I Still Hate War

During my weekly telephone conversation with my dad I mentioned to him that so far I was fairly impressed with the direction Obama was taking things. Both of my parents are staunch Democrats and active in the party. He asked me, "Wishing you would have voted for him now?"

"Not at all. There are still too many things I don't like about the man."

This is one of them.

Barack Obama, meet Lyndon Johnson

On Friday, President Barack Obama ordered an Air Force drone to bomb two separate Pakistani villages, killing what Pakistani officials said were 22 individuals, including between four and seven foreign fighters. Many of Obama's initiatives in his first few days in office -- preparing to depart Iraq, ending torture and closing Guantanamo -- were aimed at signaling a sharp turn away from Bush administration policies. In contrast, the headline about the strike in Waziristan could as easily have appeared in December with 'President Bush' substituted for 'President Obama.' Pundits are already worrying that Obama may be falling into the Lyndon Johnson Vietnam trap, of escalating a predecessor's halfhearted war into a major quagmire. What does Obama's first military operation tell us about his administration's priorities?

During the Democratic primaries he talked and talked about ending the war in Iraq. Once he had seized the nomination he started talking about escalating the war in Afghanistan. First week in office and he goes and blows up what may or may not have been legitimate targets inside a country we aren't even at war with (yet).

As any responsible gun owner can tell you, knowing when not to use your weapon is just as important as knowing how to use it. He may not be hawkish, but he is definitely not a man of peace.

That attack was straight out of Bill Clinton's play book. Very disturbing.

The First Week

President Obama has put me at ease, at least a little bit. In his first few days he has gone through and done enough to show that he intends to not be the total shit bag that our last President was.

Let's start with one of my favorite issues.

Obama lifts ban on abortion funds

President Barack Obama has lifted a US funding ban for groups providing abortion services abroad, reversing a policy of his predecessor, George Bush.

The policy known as the 'global gag rule' had stopped US government money going to groups which perform or provide information about abortion.

Hurray! Dead babies! And not the kind that are left in piles due to illegal wars but the sort who were unplanned for and unwanted from the get-go. Yay!

Moving on, he has taken an important first step in changing the 'War on Terror' by ending the methods of terror used by the Bush junta.

The power of the pen

On Day 2 of his administration, President Obama reverses key Bush "war on terror" policies, signing orders that end torture, close the CIA's black sites and phase out Guantanamo.

Rather than handing out goodies to his close friends, he has frozen White House salaries.

Not Bush's White House anymore

The memo for the salary freeze (which will apply to about 100 White House aides making more than $100,000 a year) said that in "a period of severe economic stress," the move is "a signal of our shared commitment to restoring the country's economic vitality." "Families are tightening their belts, and so should Washington," Obama said at a ceremony where he signed the orders and greeted the staff.

He still has the toughest bit ahead of him. People expect him to 'fix' the economy.

Obama pushes recovery plan, lifts Bush funding ban

U.S. President Barack Obama launched a drive on Friday to get his $825 billion economic recovery plan through Congress, predicting lawmakers would resolve differences before a mid-February deadline.

"We are experiencing an unprecedented economic crisis that has to be dealt with and dealt with rapidly," Obama told reporters as he met Democratic and Republican congressional leaders at the White House.

There is little a President can do to get an economy back on track unless he wants to resort to a more Socialist agenda. That probably wouldn't go over too well in the good old U.S. of A. Then again, the time might be ripe for people sick of 'free market' shenanigans that left the working taxpayers hit way too hard because of the actions of private business. We'll have to wait and see.

Now, can Obama rise to the challenge of hearing the voices of Americans and do something meaningful for millions who supported him? Can he make one small step towards ending the war on (some) drugs?

5 million strong to petition Obama to legalize weed

That would be a truly bold movement towards real change.

Obama Promising to Ruin American Way of Life

More Change!

Only a few more days until we get some much needed change.

Obama sells out to Wall Street | Salon

After President Bush this week asked Congress to release the bank bailout fund's remaining $350 billion, Obama pledged to veto any bill rejecting the request, meaning he is beginning his presidency not by 'turn[ing] the page on policies that have put the greed and irresponsibility of Wall Street before the hard work and sacrifice of folks on Main Street,' as he once pledged. Instead, he is promising a mushroom cloud unless lawmakers let taxpayer cash continue flowing to the biggest of Big Money interests.

Woot! Change!

