My Blog

Please vote tomorrow!!!! (if you didn't already, that is!!!)

babblingfreak — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 01:01:21 GMT

This is the biggest election in many years. It's historic. Please vote. And if you're not sure who to vote for, I am voting Obama.

aside from the fact that

babblingfreak — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 05:39:10 GMT

my neck hurts, my arms are sore and i am totally, utterly exhausted, oh yeah, and a long hot sit in a hot tub or a nice massage would kick butt right now, i am quite contented in my post-snowboarding pain. i had a big day, driving back from tahoe after a weekend of debauchery and boarding straight to an audition for all the theatres in the bay area. now i am spaced out near ready to drop in me nice warm home. i hadn't actually hit the slopes in almost 2 years and i was impressed with how much i remembered, if i may say so myself. i went down the mountain mostly falling leaf and only fell when i made myself fall because i was afraid of the speed i'd gained and the loss of control that happened with that. perhaps i am a secret control freak? hah. i hardly think so. so now i am beginning to babble, i am stopping here to say, i am grateful for the wonderful crew of lovely folks i call my friends here in san francisco.

Did Hilary cry? What kind of weird interpretation of this clip is actual crying?

babblingfreak — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 07:48:22 GMT

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/01/09/thats-it-jon-stewart-_n_80749. html perhaps there's more to it that I missed, but she appears not to cry at all, she just appears *gasp* - human- *gasp* are we so used to people being political and perfect or the other extreme (need i say brittany) that we have lost our ability to recognize human beings when we see them? I still don't know who I am voting for, frankly, but I think it's ridiculous what the media is doing with this. I also think it frightening that everyone is so shocked.

well happy new year

babblingfreak — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 04:24:15 GMT

i haven't logged on here in a while, which is kinda odd as i used to work here and login everyday. such is life. it's been a long, fun, weekend. i just saw "the diving bell and the butterfly" and i just wanted to give a shout out to all the people i know and say you're wonderful and i love you all! yay! if you haven't seen this movie, i recommend it highly- i am now inspired to read the book. i thought i was going to write a thoughtful, beautiful, blog post, but now i realize that my brain is too fried to say much of anything intelligible. oh yeah, and for those who wondered, my ear is fine now, thank god. :)

my good ear

babblingfreak — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 01:12:37 GMT

hey all so yesterday morning i woke up in a lot of pain. My right ear (which is my good ear) was congested and pressurized. It hurt very much then more, then popped and started to drain. (Gross, i know). I suspected my cold had moved into the ear canal and put pressure on my eardrum and ruptured it. This is what happened. I went to the ENT and he took care of me and took a culture, prescribed antibiotics and drove me to the hospital to drop of the culture. We shall see. It is the hope that the antibiotics will clear up the infection and my eardrum will heal. My hearing is limited now to where it sounds like i am underwater. If you happen to pray or whatever, please send good thoughts my way. I am scared as it's the only hearing ear I have. I can hear now, but not near as much as I did before Sunday...... ... I am fine otherwise and at work today. love mary

Well, holy ohmygoshiamsohappyicouldjust

babblingfreak — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 19:22:35 GMT

explode! there is a God there is hope for this country and the world. i am still holding out my breath that we win the senate, too. it feels as though a great weight has been lifted and then, then to top it off like a cherry on top, Rumsfeld is resiging. it feels like christmas.

So I'm slightly embarassed to say, I went to....

babblingfreak — Sun, 02 Jul 2006 19:52:20 GMT

Ozzfest! Tee-hee! I thought it would just be an interesting anthropological experience, but I really dug some of the bands. Disturbed is good and Hate Breed was also talented. System of a Down blew me away! They are brilliant, inspired, intelligent and talented musicians. I am going to have to buy all their albums now. On top of that they had the balls to speak reality about Bush and the Iraq war to the crowd.

No I haven't fallen off the planet, I am trapped under a rock!

babblingfreak — Thu, 25 May 2006 03:09:18 GMT

okay, so it's not quite *that* exciting. i just started a new job. i work at tagged.com. It's a social network site for U.S. teenagers only. I hope it runs myspace into the ground. It's a nice group of folks in SF. Although, I do miss tribe. buh. I also have been taking a bazillion voice over classes and I have slowly been praticing the rope and silk. It is kicking my butt. but fun. I just got cast in a show as well, more details to come when I get them and I am not sick of being on the internet blathering in a blog. I hope you're all swell, world. I should get back to my laundry.

What the hell is wrong with people?

babblingfreak — Mon, 15 May 2006 16:07:13 GMT

A friend of my sent this article. I am appalled at the treatment of this woman by those that "serve and protect". Cleveland Women Held For Psych Evaluation For Trying To Put Up Anti-Bush Posters Greg Szymanski, The Arctic Beacon, May 13, 2006 http://www.arcticbeacon.com/13-May-2006.html A Cleveland woman, manhandled by police and charged with two felonies for trying to display anti-Bush posters, was jailed in a Cuyahoga County psych unit last week in what her attorney called a "highly unusual and outrageous" decision. Carol Fisher, 53, was ordered by state court Judge Timothy McGinty to undergo a psychological examination as a part of her pre-sentencing investigation in the anti-Bush poster incident. From the onset of the case, Judge McGinty openly claimed Fisher suffered from "mental problems" for resisting a brutal encounter on Jan. 28 when Cleveland Heights police manhandled and arrested her even after complying with orders to not display the anti-Bush posters on a downtown Cleveland Heights street. And during a last minute May 9 hearing, Judge McGinty said Fischer's opposition to the Bush administration makes her "delusional." In response, Terry Gilbert, one of Fisher's attorney, said in more than 30 years of practicing law, he has never seen "anything remotely like this," adding legal challenges are ongoing, including a writ of habeas corpus. "This is gulag stuff," said Gilbert. "Is this the kind of country you want to live in when dissidents are determined to be crazy?" In a phone call after being put in the psych ward, Fisher said her eyeglasses were taken, she was put on suicide watch and if she doesn't comply with the psych examination, she will be sent to the North Coast Mental Institute for a 20 day evaluation. During the hearing, Judge McGinty made other strange requests baffling attorneys, asking defense counsel to openly read a lengthy message on Fisher's t-shirt, saying: "Wanted for Illegally Crossing Borders: The Bush Regime. If you are going to insist that crossing borders illegally is a crime which cannot be tolerated, how about George Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleezza Rice (and yes, Colin Powell) and the rest of that gang, with their highly illegal, and violent, 'crossing of the border'-into Iraq, among other places?!" Judge McGinty then said this was proof of her delusional state, adding that "Carol wants to go to jail and that she has a martyr complex." Fisher had initially refused to taking a state ordered psych evaluation, saying there was no reason for it due to the fact American citizens have the right to express political opinions in an open and honest fashion. However, Judge McGinty's response to Fisher's refusal and statements was simply that "I don't negotiate with felons." "I'd be crazy to go along with the psych test," said Fisher, adding she feared being railroaded by crooked state psychiatrists based on her opposition to the Bush administration. "That which you will resist and mobilize to stop, you will learn or be forced to accept." And looking back on the entire Fisher story, starting with the Jan. 28 police brutality incident involving the anti-Bush posters, her case is a stark example of the fascist climate existing in America, an unsettling climate were dissidents are punished and authority figures are allowed to trample on civil rights. "The facts show that I was willing to take the posters down as the officer requested. But I was arrested anyway. Yet the prosecution intends to distort the facts and police still promote the lie that I was arrested because I refused to comply, and attacked them," said Fisher. "The real point here is, there need to be more posters all over the place demanding an end to the Bush Regime! The facts clear and simple: I was wrongly arrested and assaulted for putting up anti-Bush posters. I was further punished for defying them. "What about my injuries, trauma, intimidation, a threat on my life, being labeled a crazy wildcat, held incommunicado for six hours, forced to undress in front of four male policemen, and now the loss of my job? And most of all, what about the fact that all this happened because I put up a poster calling for active opposition to the Bush Regime!" And Fisher's run-in with authorities and subsequent illegal incarceration is just another example of the long line of cases piling up across America showing the "real live day to day" lock down on freedom of speech and the use of police as the Gestapo arm of the fascist Bush administration. "I had set out from my house with a full agenda, to contact lots of people and get out materials about our upcoming Cleveland event to Drown Out the State of the Union address, and the call to march around the White House on Feb. 4th. My first stop was the an area known for its community of artists and progressives, where I stapled up posters for blocks and was greeted warmly by those who saw and appreciated what World Cant Wait is doing. I talked to an artist, and a Palestinian store owner who took fliers to distribute to customers. "Next stop, to the east side. I drove down a street in Cleveland Heights, another area known for its diversity and progressive history. This street was badly in need of postering too and though i was in a big hurry, I couldn't drive on without getting up a few signs. Before long a cop called from across the street: "Ma'am! Hundred dollar fine for doing that!" Oh really, since when? Another way of keeping us from getting the word out, eh? "But not wanting to get arrested, I said ok and put up my staple gun and walked away. But that wasn't the end of it. "Ma'am! Hundred dollar fine unless you take those posters down." He is pursuing me across the street. Damn! OK fine, I say, I will take them down (not wanting to get into a confrontation, because I have lots to do today!) But this too is not enough for the cop. He wants my ID. I say I don't have my ID. He grabs my arm. I say let go of me, I am not doing anything wrong, I will take the posters down. People are watching to see what happens, are outraged but very afraid. The cop won't let go, he clearly wants more grief from me, and he is in the spotlight. He wants people to be scared. He pushes me against a store window and next thing I know I am face down on the sidewalk with two cops on top of me, one with his knee in my back. I am trying to call out to people, to tell them what the posters are about. "They keep pushing my face into the sidewalk. I can't breathe. I have osteoradionecrosis in my jaw, resulting from radiation treatments for cancer. My jawbone is slowly deteriorating, is very fragile, and doesn't heal well. I am 53 years old, not exactly a spring chicken. A hand comes down again to push my chin against the concrete. "By this time there are four cops on the scene. My hands are tightly cuffed behind my back. They lift me up and shove me onto a park bench and shackle my legs. I am still calling out, telling people what this is about. One of the cops says to me, "Shut up or I will kill you!", "I am sick of this anti-Bush shit!" "You are definitely going to the psyche ward." Then somebody calls the EMS, and a fire squad shows up. "The cop supervisor appears and puts his finger in my face: "I don't like it when people treat my men like this and if you don't obey the law you will suffer the consequences." I am lifted into the EMS truck, hands still cuffed behind my back. I ask to make a call and this is refused, but a fireman offers to make a quick call for me. If not for this, no one would have known where I was or what was happening, a fate shared by many immigrants in this country. At the hospital, I am treated as an arch-criminal. Escorted by four policemen, I shuffle into the emergency room, legs still shackled, covered with leaves and mud. I think to myself, if I was Black, I would not have made it this far. I would probably be dead by now." Editor's Note: To see Fisher's original story go to http://www.arcticbeacon.com/1-Apr-2006.html. To hear her live radio interview with Greg Szymanski go to http://mp3.rbnlive.com/Greg06.html.

