Sierra Club Service Trip -- Elgin, AZ

"Do not ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive". -- Harold Whitman (told to me by new dear friend Cat Hayden)

My vacation/service trip with the Sierra Club was a rousing success. Not only did I have a great time, I feel that we did some good.


During last week, a group of 10 Sierra Club members stayed and volunteered at an Audubon Society Research Ranch in southern Arizona. Our work consisted of upgrading and repairing fences on the property so as to allow the local species (deer and pronghorn) to pass the boundaries without being injured. In addition, we collected native grass seeds and transplanted native grasses into areas where they had been pushed out by exotic plants.


We had several guest speakers that had knowledge that placed them at the top of their fields. But the most impressive thing about them was their enthusiasm and willingness to give us some of that knowledge. The first was Ron Probst of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory. He presented a slide show and afterwards we observed firsthand many celestial objects with the telescope that he had brought. I'm a big science/space nut and I was in my element with this speaker.


The next speaker was Homer Hansen, an environmental scientist but whose hobbies (and vast knowledge) extend way beyond that. Besides being on many committees in Southern Arizona concerning environmental issues, he is an expert on bats and birds. He's the chairman of the Wings over Wilcox, an annual bird and nature festival in Wilcox, Arizona. On this day, he spoke to us about Sky Islands."The Sky Islands are forested mountain ranges surrounded by seas of desert and grassland." Southeastern Arizona is one of the preeminent places on Earth for this. It was a very interesting talk and afterwards he led us on a walk where he explained some of the importance of sky islands and their effect on species diversity of plants and animals.

On our off day, we visited Garden Canyon within the Fort Huachuca Army base. We hiked, observed pictograph drawings on the mountainsides and saw several native species.


But don't be fooled into thinking the whole week was just all goody-goody stuff and learning. I had an absolute blast because of the items listed above but also because I met some incredible people. The other members (and leaders) of my group were not only extremely successful in their own careers, but also intelligent, well-traveled (about half the group lived abroad at one time or another), civic minded (most had done service trips before), funny (able to jump between Fellini and Farrelly brothers without skipping a beat) and hard-working. We exceeded both the expectations of Audubon and Sierra Club in how much we got done. Plus, we had great food and propped up the economy of Sonoita, Arizona with our consumption of alcohol. I value the friendships I developed on this trip and will undoubtedly see these people again in the future.

Fog of War / Silver City

Silver City

Here's a crazy premise for a movie:

- a "grammatically-challenged user-friendly" candidate
- a scion of a famous political father/family
- a slick campaign manager that is the true brains of the outfit
- "complex web of influence and corruption, involving high stakes lobbyists, media conglomerates, environmental plunderers"

Not so wild a premise now. And not so coincidental either. John Sayles, the famed American filmmaker of movies such as Matewan and Lone Star, released this movie in 2004 prior to the election. He was not trying to hide his allegiance. The story may have been fictional and the names changed to protect the not-so-innocent, but the subject of the satire was very obvious.

Led by a cast that includes several Sayles regulars like Chris Cooper and Kris Kristoferson, this movie does a great job of showing how the gullibility of the public can be taken advantage of by a well-organized machine.

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Fog of War

One would think that a movie that consists of an 90 minute long interview with an 86 year-old man who mainly talked about the Vietnam War would be (1) boring and (2) irrelevant to today's political climate. You would be wrong on both counts. Errol Morris' Oscar winning documentary does a great job of going back and forth between the interview and archive footage to create a suprisingly lively narrative. And the manner in which he is interview allows you to see the pauses and emotion of former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara as he recounts his experiences. Far from being an apologist for McNamara, Morris does, however, show how well-intentioned people can get themselves into terrible situations (and take a country with them). It is this that makes this movie so relevant now. The documentary focuses on 11 lessons:

• Empathize with your enemy.
• Rationality will not save us.
• There's something beyond one's self.
• Maximize efficiency.
• Proportionality should be a guideline in war.
• Get the data.
• Belief and seeing are both often wrong.
• Be prepared to reexamine your reasoning.
• In order to do good, you may have to engage in evil.
• Never say never.
• You can't change human nature.

11 lessons that were obviously not learned by our current administration. I highly recommend this film.

On Vacation

Sorry, but I won't be able to bore you guys with my posts for a few days. I'm leaving Sunday for my Sierra Club "vacation" and will be there through Saturday.

Heeeeere's Johnny ... and God

This is a pretty funny spoof of the Shining that a guy did for a contest among assistant editors in New York. The assignment: "Take any movie and cut a new trailer for it — but in an entirely different genre. Only the sound and dialogue could be modified, not the visuals". Robert Ryang won the contest by recutting it so that it sounded like a comedy about a writer. Here's his submission:

The Shining



The submission got so much internet buzz that some real producers actually contacted Mr. Ryang.

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A recent study published in the Journal of Religion and Society brings doubt to the view that a godly society is necessarily a safe and healthy society:

Societies worse off 'when they have God on their side'

"Many liberal Christians and believers of other faiths hold that religious belief is socially beneficial, believing that it helps to lower rates of violent crime, murder, suicide, sexual promiscuity and abortion," the article says. But the results of the study show a quite different trend.

“In general, higher rates of belief in and worship of a creator correlate with higher rates of homicide, juvenile and early adult mortality, STD infection rates, teen pregnancy and abortion in the prosperous democracies.

“The United States is almost always the most dysfunctional of the developing democracies, sometimes spectacularly so.”

What's the matter with Kansas ... errrr, I mean Pennsylvania?

I keep trying to stop talking about this but reality keeps pushing it back in my face:

'Of Pandas and People'

It's not so hard to imagine those people a few hundred years ago who criticized Copernicus for saying that the earth rotated around the Sun. I'm sure they said there were "gaps" in his theory. Unfortunately, there will always be an "earth is flat" crowd.

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You'll have to forgive my schadenfreude if anything comes to pass from the DeLay investigation:

DeLay Probe Winds Down; Charges May Loom

I must resist the urge to dance and begin singing, "Ding-dong, the witch is dead, the witch is dead!"