Pravda Means Truth

So lovely.

Yes George, you served your master well - Pravda.Ru

Now George it is over. Your Faustian deal gave you eight years of illegal and undeserved power.

And did you make the most of it! You stole elections without hesitation, you lied without compunction, you started illegal wars without any consideration for international law, you shredded the Constitution without any respect for the check-and-balance system, you opened up concentration camps without any concern for the rule of law, and you maimed, tortured, and murdered without any regard for fundamental human rights.

You fiddled while New Orleans floundered, while your cronies in the oil industry drove prices through the roof, while war profiteers ruthlessly plundered Iraq, and while the economy suffered its worst decline in decades.

Yes George, you served your master well.

And he served you. The suffering you inflicted upon others never touched you—aside from a pair of poorly aimed shoes. You were never impeached, prosecuted or even censured as a war criminal. And the fact that you intend—as you stated in your final press briefing—to spend your days lounging on the beach, when you should be spending them in a prison cell, adds just another name to the historical list of evildoers who have been rewarded for their crimes.

More could be said, but why?

Sanctimonious Hypocritical Preaching by the Imperials

I loved the title of the article so much I just had to keep it as the title of the post.

Sanctimonious hypocritical preaching by the imperials - Pravda.Ru

Between extremely complicated election laws, requiring armies of lawyers, double standards for the major parties to the exclusion of third parties, dirty tricks, intimidation, and a media hell bent on serving the power politic and not the people, the system makes sure that reelection rates to the US Congress stay at or above a 95% rate. Most senators die or retire, the only way to clear them from their seats. But what a job, 4 months of actual work, high perks, the ability to be bribed at will (both branches of the One Party system feed from the hands of pretty much the same special interests), tax payer paid retirement and pensions after one stint, and many many other benefits. This on top of the right to vote in your own 10% yearly raise, while most of their constituents have not seen a raise above 3% in 20 years.

Lovely. Because truth, even when it is the ugly, garish truth, is lovely.

And there is nothing quite like calling a spade a spade even if it may seem like the pot calling the kettle black and any number of other old bits of folk wisdom that may fit the bill.

I've been asked more than a few times, mostly at work, why foreigners hate Americans so much. I tell them it is because they, much like ourselves, identify the people of this country with the government that is the public face of the country. That, and we as Americans tend to act like a bunch of spoiled rich kids. We cry about how hard we work for so little when our so little is a hell of a lot. Do we deserve more? Damn straight we do! And so does everyone else on this planet. But let's face it, we let an asshole get away with a rampant killing and torture spree while wrapping ourselves in the American flag. It was right and good of us to do all this because we are Americans!

We don't hold a monopoly on democracy. Our system of democracy is old. Really old. There has to be quite a bit of room for improvement. And when we go stomping around the globe with no regard for the people we crush under foot along the way, we are spitting on the ideals the nation was founded upon. Except for the fact that the our democracy was originally set up by a bunch of rich, white, land owning business men with the idea of creating a veil of opportunity while progressing their own agendas unfettered. That part of the American Dream® is still going strong.

Polls Are Open!

To the left is a poll about the podcast. I know I had initially said that I would bring it back in the new year. I've been having second thoughts about it. To settle the matter, I've opened it up to the public. Just like a real election, you must pick one of the preselected options or else you are just throwing your vote away.

But feel free to voice opinions as comments to this post. I vain enough to read them all.

Arab/Israeli Relations: The Mother of All Clusterfucks

There will be no linking to news stories for this one. There doesn't need to be. Nothing is being said that hasn't been said a (insert implausibly large number here) times.

I don't envy Obama on this one. The economy may go up and down but ever since the forming of Islam it has been at odds with everyone else and that goes at least double for the Jews. And while there is a lot of hatred for the Jews, the Arab nations seem to hate Israel specifically even more than Jews in general. And why not? The Palestinians had their hands full trying to throw off the shackles of Britain's imperialism. Then they had to go and add religion to the already volatile mixture. Out with the Queen, in with Moses. Oi!

Is it apparent that my sympathies tend to lie with the Israelis? I'd like to say otherwise, but it wouldn't be true. The Israelis are up against an enemy that will never back down until the entire state of Israel is wiped off the face of all maps everywhere and not a single Jew is left standing on Middle Eastern soil. Not a whole lot of room for negotiation there.