AN APOLOGY FROM A BUSH VOTER By Doug McIntyre

babblingfreak — Mon, 08 May 2006 21:13:32 GMT

AN APOLOGY FROM A BUSH VOTER By Doug McIntyre Host, McIntyre in the Morning Talk Radio 790 KABC There’s nothing harder in public life than admitting you’re wrong. By the way, admitting you’re wrong can be even tougher in private life. If you don’t believe me, just ask Bill Clinton or Charlie Sheen. But when you go out on the limb in public, it’s out there where everyone can see it, or in my case, hear it. So, I’m saying today, I was wrong to have voted for George W. Bush. In historic terms, I believe George W. Bush is the worst two-term President in the history of the country. Worse than Grant. I also believe a case can be made that he’s the worst President, period. In 2000, I was a McCain guy. I wasn’t sure about the Texas Governor. He had name recognition and a lot of money behind him, but other than that? What? Still, I was sick of all the Clinton shenanigans and the thought of President Gore was… unthinkable. So, GWB became my guy. For the first few months he was just flubbing along like most new Presidents, no great shakes, but no disasters either. He cut taxes and I like tax cuts. Then September 11th happened. September 11th changed everything for me, like it did for so many of you. After September 11th, all the intramural idiocy of American politics stopped being funny. We had been attacked by a vicious and determined enemy and it was time for all of us to row in the same direction. And we did for the blink of an eye. I believed the President when he said we were going to hunt down Bin Laden and all those responsible for the 9-11 murders. I believed President Bush when he said we would go after the terrorists and the nations that harbored them. I supported the President when he sent our troops into Afghanistan, after all, that’s where the Taliban was, that’s where al-Qaida trained the killers, that’s where Bin Laden was. And I cheered when we quickly toppled the Taliban government, but winced when we let Bin Laden escape from Tora-Bora. Then, the talk turned to Iraq and I winced again. I thought the connection to 9-11 was sketchy at best. But Colin Powell impressed me at the UN, and Tony Blair was in, and after all, he was a Clinton guy, not a Bush guy, so I thought the case had to be strong. I was worried though, because I had read the Wolfowitz paper, “The Project for the New American Century.” It’s been around since ‘92, and it raised alarm bells because it was based on a theory, “Democratizing the Middle East” and I prefer pragmatism over theory. I was worried because Iraq was being justified on a radical new basis, “pre-emptive war.” Any time we do something without historical precedent I get nervous. But the President shifted the argument to WMDs and the urgent threat of Iraq getting atomic weapons. The debate turned to Saddam passing nukes on to terror groups. After 9-11, the risk was too great. As the President said, “The next smoking gun might be a mushroom cloud.” At least that’s what I thought at the time. I grew up in New York and watched them build the World Trade Center. I worked with a guy, Frank O’Brien, who put the elevators in both towers. I lost a very close friend on September 11th. 103 floor, tower one, Cantor Fitzgerald. Tim Coughlin was his name. If we had to take out Iraq to make sure something like that, or worse, never happened again, so be it. I knew the consequences. We have a soldier in our house. None of this was theoretical in my house. But in the months and years since shock and awe I have been shocked repeatedly by a consistent litany of excuses, alibis, double-talk, inaccuracies, bogus predictions, and flat out lies. I have watched as the President and his administration changed the goals, redefined the reasons for going into Iraq, and fumbled the good will of the world and the focus necessary to catch the real killers of September 11th. I have watched the President say the commanders on the ground will make the battlefield decisions, and the war won’t be run from Washington. Yet, politics has consistently determined what the troops can and can’t do on the ground and any commander who did not go along with the administration was sacked, and in some cases, maligned. I watched and tried to justify the looting in Iraq after the fall of Saddam. I watched and tried to justify the dismantling of the entire Iraqi army. I tired to explain the complexities of building a functional new Iraqi army. I urged patience when no WMDs were found. Then the Vice President told us we were in the “waning days of the insurgency.” And I started wincing again. The President says we have to stay the course but what if it’s the wrong course? It was the wrong course. All of it was wrong. We are not on the road to victory. We’re about to slink home with our tail between our legs, leaving civil war in Iraq and a nuclear armed Iran in our wake. Bali was bombed. Madrid was bombed. London was bombed. And Bin Laden is still making tapes. It’s unspeakable. The liberal media didn’t create this reality, bad policy did. Most historians believe it takes 30-50 years before we get a reasonably accurate take on a President’s place in history. So, maybe 50 years from now Iraq will be a peaceful member of the brotherhood of nations and George W. Bush will be celebrated as a visionary genius. But we don’t live fifty years in the future. We live now. We have to make public policy decisions now. We have to live with the consequences of the votes we cast and the leaders we chose now. After five years of carefully watching George W. Bush I’ve reached the conclusion he’s either grossly incompetent, or a hand puppet for a gaggle of detached theorists with their own private view of how the world works. Or both. Presidential failures. James Buchanan, Franklin Pierce, Jimmy Carter, Warren Harding-— the competition is fierce for the worst of the worst. Still, the damage this President has done is enormous. It will take decades to undo, and that’s assuming we do everything right from now on. His mistakes have global implications, while the other failed Presidents mostly authored domestic embarrassments. And speaking of domestic embarrassments, let’s talk for a minute about President Bush’s domestic record. Yes, he cut taxes. But tax cuts combined with reckless spending and borrowing is criminal mismanagement of the public’s money. We’re drunk at the mall with our great grandchildren’s credit cards. Whatever happened to the party of fiscal responsibility? Bush created a giant new entitlement, the prescription drug plan. He lied to his own party to get it passed. He lied to the country about its true cost. It was written by and for the pharmaceutical industry. It helps nobody except the multinationals that lobbied for it. So much for smaller government. In fact, virtually every tentacle of government has grown exponentially under Bush. Unless, of course, it was an agency to look after the public interest, or environmental protection, and/or worker’s rights. I’ve talked so often about the border issue, I won’t bore you with a rehash. It’s enough to say this President has been a catastrophe for the wages of working people; he’s debased the work ethic itself. “Jobs Americans won’t do!” He doesn’t believe in the sovereign borders of the country he’s sworn to protect and defend. And his devotion to cheap labor for his corporate benefactors, along with his worship of multinational trade deals, makes an utter mockery of homeland security in a post 9-11 world. The President’s January 7th, 2004 speech on immigration, his first trial balloon on his guest worker scheme, was a deal breaker for me. I couldn’t and didn’t vote for him in 2004. And I’m glad I didn’t. Katrina, Harriet Myers, The Dubai Port Deal, skyrocketing gas prices, shrinking wages for working people, staggering debt, astronomical foreign debt, outsourcing, open borders, contempt for the opinion of the American people, the war on science, media manipulation, faith based initives, a cavalier attitude toward fundamental freedoms-- this President has run the most arrogant and out-of-touch administration in my lifetime, perhaps, in any American’s lifetime. You can make a case that Abraham Lincoln did what he had to do, the public be damned. If you roll the dice on your gut and you’re right, history remembers you well. But, when your gut led you from one business failure to another, when your gut told you to trade Sammy Sosa to the Cubs, and you use the same gut to send our sons and daughters to fight and die in a distraction from the real war on terror, then history will and should be unapologetic in its condemnation. None of this, by the way, should be interpreted as an endorsement of the opposition party. The Democrats are equally bankrupt. This is the second crime of our age. Again, historically speaking, its times like these when America needs a vibrant opposition to check the power of a run-amuck majority party. It requires it. It doesn’t work without one. Like the high and low tides keep the oceans alive, a healthy, positive opposition offers a path back to the center where all healthy societies live. Tragically, the Democrats have allowed crackpots, leftists and demagogic cowards to snipe from the sidelines while taking no responsibility for anything. In fairness, I don’t believe a Democrat president would have gone into Iraq. Unfortunately, I don’t know if President Gore would have gone into Afghanistan. And that’s one of the many problems with the Democrats. The two party system has always been clumsy and imperfect, but it has only collapsed once, in the 1850s, and the result was civil war. I believe, as I have said countless times, the two party system is on the brink of a second collapsed. It’s currently running on spin, anger, revenge, and pots and pots and pots of money. We’re being governed by paper-mache patriots; brightly painted red, white and blue, but hollow to the core. Both parties have mastered the cynical arts of media manipulation and fund raising. They’ve learned the lessons of Watergate and burn the tapes. They have learned to divide the nation for their own gain. They have demonstrated the willingness to exploit any tragedy for personal advantage. The contempt they have for the American people is without parallel. This is painful to say, and I’m sure for many of you, painful to read. But it’s impossible to heal the country until we’re willing to acknowledge the truth no matter how painful. We have to wean ourselves off sugar coated partisan lies. With a belated tip of the cap to Ralph Nader, the system is broken, so broken, it’s almost inevitable it pukes up the Al Gores and George W. Bushes. Where are the Trumans and the Eisenhowers? Where are the men and women of vision and accomplishment? Why do we have to settle for recycled hacks and malleable ciphers? Greatness is always rare, but is basic competence and simple honesty too much to ask? It may be decades before we have the full picture of how paranoid and contemptuous this administration has been. And I am open to the possibility that I’m all wet about everything I’ve just said. But I’m putting it out there, because I have to call it as I see it, and this is how I see it today. I don’t say any of this lightly. I’ve thought about this for months and months. But eventually, the weight of evidence takes on a gravitational force of its own. I believe that George W. Bush has taken us down a terrible road. I don’t believe the Democrats are offering an alternative. That means we’re on our own to save this magnificent country. The United States of America is a gift to the world, but it has been badly abused and it’s rightful owners, We the People, had better step up to the plate and reclaim it before the damage becomes irreparable. So, accept my apology for allowing partisanship to blind me to an obvious truth; our President is incapable of the tasks he is charged with. I almost feel sorry for him. He is clearly in over his head. Yet, he doesn’t generate the sympathy Warren Harding earned. Harding, a spectacular mediocrity, had the self-knowledge to tell any and all he shouldn’t be President. George W. Bush continues to act the part, but at this point whose buying the act? Does this make me a waffler? A flip-flopper? Maybe, although I prefer to call it realism. And, for those of you who never supported Bush, its also fair to accuse me of kicking Bush while he’s down. After all, you were kicking him while he was up. You were right, I was wrong.