And his buddies are close behind (Frist, Abramoff, Safavian, Rove, Bolton):

Frist Faces Heat as SEC Orders Formal Inquiry Into Stock Sale

The School Safavian and Abramoff Built

Will Safavian Knock Down The Right-Wing House of Cards?

Tyco Exec: Abramoff Claimed Ties to Administration

Plamegate: The John Bolton Connection

So how's that Republican Revolution working out for you, Newt?

• Smaller government? ============>Nope, screwed that up.
• Less government spending? ============> Fucked that way up.
• Less intrusion into people's lives? ========> Can you say Patriot Act?
• Better ethics and more accountability? ============> Pleaaase!
  
  
  
  

1984 Revisited

See what I'm talking about? This is getting just a little bit scary:

Fresh From Iraq, Private Security Forces Roam the Streets of an American City With Impunity



People are losing every possession they have, yet private security forces are making $350 a day? And we're footing that bill kids. And they are working under their own supervision.

And how about the issue of radio tags?

Being a computer professional, I subscribe to quite a few trade magazines. Usually, I just skim through them. But an article on a new technology caught my eye. That technology being RFID:

RFID -- radio frequency identification. Refers to the technology that uses devices attached to objects that transmit data to an RFID receiver. These devices can be large pieces of hardware the size of a small book like those attached to ocean containers or very small devices inserted into a label on a package. RFID has advantages over bar codes such as the ability to hold more data, the ability to change the stored data as processing occurs, does not require line-of-sight to transfer data and is very effective in harsh environments where bar code labels won't work.

One company is thinking of having the RFID's attached to armbands or uniforms of workers. I'm sorry, but it's just a little too like having Big Brother watching my every move. Evidently some workers in the UK agree:

Tracked Workers Outraged Over RFID Tagging

"Gay Problem"

Recently, Superintendent Leonard Stob of Ontario Christian School expelled student Shay Clark for having lesbian parents:

School Expels Girl for Having Gay Parents

Stob wrote that school policy requires that at least one parent may not engage in practices "immoral or inconsistent with a positive Christian life style, such as cohabitating without marriage or in a homosexual relationship."

Evidently having committed parents that have been together for 22 years doesn't count as a "positive Christian life style".

This is not Leonard Stob's first brush with homosexual issues and how they relate to Christian schools. I googled his name and turned up this article from when he was a superintendent in Florida:

Gay Problem at Christian Schools

In that article, he states how the school would not hire any staff who were openly gay.



Evidently, Christian warrior Leonard is going around the country purging Christian schools of gays. Too bad, there isn't someone to go around the country purging of it of narrow-minded bigots.

Hodge Podge

You gotta give it to the Republicans. Only they would use something like Katrina to justify huge spending cuts in essential programs ... rather than eliminating tax cuts for the wealthiest, eliminating subsidies for big oil or getting the hell out of Iraq. The House Republican Study Committee outlines many cuts including:

• cuts or increases in premiums for medicare/medicaid
• freezing of aid to Global AIDS Initiative, Peace Corps
• eliminate state grants for Safe and Drug-Free school programs
• eliminate Even Start

Without any sense of irony, they list items such as the Hydrogen Fuel Initiative and the Applied Research for Renewable Energy Sources Programs as "corporate welfare" that can be eliminated and are better served by the private sector. I'm so sick of all this "free market" crap they spout. It was the "free market" people in the 60's that didn't want civil rights legislation to go through. They said that the market would eventually see that they shouldn't descriminate. Capitalism is the answer to every problem to them. Do you know what capitalism and real corporate welfare are doing? They're creating a have and have-not society. And these moronic cuts they are recommending will hit the have-nots the worse, especially the elderly.

In addition, they suggest eliminating the National Endowment for Arts and publicly funded TV. This is not a shocker because these programs represent culture and the Republicans in power right now (not all Republicans, mind you) wouldn't know culture if it hit them between the eyes. Larry the Cable Guy is not culture, you hayseeds.

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Former President Jimmy Carter told a panel at American University this week something that most of us already know, but that is suprising coming from a former president, Gore won 2000 election.



I like the fact that Carter and Clinton earlier in the week are not being afraid to tell it like it is ... abandoning this nonexistent unspoken rule forbidding former presidents from criticizing a standing president. The rule is bogus, as George Sr. had no problem savaging Bill while he was office.

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It's good to see that Homeland Security is doing it's job ... protecting us from those evil vegans:

ACLU sues Homeland Security for arresting, spying on vegans who protested ham




We all know how violent vegans can get. Think of the bedlam that would ensue from a booby-trapped tomato or cauliflower in a crowded area. :-)

Loco en Cabeza

Do you get the feeling that they (Bushes) are all just a few bricks short of a load?


Jeb Bush Reveals His “Mystical Warrior” Friend

I unsheath my mytical warrior quite often ... just never in public. :-)

Somewhere over the Rainbow Trout

Bacon-Wrapped Trout Stuffed with Fresh Sage

Though I don't think my picture or cooking is in the class of The Hungry Blogger or The Church Potluck, I cooked up something pretty damn tasty the other day from the spoils of our fishing trip of a few weeks ago.

4 (10-ounce) trout, head and tail on, gutted
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 large sprigs fresh sage
2 lemons, halved and sliced
1 1/2 pounds sliced bacon
Toothpicks

Drizzle cavity of trout with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Stuff cavity with 4 lemon slices and 1 sprig of sage.
Wrap trout with bacon like a mummy, using toothpicks to hold bacon in place. Each trout will require about 6 strips of bacon.

Grill for approximately 5 minutes per side over direct medium-high heat, or until bacon is crispy and trout is cooked throughout. Trout can also be pan-seared for approximately 5 minutes per side.

The recipe is courtesy of the Food Network.

Big Brother

Have we gotten to the point where it is not hyperbole to say that we've become the society described in 1984? (all block quotes here from 1984)

... loosening of legal limits on the use of federal troops on U.S. soil

Is the Patriot Act protecting us or taking away our freedoms?

