The new Selma

At some time over this past weekend (8-28/10--8/29/10) heavy construction equipment which was parked on the proposed site of an Islamic Center (not just a "mosque" as it seems to have been characterized by opponents with the full compliance of the SCLM) in Murfreesboro, TN was doused with an "accelerant" and at least one vehicle burned. Google Maps says that from 51 Park Place (not Hallowed'n'Holy Ground Zero--H'n'HGZ), Borough of Manhattan, NYC, USA!USA!!USA!!! Zip Code 11llty1!, is 886.03+/- from Murfreesboro, TN. So, it seems that while we may not know how far away from H'n'HGZ a MOSQUE has to be in order to not OFFEND the sensibilities of KKKristian MerKKKa we do know that a bit under 900 Googlemapped miles is just not enough. I am beginning to wonder if Memphis, Egypt UAR is far enough away from Memphis, TN or if Mecca and Medina (both in Saudi Arabia) are far enough away from their namesakes in CA, NY and Ohio to not cause offense--those filthy ayrabs want to steal our country--they already done stolet the names of our cities. Oh, shit, I almost forgot about Cairo, IL ('sides they pronounce it KayRo down there). It's just too much to expect that the poor, persecuted WhiteMerKKKans will not rise up and cast off their chains of bondage, rout the infidel and carry this Holy Crusade to the very gates of--oops, 'scuse me, I was speaking raytorikly. Anyhow. I just think that it is a very good idea and a civic duty to remind the folks who see the Mooslims as the OTHER (and an other that has a big shiny sword, a big hooked nose and a few "dirty" bombs secreted about his person and in his hollowed out Koran) that they are carrying forward the good work done by the likes of Bull Connor and those brave citizens and auxiliary members of the KKK who "terminated with extreme prejudice" those three commiejewoutsideagitatin' n*****lovers before they could ruin a century of amicable, separate but equal (har, har) law for blacks and real people./s Seriously, I am at the point where when people say "those people" I gotta ask them if they slept through history class or their own pre-1964 life. That we, a nation (supposedly) of laws, should think that others, with whom we do NOT share common religious beliefs, should be deprived of the freedom to practice theirs is morally reprehensible--as well as the fact that it stands the first amendment on its head. One more thing to note. This guy: http://www.nndb.com/people/936/000031843/ is listed as being a Roman Catholic. His occupation is "terrorist". He blew up a building filled with, afaia, 168 people who were NOT muslims. I guess that's why it's OKAY to have a statue of guess who? "On a corner adjacent to the memorial is a sculpture of Jesus weeping erected by St. Joseph's Catholic Church. St. Joseph's, one of the first brick and mortar churches in the city, was almost completely destroyed by the blast. The statue is not part of the memorial itself but is popular with visitors nonetheless." But is JESUS weeping for all those killed by Timmy or is he weeping for Timmy, himself?

If it's your own work, is it still "cut'n'pasted"?

Happy Saturday, Dear readers: I been spending way too much time arguing with GODbot boneheads, but the following comment to a gent who signs as "oitotheworld23" (and people think I have a weird handle?) is representative of what's in this comment thread: http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/2010/08/terrible_arguments_against_pro.php over at SciencBlogs. Have a great weekend. @ comment 117 Dear OinkyoinkRevelations3:5-16: Well, when you put it that way... Scuse me for being rude, asshole. The problem with GODbots like you is that you make a special pleading, based on YOUR particular idea of what YOUR sects superstitious belief in an invisible SkyDaddy wants the world to be like. You might take a look at any law, ordinance passed or ruling handed from ANY U.S. legislative body or court* and see if you can find a phrase, "Wherefore, it being the WILL OF GOD...". I'd wait for you to do some research, but research seems not to be your forte. The result of your search would be fruitless. The reason for that search being fruitless is that the U.S. Constitution prohibits such nonsense in fairly clear language. Not that you'd agree with it, but I am not seeking your agreement. One of the things that fairly clearly illustrates the lack of critical thinking in the minds of dolts like you is that your GOD is on the one hand the "GOD Of The 3 O's"** who can AND will make the world in whatever image he deems appropriate (reserving the right to capriciously change his own "perfection" at times and places of his choosing) and YET you insist that he needs YOUR help in getting it right! Talk about hubris. Man if there was such a place as hell, being ruled by a being known as Satan (or any of his other labels), based on the way you and folks like you disrespect the wisdom of your GOD's actions, I'd suggest you all get your coffins with air conditioning and make sure they're fireproof. You don't like teh GAY? I got no problem with that. I heartily dislike KKKristian assholes like you. I would prefer not to hear, see or read about you and your ilk's nonsensical bleating on such subjects as gay marriage, the imminent demise of western culture via gay marriage, abortion, duckass haircuts***, engineer boots with metal cleats****, pegged trousers*****, halter tops, women's suffrage, etc., ad nauseam. So, as you can see (or, quite possibly, you can't) we all got us some differences of OPINION with each other. My differences with you do not make it legal for me to discriminate against you and deprive you of your right to be a clueless moron on the subject of other peoples' rights, under the U.S. Constitution. I realize that you have a hard time understanding this line of thought--your previous comments have made that fact abundantly clear. I DO sincerely hope that you live your life according to whatever marching orders you are given by your minister, priest or whatever middle manager your faith employs to bullshit the rank and file into submissiveness. I also sincerely hope that you stay the hell out of meddling in other peoples' lives (a forlorn hope, I'm fairly sure) and confine your attempts at eradicating "sin" to your own dark and twisted psyche. If I thought for a second that saying, "Fuck you, your church AND your precious GOD!" would make you go away and quit wasting the time of those who read your idiotic, logically fallacious and hatefully sanctimonious comments--while you, in the best tradition of "True Bleevers(TM)" refuse to actually, y'know, educate yourself instead of regurgitating the "received wisdom" spewed from the pulpits of your churches, the pages of your "newspapers" and the pieholes of Rush, Sean, the FauxNewsTeam and the rest of the reichwing disinformation apparatus. I suspect, however, that saying, "Fuck you, your church AND your precious GOD" will only further energize that fevered little brain of yours--so I won't say that. Since you did call me a "bigot" already (although I think you are not clear on the meaning of the word) I guess I should say, "Go fuck yourself!"--although I have to admit that saying it like this robs it of most of its immediacy and makes it less pungent and smackalicious. But, hey, if you're gonna be called a sinner, you may as well do the sinnin'. What is it that they used to say in my church? Oh, yeah, "Ite in pace", in english (the original language of the Wholly Babble) "Go in peace". Well, I certainly hope you'll go, in peace or not, just fuck off, m'kay? * Any, that is that has not been or will not be judged unconstitutional. ** Those "3 O's" = Omnniscient, Ompnipotent amd Omnipresent. Personally I subscribe to the theory of the "GOD Of The Three I's", the "Three I's" = Inscrutable, Invisible and Imaginary. ***,****,***** Okay, those three were only part of the dress code at MY Cath-O-Lick HS--eventually they got us all in to uni's. There were other rules about conduct that were equally nonsensical, but I digress--MAN, do I digress! Posted by: democommie | August 7, 2010 9:06 AM