I truly believe that the average Israeli and Palestinian would have very little trouble living side by side if it weren't for a few trouble makers always stirring the pot (and they stir it with rockets and grenades, no less). If the average American can put aside one of the most deep seeded bigotries this nation suffers from in order to vote for a black President, anything is possible. The trouble makers just need to grow up. Stop acting like little children shouting over who was where first, who threw the first stone, just agree to let the whole conflict end and be friends.

There isn't a bookie around who would take that bet.

People want answers. They want solutions and they want them now! Fine...

• Give both sides a bunch of nuclear missiles. They'll either learn to live in a cold war atmosphere or blow each other off the maps. Problem solved.
• Give the Jews Baja Mexico. The Palestinians are way too snobbish about their locale to accept such a trade off. The Jews have shown themselves to be quite pragmatic when push comes to shove. And they did wonders with Israel. They'd turn Baja into a shining gem in no time. The Mexicans living there can either get paid a fair price for their property or choose to stay. I would bet that Jews and Mexicans could live side by side in harmony especially if it meant being able to snub the Palestinians' poor hospitality.
• Exterminate all Muslims. It is a terrible idea but it would end the conflict. I won't even suggest the opposite. Islam is a religion that tries to convert people even by force if they can. Having grown up in such a religion, Christianity, the idea of zealous conversion both frightens and disgusts me. The Jews don't actively proselytize or seek conversions. If one of the two has to go to end this thing, it won't be the Jews. They also write better comedies.

Those are my ideas. Move them to opposite sides of the globe, let them nuke it out, or eliminate the more patently aggressive party.

Or they could just grow up and learn how to get along.

Late News

OBAMA SURFS? Why didn't somebody tell me this before the election?

Sign of Progress

I hate drug testing. I have always hated drug testing. My personal opinion is that drug testing is a violation of basic civil rights because it assumes guilt and requires us to prove our innocence. In most work places refusing a drug test has the same or worse consequences as failing one.

Massachusetts may have done away with this problem.

Pot law could snuff out testing policy

A voter-approved law reducing possession of small amounts of marijuana to a civil offense threatens to unravel drug testing of police and other public employees, the Herald has learned.

The law, which goes into effect Jan. 2, prohibits government agencies and authorities from enforcing any punishment for pot possession with a fine greater than $100, according to the Massachusetts Police Chiefs Association, and defines possession so broadly as to include traces of pot in blood to urine to hair and fingernails.

Berkshire District Attorney David Capeless predicted the new law has far-reaching consequences for even school bus drivers and MBTA train operators, who could point to the law and say they can only be fined, not fired, for marijuana offenses.

You are supposed to panic now. They tried really hard to get you to panic so the least you could do is pretend.

OH NOES! Now we have to fire people for not doing their job instead of busting them for going home and slouching on a couch with a bag of chips and a copy of Pineapple Express. I'm terrified.

And it gets worse.

New pot rules may allow having hashish

Massachusetts police may no longer be able to arrest people for having a small amount of hashish, because a new law that decriminalizes possessing up to an ounce of marijuana could apply to other drugs with the same psychoactive ingredient, according to guidelines issued today.

New Flash! Hash contains the same active ingredient as marijuana because it is made from marijuana. In other news, heroin has the same active ingredient as opium because it is made from opium. Should a minor be treated differently for possession of vodka versus possession of beer? But why would a minor want vodka or beer when they could have pot or hash?

Stillman also said teens may gravitate toward pot because the penalty for having an ounce or less is far less than the penalty for having alcohol.

So the law even benefits minors. $100 fine and it is treated like a parking ticket with no permanent record.

Of course law enforcement bitches about it making their job harder. From what I have gathered, law enforcement thinks the easiest way to perform their job is to make everyone into a criminal so they can arrest everybody. Buck up, little boy blue. Do what the rest of the American work force is doing and stop caring. A little pot might help.

A tip of the hat to Massachusetts for passing a sufficiently vague and far reaching law that is a step in the right direction. But can they keep it?

Custom

Taking my first day of vacation to revamp the campaign blog. It is time for the 2012 look. Simpler, cleaner, easier to read. Added a separate player further down the side column for the Black Whole Son audio book. Curl up by the fire and listen to all 5 hours in one sitting. You've done worse things to waste your life away.

Keep on fisting.

Benny, Me, and Homosexualtiy

I agree with Pope Benedict which is why I disagree with him. Since we are both Popes, the conflict was inevitable.

