Nathan

Good goddamn day lady and gentleman?  I think I only have two readers.

It is such a good day on so many levels.  I get to walk out of here today for the last time.  Despite my lack of success as far as my career level goes (IC1 baby) I walk outta here with my head extremely high and my morals and character and spirit intact.  I am proud of myself and proud of the hard work I have done here (the mental, cerebral work was the hardest).  I hope I don't sound arrogant, for that is not how I feel.  I feel successful on so many levels. 

What next?  First, some time to myself.  I look forward to a great trip to Florida and then some camping in Big Sur.  After that I am pretty sure that I will begin working for an old boss of mine on a little business he has started.  I will talk about that more later- it is an amazingly great idea and I am proud of him whether things work out for me there or not. 

For the time being, be well- stay happy.  Attitude is so important is it not?  It is the foundation of everything, so little else matters.  It seems 10% or less of life is what happens to you and 90% is about how you react.  Little tidbit to gnaw on until we (me, myself and I) write again.  Much love.  Big ups to my peeps.

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: Fear of Fraud: "Let's not be coy. Jeb Bush says he won't allow an independent examination of voting machines because he has 'every confidence' in his handpicked election officials. Yet those officials have a history of slipshod performance on other matters related to voting and somehow their errors always end up favoring Republicans. Why should anyone trust their verdict on the integrity of voting machines, when another convenient mistake could deliver a Republican victory in a high-stakes national election? "

CNN.com - Chimp yawning suggests 'human' empathy - Jul 27, 2004: "'Humans have a strong belief in our differences,' Matsuzawa said. 'Objectively, we should be one member of the apes.'"

We all make mistakes don't we?  Have a hard time sometimes seeing others points of view?  Or even have problems seeing other points of view too much?  Life can be confusing sometimes. 

As I move through my life I have more and more realized that we are all connected whether we want to be or not.  I am connected to some more than others, through culture and ideas and whatnot, but connected with everyone and everything here on God's green earth in one way or another.  That is why it hurts me to see people or nature or other things in pain.  I feel for many different groups of people in this world, like hard working, good natured Iraqis just as I feel for many other groups of people and things. 

I have a hard time with this sometimes, keeping these cares straight- making sure to care for myself too.  It is easy to get lost in the troubles of the world. 

The greatest people have though, haven't they?  Abe Lincoln, mistakes (even failures) made throughout his life, was finally able to lead our people out of the dark shadow of slavery and all that entailed.  Ghandi devoted his life to many people- most of whom he probably never met, but I have to guess he felt like he knew them all.  Mother Theresa, what more could be said about this saint?  There are not enough words.  MLK, JFK, RFK, Jesus, Confusious.... the list is long of great, strong, failable people who made their mark in history. 

I leave that idea with you, now.  Have a great evening- hug a tree.

Eschaton: "To conclude, imagine yourself an Iraqi. You've suffered terribly under a ruthless dictator. The Americans invade your country under false pretenses. They promise democracy but don't organize elections. They appoint exiles to rule you, exiles who spend most of their time out of the country and the rest in a few highly protected areas. The occupiers break into your homes in the middle of the night and arrest your men, who then disappear, with no accountability. They shoot Iraqis at roadblocks and from convoys. They declare war on the second most popular man in the country, announcing his death in advance. They open the economy to US corporations and give them sweetheart contracts, ignoring local business. Then they write hundreds of laws and establish commissions limiting any future government. They build permanent military bases on your soil. Then they turn your country over to a former associate of Saddam Hussein, also a former CIA agent, known for his ruthless brutality. Imagine that was your country. What would you do?"

IHT: Saddam's people are winning the war

One of my heros. Have not read the article yet, but I look up to the man nonetheless.

DimeMag.com: "You�ve got to hand it to Shaq; the Big Fella always keeps the fans happy. The Diesel took it upon himself to take out a full-page advertisement in the Los Angeles Times yesterday thanking the L.A. fans for having his back during his 8-year tenure with the Lake Show. The omnipresent O�Neal was pictured in the ad flashing his pearly whites and palming a basketball. The Big Aristotle waxed nostalgic in the ad, saying, 'I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your incredible support over the last eight years. I am moving on to the next chapter in my career, but I will never forget the support that you gave me. I will miss each and every one of you. You have been there with me through it all - we never could have won any of the championships without you.' Now there�s a class act "

Good night people.  Sleep well, have good dreams. 

I am going to drift off tonight thinking about tomorrow, and the next day.  It is a gift, no? to live in interesting times.  Tomorrow, wisdom tooth pulled, but the next day and the day after that- who really knows huh? 