Good Morning: I was trying to decide on what to write about, there is just SO much that is fucked up and so little that I can do about most of it. I spend a fair amount of time at "Dispatches From The Culture Wars", Ed Brayton's site at ScienceBlogs and there's been a thread running for two days under the headline, "Sign at NOM Rally; "Kill the Gays". In that thread a number of bright, articulate, humorous and well read commenters have said their piece--I have also contributed.--and then, of course, the usual "defe nders of the faith" and an assortment of fuckwadtrolls have put forth their arguments, some coherently and some in the "Crayon on butcher paper" style of debate. It's a long thread, but it has some great stuff. This one, from earlier this morning, is as close as I get to the "polite discourse" of behavio, which I find so sadly lacking in our fucking culture.

(@ comment 253)

James Hanley:

This is from Wiki:

"Intellectual dishonesty is dishonesty in performing intellectual activities like thought or communication. Examples are: the advocacy of a position which the advocate knows or believes to be false or misleading the conscious omission of aspects of the truth known or believed to be relevant in the particular context. Rhetoric may be used to advance an agenda or to reinforce one's deeply held beliefs in the face of overwhelming contrary evidence.[1] If a person is aware of the evidence and agrees with the conclusion it portends, yet advocates a contradictory view, they commit intellectual dishonesty. If the person is unaware of the evidence, their position is ignorance, even if in agreement with the scientific conclusion. If the person is knowingly aware that there may be additional evidence but purposefully fails to check, and then acts as though the position is confirmed, this is also intellectual dishonesty. The terms intellectually dishonest and intellectual dishonesty are often used as rhetorical devices in a debate; the label invariably frames an opponent in a negative light. The phrase is also frequently used by orators when a debate foe or audience reaches a conclusion varying from the speaker's on a given subject. This appears mostly in debates or discussions of speculative, non-scientific issues, such as morality or policy." Not that Wiki is the most authoritative source, but I think it's close enough for what I think of Christian Cynic's style of debate on issues re: christianity. That I see it in that light certainly doesn't mean I'm correct, but it is, as is your opinion of the man, one I see buttressed by his words in the comment threads. I will also note that Christian Cynic does not spend a lot of time on the comment threads unless the issue in the thread is christianity. I defer to others (occassionally;)) in the face of superior knowledge. When it comes to factually deficient, woo based nonsense--whether it's flat earth theory, ID, other religious based foolishness or religions themselves I am firmly in favor of people holding whatever views they like (while I am NOT interested in reading/hearing them, generally). What I will never be in favor of is having arguments from those defending such things allowed the advantage of not having to admit that NONE of their precious religions (or those religions tenets, laws and practices) are justified by anything other than their own dogged belief in a supernatural agent--on (or more) who is invisible, unknowable and, apparently, irrationally capricious. I think that the majority of the non-trolls here understand that Mosaic Law was probably of some, or a great deal of, importance, in a time, the "Bronze Age", when rough justice and arbitrary rulemaking by those in power might well make the difference between a society thriving or dying out. That is no longer the case. When people like heddle and Christian Cynic defend the Wholly Babble as a masterwork by an omniscient GOD, while simultaneously saying that, of course "reasonable" christians don't follow the admonitions of The Book of Leviticus it rings hollow. Science is, and must be falsifiable; religious faith is not and cannot be falsifiable. To allow those whose arguments are "faith based" to act as if they are based in fact is unfairly advantageous to them. Most commenters here would laugh and point their fingers at anyone whose sole "evidence" rebutting the theory of AGW, the germ theory of disease, theoretical nuclear physics or any of a host of other real world fact based "theories" was that "GODDIDIT"--and we can't, by our nature, know his mind. This is exactly as it should be. I have no complaint with heddle, Christian Cynic or even the more than slightly deranged mroberts and his ilk holding onto and cherishing any beliefs that do not threaten me or the rest of society in their application. I have a huge problem with such beliefs when they are used to justify the withholding of rights from or the persecution or exclusion of other members of our society. I don't cut Republicans or Democrats slack when they say that folks like Sarah Palin or Charlie Rangel are outliers and, anyway, they would never act on any of their idiotic sociopathic ideas. When christians, other religious types or, indeed, unbelievers don't denounce the douchebags in their midst--particularly when said douchebags are well funded and have the tacit support of media or governing bodies they are being -best co-opted and, at worse, accessories to the acts of those douchebags.

Posted by: democommie August 1, 2010 10:11 AM

And that, folks, is the way I genuinely feel about those who stand mute in their churches or political meetings (at any level) and do not question or disagree with the elements of their congregation or caucus that are hateful, wrongheaded, deliberately indignorant "true believers". If there was a GOD, I would pray that he educate, elevate OR eliminate his most credulous followers--and the lying sacks of shit that egg them on. '

Is there a stronger word than irony?