So, I thought Stephen Colbert was hilarious.

babblingfreak — Thu, 04 May 2006 19:38:04 GMT

It's no secret I am a liberal and not a Bush fan, and I thought this 3 part video was hilarous. In case you missed it, you can find all three parts on You Tube, or you can read it here: Re-Improved Colbert transcript (now with complete text of Colbert- Thomas video!) by Frederick Sun Apr 30, 2006 at 11:04:01 AM PDT Frederick's diary :: :: STEPHEN COLBERT: Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Before I begin, I've been asked to make an announcement. Whoever parked 14 black bulletproof S.U.V.'s out front, could you please move them? They are blocking in 14 other black bulletproof S.U.V.'s and they need to get out. Wow. Wow, what an honor. The White House correspondents' dinner. To actually sit here, at the same table with my hero, George W. Bush, to be this close to the man. I feel like I'm dreaming. Somebody pinch me. You know what? I'm a pretty sound sleeper -- that may not be enough. Somebody shoot me in the face. Is he really not here tonight? Dammit. The one guy who could have helped. By the way, before I get started, if anybody needs anything else at their tables, just speak slowly and clearly into your table numbers. Somebody from the NSA will be right over with a cocktail. Mark Smith, ladies and gentlemen of the press corps, Madame First Lady, Mr. President, my name is Stephen Colbert and tonight it's my privilege to celebrate this president. We're not so different, he and I. We get it. We're not brainiacs on the nerd patrol. We're not members of the factinista. We go straight from the gut, right sir? That's where the truth lies, right down here in the gut. Do you know you have more nerve endings in your gut than you have in your head? You can look it up. I know some of you are going to say "I did look it up, and that's not true." That's 'cause you looked it up in a book. Next time, look it up in your gut. I did. My gut tells me that's how our nervous system works. Every night on my show, the Colbert Report, I speak straight from the gut, OK? I give people the truth, unfiltered by rational argument. I call it the "No Fact Zone." Fox News, I hold a copyright on that term. I'm a simple man with a simple mind. I hold a simple set of beliefs that I live by. Number one, I believe in America. I believe it exists. My gut tells me I live there. I feel that it extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and I strongly believe it has 50 states. And I cannot wait to see how the Washington Post spins that one tomorrow. I believe in democracy. I believe democracy is our greatest export. At least until China figures out a way to stamp it out of plastic for three cents a unit. In fact, Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong, welcome. Your great country makes our Happy Meals possible. I said it's a celebration. I believe the government that governs best is the government that governs least. And by these standards, we have set up a fabulous government in Iraq. I believe in pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps. I believe it is possible -- I saw this guy do it once in Cirque du Soleil. It was magical. And though I am a committed Christian, I believe that everyone has the right to their own religion, be you Hindu, Jewish or Muslim. I believe there are infinite paths to accepting Jesus Christ as your personal savior. Ladies and gentlemen, I believe it's yogurt. But I refuse to believe it's not butter. Most of all, I believe in this president. Now, I know there are some polls out there saying this man has a 32% approval rating. But guys like us, we don't pay attention to the polls. We know that polls are just a collection of statistics that reflect what people are thinking in "reality." And reality has a well- known liberal bias. So, Mr. President, please, pay no attention to the people that say the glass is half full. 32% means the glass -- it's important to set up your jokes properly, sir. Sir, pay no attention to the people who say the glass is half empty, because 32% means it's 2/3 empty. There's still some liquid in that glass is my point, but I wouldn't drink it. The last third is usually backwash. Okay, look, folks, my point is that I don't believe this is a low point in this presidency. I believe it is just a lull before a comeback. I mean, it's like the movie "Rocky." All right. The president in this case is Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed is -- everything else in the world. It's the tenth round. He's bloodied. His corner man, Mick, who in this case I guess would be the vice president, he's yelling, "Cut me, Dick, cut me!," and every time he falls everyone says, "Stay down! Stay down!" Does he stay down? No. Like Rocky, he gets back up, and in the end he -- actually, he loses in the first movie. OK. Doesn't matter. The point is it is the heart-warming story of a man who was repeatedly punched in the face. So don't pay attention to the approval ratings that say 68% of Americans disapprove of the job this man is doing. I ask you this, does that not also logically mean that 68% approve of the job he's not doing? Think about it. I haven't. I stand by this man. I stand by this man because he stands for things. Not only for things, he stands on things. Things like aircraft carriers and rubble and recently flooded city squares. And that sends a strong message: that no matter what happens to America, she will always rebound -- with the most powerfully staged photo ops in the world. Now, there may be an energy crisis. This president has a very forward- thinking energy policy. Why do you think he's down on the ranch cutting that brush all the time? He's trying to create an alternative energy source. By 2008 we will have a mesquite-powered car! And I just like the guy. He's a good joe. Obviously loves his wife, calls her his better half. And polls show America agrees. She's a true lady and a wonderful woman. But I just have one beef, ma'am. I'm sorry, but this reading initiative. I'm sorry, I've never been a fan of books. I don't trust them. They're all fact, no heart. I mean, they're elitist, telling us what is or isn't true, or what did or didn't happen. Who's Britannica to tell me the Panama Canal was built in 1914? If I want to say it was built in 1941, that's my right as an American! I'm with the president, let history decide what did or did not happen. The greatest thing about this man is he's steady. You know where he stands. He believes the same thing Wednesday that he believed on Monday, no matter what happened Tuesday. Events can change; this man's beliefs never will. As excited as I am to be here with the president, I am appalled to be surrounded by the liberal media that is destroying America, with the exception of Fox News. Fox News gives you both sides of every story: the president's side, and the vice president's side. But the rest of you, what are you thinking, reporting on NSA wiretapping or secret prisons in eastern Europe? Those things are secret for a very important reason: they're super-depressing. And if that's your goal, well, misery accomplished. Over the last five years you people were so good -- over tax cuts, WMD intelligence, the effect of global warming. We Americans didn't want to know, and you had the courtesy not to try to find out. Those were good times, as far as we knew. But, listen, let's review the rules. Here's how it works: the president makes decisions. He's the decider. The press secretary announces those decisions, and you people of the press type those decisions down. Make, announce, type. Just put 'em through a spell check and go home. Get to know your family again. Make love to your wife. Write that novel you got kicking around in your head. You know, the one about the intrepid Washington reporter with the courage to stand up to the administration. You know - fiction! Because really, what incentive do these people have to answer your questions, after all? I mean, nothing satisfies you. Everybody asks for personnel changes. So the White House has personnel changes. Then you write, "Oh, they're just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic." First of all, that is a terrible metaphor. This administration is not sinking. This administration is soaring. If anything, they are rearranging the deck chairs on the Hindenburg! Now, it's not all bad guys out there. Some are heroes: Christopher Buckley, Jeff Sacks, Ken Burns, Bob Schieffer. They've all been on my show. By the way, Mr. President, thank you for agreeing to be on my show. I was just as shocked as everyone here is, I promise you. How's Tuesday for you? I've got Frank Rich, but we can bump him. And I mean bump him. I know a guy. Say the word. See who we've got here tonight. General Moseley, Air Force Chief of Staff. General Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. They still support Rumsfeld. Right, you guys aren't retired yet, right? Right, they still support Rumsfeld. Look, by the way, I've got a theory about how to handle these retired generals causing all this trouble: don't let them retire! Come on, we've got a stop-loss program; let's use it on these guys. I've seen Zinni and that crowd on Wolf Blitzer. If you're strong enough to go on one of those pundit shows, you can stand on a bank of computers and order men into battle. Come on. Jesse Jackson is here, the Reverend. Haven't heard from the Reverend in a little while. I had him on the show. Very