Patriot Act library case

We take these changes to our society as an unavoidable cost of maintaining our security. We are led to believe that we are always in danger so that we give up our freedom without complaint:

"... the consciousness of being at war, and therefore in danger, makes the handing-over of all power to a small caste seem the natural, unavoidable condition of survival."

Mysticism has replaced logic. Intelligent design is spoken of on equal terms with Evolution:

"In Oceania at the present day, Science, in the old sense, has almost ceased to exist. In Newspeak there is no word for 'Science.' The empirical method of thought, on which all the scientific achievements of the past were founded, is opposed to the most fundamental principles of Ingsoc."

Critical thought and informed dissent have been replaced by talking points. We're told what to think and that if we disagree, it's "unpatriotic":

"She had not a thought in her head that was not a slogan, and there was no imbecility, absolutely none, that she was not capable of swallowing if the Party handed it out to her."

"... a nation of warriors and fanatics, marching forward in perfect unity, all thinking the same thoughts and shouting the same slogans, perpetually working, fighting, triumphing, persecuting - three hundred million people all with the same face."

Tragedy is used to create blind nationalism. Disparate elements are connected to justify the unjustifiable:

"The proles, normally apathetic about the war, were being lashed into one of their periodical frenzies of patriotism."

We've lost the ability to know or to even care when we're being lied to. When the administration changes the rationale for war from WMD's to spreading democracy to protecting oil, we don't complain:

"... she only questioned the teachings of the Party when they in some way touched upon her own life. Often she was ready to accept the official mythology, simply because the difference between truth and falsehood did not seem important to her."

When they act like there was never a different rationale than the current one they are using, we lap it up:

"'Who controls the past', ran the Party slogan, 'controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.'"

And they present it with such perceived sincerity and singlemindedness that we feel guilty for doubting it:

"...the essential act of the Party is to use conscious deception while retaining the firmness of purpose that goes with complete honesty."

I cite Senator Tom Coburn as one of the main offenders:

Coburn’s Hypocrisy A Crying Shame

But he's only one of many.

We've become so cowed that we are afraid to raise our voices. But we do have the power. The first step is becoming conscious:

"Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious."

Read every news source that you can get your hands on. Don't trust tradional media sources to give you an unbiased view. They all answer to corporate entities and the almighty dollar. Unwittingly or otherwise, the stories they pick and the slant they present reflect that.

WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.

Creationism: God's Gift to the Ignorant

I know this one will surely rile JC up ... and that is not my intent. So bear with me. An article written by Richard Dawkins earlier this year does a really good job of exposing the obvious problems with Creationism and with how those that believe it seek to justify it.

Creationism: God's Gift to the Ignorant

I have no problem with people that believe in God. I understand that it's a matter of faith and as such you do not need to have proof. My problem is with people that use intellectual dishonesty to justify their belief. Especially, Intelligent Design believers. That dishonesty is distinctly non-Christian. An example from Dawkins' article:

It isn’t even safe for a scientist to express temporary doubt as a rhetorical device before going on to dispel it.

“To suppose that the eye with all its inimitable contrivances for adjusting the focus to different distances, for admitting different amounts of light, and for the correction of spherical and chromatic aberration, could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest degree.” You will find this sentence of Charles Darwin quoted again and again by creationists. They never quote what follows. Darwin immediately went on to confound his initial incredulity. Others have built on his foundation, and the eye is today a showpiece of the gradual, cumulative evolution of an almost perfect illusion of design. The relevant chapter of my Climbing Mount Improbable is called “The fortyfold Path to Enlightenment” in honour of the fact that, far from being difficult to evolve, the eye has evolved at least 40 times independently around the animal kingdom.

Most scientists will readily admit what they do not know. That "ignorance" is what feeds science. They are always seeking new answers. Creationists are the opposite. Wherever there is a so-called "gap", they will insinuate God into it's place.

Intelligent Designers would have you believe that that by teaching it in school, children are being given more choices. But what they are getting is the exact opposite. Where once there was the thirst for knowledge, there is now encouragement to stop looking if you don't find the answer. Where once there was awe of the wonder of nature, there is now a blind acceptance of the unknown. Again, from Dawkins:

The creationists’ fondness for “gaps” in the fossil record is a metaphor for their love of gaps in knowledge generally. Gaps, by default, are filled by God. You don’t know how the nerve impulse works? Good! You don’t understand how memories are laid down in the brain? Excellent! Is photosynthesis a bafflingly complex process? Wonderful! Please don’t go to work on the problem, just give up, and appeal to God. Dear scientist, don’t work on your mysteries. Bring us your mysteries for we can use them. Don’t squander precious ignorance by researching it away. Ignorance is God’s gift to Kansas.

Coyotes

Alex and I walked over to the arena today and took in an open practice that the Phoenix Coyotes were having. It's probably the only opportunity I'll ever get to actually be sitting in the front row right at the glass. We had a fun time and they gave Alex a puck.

The first picture is Shane Doan on the left. He was literally only a few feet away from us. Cujo (Curtis Joseph) was the goalie on our end of the ice and looked pretty good. The Coyotes are probably going to have to rely on him quite a bit as Brian Boucher was hurt during the exhibition game a few nights ago.

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School Pledge

There's a case making the rounds of the courts right now concerning the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance in school. The contention is on the words, "under god". A federal judge recently ruled that the reciting of the pledge is unconstitutional because it violates school children's right to be "free from a coercive requirement to affirm God."



A lot of Christians (and non-Christians) will say that those two words are not a big deal and people shouldn't make a big deal about them. While others will say that our country was founded on Christian principles and those that would take the words out would be unpatriotic. Both points of view would be wrong.

Those words are a big deal in many cases: you're atheist, you're agnostic, you're Christian but believe in the separation of Church and State, or perhaps you have a different religion. Public schools should not be a conduit for proselytizing. If the Pledge instead said, "We are one nation that denies God exists", people would raise holy hell. The irony seems to be lost on most, though.