I was talking to someone yesterday afternoon, someone who had a lot of teabaggerist rage against the Obamachine. He was a veteran, as am I; he remembers when the USofA was a "REAL" country and he hates the way money is wasted by the idiots in Washington and how we can't just "walk into any country with our heads held high" (because we can't kick everybody's ass, all the time?). It was not a lot of fun to listen to as it was a.) somewhat unhinged ranting and b.) devoid of any substantive argument. Nothing but Rushboist talking points and credulous boobery of a very low order. I try to be polite in these situations--particularly when I'm standing in someone's dooryard trying to get a piece of information. However, when I have some snopesian derelict, living in a singlewide that, quite honestly, is NOT suitable for human habitation--unless, perhaps, the resident's last home was one of the Rio Favellas--telling me that my country has "lost its way", the Iron-O-Master just gets fuckin' smoked, knowudimean? It is a fact of life that each and every generation sees that preceding it as too dumb to grasp the obvious and the one succeeding it as lazy, shiftless, disrespectful and incapable of changing those qualities in themselves. I certainly have to cop to some of those thoughts when I look at the world around me but WTF? Barack Obama, warts and all--and he seems to have a new one every day--is, after 2-1/2 years in office looking like a genuine leader. I disagree with many of the things he's done and am quite pissed off about a number of things I wish he WOULD do and that he hasn't. The notion, however that the country is in a death spiral because of his mistakes/crimes against teabagmanity or any of the other bullshit that I hear from the deliberately uneducated fools or, frankly, flat out lying bastards who simply hate that they didn't win--and a BLACK man did, is just that, bullshit. I proposed, in a moment of lighthearted cynicism (now THAT'S an oxymoron) some years back, that we should have a third party. That party, the "Thin The Herd Party" would be made up of really, truly, serious, dedicated, no nonsense, rock ribbed pragmatarians--like me--who would adopt as their one and only campaign plank, the following: "That each of us should--to the desired and necessary end of providing for a civil, educated, intelligent and reasoned discourse between genuinely committed and concerned individuals on the MERITS of prospective policy, procedures, appointed officials and politicians to both represent and legislate in we, the peoples' best interest--strive to eradicate, at a rate of one per party member, per week, those useless idiots who clog up the machinery of polity and impede a just and hardworking populace from achieving true freedom, fraternity and eqaulity." As you might imagine, this platform would be opposed--by those same useless bastards that we seek to extirpate throughout their range. I knew that the process would be quite painful for some of us, pitting brother against brother, sons against fathers, daughters against mothers, cousins agains...well, you get the picture. I must admit however that I was a bit unnerved when the friend to whom I suggested my brilliant plan, looked at me and said, "What if you're someone else's USELESS bastard.". So, okay, it needs work....

Travellin' man

I've been visiting my brother in Colorado this week. It's always nice to spend time with him and his family. He's a considerate and generous host (I belong to the "skipped sibling" group in that situation). I arrived on monday afternoon and we spent the afternoon and evening shooting the shit and relaxing. Tuesday we took care of a few chores and then a couple of my other siblings arrived and it got much louder (these two make me look like a monk who's taken a vow of silence). Wednesday we did some more chores and then drove down to Littleton, about 40 miles of bad traffic from Longmont, to partake in a short wedding rehearsal and a longer rehearsal dinner. We got back to my brother's house at about 10:00 PM and there were more siblings and in-laws there. Everybody else sat around yakking for a while but I was feeling out of sorts and decided to go to bed. About fifteen minutes after I got in bed I was offering obeisance to the circular file and then the porcelain god. First time I've puked since my thirties, but my belly was trying to make up for lost time. Food poisoning, for the second time, at a family wedding. Last time I wound up in the hospital--the night before my goddaughter's wedding--and missed everything. That was not an option this time as I was the photographer of record. Thank the universe for immodium and GatorAde. The wedding was wonderful--two nice kids getting married, tons of screaming little ones, lots of nice adults, a notable absence of fuckheads and assholes. I was feeling pretty crappy but it all worked out. Lots of fun, some great photos and family time with everybody. Yesterday was a 65th b'day party for my sister, Fran. That was majorly fun, too, as my sister Pat is the MC (Mistress of Ceremonies) and that girl likes to engineer the fun. I woke up this morning feeling a bit better and spent a lot of the day burning a bunch of CD's and DVD's for all the sibs and other interested parties. Then I took a short ride up to Estes Park, looked at the mountains, watched a variety of ground squirrels and chipmunks scamperingf around--while thinking truly evil thoughts about them and their treerat brethren and came back to my brother's place. Another smaller gathering just got going here (only 25 people) and I gotta go mingle--more later... The photos of the pre-wedding, wedding and post-wedding festivities were a hit with all parties concerned, which makes me very happy. These family functions are always "pig out" events but, due to my recent technicolor yawn experience I looked at each piece of food before I put it on my plate, thinking all the while, HWJFIHHTWTCBU? (How Would Jesus Feel If He Had To Watch This Come Back Up?)--rimshot! Hey, I'll be here all week, try the veal--but make damned sure it's been cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees, capice?

The reading list

I have been reading myself to sleep for years and I also have books stashed all over the house and in my car for those moments that I don't have something else requiring attention. My current reading list includes the following: "The Eighth Dwarf " by the late Ross Thomas. I recently finished his "Cast a Yellow Shadow". His stuff is fun to read; interesting characters and semi-believable plots. "Pretty Boy Floyd" by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana. Just started it, but it already feels like McMurtry. One of my favorites by him is "Roads--Driving America's Great Highways". "Emperor Of The Air" by Ethan Canin. It's too early to say what I think about it. "Comfort Me With Apples" by Ruth Reichl. I used to read Ruth's stuff when she was at Gourmet magazine and always enjoyed it. The book is the literaru equivalent of comfort food. "Hardcore Troubador--The Life And Near Death Of Steve Earle" by Lauren St. John. Talk about suffering for your art! "The China Lover" by Ian Buruma. An historical fiction about a Japanese woman's life from being born in Manchuko in the 1930's through the turbulence of WWII and the postwar period in both Japan and the U.S. There are several other books that have disappeared for the moment, buried under a pile of the detritus of construction. I'll find them when I sweep! Nothing I read is particularly literary, but then I enjoy conversation more than any other activity so conversational books are fine with me.

The world, as small as it has become, is far too big to paint.