interesting and challenging interview. You can ask him anything, but he's going to say what he wants, at the pace that he wants. It's like boxing a glacier. Enjoy that metaphor, by the way, because your grandchildren will have no idea what a glacier is. Justice Scalia is here. Welcome, sir. May I be the first to say, you look fantastic. How are you? [After each sentence, Colbert makes a hand gesture, an allusion to Scalia's recent use of an obscene Sicilian hand gesture in speaking to a reporter about Scalia's critics. Scalia is seen laughing hysterically.] Just talking some Sicilian with my paisan. John McCain is here. John McCain, John McCain, what a maverick! Somebody find out what fork he used on his salad, because I guarantee you it wasn't a salad fork. This guy could have used a spoon! There's no predicting him. By the way, Senator McCain, it's so wonderful to see you coming back into the Republican fold. I have a summer house in South Carolina; look me up when you go to speak at Bob Jones University. So glad you've seen the light, sir. Mayor Nagin! Mayor Nagin is here from New Orleans, the chocolate city! Yeah, give it up. Mayor Nagin, I'd like to welcome you to Washington, D.C., the chocolate city with a marshmallow center. And a graham cracker crust of corruption. It's a Mallomar, I guess is what I'm describing, a seasonal cookie. Joe Wilson is here, Joe Wilson right down here in front, the most famous husband since Desi Arnaz. And of course he brought along his lovely wife Valerie Plame. Oh, my god. [looks horrified] Oh, what have I said? I -- Je- minetti (sp?). I am sorry, Mr. President, I meant to say he brought along his lovely wife Joe Wilson's wife. Patrick Fitzgerald is not here tonight? OK. Dodged a bullet. And, of course, we can't forget the man of the hour, new press secretary, Tony Snow. Secret Service name, "Snow Job." Toughest job. What a hero. Took the second toughest job in government, next to, of course, the ambassador to Iraq. Got some big shoes to fill, Tony. Big shoes to fill. Scott McClellan could say nothing like nobody else. McClellan, of course, eager to retire. Really felt like he needed to spend more time with Andrew Card's children. Mr. President, I wish you hadn't made the decision so quickly, sir. I was vying for the job myself. I think I would have made a fabulous press secretary. I have nothing but contempt for these people. I know how to handle these clowns. In fact, sir, I brought along an audition tape and with your indulgence, I'd like to at least give it a shot. So, ladies and gentlemen, my press conference. BEGINNING OF "AUDITION TAPE" Colbert shows a video of a mock press conference. It opens with an empty podium. Colbert's head rises from behind the podium until Colbert is standing at the podium. He addresses the assembled Washington press corps. COLBERT: I have a brief statement: the press is destroying America. OK, let's see who we've got here today. COLBERT (acknowledging various reporters): Stretch! (David Gregory nods) Sir Nerdlington! (reporter nods) Sloppy Joe! (reporter nods) Terry Lemon Moran Pie! (Terry Moran nods) Oh, Doubting Thomas, always a pleasure. (Helen Thomas smiles) And Suzanne Mal -- hello!! (Suzanne Malveaux stares at Colbert, looking unhappy. Colbert mimics putting a phone to his ear and mouths "call me.") REPORTER: Will the Vice President be available soon to answer all questions himself? COLBERT: I've already addressed that question. You (pointing to another reporter). REPORTER: Walter Cronkite, the noted CBS anchor, . . . COLBERT (interrupting): Ah, no, he's the former CBS anchor. Katie Couric is the new anchor of the CBS Evening News. Well, well, how do you guys feel about that? You, tousle-haired guy in the back. Are you happy about Katie Couric taking over the CBS Evening News? DAN RATHER: No, sir, Mr. Colbert. Are you? (Laughter) COLBERT: Boom! Oh, look, we woke David Gregory up. Question? DAVID GREGORY: Did Karl Rove commit a crime? COLBERT: I don't know. I'll ask him. (Colbert turns to Rove) Karl, pay attention please! (Rove is seen drawing a heart with "Karl + Stephen" written on it.) GREGORY: Do you stand by your statement from the fall of 2003 when you were asked specifically about Karl, and Elliott Abrams, and Scooter Libby, and you said "I've gone to each of those gentlemen, and they have told me that they are not involved in this." Do you stand by that statement? COLBERT: Nah, I was just kidding! GREGORY: No, you're not finishing. You're not saying anything! You stood at that podium and said . . . COLBERT (interrupting): Ah, that's where you're wrong. New podium! Just had it delivered today. Get your facts straight, David. GREGORY: This is ridiculous. The notion that you're going to stand before us after having commented with that level of detail and tell the people watching this that somehow you've decided not to talk. You've got to . . . (Colbert is seen looking at three buttons on the podium, labeled "EJECT," "GANNON" and "VOLUME." He selects the "VOLUME" button and turns it. We see Gregory's lips continue moving, but can't hear any sound coming out.) COLBERT: If I can't hear you, I can't answer your question. I'm sorry! I have to move on. Terry. TERRY MORAN: After the investigation began, after the criminal investigation was underway, you said . . . (Colbert presses a button on the podium and fast-forwards through most of Moran's question.) MORAN (continuing): All of a sudden, you have respect for the sanctity of a criminal investigation? COLBERT (seen playing with rubber ball, which he is bouncing off attached paddle): No, I never had any respect for the sanctity of a criminal investigation. Activist judges! Yes, Helen. HELEN THOMAS: You're going to be sorry. (Laughter) COLBERT (looking vastly amused, mockingly): What are you going to do, Helen, ask me for a recipe? THOMAS: Your decision to invade Iraq has caused the deaths of thousands (Colbert's smile fades) of Americans and Iraqis, wounds of Americans and Iraqis for a lifetime. COLBERT (interrupting): OK, hold on Helen, look . . . THOMAS (continuing): Every reason given, publicly at least, has turned out not to be true. My question is, why did you really want to go to war? COLBERT (again interrupting): Helen, I'm going to stop you right there. (Thomas keeps talking.) That's enough! No! Sorry, Helen, I'm moving on. (Colbert tries to turn her volume off, but the knob falls off his controls.) (Various reporters start shouting questions at Colbert.) COLBERT (agitated): Guys, guys, please don't let Helen do this to what was a lovely day. (Reporters keep shouting at him.) COLBERT (putting his fingers over his ears and shouting in a high- pitched voice): Bllrrtt! No, no, no, no, no. I'm not listening to you! Look what you did, Helen! I hate you! (Helen Thomas glowers at Colbert.) COLBERT (frantic): I'm out of here! (Colbert pulls back the curtain behind him, desperately trying to flee. He says, "There is a wall here!" The press corps laughs. Colbert has difficulty finding a door from which to exit the room, echoing Bush's experience in China. He finally finds the door and hurries through it.) COLBERT: It reeks in there! Ridiculous! I've never been so insulted in my life! Stupid job. (Colbert continues walking away. We hear sinister-sounding music playing. We see Helen Thomas walking behind Colbert.) (Colbert looks behind him, sees Thomas, and starts running.) (Colbert trips over a roller skate. He yells "Condi!" We see a close- up of Helen Thomas' face, looking determined and angry. Colbert, increasingly panicked, gets up and continues running, running into a parking garage. He reaches an emergency call box, and yells into it.) COLBERT: Oh, thank God. Help me! ATTENDANT: What seems to be the problem, sir? COLBERT: She won't stop asking why we invaded Iraq! ATTENDANT: Hey, why did we invade Iraq? COLBERT: NO!!! (runs toward his car) (We see Helen Thomas, still walking toward him.) (Colbert reaches his car, and fumblingly attempts to open it with his key. He is in such a desperate hurry that he fumbles with the keys and drops them. When he picks them up, he looks back and Helen is even closer. In his frantic rush, Colbert just can't get the key into the lock.) (Just as his anxiety is getting completely out of control he suddenly remembers that he has a keyless remote -- so he just pushes the button on the keychain and the car unlocks immediately with the usual double squeak noise. Colbert jumps in and locks the door, and continues to fumble trying to start the car. He finally succeeds, and looks up to see Helen standing in front of the car, notepad in hand.) COLBERT: NO!!! NO!!! (Colbert puts the car into reverse and drives off, tires squealing. Thomas smiles.) (Colbert is shown taking the shuttle from Washington, D.C. to New York. A car and driver are waiting for him at Penn Station. The uniformed man standing alongside the car opens the door and lets Colbert in.) COLBERT: What a terrible trip, Danny. Take me home. (The driver locks the doors, turns around, and says, "Buckle up, hon." IT'S HELEN THOMAS!!!) COLBERT (horrified face pressed against car window): NO!!! END OF "AUDITION TAPE" STEPHEN COLBERT: Helen Thomas, ladies and gentlemen. Mr. Smith, members of the White House Correspondents Association, Madame First Lady, Mr. President, it's been a true honor. Thank you very much. Good night! Tags: Stephen Colbert, White House Correspondents Dinner, George W. Bush, media, Helen Thomas (all tags)