Our founding fathers purposely kept references to God out of our constitution. Though the Right would have you believe Jesus himself blesses every move of our President.

I wonder how most flag-wavers would feel if they knew the original pledge: 1) Had no reference to God and 2) Was written by a socialist (that's too damn funny). From David Greenberg's article on Slate of a few years ago:

Given this tradition, it's not surprising that the original Pledge of Allegiance—meant as an expression of patriotism, not religious faith—also made no mention of God. The pledge was written in 1892 by the socialist Francis Bellamy, a cousin of the famous radical writer Edward Bellamy. He devised it for the popular magazine Youth's Companion on the occasion of the nation's first celebration of Columbus Day. Its wording omitted reference not only to God but also, interestingly, to the United States:

"I pledge allegiance to my flag and the republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

"Under God" wasn't added to the pledge and "In God We Trust" wasn't added to paper money until the 1950's. At that time, it was more of a reaction to the great atheist threat, Communism.

Would we be saying that people weren't patriotic before the 1950's because those words weren't there? Of course not ... and we shouldn't be now.

Absolute Morality

Another interesting discussion at Jewish Atheist ... this time about absolute morality.

Mob Mentality/Conventional Wisdom

Some posts on other blogs got me to thinking about the role of the "mob mentality" and "conventional wisdom" in many of society's opinions. Many of us are quick to criticize someone who posits an unpopular statement. Why is that? I believe it is the mob mentality. At the root of this is fear. We conform to society's beliefs. We don't want to rock the boat. We're afraid of being ostracized. I applaud people like the Dixie Chicks and Kanye West. I applaud people that buck the system, that give an unpopular opinion, that fight the power.

Promoting racial and gender equality were not popular opinions.

"... What we got to say
Power to the people no delay
Make everybody see
In order to fight the powers that be
Fight the Power ..." -- Public Enemy

• It was a mob mentality in Nazi Germany
• McCarthyism and blacklisting in Hollywood were mob mentality
• The bloodlust after 9/11 and during the Iraq war is a mob mentality
• Criticizing those against the war is mob mentality
• The media was cowed into perpetuating the lies of the administration by a mob mentality
  

"The public, with its mob yearning to be instructed, edified and pulled by the nose, demands certainties; it must be told definitely and a bit raucously that this is true and that is false. But there are no certainties." -- H. L. Mencken

• Conventional wisdom would have you believe that Iraq was linked to 9/11
• Conventional wisdom would have you believe there were WMD's in Iraq
• Conventional wisdom would have you believe only a godly man can be a moral one
  
  Don't trust conventional wisdom. Don't trust conformity.
  

"... Come on!
Yes I know my enemies
They are the teachers who taught me to fight me
Compromise, conformity, assimilation, submission
Ignorance, hypocrisy, brutality, the elite
All of which are American dreams ..." -- Rage Against the Machine

• If someone tells you the Rapture is coming ... be afraid
• If someone tells you that dissent is not patriotic ... be afraid
• If someone tells you that you need to give up some of your freedom to get security ... be afraid
• If someone tells you that killing in the name of God is OK ... be afraid
• If someone tells you that the press shouldn't be free ... be afraid
• If someone cannot give an opinion that wasn't given them by the church or talk radio ... be afraid
• If someone believes everything their leaders tell them ... be afraid
• If someone believes that you can do whatever you want to our environment and it won't matter ... be afraid
• If someone believes that the free market is the cure-all for all ills ... be afraid
• If someone believes that Ronald Reagan was the greatest president ... be afraid
• If someone believes that our country is safer now than before Sept. 11 ... be afraid
• If someone tells you that it's OK for us to torture but not our enemies ... be afraid. "He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from opposition; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach himself." -- Thomas Paine
• If someone tells you that you can't help the poor and needy and criticize their oppressors at the same time ... be afraid
  
  If someone tells you what you can think ...........
  

"Liberty is the possibility of doubting, of making a mistake,... of searching and experimenting,... of saying No to any authority - literary, artistic, philosophical, religious, social, and even political." -- Ignazio Silone, The God That Failed

ISU 23 -- #8 Iowa 3

A perfect Saturday:

- perusing the EXPO home design center to look at stuff that you can't possibly afford and would have to be seriously sick in the head to even want. $895 for a single lawn chair!! Please explain that to me. But we did see a jacuzi with a built-in 42" plasma TV. Very cool and completely pointless.

- strolling through Kierland Commons in Scottsdale to gawk and make fun of the rich, pretty people. Scottsdale is the Beverly Hills of Arizona ... where zip code and plastic surgery trump social conscience and intelligence.

- ending up at our alumni friend Scott's place in Tempe to watch college football ... specifically the dismantling of #8 Iowa by our Iowa State Cyclones!! My condolences to the Great White Bear as Michigan lost in one of the other games we watched.

- eating Ted's Hot Dogs and drinking Sierra Nevada Pale Ales while watching the games. Nothing like downing some empty carbs. Mmmmm. I think I'll have to do some serious hiking tomorrow to atone for this.

STFU nominees Sept. 4-10

Here are a couple of new ones:

"Price "gougers" save lives." -- ABC News's John Stossel, nominating price gougers for sainthood. Next he'll be praising serial killers for keeping the population under control.

Hurricane "finally cleaned out public housing in New Orleans" -- Rep. Baker of Baton Rouge. Unfortunately, the flood didn't take out the rats.

"The congressman likened their stay to being at camp and asked, 'Now tell me the truth boys, is this kind of fun?'" -- Tom DeLay, visiting evacuees in Houston. Like I said, this sad, sad man could be nominated for this award every day.

And our past nominees:

Tom DeLay on the government response
Pat Robertson on the good that the Hurrican has brought to John Roberts
Barbara Bush -- that matriarch of virtue and compassion

Post any other worthy nominees and we'll announce the winner late Sunday.