I've been trying to keep up with things and it's a losing battle. It seems as if I can't spend enough time working, playing, drinking and blogging to get everything done. Well, the working and playing I can live withuot but the drinking and blogging are IMPORTANT. It seems that some folks (Aaron Kinney, you asshole) don't really understand that their opinions, to which they are most certainly entitled are not the great, fundamental truths that the rest of us live by. Aaron fancies himself to be some sort of rugged individualist who knows how the world should really be run. In that regard he is no different than I am. Where our paths diverge is in our method for illuminating those truths for the rest of mankind. I do so on my blog, in posts, and on other blogs in comments. In the event that the blog's author disagrees with me I will either argue with him civilly, or make fun of him. When said blogowner has made it plain that he will simply delete my comments, I stop leaving comments on that blog. Aaron, whose blog I had never visited prior to this evening, has decided that he will continue to put comments here--comments which I will delete as quickly as I see them. There are a few other folks who think like Aaron and their comments are also deleted as soon as I see them. I don't go to their blogs, though, because I have no desire to drive up their stats. I think in Aaron's case I will make an exception. Now, Aaron may actually give a fuck what his readers see on his blog--I, with my few loyal readers, don't really worry too much about that sort of thing. This isn't really what I thought my next post was going to be about, but, wtf, blogs are life in electrons.

You want someathis?

The "Super Majority" never existed. Okay, we got that out of the way. I have been busy. What with working on my house, doing some pro bono stuff, taking a class (okay, it's only 5 hours on saturday, but it's SCHOOL!) and banging heads with idiots on various blogs, I been bizzzzy. Now the GOP is saying that if the dems cave on everything they will be "bi-partisan" and work together with them to fuck us some more. I am sick to death of the democratic leadership not being able to understand that they can either play the game the reptilicans play or go home at half-time and watch the rest of the game on the teevee. The "loyal opposition" (boy, is that an oxymoron) has demonstrated that they have zero interest in doing anything that won't benefit the people who own the HMO's, insurance companies and Big Pharma. Meantime they have managed to morph the failure of Bushco into Obama's problem. I used to blame this on the pols, but I can see that it's got at least as much to do with the idiots who watch and listen to the talking heads and form their uncritical opinions from the sound bites they get from those folks. I talk to a lot of people who tell me that they don't want to do politics because it's too nasty. Well, fuck that. Yes, it is nasty, but it won't get less nasty because you don't participate. The gunnutz like to make a big deal about how the German people were unable to resist Hitler because he took their gunz away. The reality is this: Hitler took the guns away in 1938, from SOME of the people (jews). The German citizens gave away their rights to self-determination when they failed to resist Hitler's criminal manipulation of the electoral process--between 1929 and 1933. If you don't fight you still lose when the reactionaries take over the government. Be loud and impolite, the GOP has shown that it's a good strategy. BTW, there's apparently a push on by the NRA and it's sturmabteilung to make sure that Starbucks welcomes gun toting latte drinkers into its shops. I think their coffee sucks anyway, but if I liked it I would be in favor of not buying it to see if their support of the rights of a vocal, petulant minority will supercede their desire to make a profit. the gunnutz say a boycott would never work. Maybe, maybe not, I'm not going to be one of their customers.

Christmas for me

First of all, Season's Greetings to all, regardless the specific holiday you celebrate. It matters not what day you celebrate or for what reasons, just celebrate! As has been the case for the last couple of years I have been too busy in my head to sit down and make up the usual tissue of lies and unverifiable "facts" which were the substance of my Christmas letters of years past. It's not that I don't enjoy doing it; it's just that it requires a trance like state that I rarely achieve since I left my last job. Boy, those were the days! I remember getting up at an uncivilized hour, driving 15 miles to the commuter rail and then riding the train into Boston to earn a good wage, mostly for putting up with a ridiculous amount of crap from people who were even more unhappy than I was. In the evening I would reverse the commute, come home, eat, complain, go to bed--rinse and repeat. Taking leave of that job, despite the loss of the income and benefits was one of the happier days of my life. I have been busy for the last three years with finding and working on my house. It is an ugly beast, still, but it's my own home--something I never thought I would have. I've not been as happy with life in general as I am at this moment. I spend my days ripping old work out, measuring for new work, cutting things to length, throwing them away and measuring carefully, this time and repeating the process until I get it right (or close enough!). On the days when my gimpy leg and aching left shoulder are being less quarrelsome than usual, I do things like hanging sheetrock, wrestling a pellet stove into position (eight times, two different stoves--first one didn't work properly) making dump runs and so many trips to the local Lowe's that most people who work there know me well enough to greet me--or run to hide when they see me coming!

I've met a lot of good people and some jerks. I am fairly well known as the "guy who takes all the pictures". The camera has been a great tool for breaking the ice with folks--most of them, anyway. I now do some photography for the Chamber of Commerce; I volunteer at the local non-profit entertainment venue, The Oswego Music Hall , photographing musicians and I do pro bono work for any other non-profits that I can help out. I intend to open my photography business in the coming spring and hope that the visibility I've gotten from doing the volunteer work will be my "advertising budget".

As John Lennon once said, "Life is what happens while you're making other plans.". I'm not sure what might have been, but I'm grateful for what is. I was talking to a gentleman, not too long ago, who is a world traveller and has been to some very exotic locales. He and I often chat about geographical, scientific or philosophical esoterica--both of us read omnivourously--and have some fine conversations. When I told him that I had not had the pleasure of traveling as widely as he has he said, "That may be true, but you notice things. If you went down to Minetto (a village five miles to the south of Oswego) you would see something that other people, including the ones who live there, missed.". I think that's fairly accurate. I travel pretty small but I try to see pretty big.

When this time of the year rolls around I do miss my family. It's not that I'm lonely, I don't mind being by myself for a lot of most days--and, yes, I do enjoy the company of friends or friendly strangers--it's more about not seeing and spending time with all my wonderful siblings and their children and grandchildren. I am so happy to be around all the little ones (even though I'm a terrible curmudgeon) and see them and their parents having a good time. Of course being the, now, elderly uncle, I don't gotta worry about changing diapers, although soothing an unhappy baby is something I'm fairly good at doing. The outings and parties with a trainload of sibs, neices, nephews, in-laws, outlaws and scads of kidaloos are really what I enjoy most about going to visit family. I hope that, one day, when my home is habitable--for those with more conventional ideas and traditional notions of what constitutes "suitable for habitation"--that some of you will come to visit, during the summer months when we often have long and lovely days of sun, mild temperatures and friendly breezes off Lake Ontario--a mile or two to the north of my house.