What a long strange trip it's been

babblingfreak — Tue, 02 May 2006 23:20:49 GMT

okay, so i was laid off a week ago as most of you know. i am doing fine, however, in case you were worried. i am sending out resumes left and right and have had 1 interview today and have one Friday. I am actively looking for a good position in QA if you know of anything. I have been pretty quiet on here recently as I went to a beautiful wedding in Occidental for my lovely friends Em and Brian and was a maid of honor. We had a blast. So yesterday was really the first day of oh wow I have no where to go at the moment syndrome. It seems to me that the job market is pretty good however, so I am not concerned, *yet*. I am more sad that tribe is facing such troubles as i believe this to be a good company with good things to say and do for the community. i wish them well. anyways, hope you're all well. miss m

Congress is selling out the Internet-- PLEASE SIGN MOVE ON.ORG's petition

babblingfreak — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 23:24:12 GMT

Subject: Congress is selling out the Internet Hi, Do you buy books online, use Google, or download to an Ipod? These activities will be hurt if Congress passes a radical law that gives giant corporations more control over the Internet. Internet providers like AT&T and Verizon are lobbying Congress hard to gut Network Neutrality, the Internet's First Amendment. Net Neutrality prevents AT&T from choosing which websites open most easily for you based on which site pays AT&T more. Amazon.com doesn't have to outbid Barnes & Noble for the right to work more properly on your computer. Politicians don't think we are paying attention to this issue. Many of them take campaign checks from big telecom companies and are on the verge of selling out to people like AT&T's CEO, who openly says, "The internet can't be free." The free and open Internet is under seige--can you sign this petition letting your member of Congress know you support preserving Network Neutrality? Click here: http://www.civic.moveon.org/save_the_internet A list of all the ways you might be affected by Net Neutrality is located on the bottom of this link: http://civic.moveon.org/alerts/savetheinternet.html Thanks!