Katrina

Don't want to beat you guys over the head with encouraging you to contribute to the various relief efforts. But if any of you were still looking for a place to contribute, the person profiled in this story would be ideal:

She survived Hurricane Katrina, but battle against cancer continues


It's already a compelling story enough as it is. But to give you guys some perspective, the person in the story is our best friend Joanie's sister. Joanie is the wife of Eric (who's blog is on top of my list to the right). The Burleys have been our dearest friends for a long time. Eric and I used to work together but we became even better friends after our work carried us on to new companies. Through times of joy (the births of our children) and pain (the passing of loved ones), they have been the best friends that anyone could ask for and we love them dearly.

Joanie's sister's address is at the bottom of the article. Whether you can give or not, please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

Thanks.

Lance

Oh no, Mr. Bill!!

Senator Mary Landrieu, after initially giving Mr. Bush too much leeway, has been steadily redeeming herself. Back in Washington, she asks the question that we'd all like to know the answer for, "How can it be," she asked, "that Mr. Bill was better informed than Mr. Bush?"

Tom DeLay

It's almost too easy to nominate someone who could really be nominated just about any day of the week, but today's nominee for the STFU award is Tom DeLay:

"The point is if you look at the big picture, it’s a phenomenal accomplishment by everybody involved. It’s unbelievable." -- Tom DeLay speaking to the House today concerning the government's response to Katrina. More here.

And for the opposite of the STFU award, I nominate this guy. He's awesome!

"Go fuck yourself, Mr. Cheney"

Making Faces

A few weeks ago, we had Alex sit for pictures at a place called Making Faces in Scottsdale. They pose you and then take simultaneous pictures from many directions at once. They then use those images to build a holographic image. That holographic image can then be used to create a bust, a 3-D picture, even a bobble-head.

We just got his bust back and it looks pretty good:


Click thumbnail to get larger image

Just an idea for those with young children that might want something a little different as a reminder of when they were small.

Fox News

Watch this. This is powerful stuff. From that great bastion of honesty, Fox News, some truth accidentally leaked out. Even Sean Hannity spinning as fast as a top couldn't counter what Shepard Smith and Geraldo were seeing on the ground:


Horror Show

That is one of the most surprising things to come out of all this ... the press has found it's indignation, it's voice again. From the exchange above to Anderson Cooper's interview to an MSNBC reporter's outrage, the press can't help but be touched by what they are seeing and by what the government is not doing. The Pendulum of Reporting on Katrina

And I hate to even bring this up, but will someone PLEASE severely hurt Pat Robertson? Another nominee (along with Babs Bush) for the "Just Shut the Fuck Up" award:

Robertson claimed that, in the wake of Katrina, Roberts can "be thankful that a tragedy has brought him some good"

"Give me a better idiot"

Great quote from the president of the Jefferson Parish (reprinted from Guardian Unlimited):

The Jefferson Parish president, Aaron Broussard, told CBS news that government would have to be held accountable for what had happened.

"Bureaucracy has murdered people in the greater New Orleans area and bureaucracy needs to stand trial before congress today," he said.

"Take whatever idiot they have at the top, give me a better idiot. Give me a caring idiot. Give me a sensitive idiot. Just don't give me the same idiot."

Barbara Bush

Isabella of the Hungry Blogger brought this our attention:

Barbara Bush: Things Working Out 'Very Well' for Poor Evacuees from New Orleans

I am utterly flabbergasted by her audacity, stupidity, lack of compassion ... you name it. It's no wonder the president we have considering what comes out of that pie hole on his mother's face. To pretend he represents the common man, yet has that Yale and Harvard education and that silver spoon so far up his ass, is laughable. Or it would be laughable if it were not for the ignorance of this cursed family causing thousands of deaths in Iraq and in our own country.

This has gone beyond a difference in philosphy. The incompetence exhibited this last week, the outing of a CIA agent, war profiteering, etc. are impeachable offenses. A great president was impeached for getting a BJ. It's time to send this one home for offenses that history will remember forever.

Thank you for growing a spine!

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) has apparently redeemed herself somewhat after her hilariously sad interview with Anderson Cooper a few days ago. She has actually called Bush to task for using a tragedy as a photo op.


Right now I'm watching Silver City, a very good political mystery, comedy about a fictitious candidate, Dickie Pilager. But don't be fooled, it's about George Bush. From the political handler modeled after Karl Rove to the speaking affectations that are a spitting image of W, this is a Bush indictment. In a case of life imitating art imitating life, the movie begins with a hastily staged photo op on a lake front that begins the slow unraveling of a candidate.

I'm also watching The Fog of War, a documentary about Robert S. McNamara. I'll give a review of it and a more in-depth review of Silver City at a later time. But suffice to say, both are very relevant about today's political climate.

Outsourcing the Nigerian Email Scam

Jamison at BiteSoundBite posted this hilarious exchange:

Nigerian Email Scam

Cheers

I've been about as cheery as the Grim Reaper on my blog in the last week ... deservedly so. But I thought I'd break the monotony a little bit and query my regulars for their list of favorite ways to imbibe. GWB brought up the subject of beer in a post and Laura, wine. Some of you hoity-toity, cheese-tasting, upper-crust types can list your wines. But mine will be 5 fave beers:

Guinness Stout
Stone India Pale Ale
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Dos Equis Amber
Mississippi Mud Black and Tan



I'm interested to hear yours, especially if they're regional favorites that I haven't had before.

Be Charitable Locally

"Defer not charities till death; for certainly, if a man weigh it rightly, he that doth so is rather liberal of another man's than of his own." -- Francis Bacon

It's sad that it takes an event like this to remind us of it, but all that can should help out in their local communities as much as possible ... even if it doesn't directly affect those from Hurrican Katrina.

Today, with our friends the Burleys, we volunteered at the Westside Food Bank, sorting food. My wife's and the Burley's church regularly volunteer there. There are many other great organizations here and in other communities that are helping the needy.

Supposely, over 1000 refugees from the hurricane will be coming to the Valley. We've already offered our home through Moveon.org and would encourage anyone else in communities expecting refugees to do the same. But even if you don't, give of your time and your money to help those in need locally.