Now then, to the subject of Christmas. This Christmas season has been a good one., thus far. I have gotten some lovely swag from a few friends and a very nice gift or two from some of y'all. The goodies are greatly appreciated, but the cards and letters about what your families have been doing for the last year are what I truly treasure. For those of you who may not have my current snail mail and e-mail information, I'll include it in the copy of this that is e-mailed.

Gosh, I guess it got to be long winded, meandering and full of the usual sort of non-sequitirs--in other words, Mission Accomplished!!

May you all enjoy a wonderful holiday season and a happy, healthy and hopeful 2010. Merry ChrisKwanukahnalia!!

• N.B.:

About the photos: Some of you will, no doubt, recognize the signatures/card motifs/photos; thereby knowing that your Christmas missives have been entered into the Frigidaire Photo Placement Contest. There are two rules, as per last year, for the contest.

Rule 1.) Cards will be advanced per a very complicated formula (including but not limited to such criteria as: child cuteness, family grooming AND--this is a big one--everyone looking at the camera at the same time! ) at the discretion of the sole judging authority (that would be me).

Rule B.) Inclusion of pictures of deceased American notables, printed in that delicious combination of black, green and now, colored inks on Crane's very best currency paper will, as always, exert some considerable influence on the judge. In the event of a tie, in terms of the more subjective criteria listed in Rule 1, likenesses of Ulyssess S. Grant, Benjamin Franklin, William McKinley, Grover Cleveland, James Madison and Salmon P. Chase will weigh, in inverse order, heavily on the judging authority.

• N.B.P.S., too, also:

The doggy card is from my pal, Buddy, the around the corner Dachshund/God knows what else mix who spent his summer holiday at my home (he loves a place full of nooks and crannies to explore) and his mom, the nice lady who needed cataract surgery, thus necessitating Buddy's stay during her convalescence.

• N.B. , Oh, yeah, one more thing:

Those yellow and shiny refrigerator magnets are my nifty german precision levels. They tell me, among other things, how far off plumb and level my finish work will be!

BULLETIN, BULLETIN, BULLETIN--THIS, JUST IN!

Many of you already go to "The Coyote Chronicles" . Those of you who don't had better do so. The subject of today's post is easily the best Christmas song I've heard in years! Happy Holidays, Mack!

Tolerance is sometimes a vice

Tolerance is sometimes a vice? When I put something up on this blog, or read posts on other blogs, and the comment threads are filled with comments that run the gamut from humorous to toxic--that's okay with me. What's not okay is when threadjackers descend on blogs to push their own narrow agendas and try to turn someone else's platform into their own bully pulpit. Anyone who disagrees with me, here or elsewhere is welcome to do so. When their disagreements are based in honest argument I will either agree, disagree or ignore them. When they are obvious trolls I will do what I can to chase them off. By "obvious troll" I mean those commenters who have no desire to do anything but disrupt the thread to the point of having other commenters give up and walk away. Many of the trolls have their own blogs which, of course, they invite people to visit. This particular bait is not tempting to me. If they had a legitimate point I wouldn't be calling them "trolls" in the first place. Since they are trolls I see no reason to advance their hit counts. Occassionally, readers of my blog will notice that I have deleted a comment. Those comments are deleted because the people who have made them have been told that they would be. So, here's the short rules list. Say what you like when you visit my blog. Profanity, obscenity, personal insults--all fine, as long as you have a legitimate point to make. Personal threats--not so much. Those get screen capped and sent to other folks so that there will be a record. What prompts this post is my visits to a couple of other blogs. Both blogs are written by very intelligent and high-minded ladies who encourage diversity of opinion and do not simply excise those comments that they disagree with. Both of them also allow commenters who are, imo, trolls of the first order. I have no problem arguing, or even being wrong, when arguing with someone who is better prepared and relies on incontrovertible facts to buttress their arguments. When the arguments are based on opinion, anecdote, quote mining and cherry picking there is no point in arguing as they already "know" the truth and are attempting to convert people. That's all I got for the moment.

This Old Hovel

Well, we broke a record (at Syracuse Airport) recently for the most consecutive days without at least an inch of measurable snowfall--something like 285 days. It appears that we will be getting more normal weather for the indefinite future. The current weather forecast for Oswego, NY and its environs, courtesy this site: http://www.findlocalweather.com/radar/ny/oswego.html. Today...Some snow showers early...Then lake effect snows drifting south into northern sections this afternoon. Blowing snow. Accumulation 3 to 6 inches in the most persistent snows across the northern part of the county. Very windy. Early morning highs in the lower 30s...Then temperatures falling into the mid 20s. Southwest winds 25 to 40 mph...Becoming west with gusts up to 60 mph. Chance of snow near 100 percent. Tonight...Lake effect snow and blowing snow. Snow May be heavy at Times. Additional accumulation 9 to 17 inches in the most persistent snows. Very windy and colder with lows around 20. Southwest winds 25 to 40 mph...Becoming west. Gusts up to 55 mph. Chance of snow near 100 percent. Friday...Lake effect snow. Areas of blowing snow. Snow May be heavy at Times. Additional accumulation 8 to 16 inches in the most persistent snows. Windy with highs in the mid 20s. West winds 20 to 30 mph. Gusts up to 45 mph. Chance of snow near 100 percent. Friday Night...Lake effect snow. Snow May be heavy at Times. Brisk with lows in the lower 20s. West winds 15 to 25 mph. Chance of snow near 100 percent. Saturday...Lake effect snow. Highs around 30. West winds 15 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 90 percent. Saturday Night...Mostly cloudy with a chance of flurries. Lows 15 to 20. Sunday...Partly sunny. Highs in the mid 30s. Sunday Night...Mostly cloudy. Lows in the mid 20s. Monday...Mostly cloudy. Highs in the upper 30s. Monday Night...Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of snow showers. Lows in the upper 20s. Tuesday...Mostly cloudy with a chance of snow and rain showers. Highs in the upper 30s. Chance of precipitation 30 percent. Lucky for me I live at the SW end of the county, where we might only get a dusting to a couple of feet, depending on which street you live on! The snowfall amounts measured at the weather observatories are often wildly at odds with what is experienced in areas that are quite close to those sites. Hey, I got my pellet stove (actually the second one, the first one didn't work and I had to swap it out for another unit) and if my back of the envelope math is correct I should be able get the first floor up to a tolerable temp. I'm closing off the second floor to both conserve energy and to keep from having the roof get too warm and have melting snow forming ice dams up there. I think I've got a little record of my own going. I'm approaching a year of having my house be treerat free. I am sitting here listening to some Suzy Boggus and Leonard Cohen. I am also listening to the wind howl. I think the house is finally stiff enough to stop rocking in anything like normal wind. Last year when the wind was blowing this hard I was reminded of that nursery rhyme, "Rockabye Baby". Some fair sized beams, lots of framing connectors and let-in steel wall bracing seems to have helped immensely. Life is good, as long as one doesn't weaken.