I like to think only positive things are to happen, but I think we all know that is not the case.  We will have to go through some things first, some tough 'looking in the mirror' time.  We'll do fine.  Like a Bob Marley song, everything will be all right.  It might take some time, but everything will be all right. 

Good night.

CNN.com - Casino ejects Ronstadt�over 'Fahrenheit' praise - Jul 19, 2004: "Ronstadt, who had been hired for a one-show engagement Saturday night at the Las Vegas Strip casino, dedicated a performance of 'Desperado' to Moore and his controversial documentary, which criticizes President Bush and the U.S.-led war in Iraq.
That dedication angered some Aladdin guests who spilled drinks, tore down posters and demanded their money back, said casino spokeswoman Sara Gorgon."

Is this America now? Very saddening to hear about. On the one hand, who cares what Linda has to say, on the other, shouldn't she be allowed to say anything she wants without violence and hatred erupting? Holy shit.

Lucky Ducky Purgative (Ftrain.com): "I know he understands why I go to protests, and I know why he joined the Navy. And I doubt we'll ever argue over our differences, because somehow they're not that great, they just make sense, and our similarities are more important: that people should be respected, that you shouldn't take things too seriously, that we loved our grandfather, that scotch and cigars are great from time to time, that a vacation should involve a log cabin and no running water. Being a good man is what we both struggle to do. The emphasis there is on struggle; I am not yet a good man, by my own definition; I am still selfish, still afraid where I should be brave, I should have faith. I do not treat all people as true equals, and I look for power instead of ways to give more away far more than I do the right thing.
I know my brother is working on it, too. You get there, little by little. Whether by prayer or hope or just closing your eyes and being someone better in your fantasies. You don't do it to save the world but because it's just part of being human, trying to make this into a world where everyone with a story can tell it, and someone else will listen. "

Cold Turkey -- In These Times: "Dr. Vonnegut said this to his doddering old dad: �Father, we are here to help each other get through this thing, whatever it is.� So I pass that on to you. Write it down, and put it in your computer, so you can forget it.
I have to say that�s a pretty good sound bite, almost as good as, �Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.� A lot of people think Jesus said that, because it is so much the sort of thing Jesus liked to say. But it was actually said by Confucius, a Chinese philosopher, 500 years before there was that greatest and most humane of human beings, named Jesus Christ."

Democracy in the Balance, Sojourners Magazine/August 2004: "Nothing seems to embarrass the political class in Washington today. Not the fact that more children are growing up in poverty in America than in any other industrial nation; not the fact that millions of workers are actually making less money today in real dollars than they did 20 years ago; not the fact that working people are putting in longer and longer hours just to stay in place; not the fact that while we have the most advanced medical care in the world, nearly 44 million Americans - eight out of 10 of them in working families - are uninsured and cannot get the basic care they need."

Thanks again, MeFi.

Thoreau's Walden

bostonsportsguy.com: "I can dig it. "

Hits another one out of the park.

Perception Gap in Iraq (washingtonpost.com): "To the relief of the White House, the American public and media seem to be slowly trying to tune out Iraq's continuing violence. Accounts of all but spectacular assaults slide deeper into network news broadcasts and the inside pages of newspapers as the summer and the U.S. presidential campaign progress. "

It's Not Fun, So Why Do We Do It? (Farewell to the Corps: Col Wayne Shaw, USMC): "We must reverse these trends. There will be a new 'evil empire' eventually. Sacrifices will need to be made and perhaps many things cannot change but first and foremost we must fix our leadership problems. The rest will take care of itself. If we can only fix the leadership problem....Then, I still can't promise you 'fun' but I can promise you the reward and satisfaction of being able to look into the mirror for the rest of your life and being able to say: 'I gave more to America than I ever took from America....and I am proud of it.'
Semper Fi and God Bless you."

