Nathan

It has been some time since I wrote in it feels like- I think I had too much to say as you will probably see here.

Just watched Bush on TV announcing that Dr. Rice will testify, yada yada. Part that interested me the most was him running out of the press room afterwards so that no one could ask questions. For being Mr. Flight Suit boy he sure does look scared these days. It is funny, to me, sending our best and brightest into battle yet can't even take a few questions from the media- maybe funny is the wrong word... ironic in a pathetically sad way was more the phrase I was looking for. Geez for all the bark, where is the bite Mr. Resident?

On another subject, supposed to be in this wedding this summer for my friend Christ. Good guy, well meaning, but oddly enigmatic (am I sounding smart right now or what?). Anyway, we have the old bachelor party coming up and he is looking to do this thing in an exclusive resort type place with his soon to be inlaws there and everything (doesn't really sound like a bachlor party does it?). So I raised some objections to it, like lets go to south lake or something, but was eventually shot down. No problem, said I would come up for some golf and hang out a bit ($200 expected cost with gas and everything)... lot of money right? when you have the ol dragon lady on your ass. Guess this is not good enough for his gay (literally) best man and his soon to be wife. They have sent me these ruthless, exceedingly long emails the past couple of days. Unbeelievable. I almost want to just say I am out on the whole thing, but that would be pretty dick.

On the work front, it gets worse everyday. Pretty much everyone at the company right now is unhappy. I wonder, are all companies like this now? Most people around think they are going to be laid off soon as the company needs to keep making their numbers and I guess layoffs are the easiest way. Standard thing though, the re-occuring theme, short sighted gain, long term loss. So predictible... can almost set your career by it ;)

Peace out people, or person?

Page 3 - 10 Burning Questions: George Carlin: "There is so much pressure and they bring it on themselves. I love people failing in public. I think that's magnificent."

TIME.com: The Last Don -- Mar. 29, 2004

Page 2 - The dream: 9 dogs, 9 beers, 9 innings: "Nine innings. Nine beers. Seven-point-five dogs."

CNN.com - Iraq war wasn't justified, U.N.�weapons experts say - Mar 21, 2004 Hard days for el residente and co. Hard days. Our blasted liberal media, never giving Shrub his due, always trying to attack him. Right Golden Bear? With all due respect, my golf idol, you make yourself look stupid when you say these things in national magazines. /rant

King Leopold's Soliloquy - A Defense of His Congo Rule - Mark Twain

Page 2 - Fat Boy, Reggie and Barry: "That's how I met Reggie Jackson, by us having such big mouths.
Oddly enough, even though I was in Oakland, I first met Reggie when he was a Yankee. He was in his glory back then, the master of all he surveyed at the plate, and in his own words, 'The straw that stirs the drink.'"

Wiley, as ever.

NathanNewman.org - News and Views: Did the Terrorists Win in Spain?: "Al Qaeda won the minute Bush decided to match violence with violence. Since then, global support for the terrorists has risen and support for the US has plummeted."

Soldier who refused to return to Iraq is called deserter and ordered to Fort Stewart, Ga.: "A U.S. soldier who refused to return to Iraq after seeing civilians killed reported to his unit in Florida on Tuesday and said he would go to prison rather than take part in 'an oil-driven war.' "

New American Strategies for Security and Peace � OCTOBER 28 & 29 2003 � WASHINGTON DC Great speech. Thanks for mentioning it again, doc.

From the desk of a coworker of this blog.

'I am at my wits end. She [dragon lady] had the audacity to send me and email today at 11:00 AM asking for all this done by tomorrow COB, knowing that I am in [a visit center] today and tomorrow. She also
told me that the [visit center] is not our team's charter, and that I should not go to it, on two hours notice, no less.

Anyway, I just want her gone. She is a cancer to this company, and to me personally.'

It is not just me people.

A slice of history, unfiltered.

True religion is the life we live, not the creed we profess.


- J.F. Wright

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.