Poor, poor, pitiful preachers.

Mr. Jon Swift had a post on his blog (http://jonswift.blogspot.com/2006/06/warren-buffett-turns-against-god.html)--go visit and leave some love. I wrote a comment and realized, after it posted, that the post was done in June and that the most recent comment on the thread was a week old. Hey I ain't wastin' this (it's been edited to be more profane)! Dear Mr. Swift, Sir: This is my first visit to your fine KKKristian KKKonservative blogplace (that would be YOUR fault for having a link to this place at "Jesus' General"). I think some of your commenters are nervous nellies. They think GOD will get umbragificacious with Warren B.? Nothing could be further(farther? whatever) from the truth. Warren is doing GOD'S work. Every dollar that he shifts to Billzebub Gates for doing satan's work is one dollar more that has to be offset by the righteous fundraising apparatus of Mr. Reverend Robertson, et al. GOD'S just havin' hisself a little fun with his peeps' is all. Why look at how he got Oral Roberts to go all jiggy, back when he said, "Oral, son, GOD gots to have some benjamins; 'less of course you wanna get benched." The man worked miracles--IN JESUS' NAME!! Yeah, OL' YHWH is just sittin' out on the glider on his paradaisacal porch, sippin' some fine sacremental Pinot Noir, and havin' a time with Moses, Leviticus, Abraham and the rest of the GOP (GOD'S Own Posse) while David (another oneathem "1 Name" artists) plucks a mean harp--is that "Stairway to Heaven" I'm hearing or just the music of the spheres? Oh, btw, that bit of scripture? It really said. "I'd rather stick needles in my eyes (something JESUS would do from time as a party prank, like changing water in to wine or healing lepers, etc.,.) than be caught smokin' a "Camel Frost". Dudes, it's like kissin' Mary Mags. Gimme oneathem straight, high tar Luckies or, better yet, a Fatima." Those Essenes, what a bunch of kidders

A good cop

UPDATE 11/12/09 4:14 PM EST Brad has informed me that the town has reversed itself and will be granting him a hearing. Notice: My blog's timestamp is screwed up. This is actually being posted at 9:43 PM (EST) on Wednesday, 11/04/09. I have mentioned to a few folks that I was going to put up a blogpost about an issue that I feel is important. That it involves a young man I've know for his entire life, the son of one of my best friends makes it much more personal than most of the things that I talk about here. I've known Brad Jardis' dad about 40 years, and I've known Brad's mom for something like 35 years. I have known Brad Jardis since he was a very young boy. In the time that I have known Brad he has gone from being a curious and very determined child to a smart, hard working, honest and very courageous cop. He's a good son, from a good family, who has always acted as a professional in his LE capacity and who has always been cognizant of the fact that he is first and foremost an officer of the LAW. Brad has been a police officer since he was eighteen years old. He graduated the NH State Police Academy before he was 19. He has served ably and honorably on three different departments. In the ten years that he has been a uniformed officer Brad has worked his share of petty and major crimes, domestic disturbances and drug busts. He has also volunteered his time as a counsellor for crime victims. Brad is currently at loggerheads with his employer, the Epping, NH PD because of his integrity, honesty and outspokeness. He is a member of LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition) an organization that is made up of law enforcement professionals who believe that the current policies of most law enforcement agencies, re: criminalization and prosecution of drug use is misguided and counter productive. His public stance on this issue is amply documented and it is a major reason, if not THE reason, that his employer is attempting to deprive him of his livelihood and his good reputation. Suffice to say that Brad is being "railroaded" by his department and his union. The charges are trumped up and Brad is fighting them. As is usually the case with fighting city hall, they don't bother to post the rules in a concise and clear way, so that gets added into the mix. Following the links at the bottom will allow you to familiarize yourself with the situation. Brad is a bright, energetic and earnest young man. He and I have had some fairly "energetic" discussions in the area of politics. We don't always agree, but we always respect one another's viewpoint. His positions are never based on anything but logic and his reading of the U.S. constitution and the laws of the United States. He's the only guy I ever met who actually keeps a copy of the constitution on his Blackberry. More to the point, he understands it as well as--and often better than--many people who are older and have made the study of that document a passion of their lives. I have suggested to Brad that going back to school and working toward a degree in law would be a great way to channel his energy and passion about justice. Whether he ultimately remains as a police officer or moves on to another career, he has my total support as my friend and my "nephew". I would be quite happy if any of my readers want to take this post and re-post it. It would be a nice if it went viral and brought the sort of attention to his employers that they are most certainly trying to avoid. Links: http://www.theunionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Epping+officer+suspended%2C+alleges+harassment&articleId=8738624e-5502-4f5e-9bb3-0bc45f22549b http://gamma.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Selectmen+deny+Epping+officer%27s+bid+for+public+hearing&articleId=e99f3b6d-556a-4a1b-9e1b-890912a46d06 http://copssaylegalize.blogspot.com/2009/10/leap-speaker-in-nh-legal-battle.html http://freekeene.com/2009/10/30/free-keene-hits-the-raw-story-via-heroic-cop-brad-jardis/ http://rawstory.com/2009/10/claim-cop-turfed-pot-legalization/ http://www.theunionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Wrongful+death+suit+to+go+forward&articleId=89ae4274-a613-421f-a106-fa3fad3486e9 http://forum.freekeene.com/index.php?topic=1786.msg21054#msg21054