Pope urges defence of heterosexuality

Speaking in a holiday address to the Curia, the Vatican's central administration, Benedict said yesterday the church viewed the distinction between men and women as central to human nature, and 'asks that this order, set down by creation, be respected'.

The church, he said, 'should protect man from the destruction of himself. A sort of ecology of man was needed, he said,' adding: 'The tropical forests do deserve our protection; but man, as a creature, does not deserve any less.'

Benedict focused his attack on what he described as 'gender' theories, 'which lead towards the definitive emancipation of man from creation and the creator'.

I agree with Benny that the environment could do with a little protection. Sometimes in order to protect an ecology, you have to do a little thinning of the herd. What better way to thin out the environmentally destructive human race than to encourage homosexuality? So I also disagree with him.

And I agree that research into the root causes of gender identity, gender theories, gender selection, or whatever other scientific research into gender he might have been talking about could lead to the emancipation of man from the creator. Scientific exploration that liberates us from captivity by superstitions is a good thing. I don't think Benny agrees with me on that.

Both Benny and I are popes and entitled to our own comprehensions of the world.

Spectacles, Testicles, Brandy, Cigar, and now you, dear reader, are a Pope as well. As such you are as entitled to your own world view as Benny is to his.

What Would Jello Do?

Jello Biafra believes in democracy. If I were the sort of person who thought that representative democracy could not only be saved but was worth saving, I'd probably agree with most of what he has to say in...

Jello Biafra - Open Letter to Barack Obama

As important as it is to find common ground and build consensus for change, our situation is so dire we cannot afford any more dealmakers. The people voted for a leader. Anything less risks breaking the hearts of an entire galvanized generation who may then decide it is not worth it to get involved and participate any more.
(emphasis mine)

I do not agree with some of the ideas he espouses and I do not share his fondness for democracy and elections. He had very interesting and novel solutions, which is something I do like about him.

And the last sentence of the above quote, I agree with that 100%. Difference being, I believe with a fair level of certainty that governments are incapable of doing anything but break people's hearts (and backs, and budgets, and fingers, and skulls, etc). Especially given enough time. Like an entire afternoon.

Still, I think my readers will find that the former lead singer of the Dead Kennedys has a much saner voice than my own. I don't care much for sanity.

NSFW: Requiem for a Goddess

Obituary.

Bettie Page, the 1950s secretary-turned-model whose controversial photographs in skimpy attire or none at all helped set the stage for the 1960s sexual revolution, died Thursday. She was 85.

More so than Marilyn Monroe or Jane Mansfield, Bettie Page was a goddess. Her image will transcend the ages. Her form will forever stand as a testament to human beauty regardless of what is currently in fashion. In her death, she will live forever.

Jake on Prop 8

This year's elections may be over and (most) races already decided, but that doesn't stop me. There is an issue out there that seems to be confusing people. It is only confusing because people are dead set on ignoring the First Amendment. What is that one again?

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.

Separation of Church and State! This whole business concerning the legality of gay marriages is quite simple once you get religion out of the picture.

Churches are free to do as they please concerning marriage. If a given church wishes to restrict marriage to one man and one woman it is their prerogative to do so. If sects like the Mormons and Islam want to allow men to have more than one wife, no problem.

So what business does government have in affairs of matrimony? Business, indeed. A legal marriage is a merger between individuals that gives the power to make decisions concerning the shared assets of those involved in the merger. They also share in the liabilities. If the merger ends prematurely (before 'death do us part') it is a court of law, not a religious authority, that oversees the disbursement of assets and liabilities.

From a legal vantage point that assumes the First Amendment says exactly what it says and that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, a legal marriage is a business contract for households. The business of running the household is conducted as a joint venture following agreed upon guidelines such as any laid out in a prenup.

Since it is a specialized business contract, the number and gender of the parties is irrelevant. To declare otherwise is contrary to laws guaranteeing that government agencies can not discriminate based on gender (among many other wonderful things). If two men wish to merge households the government is not granted the power to deny them a contract. If three women desire to merge households the same is true. If three women and two men wanted to form a merger I see no reason why it should be denied.

If two men, three women and a goat wished to marry, it would be denied because the goat is not a legal citizen with protected rights. That is where we need to be focusing our energy.

Equal Rights for Goats!

I did not run this by my lawyer prior to posting so I could be wrong. When elected you'll find out just how right I was.