Salvation Army

This is sad and funny at the same time. We are in hell:

The Clueless-In-Chief

Low-Interest Loans?

Bush, you fucking moron! I'm tired of being politically correct and even-keeled about this. People are broke, dying, without a home, without food and the best that our Mayberry Machiavellian can do is say that there will be "low interest loans" for people to re-build. You don't understand! These people have nothing. Cut them a fucking check! The cost of rebuilding ($50 to 60 billion) is a drop in the bucket compared to what we've spent in Iraq. Are you giving the people of Iraq "low interest loans? You heartless demagogue. Low-interest -- you know what that means? Somebody will be making money off of these people's suffering. On top of that, check this out:

Halliburton gets Katrina contract, hires former FEMA director

Are we even surprised? Bush and Cheney's cronies are profiting off of people's pain, just like in Iraq.

And FEMA is clueless: The big disconnect on New Orleans

Maybe it's finally time that other Republicans are seeing this administration for what it is:

Senator Vitter gives the "federal government a grade 'F' for its response to the disaster so far"

"... puts into question all of the Homeland Security and Northern Command planning for the last four years, because if we cannot respond faster than this to an event we saw coming across the Gulf for days, then why do we think we are prepared to respond to a nuclear or biological attack?" -- Newt Gingrich

And the world is paying attention on this one too. No free pass like Sept. 11 for Bush:

"Casual to the point of careless -- UK

Storm brews around Bush leadership -- New Zealand

And to you koolaid drinking Righties who think you can somehow defend what has happened, bring it on.

Hastert/Shame

People are dying and all the Speaker of the House of the most powerful country in the world questions rebuilding New Orleans and says retarded things like:

"It looks like a lot of that place could be bulldozed..."

The day of the hurricane, when leadership and preparation would have made a difference, Bush is at a golf resort.

This government is an embarrassment: Politicians Failed Storm Victims

There have been many uplifting stories of rescues and good deeds by those local agencies in the area. The people of America have been amazingly supportive, generously donating, even offering their homes: Adopt a Family of Hurricane Katrina Program and Moveon.org. But history will not look back kindly on how this was handled from the top.

Hurricane

I'll preface this post by saying that our thoughts are obviously with all the families that have been displaced and that have lost loved ones as a result of the hurricane. Nothing we say or do can truly replace their losses.

However, by being prepared and by not misusing the resources we do have, these type of tragedies can be better handled. This is where I feel our government has woefully failed.

First of all, if our National Guard forces were not so depleted because of being deployed overseas, perhaps, looting could have been prevented. Food and water could have been delivered quicker to those in need. And this is not some wacked-out liberal opionion. From the Army Times: Overseas deployments hinder Guard hurricane presence

Secondly, this administration drastically cut funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: record $71.2 million reduction in federal funding. To quote the article from January of this year:

"The cuts mean major hurricane and flood protection projects will not be awarded to local engineering firms. Also, a study to determine ways to protect the region from a Category 5 hurricane has been shelved for now."

Sounds kinda prophetic. Bush will pinch a few pennies when it comes to saving lives but has no problem spending us into debt for a pointless war.

Laura (as usual) has a pretty good take on all this on her blog: Where Did Summer Go?

Kaibab Lake - Williams, AZ

The camping trip was a blast. Weather, scenery, food and fishing were all great. Here are some nice pics of us (Lance, Michelle, and Alex) and my folks:


Kaibab Lake

We were only there a little over a day but did try Isabella's grilled portobello mushrooms. My folks had never had portobello mushrooms and loved them.

Pardon me, your slip is showing

Is it just me, or is the Right getting just a tad bit nervous? They seem to not be doing as good of job of hiding their true nature. Just a few examples:

• American Legion Declares War on Protestors -- Media Next?
  
  Laughably, they argue that we are endangering freedom by exercising it. I've said it many times before, but blind nationalism is not patriotism. I know that the American Legion doesn't necessarily represent all veterans but it's certainly one of the major faces. What I do think is that broad proclamations like theirs will ultimately hurt their cause. There are enough veterans with an actual brain that will see through it.
  
  And it's so political in nature. They argued the exact opposite of their current position when Clinton was in office and we had troops in Yugoslavia.

• Pat Robertson: making friends in Latin America. His apology is almost as bad as his original statement. Why can no one on the right admit a mistake?

• John Bolton: making friends at the U.N.. And if anyone was surprised by this, they are clueless.

• Colin Powell: Former Powell Aide Expresses Regret Over WMD Speech. One would have to assume that Powell regrets it also. He has already admitted that the information he presented was false and from dubious sources.

Got Milk?

There has been yet another suspension in baseball for the ingestion of an apparently banned substance ... milk:

Suspended batboy mulling two offers

Who says crime doesn't pay?

Lucky Sevens

Per Laura's challenge at Sarchasm:

7 Things you plan to do before you die

1. Go to Europe
2. Write a book
3. Get my pilot's license
4. Run for public office
5. Raft the Grand Canyon
6. Jump out of an airplane ... again. Have done once before.
7. Get a philosophy degree. I have a BS in Aerospace Engineering ... how boring.