Good Morning: For those of you who might be unfamiliar with my vital statistics, suffice to say that today has been a long time coming. For the rest of you, I have officially crossed the line; I will be, henceforth, a curdmudgeon, fogie, old fool or whatever it is you're calling men who are the over 59 in your neck of the woods. I share a birthday with some notable folks including Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (can you imagine what his fucking driver's license must have looked like?!). There are others, including--but not limited to--Georges Bizet, French composer; John Heisman, American football coach; Richard E. Byrd, American explorer; Minnie Pearl, American comedienne and singer; Klaus Barbie, Nazi war criminal; Billy Barty, American actor; Marion Ross, American actress (Richie Cunningham's mom); Bobby Knight, American basketball coach; James Carville, American political operative; Mike Eruzione, American hockey player; Nancy Cartwright, American voice actress (the voice of Bart Simpson); Pedro Martínez, Dominican Major League Baseball player;Midori, Japanese violinist. Now then, with the exception of Klaus B., Bobby Fucking Knight and James Carville, that's a pretty good group. I thought of the accomplishments and achievements of that group of people and thought I could best express my feeling about turning 60 this a.m. by quoting one of them. For those of you who think that just by getting old I will be forced to grow up--"Eat my shorts!". I'm going to boogie till I party and puke like it's 1999.

For your edification, a recently discovered fragment from Genesis. Mr. Snake: "Honey, I'm home!" Mrs. Snake: "Oh, good, dinner's nearly ready; I just have to constrict a couple of more voles. How was your day?" Mr. Snake: "Oh, you know, same ol', same ol'. I slithered around in the garden for a while, curdled the cow's milk, scared the poop out of Eve--that kind of stuff. Oh, btw, if you haven't already done those voles, hold off. I had a late rat and I'm not terribly hungry." Mrs. Snake: "Oh, that's alright honey, we'll just have them for breakfast (if you don't mange them during the "Survivor--The Neolitihic Dinosaur Era" marathon, tonight). Say, did you take a meeting with the creator and straighten out that whole talking thing?" Mr. Snake: "Yeah, that was a waste of time. He says that it's just not part of the gig. It was a "one time" event, he got what he needed and we get the shit end of the stick. He says that although the downside is that we are feared, reviled and extirpated by those idiot Two Leggers--and have no way to explain what happended-- that there is an upside. We'll never have to tithe OR pay taxes. He thought his little joke was pretty hilarious, what a prick! I just wish I had hands for long enough to flip him off, the asshole!" Mrs. Snake: "Oh, honey, don't do that to yourself; YWHW kicks your ass around enough as it is (it's just an expression--snakes don't have asses). Hey, how about I fix you a nice V&A (Venom and Antivenon), light on teh "A", you kick back and watch some of those cobra/mongoose pornos and we just kick back and twine our brains out? The voles aren't going anywhere."

You can please some of the people all of the time...

This post was written in reply to something someone said over at ScienceBlogs re: the Nobel Peace Prize. The general public seems ambivalent about Mr. Obama's having been awarded the prize and the GOP is of course making hay out of it. I am just weary of it all: Nomen Nescio: The nature of the Democratic Party has always been to fracture into a lot of different, competing groups. The nature of the GOP (at least in the last 40 years) has been to place party unity above principle, integrity and honor. that "nature" has proven to be a game winner, if winning elections is all that one cares about. I accept your criticisms of Obama and the dems as valid. I'm an independent and always have been. I'm left on social issues and centrist on most other stuff. I don't vote democratic tickets because I like them. I vote them because I perceive them to be the party that will do the least damage to my country. I know a number of republicans who told me that voting for Obama would not change anything. I told them they were wrong, because, I said, if Obama got elected my nation would die more slowly. Most of them laughed at my joke; I wasn't kidding. There is a shitload of anger (rage, actually) in a lot of peoples' hearts these days. People who don't know a fucking thing about the process of governance talk openly about killing the man they say is ruining the USA. What would be funny, if it wasn't so tragic is that they are being played like fiddles by the reichwing and the people who stand to profit most by the continued divisiveness. We expect Mr. Obama to be someone who is different from his predecessors, someone who is better than other politicians. We are disappointed that he is not--and we should be. That is OUR nature, to be disappointed when promises are not kept, when we feel we have been lied to and played for fools. Perhaps our disappointment will be fleeting, perhaps it will be profound. Maybe Mr. Obama will suddenly make a momentous change, as did Mr. DeKlerk upon becoming the leader of South Africa. Who knows? Not me, certainly. All I can do is all I can. I will continue to believe that there is purpose in this presidency, even though I don't understand what that purpose might be. I do wish Martin Luther King, Jr. was here to help, to lend his counsel. I won't be around twenty years from now (miracles of modern science notwithstanding) but I'd like to think my country will be. Is that an odd notion for someone who doesn't open his mail because it might hold bills?

Bounty

Well, I finally got my kitchen sink installed (temporarily, anyway) in my kitchen island. I was looking for something to do with the produce that I had piling up in the fridge and I thoughgt to myself, "GigundaSalad". Starting with the incredibly sweet heirloom, organic tomatoes I picked up at the Oswego Farmers' Market, a couple of days ago. These tomatoes are old europe at its best. IIRC they are called "German Stripes". They are as sweet as a peach. Chopped them into largish chunks. Then I added about half of a red onion (approximately baby's head size), a pair of cukes, 2 ribs of celery, a handful of calamata olives, 1/4 cup of capers, 1 nice braeburn apple and some frozen corn and peas. Then I opened a can of black beans and a can of garbanzos (drain the garbanzos, RINSE the black beans--unless you like very dark salad). After a thorough stirring of the ingredients, I let them rest in a 4 qt stainless bowl. I then made a dressing with OJ, cider vinegar, white balsamic vinegar, canola and hazelnut oils, GARLIC (yes, that much!!) salt, black pepper, powdered ancho chilies, basil, oregano, a tablespoon or so of brown sugar, about a 1/4 tsp of curry powder and a healthy pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg--quantities are all "to taste". Total volume of dressing was about a pint. It's macerating in the fridge for a few hours. Four days later: Ummm, umm. Good Salad. I ate about 2/3 and gave a couple of friends some to try. It was a little on the sweet side of sweet/savory. Next time I'll use less OJ or no apple. Wasn't it nice that I wrote a post with no overtly political stuff in it? Oh,yeah, fuck Glen Beck.

