Nathan

Pops talked to me today about how what I write to him sometimes about Bush 'makes him sad.'

It is hard to know where to start here, but if you are not sad about what has happened under Bush you either haven't been paying attention or... I don't know. You tell me. I don't hate on dudes having strong views on things. Generally I would prefer people have an educated view, but having views-cool. Anyway, the problem I see is that this guy believes in some pretty extreme stuff (wanting to write prejudice INTO our Constitution, f-ing the environment without worries, etc, etc, etc) which, like I said, cool, but dude- you are supposed to be representing a whole nation. The rez 'won' by a very close margin and now he is going around like God placed him where he did and he will piss on international organizations and fuck the environment dead... um, whats up? There are majorities and minorities in this country (just wanted to make sure-- claiming that America is 'white' is sort of stupid) and if you are a good prez I would think you would try to represent a good handful of us. You havent been rep'pin me too good, mr rez.

So I am sad on this level. The popularity of Passion of the Christ makes me a little sad too. Seeing the war pictures and thinking about that, a year in now, makes me sad too. Our society, so violent. I wish the messages of violence that we have in our society could be changed to something else... all of it hurts my brain. Ah, but I am such an idealist. Will it ever work out like I think it is going to? Some days I am so sure, some days I just don't know.

Smile ;)

TOMPAINE.com - Giap Was Right Before

Poynter Online - Inside the Decision to Feature "The Fallen"

God bless them and them.

CNN.com - Gadhafi urges end to all WMD - Apr 27, 2004: "Speaking through a translator, Gadhafi said: 'Libya calls on all countries, from America to China, to discard and get rid of all WMD. Libya has become an example to be followed."

MSNBC - Even in death, Tillmans are brothers in arms: "Pat Tillman's loyalty is legendary. One of his best friends in high school, Sachin Shah, was a basketball player who was unable to play because of a heart murmur. Frandsen, the coach, had Shah work as an assistant until his senior year, then allowed him to suit up and play Senior Night.
The Leland gym was packed. Frandsen allowed Tillman to sit behind the bench. When Shah came off the floor, Tillman, in tears along with most of the crowd, embraced his friend.
Afterward, Tillman approached Frandsen, 'Coach, I just want you to know that what you did, for one of my brothers, is the most gracious thing I've ever seen.'"

So many heroes surround us each day.

conspiracy theory 911 | Metafilter: "The attacks on September 11 and the events before and after are a vast web of conspiracies, anyone who denies that is confusing ignorance for truth. These conspiracies may not be as baffling or sinister as the ones mentioned in this article, but they do have the advantage of being real, and the hardcore 'skeptics' are being just as irrational as the looniest of the conspiracy theorist. It should be remembered that government is the greatest conspiracy of them all. Our fellow citizens working together for the good of all. Ideally government is just, honest and transparent. At this moment in our history it is not any of those things. The many conspiracy theories about 911 are an honest, if irrational, reaction to this sad fact."

Orcinus: "One of the reasons I really hate the cult of celebrity is the way it lionizes wretches while obscuring and ignoring the great people among us who choose anonymity. People like my friend Bob Leamer."

All the President's Suckers - Flip-flopping is the last stage of trusting Bush. By William�Saletan

MSNBC - Altercation: " want to address the Scott Ritter issue a bit. I've done a semester's worth of legal research on weapons of mass destruction, and feel compelled to talk about Scott Ritter. I feel those who cling to the statements Ritter made in 2002 lucked out when he turned out to be right. He was never credible to me because of his statements to the U.N. in 1998, which are supported by the January 29, 1999 report by UNSCOM to the U.N. (available here)."

Um... I don't know what to believe. Maybe the dude was lucky. I am such a Kerry (flip flopper) ;-)

Personally of course this issue means a lot to me. I will tell you
why. My spirituality and my way of viewing the world is that our earth
is the only God that I know. It has provided for me everything that I
have ever known and loved from you, Mom and Dad, to our family to the
beauty and love that I get to feel each day. Ghia, our earth as it was
called in ancient times, is not simply a provider for me however. I am
also constantly amazed with the intelligence and amazing
interconnectedness that I can feel and notice (think about how bee's
pollinate our flowers for a simple example) even though often it is not
recognized as such. It is this intelligence, this true God-like
organism called Earth, that will lead us towards what I feel to be an
amazing coming century. She has been neglected long enough.

Yahoo! News - Earth Day a "sad day" for US: Sierra Club ecologists: "'The Bush administration is full of officials who believe -- from the bottom of their hearts, not just their wallets -- that weaker laws on clean air, less funding to clean up toxic waste dumps, and national parks and forests run for private profit are actually good for the country,' he charged."

The following speech was given by Nelson Mandela as part of his Inauguration
Speech in 1994. This section was originally written by Marianne Williamson
in her book 'A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of a Course in
Miracles.'

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves,
who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you NOT to be? You are a child of spirit. Your playing
small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of spirit that is within us. It is
not just in some of us, it is in everyone. And as we let our own light
shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we
are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates
others.
- Nelson Mandela

New Scientist Internet flaw? Huh?

Just wanted to update real quick btw. Bachelor party is now in the city and is gonna work out a lot better. Good stuff. Should be some fucking fun. Look for us in the Ruby Sky... we will be the drunk assholes :)

Haven't written in for some time, thanks for giving me the opportunity right now blogger;)

Went on a great vacation last week. Visited the pacific and then the atlantic... does it get any better? Life is too good to me.