7 Things you can do

1. Begin a million projects (writing, graphics, video) and finish none
2. Disagree with my family on just about every meaningful political point ... and love them anyway
3. Be a good dad/husband
4. Read too many books at once
5. Get on my soapbox too often
6. Remember completely useless movie trivia and baseball stats
7. Fix computers

7 Things you can't do

1. Work for anyone besides myself
2. Dance
3. Tolerate racism
4. Tolerate hypocrisy
5. Suffer fools
6. Fix my car (except to change the oil)
7. Be consistent about exercising

7 Things that attract you to the opposite sex

1. Kindness
2. Honesty
3. Self Confidence
4. Wit
5. Patience
6. Intelligence
7. Huuuuge .... tracts of land (sorry, couldn't resist)

7 Things you say most

1. Alex!! (seems I have to say my son's name at least twice to get his attention)
2. God damn it (I know, go figure. From a humanist?)
3. Shit
4. Puto
5. Any Sid and Nancy or Monty Python quote
6. Moron
7. I love you

7 Celebrity crushes

1. Charlize Theron
2. Gwen Stefani
3. Kate Winslet
4. Helena Bonham Carter
5. Natalie Portman
6. Franka Potente
7. Halle Berry

7 Songs I like right now

1. B.Y.O.B -- System of a Down
2. Only -- Nine Inch Nails
3. Question -- System of a Down
4. Holiday -- Green Day
5. Vote With a Bullet -- COC
6. End of Hearthache -- Killswitch Engage
7. Evidence -- Faith No More

7 People you want to take this quiz - Like the woman said, anyone that wants to, feel free and post here or on your blog

Day After Tomorrow

Every day, it seems like there is new info out there suggesting global warming:


Melting Arctic a growing threat

One would almost not be surprised to see tornadoes in LA and a new ice age tomorrow. Just kidding. The point is ... the things they exaggerated in The Day After Tomorrow to make a point are not that far-fetched any more.

"House of Ill Repute"

"...Are you amazed at how little power the minority has, especially in the authoritarian House of Representatives? One shrewd contributor thundered against "the tyranny of the majority." He declared that "millions of Americans" were deprived of "their fair representation in the formulation of public policy" and that "the majority in the House has many ways to pass its pet legislation or stall other bills without due regard for proper debate and deliberation.""

Sounds like a quote from some disgruntled Democrat describing the current state of affairs in Washington. But if you thought that, you'd be wrong. It's Newt Gingrich in the book of essays, House of Ill Repute, that was published in 1987.

The great Washington Post writer, E.J. Dionne, has a nice article about it:

Corruption, arrogance run rampant in House of Representatives

So, don't get too comfortable. This too shall pass.

Sierra Club

While the wife and kid are visiting family in Iowa in October, this is how I'm going to spend my vacation:



Appleton-Whittell Audubon Research Ranch

I'm pretty excited about it. Have some fun and enjoy some great scenery while doing something that backs up the words that I spout all the time.

Vehicle Emissions

Thankfully not taking a cue from from the "see-no-evil" crowd in Washington D.C., the states of Oregon and Washington are adopting Cali's tough emissions standards:

Northwest states unite on car emissions

It's something I think you'll see more and more of. People here and abroad are not going to wait for the Bush administration to admit there is a global warming problem.

Garth Brooks

I know it's a little incongruous, but I've always liked Garth Brooks. I saw him in concert and I have several of his albums. I respected his bucking Nashville. He wasn't afraid to write controversial (for country music) songs. But today I am deeply embarrassed for him:

Garth Brooks a Wal-Mart Exclusive

What a fucking sell-out! In the first place, having an exclusivity deal like this with any retailer is bogus. But it just adds insult to injury for it to be Wal-mart. Parading around the shareholders meeting in a Wal-mart blue smock? I think I'm going to be sick.

Re-wilding

Interesting plan on the introduction of large mammals in parts of North America where there is more space and less population than in Africa:

Big game 'could roam US plains'

It sounds like a nutty idea but it would actually help to maintain ecosystems. Something to think about.

Frist

Please make the hurting stop! I said I was not going to write about ID any more ... but I can't resist. Evidently in a move to get himself back in good graces with Dubya after he bucked him on stem cell research:

Frist backs 'intelligent design' teaching

It's laughable how many people (including a so-called "man of science" like Frist) continue to equate general theories with scientific theories. They are not the same thing!

Vigil for Cindy Sheehan

My son Alex and I were fortunate enough to be able to attend the candlelight vigil for Cindy Sheehan at 24th St. & Camelback in Phoenix tonight. It was heartening to see 500+ people together in a common cause against this unjustified war. The great attitude of the attendees was expected ... it was the reactions by the traffic going by that I didn't expect. It was overwhelmingly positive!!


In a red state like Arizona, you can usually plan on more than a few expletives shouted out windows or people flipping the bird. But in the hour or so we were there, the worst thing I saw was someone driving by holding a Bush/Cheney sign out their window ... that was it. Everyone else waved, honked their horns, gave thumbs up, etc.


You really get the feeling that the middle part of the political spectrum is getting sick of the war and high gas prices. And it's not lost on them that a soft-spoken mother of a fallen soldier has scared the leader of the free world into his little hole in Texas.

Rolling Stones -- "Sweet Neocon"

Political song of the day:

You ride around your white castle,
On your little white horse
You lie to your people,
and blame it on your war of course

You call yourself a Christian,
I call you a hypocrite
You call yourself a patriot,
well I think you're full of shit

Oh, sweet Neo Con,
What path have you led them on?
Oh, sweet Neo Con,
Is it time for the atom bomb?

You parade around in costume,
Expecting to be believed
But as the body bags stack up,
We believe we've been deceived

The horror you've unleased,
Will backfire with more grief
When will you ever learn,
Sweet Neo Con, as the world burns?

Oh, sweet Neo Con,
What path have you led them on?
Oh, sweet Neo Con,
Is it time for the atom bomb?
Oh, sweet Neo Con,
What path have you led them on?
Oh, sweet Neo Con,
Is it time to drop the bomb?

Proud Left-Wing Liberal

Great description by James Moore on the Huffington Post about what it means to be a liberal:

Proud Left-Wing Liberal

Intelligent Falling

My friend at the Jewish Atheist brought my attention to this great The Onion article:

Evangelical Scientists Refute Gravity with New "Intelligent Falling" Theory

And, I don't mean to beat a dead horse, but here's one of the most comprehensive and cogent explanations of why Intelligent Design fails. Be warned, the article is fairly long ... but worth it.

The Faith That Dare Not Speak Its Name

Jewish Atheist

In navigating among your guys' posts and posts to your blogs, I came upon The Jewish Atheist. This is a great blog that has many well-reasoned posts on the nature of religion and morals. The blogger also had an interesting perspective because of his time as a Modern Orthodox Jew. Check it out if you get the chance.