- Mahatma Gandhi

"Unknown Soldier" Speaks Out To Bring Troops Home :: Intervention Magazine :: War, Politics, Culture: "So you don�t know any words in Arabic?

They teach us a few words and phrases.

Such as?

Stop. Get down. Kneel. Shut up.

No friendly words?

Not that I can remember. "

Insider Notes from the Pentagon:: "Just think - a theory of everything written by lawyers and academics. Einstein tried and couldn't do it, but rest assured these bozos can. And have! "

I feel a kinship to a man I admire, Scott Ritter. If you don't remember, and due to the dearth of information on this real live hero you probably don't, he was the one man who stood up to the war machine that was making its way to Baghdad. He spoke the truth as he saw it and stood up to a machine that was mocking his service to the country and mocking his family. A very brave act and I can only imagine a very brave man. Hero.

Now, I cannot be construed as anything near a hero. I hope one day to get the opportunity to prove that I am, but now- no. But the reason that I do feel a kinship to this man is that I try to speak the truth, as I see it, under any circumstances, under any amount of pressure.

'The great Polish poet, Czeslaw Milosz has a poem entitled "On Angels" - you can imagine why I was drawn to it - and it concludes by articulating the best possible answer to WHAT AM I DOING HERE and WHY ME: The poet is haunted by a voice:

I have heard that voice many a time when asleep
and, what is strange, I understood more or less
an order or an appeal in an unearthly tongue:

day draws near
another one
do what you can.'

CNN.com - Transcripts Its hard to finish the weekend good after this. Or this. Shit.

G-- g ---g unit. So far good work boys. Only listened to two songs so far though.

Just saw a good show. I am excited to see where it all leads. Seems pretty apparent.

Had an awesome weekend in the bay. The roommates were gone so had the house to myself for the weekend. Had the best weather we have had in a long time. Fucking a... spring is good.

Been reading this. Do yourself a favor if you are into that sort of thing- get this issue. The Golden Bear glitters. Martha Burk included at no extra charge.

Well, ladies and gentlemen (does anyone actually read this?) you's okay by me.

Where is Raed ?

Forever optimistic. Very refreshing.

Buffett letter released - Mar. 6, 2004

Greetings from this little slice of the universe we call home. I hope this weekend is better than the week has been.

Last night, got in a fight (is it a fight if you don't really get angry or fight back?) with the lady. It is so nice once women start to think they own you.

Then wake up this morning to my boy and yours, Howard Stern, doing his 'farewell show'. Really fucking sad on so many levels. Personally obviously I loved listening to him because he is one of the only talking heads out there that is honest more often than not- honesty always gets me and it aint something you can fake. And recently it has been even better for me personally because I hope his new political realization is happening to many- George Bush, our boy Caesar, is fucking up the country and the world like no one before in recent history. Howards final words on the matter, 'I will not be able to talk to you about this, but if you can do one thing for me vote against Bush in the election.' Amen brother.

This issue is even more disturbing though when I look at it from a big picture view. I mean, what is happening to our country? I am allowed to be writing this stuff now? Small, stupid question perhaps, but first they come for Howard, Janet, and then later you, me.

God, it has got to be a better weekend.

Don't Feed The Trolls!: "In the part of this universe that we know there is great injustice, and often the good suffer, and often the wicked prosper, and one hardly knows which of those is the more annoying. --Bertrand Russell"

ESPN.com - Page2 - Requiem for a foul ball: "Steve Bartman, Steve Bartman
Next time you're in the front row box,
do it on the South Side -- Cheer for the Sox."

Oil crash: "Civilization as we know it is coming to an end soon. "

TOMPAINE.com - How To Surrender To The U.N.: "President George W. Bush has no choice now: either surrender to the United Nations, or lose any chance of being re-elected. "

J.V.'s World "If you have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other." - MOTHER TERESA

Page 2 - Finding Timelessness in sports: "It was hard to watch both that scene and the movie for the next few minutes, but I accomplished it. Soon, the picture began to work its magic on us and absorbed me. It did to this father, too, even though you could tell he was fighting against it. The young boy, I figure, had seen it before. As the picture wound to its climax, the purveyors of violence gained the inevitable and Biblical fruits of what they'd sown.
The father was now moved by what he'd seen. And now he was the one humiliated. And the boy knew that he'd won. They left the theater, boy in front, showing the way out of the confusing maze of a mall. The step-father was now contrite in his confusion, asking for directions; and, between the lines, for forgiveness."