Then I get back to work. Monday, cool.. catching up, thinking maybe things have changed a bit in a week. Tuesday the reality sets in. Fucking a. On an upbeat note, I don't see things lasting with me under the dragon lady too much longer as I have called her out to most everyone I work with including the newest head manager. But how will it work out? Who knows, but I can safely say I hardly care anymore. Obviously I would like things to turn out for the best, but after so long going through change and going through bs it just tires you out man. I am fucking tired.

With that, good night. The best to you and yours blogger.

BBC NEWS | Middle East | US warns of new Falluja offensive

Open source's untapped potential / Author says Linux's democratic model could be applied to other industries

ESPN.com - GOLF - Maisel: Worth The Wait

God, it must seem like I'm a front-runner, but honestly have always loved his game and couldn't be happier for Lefty.

Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall: "(April 10, 2004 -- 03:38 PM EDT // link // print)
I mentioned a few days ago that a friend of mine who spent a career in US military intelligence specializing in counter-terrorism is now in Iraq working as a contractor providing security for companies and NGOs.
I received this update from him this morning ...
The fighting two nights ago was loud and widespread throughout the northern and northwestern parts of Baghdad ... areas such as Yarmouk, Sadr City had almost continuous gunfights and rocket attacks. When we heard US forces using the main gun on M-1 tanks at 1 AM we knew it was serious insurgency at hand. The night is no longer the refuge and domain of the Americans. I have to tell you although the wide open areas of Iraq give a false sense of security. Even though much of this is unseen to most people the situation has gone from bad to really bad to unbelievably bad! Westerners are getting hit everywhere. Security companies escorting CPA, themselves and other Westerners are now on the menu for all the armed resistance groups. There was a report of a massive ambush by one security firm that tried to drive in from Amman. Reports have 25-40 gunmen opening up on them. They lost all of their vehicles and had to be given a mercy lift by a passing Iraqi minivan. Several other firms lost western security personnel killed this week in drive-by ambushes and even a seige by the Sadr Militia. Several NGOs, security firms and military bases were literally under siege for days in Kut, Nasiriyah and Baghdad. The boldness and sophistication of the attacks is staggering and it is clear that every one of the resistance fighters and Islamic militiamen have taken heart at the ease of inflicting damage on the Westerners. The abductions of the Japanese hostages is a sign that we have entered a new phase of bad as abduction requires a permissive environment...."

Holy shit.

MSNBC - Altercation: "The truly great thing about these 9/11 hearings remains the towering moral witness of the 9/11 widows -- and shame on Bob (Coiffure By Vespasian Of The Appian Way) Kerrey for shushing them. They are doing more than standing up for their loved ones, and that surely would have been enough. They are glorious in their casual disdain for the 'Intelligence Community.' They are blissfully unimpressed by the Great Men who presume to tell them what the Great Men decide they should know. They leave the pundits gaping at their heedless disregard for the Governing Class. Almost alone, they have insisted that information be brought to light that will enable us to judge our leaders and hold them to account, and that's what this whole silly experiment was supposed to be about -- the 'most dreaded kind of knowledge,' according to that impossible old blatherskite, John Adams. God save these wonderful women. They are being citizens -- in the most complete sense possible -- for the rest of us."

The New York Times > Washington > Campaign 2004 > Battles in Iraq Bring Troubles for Bush and Kerry as Well: "In an interview on Wednesday with American Urban Radio Networks, Mr. Kerry described the president's Iraq policy as 'one of the greatest failures of diplomacy and failures of judgment that I have seen in all the time that I've been in public life.'"

Howard Stern: "'This is not a surprise. This is a follow up to the McCarthy type 'witch hunt' of the administration and the activities of this group of presidential appointees in the FCC, led by 'Colin Powell Jr.' and his band of players. They and others (a senator from Kansas City to a congresswoman from New Mexico) are expressing and imposing their opinions and rights to tell us all who and what we may listen to and watch and how we should think about our lives. So this is not a surprise. It is pretty shocking that governmental interference into our rights and free speech takes place in the U.S. It's hard to reconcile this with the 'land of the free' and the 'home of the brave'. I'm sure what's next is the removal of 'dirty pictures' like the 20th century German exhibit in a New York City Museum and the erotic literature in our libraries; they too will fall into their category of 'evil' as well.

Howard Stern, April 8th 2004"



Howard, we are all with you. Satellite radio is probably best for you anyway, but that you cannot move on your own terms does make a mockery of what our country was, what it still can be.

Greenland Melt May Swamp LA, Other Cities, Study Says: "Meanwhile, the global surface temperature increased 0.6� Celsius (1.8� Fahrenheit) in the last century. Oceans have become warmer, too, expanding while storing heat. This has caused sea levels to rise 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters) in the last hundred years. "

ESPN.com - GOLF - Bradley: Daly's shot Go, go, go.

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Global warming may melt Greenland's ice, scientists warn

Op-Ed Columnist: The Mercury Scandal Disgusting.

Its funny isn't it, how life seems to travel in waves. Every little thing in life it seems.... breathes-- even has a life of its own.

I realize this in so many aspects of my life- do you notice it in yours? I think about it when I am on the basketball court, like I was just about an hour ago. There, it seems, these waves come quick and furious... maybe that is the draw. It is like life, but compressed into a short 21 points.

I also realize how important it is to have people that stick around with you during the lulls, the troughs. I am so lucky to have a person like that by me. I hope I am that person for her- I try to be. Much love angel.

DimeMag.com: Smack: "Reason number 1,000 that the Nature Boy Rick Flair is our favorite old school champ. Seems that Flair and some of his boys (Razor Ramon and Gold dust) were acting a bit inappropriate on a flight in 2002. Flair was reportedly only wearing his robe, waving his real championship belt around (if you know what we�re getting at). The flight attendants are now suing, citing sexual harassment. Woooooo "