From Democracy Now- Retired Colonel Sam Gardiner on Iran War Plans: "The Issue is Not Whether the Military Option Would Be Used But Who Approved the Start of Operations Already"

babblingfreak — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 17:47:38 GMT

Retired Colonel Sam Gardiner on Iran War Plans: "The Issue is Not Whether the Military Option Would Be Used But Who Approved the Start of Operations Already" Retired Air Force Colonel Sam Gardiner says a military operation has already begun inside Iran. Gardiner says, "It's a very serious question about the constitutional framework under which we are now conducting military operations in Iran." We also speak with Gardiner about what he calls the "unprecedented" revolt against Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld within the military. [includes rush transcript] The Bush administration is on the defensive following an unprecedented wave of criticism of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. In the last month, seven retired generals have called on Rumsfeld to step down. The criticism has focused on Rumsfeld's leadership style and his handling of the war in Iraq. Former Major General Paul Eaton, who oversaw the training Iraqi troops after the US invasion, wrote last month that "[Rumsfeld] has shown himself incompetent strategically, operationally and tactically." The other officers include General Anthony Zinni, the former commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East and Lt. Gen. Gregory Newbold, the former chief operations commander before the Iraq war. In an article published in Time Magazine, Newbold said he chose to speak out after he was encouraged by other military officials still serving under Rumsfeld. The White House has dismissed the criticism. On Friday, President Bush released a statement saying he fully supported Rumsfeld. And in a televised interview with Al-Arabiya television last week, Rumsfeld said: "Out of thousands and thousands of admirals and generals, if every time two or three people disagreed we changed the secretary of defense of the United States, it would be like a merry-go-round." In another issue that's making news from the Pentagon - Iran. Both the New Yorker and the Washington Post have reported the US has drawn up plans for launching tactical nuclear strikes against Iran. President Bush dismissed the reports as "wild speculation." But evidence continues to emerge the US is preparing for a possible attack. On his online column for the Washington Post, defense analyst Wiliam Arkin said the Pentagon has been working on contingency studies for an Iran invasion since at least 2003. Arkin said the studies were conducted under directives from Donald Rumsfeld and former Joint Chiefs of Staff chair General Richard Myers. British military planners have reportedly taken part in one Pentagon "war game" that included an invasion of Iran. Colonel Sam Gardiner, is a retired Air Force Colonel whose area of expertise includes helping to stage these war games. In 2004, he conducted a war game organized by The Atlantic Monthly to gage how an American President might respond, militarily or otherwise, to Iran's rapid progress toward developing nuclear weapons. What was your conclusion? * Sam Gardiner, retired Air Force Colonel. He has taught strategy and military operations at the National War College, AirWar College and Naval War College. RUSH TRANSCRIPT This transcript is available free of charge. However, donations help us provide closed captioning for the deaf and hard of hearing on our TV broadcast. Thank you for your generous contribution. Donate - $25, $50, $100, more... AMY GOODMAN: We’re joined right now by retired Air Force colonel, Sam Gardiner. He has taught strategy and military operations at the National War College, Air War College and Naval War College. He was recently a visiting scholar at the Swedish Defense College. He speaks to us by phone from Virginia. We welcome you to Democracy Now! COL. SAM GARDINER: Thank you. AMY GOODMAN: It's good to have you with us. Before we talk to you about Iran, I wanted to ask you about this latest wave of criticism of Donald Rumsfeld by the generals themselves. COL. SAM GARDINER: I have to say, first -- it's probably the most important thing -- it's unprecedented. There may be one example in, gosh, I guess, in American military history where something like this has happened, and it happened with some naval officers over a decision to do away with an aircraft carrier. But this, and from such immediate retirees, is a very important message that we're hearing from former military officers -- no, that's just not enough -- former military operators who were very deeply involved in the war in Iraq. It's very important. AMY GOODMAN: I also want to ask you, Colonel Sam Gardiner, about the issue of torture. On Friday, Human Rights Watch said Donald Rumsfeld could be criminally liable for the abuse of a detainee held at the U.S. military facility at Guantanamo Bay. In a sworn statement first disclosed by Salon.com, an army general says Rumsfeld was, quote, “personally involved” in the interrogation process of a Saudi man named Mohammed al-Kahtani. The general said Rumsfeld spoke weekly with al-Kahtani’s jailers during a period he was subjected to extensive physical and emotional abuse. The general said he saw parallels with the abuse of detainess at Abu Ghraib where Rumsfeld has been accused of playing a larger role than has been acknowledged. Human Rights Watch says Rumsfeld could be liable under the legal principle that holds a superior responsible for crimes committed by his subordinates, when he knew or should have known they were being committed but fails to stop them. And Joanne Mariner, who is the Terrorism and Counterterrorism Program director at Human Rights Watch said, “The question, at this point, is not whether Secretary Rumsfeld should resign, it's whether he should be indicted.” Colonel Gardiner, your response? COL. SAM GARDINER: Well, two things. One of them is just we need to see evidence. But probably the thing that stands out is that it is in the pattern of the way he operates, which is that he's very closely involved in some decisions, and some decisions he picks out and decides those are the ones that he wants to emphasize. So it could very well be true from that kind of perspective. And there's certainly a lot more to come out about how the United States has handled this process, and hopefully that will begin to happen. AMY GOODMAN: What do you think should happen to Donald Rumsfeld? COL. SAM GARDINER: I can't speculate without seeing the evidence. That's kind of tough to do. But, you know, we have held to the principle that superiors are responsible for what goes on. That certainly is a long military tradition. And it’s certainly a tradition that we've upheld in international law. So, if he is involved, clearly something needs to be pushed further. AMY GOODMAN: Moving from Donald Rumsfeld, I wanted to talk about another issue that’s making news from the Pentagon, and that’s Iran. Both the New Yorker magazine and the Washington Post have reported the U.S. has drawn up plans for launching tactical nuclear strikes against Iran. President Bush dismissed the reports as wild speculation. But evidence continues to emerge that the U.S. is preparing for a possible attack. On his online column for Washington Post, defense analyst William Arkin said the Pentagon has been working on contingency studies for an Iran invasion since at least 2003. Arkin said the studies were conducted under directives from Donald Rumsfeld and former Joint Chiefs of Staff chair, General Richard Myers. British military planners have reportedly taken part in one Pentagon war game that included an invasion of Iran. Colonel Sam Gardiner, you're a retired Air Force colonel. You’ve taught strategy and military operations at the National War College, as well as the Air War College, the Naval War College. One of your areas of expertise is helping to stage these war games. In 2004 you conducted a war game organized by the Atlantic Monthly to gauge how an American president might respond militarily or otherwise to Iran's rapid progress toward developing nuclear weapons. What was your conclusion? COL. SAM GARDINER: Well, let me say something first about a war game. It's a little bit like Dickens in A Christmas Carol, and that is, you go out in Christmas future and you muck around, then you come back and say, “What did I learn from being there?” And I would summarize that by saying by being in the future, by going through how the United States might attack Iranian nuclear facilities, I have to tell you that there is no solution in that path. In fact, it is a path towards probably making things in the Middle East much worse. It's not a solution to either stopping the Iranians or spreading democracy in the Middle East or getting us out of Iraq. It's a path that leads to disaster in many dimensions. AMY GOODMAN: Can you explain what a war game is? COL. SAM GARDINER: Sure, well, the idea is simply that rather than staying in the present and looking to the future, can we project ourselves into the future? Let me just use an example. Let's say that we wanted to explore what would happen if we were to conduct a strike against Iran. The way you would address that is you would begin in this group of people who know the situation, you'd say, ‘Okay, the attack against Iran occurred two days ago. We now know that the Iranians are beginning to look for options by having Hezbollah attack Israel. What do we do? What’s our response to that?’ And then you sort of look at the response in that future hypothetical, and you do that through a number of cases. And you can even turn it around and do it from the Iranian perspective, which is, if you were the Iranian supreme leaders and this is what the United States did -- and we can sort of know that, because we know from the Washington Post article and from the New Yorker article what’s being planned -- so you can look at it from the Iranian perspective and say, ‘How would we respond if the United States were to do this kind of thing?’ AMY GOODMAN: We're talking to retired Air Force colonel, Sam Gardiner. You were quoted on CNN on Friday night, saying the question isn't if we would attack Iran, that military operations are already happening. What do you mean? COL. SAM GARDINER: Well, the evidence is beginning to accumulate that a decision has already been made to use military force in Iran. Now, let me do a historical thing, and then I'll tell you what the current evidence is. We now know that the decision and the actual actions to bomb Iraq occurred in July of 2002, before we ever had a U.N. resolution or before the Congress ever authorized it. It was an operation called Southern Focus, and the only guidance that the military -- or the guidance that the military had from Rumsfeld was keep it below the CNN line. His specific words. The evidence that we've already -- AMY GOODMAN: Keep it below what? COL. SAM GARDINER: The CNN line. In other words, I don't want this to appear on CNN, okay? That was his guidance to the military, you can begin to bomb Iraq, but don't let it appear on CNN. You're catching your breath. AMY GOODMAN: Yeah. COL. SAM GARDINER: I think the same thing has happened, and the evidence -- let me give you two or three evidences. First of all, the Iranians in their press have been writing now for almost a year that the United States is involved inside Iran conducting and supporting those who conduct military operations, attacks on military convoys. They've even accused the United States of shooting down a couple airplanes inside Iran. Okay, so there's that evidence from their side. I was in Berlin three weeks ago, sat next to the Iranian ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, and I asked him a question. I read these stories about Americans being involved in there, and how do you react to that? And he said, oh, we know they are. We've captured people who are working with them, and they've confessed. So, another piece of evidence. Let me give you a couple more. Seymour Hersh, in his New Yorker article, said that there are Americans in three locations operating inside Iran. Another point. We know that there is a group in Iraq, a Kurdish group called the Party for Free Life in Kurdistan, that crosses the border from Iraq into Iran, and they have taken credit for killing numbers of revolutionary guard military people. And the interesting part about that is, you know, we tell the Syrians, ‘Don't let that happen. Don't let people come across the border and stir things up in Iraq,’ but we don't seem to be putting any brakes on on this unit. So, you know, the evidence is pretty strong that the pattern is being followed. Now, the question that really follows from that is “Who authorized that?” See, there is no congressional authorization to conduct combat operations against Iran. There are a couple of possibilities. One of them is that it's being justified under the terrorism authorization that occurred in 2001. The problem with that is that you would have to prove a connection to 9/11. I don't think you can do that with Iran. The second possibility is that it's being done under the War Powers Act. I don't want to get too technical, but the War Powers Act would require the President to notify the Congress 60 days after the use of military force or invasion or putting military forces in a new country under that legislation, and the President hasn't notified the Congress that American troops are operating inside Iran. So it's a very serious question about the constitutional framework under which we are now conducting military operations in Iran. AMY GOODMAN: Colonel Sam Gardiner, we have to break for 60 seconds, but I want to ask you two more questions when we come back about the effect of President Bush going to India to sell nuclear technology, what that had on Iran, and also where Israel fits into this picture. [break] AMY GOODMAN: We're talking to retired colonel, Sam Gardiner. He is a retired Air Force colonel, has taught strategy at various military colleges, was recently visiting scholar at the Swedish Defense College. We're talking about Iran. What are people inside the military, Colonel Gardiner, saying about the U.S. being inside Iran right now? COL. SAM GARDINER: Actually, I have to say, I haven't heard anyone comment. I mean, I think that the picture is just becoming clear. I actually haven't gotten any feedback. Can't say. AMY GOODMAN: Let me ask you then about this issue of India. President Bush, very high profile, goes to India, announces selling nuclear technology to India, upsetting the balance there between India and Pakistan, but what effect did that have on the people of Iran? COL. SAM GARDINER: Well, it has an effect on them, maybe even more importantly it has an effect on the Europeans. I was at a conference with European diplomats and Iranian diplomats a few weeks ago, and the Europeans find themselves in quite a quandary over this Indian nuclear deal. What they say is, and they even -- well, I saw them -- an Iranian diplomat asked a European diplomat this very question: You’re putting all this pressure on us for not following the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, what about what the U.S. is doing with India? And the Europeans sort of mumble and say, ‘Well, I can’t explain that.’ Etc., etc. So it's putting the Europeans in a very difficult position, supporting putting pressure on Iran to reach a diplomatic solution. It's a real inconsistency in policy. AMY GOODMAN: And, Colonel Sam Gardiner, finally, Israel. Where does Israel fit into this picture? COL. SAM GARDINER: A year and a half ago I would have said high on the list of possible futures is an Israeli attack by themselves on the Iranian nuclear facility. That has changed. I think Israel has convinced the United States that it is better for the United States to do it by itself, rather than to have Israel do it, in terms of the potential reactions in the Middle East. So I think Israel's policy statements are, you know, it's a world problem that translates to being it is an American problem that has to be dealt with. AMY GOODMAN: Colonel Sam Gardiner, I want to thank you very much for being with us, retired Air Force colonel. Thank you.