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion. For most men, it appears to me, are in a strange uncertainty about it, whether it is of the devil or of God, and have somewhat hastily concluded that it is the chief end of man here to "glorify God and enjoy him forever."
--Thoreau

"... I'm just here, brother, trying to exist in a world where nobody knows what they're doing. We don't know what's going on. ... I'm tyrannical, because I'm not happy with myself. I don't care if I live or die. I don't give a &%$# about any of you all -- but I do. ... I don't know if I've ever loved anybody. I definitely don't think anybody will ever love me. ... I've got serious demons I'm fighting." --Mike Tyson

Hello, God? It's Me, Dubya / Lord? Bush here. I'm confused. Why won't you crush Kerry and smite the heathens? Hello?: "Or when he says to turn the other cheek? Or love thy enemies? Or when the Bible says, 'The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control'? Or any of that other pointless pacifist hippie junk? "

MSNBC - Sen. Edwards: �I had to stand up and say no�: "Sen. Edwards: �[In] my personal interaction with him, he's always been perfectly cordial and polite. He called me on the day that Sen. Kerry named me as his running mate. He was very cordial and polite. I think he is out of touch with the lives of most Americans. I don't think he has any idea of the struggles and problems that people face most days in their lives. I think as a result of that, it's very hard for him to, going forward, to provide the kind of vision of hope and opportunity that this country, I think, is entitled to and needs. But we have dramatically different views of the world. I mean, I come from a family where my father worked in a mill in rural North Carolina. I was the first person in my family to � be able to go to college. And I've had more opportunities than anybody could ever hope for, that I would've ever dreamed of. And because of that, I feel an enormous responsibility to � provide those same opportunities to all other Americans.�"

"I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from
distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little
minds to shrink, but they whose heart is firm, and whose conscience
approves their conduct, will pursue their principles unto death."

Thomas Paine
1737-1809, Political Theorist and Writer

Good points from my work mother.

Great points today JV. Sometimes you go a little overboard with what, I think, might be your own minds perception of things, but the underlying message I like, and it is inescapable.

Love and light and goodness is truly the only way. That is why I don't worry so much about our Mother Earth. She will have the last laugh. The question to me is this: will she be laughing at you or with you?

Just to go on a bit about one of the points that JV made that I really like. You were given 5 senses (some say there are many many more, but another story for another time) to take in the world. To percieve beauty, to touch another, to taste goodness, to smell greatness. What do people use these senses for these days though? Judgement. 'That bitch is too fat.' 'That guy is fucking ugly.' 'That dude is dumb.' Wrong course. I think we might have lost our way. We will find it again, together.

Good points below, thanks to Altercation.

Name: John S. Lucas
Hometown: El Cerrito, CA
Eric,
Sometimes it is hard to know where to direct one’s anger. In the Ozarks they have a saying. Do not try to teach a pig how to sing. All you will do is end up annoying the pig and you will end up being frustrated. The President and his crew are beyond any help but people like you and the alleged Liberal media probably fit into that category also.

In the years that I drove truck the only thing on the radio, with a few exceptions such as NPR, was Limbaugh, his clones and Christian radio. If it was not for Bernie Ward and Ray Taliaferro on KGO I think I would have gone completely nuts. In an age with the computer things have improved but I still do not think you get it.

I am supporting Kerry because as a fellow Vietnam veteran I understand where he is coming from on the war. I love Edwards because not only does he get what the problem is but has articulated it so well with his two Americas theme.

My problem is with people like you and the alleged journalists who have covered the President. A capsule of what the main issue that is confronting America is what the President did to get into the Air National Guard and out of the draft. The then Secretary of Sate of Texas pulled strings to get the President into the Guard. Someone from the other America had to take his place and take the risks of being sent to war. As a veteran of that war I admit that it is personal. I knew many boys, for we were all boys then, who came from that second America and got to pay the many prices of doing what your country wanted you to do. I have no problem with those that were against the war and went to Canada. I think of draft resisters who went to jail for their beliefs as heroes. It does not bother me that the Vice President decided not to serve and got deferments. The hypocrisy of what the President and his father did is at the core of what is wrong with this country. Both men supported the Vietnam War and the father used political pull to get his son out of it. If you really give it some thought this is what the Republican Party stands for and the President is really the poster boy for what the Republicans are all about. First America, second America.

I cannot get real mad at Bush for a man who would do such a thing is missing something inside. That something is called Character and sadly one either has it or does not.

You on the other hand are a different cup of tea. I read your blog every day and I think you care about this country and all that live in it. You are obviously well educated and are certainly smarter than I am. How is it that you do not get what the President did to get into the guard as an important issue in this election? How is it that Chris Mathews, any of 60 Minutes crew, Tom Brokaw, Dan Rather, and the rest of these “journalists” have not asked the President or any of his crew about this? They say that 45% of the country will always vote for Bush. I will tell you that it is not true. If this story ever got the coverage it deserved and everyone was aware of it and of its implications Bush could not get elected to dog catcher.