Wiley, not his best work, but consistently better than most (all) out there.

Independent Gay Forum: Varnell, Paul. 'Anti-Love Isn't Pro-Marriage.': "They give a number of reasons why only heterosexuals should be allowed to marry: the procreation of children, the preservation of social stability, the purported �fit� of the male and female genitalia. But they never seem to mention that men and women might love each other and want to spend their lives together."

MSNBC - Altercation:

Name: D.Z.
Hometown: Mobile, AL
Comments:
Sorry for the gruesomely long post, but a shallow treatment of this topic is exactly what Mel has done and I wouldn't want to repeat his mistake:

A point that I think has been overlooked, although Leon Wieseltier does address it in his review of the movie for TNR, is the stylistic choices that have been made in the making of "The Passion," anti-Semitic and otherwise. Although there is almost nothing that one can say the Bible is "absolutely clear" about, the original sources here seem fairly straightforward (at least they were when I was in Bible school): Pilate, bureaucrat, doesn't really care but decides to have Jesus condemned rather than face anger from the restless natives, led by the Pharisees. None of this is anti-Semitic in and of itself, since most Christians accept that all of humanity is equally responsible for Christ's death, since his entire purpose was to die for our redemption: nous sommes tous Christ-killers.

Gibson's film, however, bypasses these theological aspects and focuses on the sensual and the gory, and this is where it becomes offensive. Seemingly ignoring the bulk of Christian theology, it chooses to highlight the agony and suffering of a man, and the cruelty of his betrayers and tormenters. Instead of dwelling on the central tenets of Christians' faith, that Jesus died for the sins of ALL, the movie places its focus and the blame squarely on the immediate physical causes of Jesus’ death: the Romans and the Jews. Since we don’t have too many Romans left to kick around anymore, the process of elimination leaves us with only one target. The anti-Semitism in the film appears to be an almost incidental byproduct, although one that Gibson clearly doesn't care too much about correcting, the result of directing all attention toward the base technicalities of Jesus’s execution. That it exists at all in a movie in which most of the characters, positive and negative, are Jewish is stunning.

Roger Ebert’s quote here is illuminating: "The movie is 126 minutes long, and I would guess that at least 100 of those minutes, maybe more, are concerned specifically and graphically with the details of the torture and death of Jesus. This is the most violent film I have ever seen."

Ebert having seen quite a few films, to say the least, this statement reveals what is most offensive about Gibson’s work. Even had he left in Caiaphas’ line about killing one man to save the nation, as some critics have suggested, the overall spotlight of the film would have stayed the same. It ignores the spiritual and centers in on the physical -- why make people think when you can shock, horrify, revolt, and wrench them.

In this respect, Wieseltier and Gregg Easterbrook are on the right track: having spent much of his career trafficking in violent movies, Gibson has finally found a topic in which the violence is guaranteed to leave audiences deeply affected. He is playing on the deepest beliefs of his viewers, the vast majority of whom his brand of religion ironically consigns to a fate less than salvation. Clearly, notoriety and possibly wealth, acclaim, etc., are Mel’s main goals here. For that reason alone, Christians have much more to be outraged about in "The Passion" than Jews. He has taken their faith and debased it in a terrible, self-serving way.






Amen.

Page 2 - Love shouldn't hate on the heckle

ESPN.com - GOLF - Unhappy Gilmore moment: Heckler bothers Love: "'They don't respect what other people do, don't respect your elders, don't respect other people's space, don't' respect traditions or etiquette or customs. You see it in every sport, you see it walking down he street, not holding the door open for a lady when you're supposed to.'"