From the Union of Concerned Scientists on the Nuclear "bunker busters"

babblingfreak — Mon, 17 Apr 2006 16:52:16 GMT

http://www.ucsusa.org/global_security/nuclear_weapons/nuclear-bunker-buster-rnep-animation.html

If you haven't read this already

babblingfreak — Mon, 17 Apr 2006 16:43:16 GMT

Iran, which is defying United Nations Security Council demands to cease its nuclear program, may be capable of making a nuclear bomb within 16 days if it goes ahead with plans to install thousands of centrifuges at its Natanz plant, a U.S. State Department official said. www.bloomberg.com/apps/news 16 Days!! Several conservative newsgroups are already saying, "Bomb Iran!" In an interview this morning on Democracy Now, Seymour Hersch, author of "The Iran Plans: How Far Will the White House Go?", said the Bush cabal really has no idea what's going on Iran because we haven't had diplomats there for over 20 years and Bush refuses to talk to anyone in the know because they might disagree with him: Iran has come hat-in-hand to us. A former National Security Council adviser who worked in the White House, Flynt Leverett, an ex-C.I.A. analyst who's now working at Brookings, wrote a piece a month or so ago, maybe six weeks ago, in the New York Times, describing specific offers by the Iranians to come and 'let's deal.' Let's deal on all issues. I'm even told they were willing to talk about recognizing Israel. And the White House doesn't talk. And it's not that he doesn't talk, it's that nobody pressures him to talk. There's no pressure from the media, no pressure from Congress. Here's a president who won't talk to people he's walking us into a confrontation with. And what about nuclear capabilities? Nobody has any illusions. Iran undoubtedly would like to get in the position where they could have the capability and the know-how and the materials, the enriched materials, to make or fabricate a nuclear weapon, sort of an on-off switch. They'd like to be able to toggle it. But the best guess, even the Israelis, who are, of course -- they view Iran as an existential threat, Israel does. The Israelis, they can tell you that Iran is anywhere from two to three years at the best, by their estimate, from actually being in a position to do it. But the American intelligence estimate, which was published last summer by the Washington Post, what they call the N.I.E., the National Intelligence Estimate, an official document, said something like eight to ten years away. 'So, what's the rush?' is what I'm hearing from the military people and the diplomats involved. What are we setting red lines for about small pilot production? Juan Cole, a man who is more knowledgeable about the Middle East than Bush, writes: Despite all the sloppy and inaccurate headlines about Iran "going nuclear," the fact is that all President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday was that it had enriched uranium to a measely 3.5 percent, using a bank of 180 centrifuges hooked up so that they "cascade." The ability to slightly enrich uranium is not the same as the ability to build a bomb. For the latter, you need at least 80% enrichment, which in turn would require about 16,000 small centrifuges hooked up to cascade. Iran does not have 16,000 centrifuges. It seems to have 180. Iran is a good ten years away from having a bomb, and since its leaders, including Supreme Jurisprudent Ali Khamenei, say they do not want an atomic bomb because it is Islamically immoral, you have to wonder if they will ever have a bomb. The crisis is not one of nuclear enrichment, a low-level attainment that does not necessarily lead to having a bomb. Even if Iran had a bomb, it is hard to see how they could be more dangerous than Communist China, which has lots of such bombs, and whose Walmart stores are a clever ruse to wipe out the middle class American family through funneling in cheaply made Chinese goods. What is really going on here is a ratcheting war of rhetoric. The Iranian hard liners are down to a popularity rating in Iran of about 15%. They are using their challenge to the Bush administration over their perfectly legal civilian nuclear energy research program as a way of enhancing their nationalist credentials in Iran. In the end, says Cole, it's all about rallying the base.

If you were going to solve all the world's problems, where would you begin?

babblingfreak — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 22:42:00 GMT

What would you address first.

Yay! Now you can search all of tribe and add video to your profile!

babblingfreak — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 18:04:25 GMT

Cool! I am glad. I never knew some content existed until this morning. I've been testing search for weeks, but now it's finally on the real db so it's cool check it out- search for whatever in the top right corner of your browser. We are testing and comparing 2 versions of the homepage and we want user feed back. To be a part of this: 1. Join this tribe: tribes.tribebeta.net/april2006 2. login to tribe through www.tribebeta.net 3. click on the banner link: "Preview new designs for this page." 4. give your feedback: check out the survey: www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp I would also recommend, if you want to - add a video to your profile, you can do that without going to beta, that's new with this release. Basically, if you have a video/film/cartoon, upload it to www.revver.com and then add the module to your profile. READ: If you're a filmmaker, or actor, or animator- put your work up!!!!