Who is at fault here? It is not Bush for what he did lines up with his beliefs. In front of a bunch of his first America crowd he said, “Some would call you the elite but I call you my base.” He meant it. The problem is with all you smart commentators and journalists. It is your job to get the facts out to everyone. The facts of the President sending someone else to face the risks of the draft by using political pull should be known to every person in this country. That it is not is because of the “liberal media” and commentators like you. Though I like you and agree with you politically on 90% of what you write I must tell that you really piss me off.

MSNBC - Title not enoughfor Kobe, Jackson says: "'I learned that winning doesn't always make people happy,' Jackson said. 'There's a lot of back-biting and selfishness and ego gratification. It's not enough for everybody, even when you win, sometimes. I don't know if it's the price of the NBA itself or the fact it takes such a heavy toll on our lives that makes it so difficult for all of us.'"

MSNBC - 'The Dots Never Existed': "'Let's keep in mind the fact that this war's going to happen regardless of what Curve Ball said or didn't say,' he wrote. 'The Powers That Be probably aren't terribly interested in whether Curve Ball knows what he's talking about.'"

New York Daily News - Daily Dish & Gossip - Trump slams Bush on Iraq

TomPaine.com - 4000 Scientists Confront Bush Administration

Salon.com Books | Citizen Flynt: "Many legal arguments of great weight have been made before that mighty bench, but not even Clarence Darrow ever dared to yell, 'Fuck this court! You're nothing but eight assholes and a token cunt!'
Citizen Flynt did. "

Great links this morn.

CNN.com - Will Ferrell, 'Anchorman' deluxe - Jul 8, 2004: "FERRELL: Yes, well, that's one of my many weapons in my comedy arsenal -- the body.

...

FERRELL: Well, President Bush is pretty funny, I have to say. But I don't know if he's funny for our country."

I wonder if Bush is appealing to his base by not going to a NAACP event? Hmmmm... I get the feeling the racist (bigot? redneck?) card is his ace in the hole. Pitiful.

So here we are on the 8th day of July, year of our Lord 2004. Whats going on with you? Me, just chilling here at work.

Loving the new schedule, once I get up. Doing a little 7-4 these days. I get the feeling I have been a bit too negative recently so I will not belabor the issue, but it is safe to say that Dragon Lady's efforts to fire me when she was the boss have continued into the present. How do I know? Well, a number of reasons, but the main one being this pitiful expense report I submitted and the way it was handled. As best I can figure the thought from my loving supportive leaders was that I was trying to scheme the company or steal money of some sort. How much was this expense report? $430 or so. Seems like a lot perhaps, but in reality would I sell my honor and dignity and rip off the entity that has been paying my bills (because at the end of the day they are very nice about that) for this amount of money? Any amount? No.

I think it is just another example of folks, Dragon Lady in particular, thinking they are so smart and yet, with their actions, displaying themselves as not so smart at all. How much time and salary was wasted on this witch hunt? Joke is on you when you log on to Msnbc.com and see the stock price (I have none ;).

Is this to say that I am all that smart as my sister thinks that I think I am? I sometimes like to think that I am educated because I work at it, but I think the smartest thing I ever learned is that I do not have all the answers and I am no better than anybody else- we are all just different. And I have embraced the differences, even love them. I try to approach things with innocent eyes and an open heart. It leads to pain sometimes and difficulty, but with this approach I do not think you can go wrong in the end.

The meek shall inherit the earth. (Funny joke that Mr. David Cross [go buy his 'Its not funny' cd, I'm tellin ya] told about this phrase. Goes something like this: So we are going to the moon now eh? Didn't know there was oil up there too, but what do I know? We are going to be establishing moon bases up there and possibly going from there to Mars... pretty cool. Problem I see though is that I don't think regular people will get a chance to go up there. Those rich fucks that do, you know what they will be saying don't you? 'The moon is for us... you didn't hear? The meek shall inherit the earth.')

CNN.com - Bush�declines NAACP invitation - Jul 8, 2004: "NAACP spokesman John White said Wednesday that Bush has declined invitations in each year of his presidency -- becoming the first president since Herbert Hoover not to attend an NAACP convention."

MSNBC - A Foul Mouth And Manhood: "That's a guy thing. Besides, the bosses here set a higher official standard than the ones at the White House do."

The Iraq Page - Adam Estep

Adam's Journal: "Sunday, December 7th, 2003


8:20 pm - pish-posh
not doing anything particularly interesting right now, just meandering my last few minutes of a nice relaxing Sunday away...
This'll be a nice, shory week for me - Demara is coming out thursday for the Ball, and then we're flying back to Cali this upcoming weekend together - it's going to be so great. I even get a decent amount of time at home.
So anyway, I think I'm going to lie down. Yeah.
*slump*

current mood: blah "

Heartbreaking. This is the last post from a soldier before his death.