Categories listings updated

It's long overdue, but I updated the archived posts under the Categories listings.

Hybrids

Interesting article on hybrid mods:

Experimental hybrid cars get up to 250 mpg

Machinist

I watched one messed-up movie last night, called the Machinist. Without giving too much away, it tells the story of an insomniac machinist who has not slept in a year. Due to his lack of sleep, he becomes increasingingly paranoid. The narrative basically follows his attempts at figuring out who is after him (real or imagined).

It reminded me a lot of Memento because of the main character's disorientation with time and his surroundings. In Memento, the ailment was lack of long-term memory. In the Machinist, it is extreme insomnia.



The Machinist is also remininiscent of Hitchcock movies, especially Vertigo. Ostensibly it's a mystery, but ultimately the truth that is discovered says more about the main character than anything else.

The physical transformation of Christian Bale required for this movie makes that of Renee Zellweger in Bridget Jones' Diary piddling in comparison. He went down to 120 pounds. In comparison, he weighed 220 when filming Batman Begins. He was so emaciated that he looked like a walking skeleton. He definitely took method acting to the next level ... a la Robert De Niro.

I recommend it but only if you like depressing character studies. I do.

James Dobson

Further proof that James Dobson is not only a moron but a dangerous moron:

Helping Boys Become Men, and Girls Become Women

It would be funny if he weren't serious. It's time to tell it like it is ... anyone who follows the beliefs and teachings of this man are completely disconnected from reality. Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, has commentaries carried on about 3500 radio stations. It's scary to think how many people listen to him. Other organizations like the Family Research Council are just as bad, pushing a radical Christian right-wing agenda.

Arizona Chain Reaction

This is a great organization and site for letting you know the independent businesses in your own community(in Arizona) that you can shop at:

Arizona Chain Reaction

Retain chain stores takes jobs and tax revenue out of your community. I encourage all of you to find similar organizations in your state and shop locally. Knowing how most of your are, I'm probably preaching to the choir.

It's not just about keeping the money in your community. It's about getting a superior experience. Harkins Theaters and Bashas Groceries are two examples of local businesses that are every bit as good(or better) as retail chains in price and selection but offer an enhanced product.

"Attractive bodies"

Bush To Determine Scentific Curriculum Of American Schools Based On His Own Experiments

I'd never read this guy's blog before. GreatWhiteBear has a link to him. Too funny.

Compassionate Conservatism?

I hate to use blue state/red state descriptions and dislike painting with a broad brush, but as my pappy used to say, "If the foo shits ...":

On Immigration, The Right Loses All Compassion

When a right-wing governor like Huckabee even thinks it's too extreme, you know you've went overboard. But that's not the suprise, it's the public's reaction in Arkansas ... callers to the governor's office have been 1000-1 against his position. The fact that Clinton was governor of this state indicates that there is some hope for them, but if these callers are any indication of the rest of the state, "whoa, nelly".

Just Add Water

Voila! Instant backyard ... just add water. They finished the water lines, planted the trees and layed down the grass all today. That's it for now. We'll plant some small plants in spring and will probably bring in some gravel before then.

Jim Kelly

Very sad news in the world of sports: Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly's 8 year-old son Hunter died of Krabbe disease, an incurable nervous system disease. The Kelly's have been very active, raising over $6 million for neurological disease research, in trying to find a cure.

Hunter Kelly, 8, dies of Krabbe Disease

Whenever I hear of a young child dying for any reason, my heart aches for his/her parents and family. While I can't say I know exactly how they feel, I do know how it feels to worry every day if you child is going to live to the next day. Our son Alex, who is 4 now and the picture of health and energy, was born 10.5 weeks early and spent the first 6 weeks of his life in a hospital intensive care ward. Every day that we visited the NICU, we agonized over the news we hoped we'd never hear. I'm sure the Kelly's have went through that every day for 8 years. We've had several friends and family members that have also had premature babies or babies with physical issues and you can feel their pain.

Obviously, Hunter Kelly's death is no more important than any other child's death. But because of the prominence of his dad, it just reminds us that every child should not be taken for granted. Cherish every day you have with them because you don't know when they can be taken away. And not all families are as lucky as the Kelly's or ours to have the money and insurance to give the best care possible for their children. No child should go hungry. No child should be uninsured.

Landscaping

Finally, they've started on our backyard landscaping. We've be in the place over a year, so it's about time we got it done. They've put in the water lines and put in the curbing that will surround the grass. The grass and trees will be done in the next few days.

Stadium

Latest pic of the work on the new AZ Cardinals stadium:

Global Warming

How much more evidence do we need before this administration will admit there is global warming ... and to take the steps necessary to do something about it:

Antarctic ice shelf collapse linked to global warming

Environmental damage seen from shuttle

This rapture mentality that pervades some of the right allows them to discount any global warming talk because it won't really matter when Armageddon comes. There are others who may not believe in the rapture but still think you can do anything to the Earth because it will recover. They are right ... it will recover, long after we have exterminated ourselves.

As we have seen from previous posts, religion is not a substitute for science. That is not a criticism. It just means that you can have your beliefs but still respect the world you live in and those who live in it. Many churches, thankfully, are coming around to this way of thinking:

God’s Earth is Sacred

But unfortunately, some have not.

Novak goes postal

Our good friend Bob Novak is starting to show his ass more and more:

Novak Explodes

Church and State

Hello! Is anybody paying attention? This administration is ignoring our Constitution:

Group assails Bible study course taught at schools. What a shocker this happened in Texas.

Bush: Intelligent Design Should Be Taught.

Perhaps they need a reminder:

"...I contemplate with solemn reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between Church and State..." - Thomas Jefferson

"Strongly guarded as is the separation between religion and Government in the Constitution of the United States, the danger of encroachment by Ecclesiastical Bodies may be illustrated by precedents already furnished in their short history." - James Madison

"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." - 1st Amendment of the Consitution

**A great extension of this discussion is on Laura's blog: Unintelligent Design**