Trust

Citing the overwhelming success of United States currency since the decision to print the words "In God We Trust" on it, the Department of Homeland Security has decided to expand that trust to national defense.

Anti-terror law requires God be acknowledged

Specifically, Homeland Security is ordered to publicize God's benevolent protection in its reports, and it must post a plaque at the entrance to the state Emergency Operations Center with an 88-word statement that begins, 'The safety and security of the Commonwealth cannot be achieved apart from reliance upon Almighty God.'

Don't panic. Unless you live in Kentucky because that is where the law is in effect. So if you live in Kentucky, go ahead and panic. If you live elsewhere, just worry a lot.

If this were China and our predominant religion were Budhism, I could at least fathom placing the job of Homeland security in the hands of temples full of monks trained in Kung Fu and Tai Chi. American churches are best known for their sex scandals. Unless Kentucky plans on being attacked by a group of nude little boys I don't see how God, or at least his representatives here on Earth, is going to help them much.

Black Whole Son Continues

So the book is longer than anticipated. I shall continue reading until it is done.

I ran into a snag yesterday. Apparently the recording software I'm using has a limit of about 33 minutes. It can't record past that. So I saved the last part of the chapter from yesterday to record as a separate chapter today. Another six minutes. Guess I got on a roll when I was writing that one. Good thing I had a fairly natural breaking point to divide it up.

For both of my listeners out there, you may have noticed a slight schedule change to the podcast. While on graveyard I would podcast after work and you would have a new episode by noon. Working swing I would record before work and usually have it up by 1PM. Switching to days the best time to record is after work. It has now become an evening podcast. And often times my wife is home while I am recording. This makes me a little self conscious. Hopefully it doesn't spoil the work at all.

PSA: Contraception

I thought people knew this, but apparently not everyone does. Let's go over this so as to make it nice and sparkling clear.

Pulling out is NOT contraception.

Sorry, big word there for anyone who might think pulling out actually is contraception. Let's try that again.

Pulling out is NOT birth control.

She can still get pregnant even if you are an expert at pulling out. It isn't even a little effective. Yes, I've read the statistics that say otherwise and am choosing to ignore them. I don't care if they say it can be up to 96% effective. Do you know what the prereqs for that number are? It means you can't have ejaculated in the last 24 hours or else you'll have a bunch of sperm in your pre-ejaculate. Can you go that long without masturbating? Really?!

It also means you can only fuck once every 24 hours. Can you live with that kind of restriction? Really?!

Pulling out is NOT birth control. It is great for porn stars, anal, and creaming some gal's tits so you can watch her girlfriend lick it all up, but not as contraception.

Got that? Want to see it one more time?

Pulling out is NOT contraception.

Will the Fetus be Aborted?

The election may be over, but I am still dedicated to the core values of my campaign. And nothing was more core nor set me apart from the competition quite like my stance on abortion.

So when a friend told me she was considering getting one, I was honest. It started with me telling her that she was talking to the one person who was actually pro-abortion. Next, I encouraged her by telling her about armadillos.

While armadillos are not unique in the animal kingdom for having this ability, they do make a great case study. Some species can prolong how long before the egg attaches to the uterine wall. Very important for any species facing tough times ahead. It can also abort if conditions are not right.

Humans use their intelligence to make them the reproductive equals of the armadillo.

And thanks to her I got a song stuck in my head.

Thanks for the Holiday Bonus

Are you happy right now? Feeling a bit of that holiday spirit? Want to see it all disappear in a fit of rage?

AIG Pulls Fast One -- "Cash Awards" Going To Managers

American International Group Inc., the insurer that said yesterday it scrapped bonuses for top executives after a U.S. bailout, will still pay 130 managers 'cash awards' to stay with the firm, including $3 million to retirement services chief Jay Wintrob.


Wintrob, 51, will get the 'retention' payment in two installments, the first in April 2009 and the rest a year later, New York-based AIG said today in a regulatory filing. The firm previously disclosed the program in a Sept. 26 filing and said today that Wintrob and Chief Financial Officer David Herzog elected to get the payments four months later than planned.

Aw, the pig fuckers don't get a holiday bonus. The one ham slammer has to wait until April for the first installment and a year before he gets the full $3 million.

If I knew that in one year's time I had $3 mil coming my way, I think I'd feel okay 'floating' a few holiday gifts to friends. Instead I feel like somebody did that thing in the above illustration and they went through the bother of keeping it in the freezer for a couple of days.