Thousandth U.S. soldier dies in War on Terror. | Metafilter: "One of the things I find interesting lately is reading the online journals of soldiers and contractors serving over in Iraq, as the stories can be pretty telling at times. Here's a recent one, from a Marine who will remain nameless...

'freakin' 5 planes and 9 busses and 3 days later im back in Cali(fornia) .... my base. It's very hard to see a SHIT load of people from my unit missing eyes, gun shot wounds, broken bones, missing limbs, blind, walking with canes etc.

My friend carroll is missing and arm and a leg, hizo is missing an eye, blind in the other, missing a leg, missing most of the muscle in an arm. my friend carter is missing a chunk of his foot and heel, my friends: cobb, cherry, schrage, greene, dang, and morrison are just a few to name that are now dead.

And here i am with a non-battle wound .... what a way to look like a pussy huh? but you know what? it wasn't my call to send me back here. i know that ill get my chance to go back. i know that a lot of us want some revenge. but who do we kill? most of our dead are from IED's. those are bombs that are hidden and detonated by remote or cell phones etc. who's to get for that shit? who's the enemy? it's all fucked up man.'"

t r u t h o u t - Michael Moore | The Patriot Act: "I think it's time for those of us who love this country - and everything it should stand for - to reclaim our flag from those who would use it to crush rights and freedoms, both here at home and overseas. We need to redefine what it means to be a proud American."

MSNBC - A future for glass in a hydrogen economy?

Good evening. Just got back from a good bike ride and some Baja Fresh. If you ain't checked this place yet you missing out.

Just was thinking- isn't our world and us folks amazing sometimes? It gets lost sometimes in the debate about off-shoring and globalization, but isn't amazing what us humans have accomplished here? Amazes me. Just think if you were to go back just one hundred years and tell somebody that in the not too distant future you will be able to contact almost anyone in the world at any time (thank you Bell Labs).

I was thinking about this cause I got a call from Korea today after work about a customer that I really don't know too much about, but described as 'strategic'. Thinking about how not all that long ago he probably would have had a hard time getting a hold of me. Just a couple of generations ago it could have taken months. How much has changed in just my short life and how much has changed in these past couple of generations.... just unreal.

Anyway, just my idle thoughts as I drift off for the evening. Good night.

CNN.com - 9/11 panel stands by finding on al Qaeda, Iraq - Jul 6, 2004

Spiderman: 3 stars.

The quote at the top? It goes something like this:

'A Gujarati didactic stanza likewise gripped my mind and heart. Its precept-- return good for evil-- became my guiding principle. It became such a passion with me that I began numerous experiments in it. Here are those (for me) wonderful lines:

For a bowl of water give a goodly meal;
For a kindly greeting bow thou down with zeal;
For a simple penny pay thou back with gold;
If thy life be rescued, life do not withhold.
Thus the words and actions of the wise regard;
Every little service tenfold they reward.
But the truly noble know all men as one,
And return with gladness good for evil done.'

Ghandhi- An Autobiography. The Story of my Experiments with Truth.

ESPN.com: Page 2 - Lance by a landslide

We are coming up to one of my most favorite days of the year, July 4. I fucking love fireworks and I love our country- great combination for a day like this.

It has got me to thinking about what I love about our county, there is so much. I love the smell of the BBQ. I love individual freedoms to be who you are and say what you mean. I love corn on the cob. I love our story, except for a few parts- especially our treatment of Native Americans. I love Lewis and Clark, what balls on those two.

I love what our country was, and can be again. I love our flag. I don't like how people seem to worship the greenback more than it these days. I love how all things have to go in cycles- it is a fact of life- and that nothing lasts forever. I like how our country has changed (think civil rights) and I like to explore the areas where we still need to change (corporations do not = people). I love by the people and for the people. I love, 'under God.'

I love the truth that goodness wins here and evil cannot survive in a free, open society like ours. I love the debate. I love the discussion- for in the end, that really is all we are right? A great discussion, debate between many cultures and many people who have decided justice and truth and love is right and good and through our collective action we will achieve greatness. I love all those stuck in foreign lands even though they may not be sure why. They are honorable and great people who are doing a very tough job, on many levels. I love our country and I love July 4.

BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Iranian woman 'gives birth to frog'

Uh, what? First flies out of some young dudes dick, now this. Weird.