Compare and Contrast

Ted Kennedy will be laid to rest tomorrow, near the graves of his brothers Jack and Bobby. While I don't believe in an afterlife, I do believe that all three of Joe's boys, each with foibles of his own, did perform heroic service in their duties to their country and deserve to be laid in the hallowed ground of Arlington. Senator Kennedy's life, warts and all, has been thoroughly examined, for at least the last 41 years, so I won't be doing that. What I will say is this. Ted Kennedy has been criticized as a drunkard, a murderer, a serial philanderer, a "limousine liberal" dilettante, a fellow traveller, a terrorist appeaser and a traitor (and that's not an exhaustive list, by any means) by the reichwing idiots who are rejoicing at the news of his death. It is ironic, imo, that so many people who hate the late senator (and, yes, "hate" is the correct tense) are alive because of his tireless advocacy for those who needed help and whose voices could not be heard. So many social welfare programs, which many of his critics benefit from, were championed by Ted. If there IS an afterlife, Ted must be chuckling to himself as he listens to their insults and whining. I look at the role models for the fundies and reichwingers: Frist, Reagan, Falwell, Nixon, Gingrich, North, Dobson, Limbaugh, Coulter, Hannity, Palin and the "Plumber"--a melange of self-absorbed, paranoic, manipulative and delusional opportunists--and all I can think is "give me a boozy womanizer who actually gives a fuck about somebody else, any day." Rest in peace, Ted.

A new Jason Appuzzo film in the works.

What should be in the works is a new Star Trek movie where they go back in time to the mid-21st century where The United State of Godmerica is waging endless war against the Islamosecularists and surviving on Soylent Grayishbrown (having finally settled both the illegal immigration and care for the aging problems--um, hmmm--tastes just like chicken!) to do battle with the Baseborg. I have a great idea for the "deafers" too. They can have this really cool video where a granny, surrounded by her loving family is getting ready to blow out the candles on a birfday cake, while a hearse glides silently up to the curb--a hearse with the logo of the Dept. of Health and Human Services/FDA, Soylent Green Division. We see granny, a surprisingly spry looking 80 year old, with a nice rack, nary a wrinkle and no glasses, preparing to blow out her candles--all 80 of them, by herself. In the background "Happy Birthday" plays; and then, strangely, it morphs into Mozart's Requiem (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swkT07TP-mo). We watch in horror as the whitecoated, jackbooted thugs of the SEC (State Eugenics Collective) use a battering ram to gain entry and start to drag the "surprisingly spry granny" (that will be ad copy for the trailer) towards the yawning maw of their shining, black BFI/Deathstar 666, Mark 2 combination ex-sanguinator, eviscerator, compactor and mulcher. We are resigned to defeat; but, wait! The dining room table suddenly rises from the floor to reveal Numchuck Norris in his best "Braddock" headband with his trusty belt-fed M-60 machine gun(call him old fashioned, he goes with what works), dealing death and scowls with equal effect. At this moment, the rest of the family deploy a virtual arsenal of weaponry, ranging from a flintlock rifle to a shoulder launched Stinger missile and annihilate the anti-KKKristian merchants of death as the sound track once again changes to a medley of "Stayin' Alive", "The Electric Slide" and "God Bless th USA". As the dying "Angels of Death" bleed out on the lawn, and their vehicle blazes in the background, granny gathers her brood and says with a smile, "THANK GOD, we clobbered those bastards. Let's go eat some cake." And her grandson says, in pop-eyed wonderment, "Gee, gran, do you think you can blow out the hearse after you do the candles?". Much laughter ensues. I've updated my "deafers" slogan: "You can have my self-determination when you can pry it from my cold, dead--because of being denied coverage/necessary procedures--fingers."

Recycling an old joke & the prescience of good Science Fiction

The "birfers" and "deafers" are beginning to become the blackhole of batshit KKKrazy in our nation. The pull of teh Stoopid is so great that no light--of either scholarship or humor--may escape. To recycle an old joke: So, Satan takes a meeting with the entire GOP leadership and the reichwing's talking shitheads. He shows them a powerpoint of the world gone amok; war, pestilence, famine, endlessly proliferating tv reality shows and says: "This can be yours--and it can be very, very profitable. The only thing I require is the blood sacrifice of your entire base of useful idiots--AND your souls." Newt Gingrich, the group's spokesslime says, "What's the catch?" ----------------------- Watching these people, or reading their rants, is alternately hilarious and disheartening. I recommend reading C.M. Kornbluth's "The Marching Morons" (1951) @ http://www.wattpad.com/111513-Th...M-Kornbluth? p=1 Which includes this Palinesque line: "the broadcast drama about you and your neighbors, folksy people, ordinary people, real people!" useful idiots, indeed. I added this link: http://www.sacbee.com/static/newsroom/swf/april07/mother/ (Thanks to Mack @ Coyote Chronicles--http://coyotechronicles.wordpress.com/) This is a difficult thing to look at. It is about love and pain and the hell of losing one's child to a devestating disease. What strikes me is not just the emotional aspect but the obviousness of a cold hard fact. The young man in the photographs had what must have been exceptional medical care and still was in agony from his treatments and died far too young. I can only imagine what it would have been like for his loved ones to go through this with no help from the government or (oxymoron warning) a compassionate HMO/Insurer. Please forward this link to everyone who tells you they don't think we need to overhaul our healthcare system.