year, makes me wish we could go back to the days before television and radio...when we could just read the state of the union...or people actually would know it without having to be told by the president (what a novel idea...an informed citizenry). things that particularly annoyed me...amid the ridiculous number of standing ovations i noticed one thing early on...tons of cheers for comments about our military actions...spattered applause when humanitarian needs were mentioned. that says it all about how messed up our priorities can be.and as for the ludicrous standing ovations...sit your ass down and listen to the damn speech. yes, we know you want to show off for the cameras and show your constituents you support the troops and you love/hate george w. bush...but you annoy the piss out of all of us when you do it. and another thing...why can't we make them sit spread out more so it isn't republicans on one side and democrats on the other? can't these people act like adults? i suppose that is asking too much.

here is my brief state of the union:

the manufacturing infrastructure in this country is collapsing and it will mean the end of our economic superiority. there is too much emphasis on capital, and we have forgotten the words of lincoln by placing it above labor. we are too entangled in the wrong places for the wrong reasons overseas. the wealth gap is out of control. the culture of lobbyists has destroyed our federal government. we have no real leaders. our education system is hurting. the american sense of entitlement has gotten disgusting.all that being said, there is hope, there is so much that this country could do for it's citizens and the world. thus, i challenge my fellow citizens to rise up and meet the challenges of today...in 10 years i want energy independence, and not on domestic oil, but on renewable forms of energy. i suggest federal standards requiring all vehicles sold in the u.s. to get no less than 40 mpg...we have the technology, it won't cost much...get it done. instead of cutting programs that are necessary to form the safety net to catch the folks losing their jobs overseas and claiming all they need is education, we will tax those people that can afford it to pay for health care, education, and welfare. there is no reason that in this country, someone is not able to go to college for financial reasons...we can afford it, and we should pay for it. instead of capping malpractice claims, we will cap ceo salaries at 20 times the average assembly line worker, we will regulate health insurance, we will tax the shit out of exxon and other oil companies when their profits are out of whack with their claims.

this country is on the decline, it was inevitable, and it was hastened by technological advances. we must accept it and work to avoid the pitfalls that previous world economic superpowers fell into. it is almost too late...this is our generation's d-day.

i'm a reasonable man, get off my case...