Sorry for the political banter. No, no, I'm not

babblingfreak — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 15:52:12 GMT

I have been quiet a long time when it comes to politics and religion and other subjects that got me in lots of trouble talking about in my earlier youth. I'm done with that. I am done with being quiet. So there will be more where that came from. ________________________________________ One thing I have been trying to do, in my own head at least, is to be able to speak intelligently about issues concerning our world without emotion and passion that clouds what I say to a point that no one can hear it. It is proving very difficult. I think that is a big problem for most people trying to speak about the affairs of the world and where they stand on them, because these are emotional subjects.

The George W. Bush I remember from Midland by Wanda StandingWoman Woods ? Midland, Texas USA ? April 10, 2006

babblingfreak — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 17:46:30 GMT

The George W. Bush I remember from Midland by Wanda StandingWoman Woods ? Midland, Texas USA ? April 10, 2006 I think all or most of us anyway take pride in the town we refer to as our home town. I always have, that is up until the Bushes decided to use it as their hometown. I love the state of Texas dearly. I'm a fifth generation Texan. My descendants on one side go all the way back to the Battle at San Jacinto and back to the last battle fought by the Comanche at Packsaddle Mountain in the Hill Country on the other side. I feel like I can refer to myself as a Texan. Bush, on the other hand, came here because he bought out an oil company and wanted to get out of paying state taxes. He brought his family to Odessa in the late 40's. George Jr. was a toddler at that time. They moved to Midland in the 50s and lived in several rent houses for some years. Ultimately they ended up on the 27 hundred block of Sentinal, 2 blocks from my family home on Sinclair. By the early 50s Midland had become the corporate center for the West Texas oil boom. The two main undustries in the town were creating oil companies and building tall buildings to house the companies. Junior's father was involved in the former, Laura Bush's in the latter. The bosses lived in Midland, the grunts in Odessa. Midland was a town of around 20,00 people. "One out of every forty-five people in the town in the late seventies had reached millionaire status. Odessa, on the other hand, was murder capitol of the nation one year, "with 29.8 homicides per 100,000 residents, gunn[ing] its way past Miami to take dubious honors as the most perilous city in the nation." Poppy Bush's story in Midland was pretty similar to the others who lived in Midland. A young man from the East, educated in the better schools, who succeeded where others failed because he had the needed connections and money to make it through the rough spots. The city of Midland pretty much became a physical reflection of such men. Dubya was the same age as my younger brother..tho they were never friends, since my brother couldn't stand him, they did have occasion to be in the same groups, such as classes at Sam Houston Elementary and in San Jacinto Jr. High. They played baseball on the same Little League team. Dubya wanted to be pitcher but wasn't good enough so played center field. My brother played 1st base. Dubya was a very bad sport, couldn't stand to lose and was often seen throwing his bat and kicking dirt on other players. In several articles it is said that he was quarterback on the SJ football team but my brother says for the life of him he can't remember that as a fact. He left after his 9th grade year to go to boarding school. He says the main memories he has of Dubya from 1st grade thru 9th grade is him trying to be class clown, being a smart and foul mouth jerk who was said to suffer from ADD. He always had to have his way..his friends had to let him be the leader if they wanted to play his games. He wanted to be a bully but was a coward..without his friends to back him up he lacked the courage to bully anyone. The only thing he was capable of bullying was animals, or reptiles as the case may be. He and his friends, the Throckmorton kid and a few others, all had BB guns..nothing was safe when they were out and about with them, frogs, birds, a neighbor's cat, and even windows. His favotite past time was catching frogs and lizards and putting firecrackers in their mouths and throwing them in the air. That was all in his younger days. As we are finding out, he graduated on to bigger and better things after he became pResident. His thrill at blowing up and shooting things it seems, became a reality, only he wasn't the one who was put in harm's way. None the less, he must have gotten off on the thought of it. The power of being able to declare war and be the leader is his life's dream. He was such a miserable failure even after his Pappy and friends pulled strings and got him into the TANG...he was unable to carry through with his obligations there -- just as he was unable to face up to his other failures. His failures in college, his failures in the oil business his failure at becoming a congressman and failure to be concerned with the people of Dallas whom he screwed out of big bucks on his Texas Rangers' deal. To this day he has never admitted any responsibility for any of his actions and seems incapable of admitting mistakes. He stayed away from Midland for several years but ended up back here and with Pappy's help and the help of their Saudi friends (especially the BinLadens) tried his hand in the oil business, and in a country that was rich in oil and making people rich as sin, drilled dry holes. By this time he had developed a taste for booze and the drug of choice at the time, coke. I almost fell out of my chair when he denied to reporters that he did either and was more shocked that they didn't call him on it. That started the pattern of the press letting Bush get away with murder as they say. I know for a fact he drank like a fish and snorted coke on a daily basis. I was at several functions where he was drunk and messed up and have friends who can attest to the same. He had to be the center of attention wherever he was. Never as funny as he thought he was. During a party at a local ranch he was so drunk he was stumbling and using foul language so much he was invited to leave by the host. His favorite words were GD and the F word. He used them freely. According to a friend of mine, he often referred to the opposite sex as, excuse the language, "cunts" or "pussies." He was seen in clubs around Midland quite often around the time he was dating Laura, often with his friend Wahoo McDaniels, Obsessed With Wrestling, a star player on the Midland High football team in the late 60s who became a pro football player, playing for the Jets and Broncos. After a knee injury he got into pro wrestling; he was known as Chief Wahoo. Wahoo was a full blood Choctaw and was a fun guy who lived high and was wild as a march hare. Even with all this he was a better man than Bush. Never out to hurt anyone and honest to the bone..never did see what they had in common except for the partying. I had to chuckle when I heard that Dubya was running for Govenor. Even with his Pappy's help I never dreamed he had a chance here in Texas of reaching that goal. After all his failures were no secret and I didn't believe his wild habits would remain so either. Imagine my surprise he got in and even wrangled a second term which was just as disastrous as his first. He was on a roll and even after making a mess of things here decided to run for President. I never dreamed the people would even come close enough to electing him that he could manage to steal this office. But I was mistaken. He got away with it once again, this time on a bigger level. I often wonder what this says about the people and times.That someone like him could come along and manage to become the leader of our Nation. Not once, but twice. Even tho I will forever believe he was not fairly elected, how he could even be in the running is beyond me. I know that never have we had a President who was perfect but never either have we had one who was a convicted felon, a drinker and a druggy who had failed at everything he ever attempted. For those of us who knew he wasn't capable of doing this job, that it was way over his head this has been a nightmare 6 years. Were we asleep at the wheel? Did we do all we could to make sure he didn't get in or did we just have faith in the voters that they would never allow it. Many of us have fought the hard fight and have continued to try to shake people out of this seemingly brainwashed stupor and make them see how this incompetent man was leading our beloved Nation to the brink of disaster. I for one have gotten so frustrated at times I wanted to just say the hell with it. Let them all who back this moron go down with the ship.Then I would think of all those who would be dragged down with the sinking ship and I decided to fight on. I always said like the old saying, give them enough rope and they will hang themselves. It seems that the Republicans are hell bent on doing just that and the rats are jumping ship. If the polls are to be believed, people are catching on albiet a little late. I worry about what this war mongering bunch will do before their time runs out. It doesn't bode well that he knows he is all but washed up. We can only hope that there are enough level headed people left who will keep reins on what he has planned as his next disaster. How scary that thought is.... Regards, Wanda StandingWoman Woods

Fun with dates

babblingfreak — Mon, 03 Apr 2006 23:11:46 GMT

On Wednesday of this week, at two minutes and three seconds after 1:00 in the morning, the time and date will be 01:02:03 04/05/06. That won't ever happen again. You may now return to your (normal ?) life.

If you have a student loan or plan to ever have one read this

babblingfreak — Sat, 01 Apr 2006 02:28:04 GMT

My friend Rose (a reporter) sent this. It makes me angry. I just want everybody to be aware of and to pass on to other people with financial aid new changes in federal law signed in by the GOP.(demacrats submitted a provision to cut the rate in half - but failed!) Anyone with student loans or who plan on getting financial aid are affected. If you have loans I encourage you to fix them or your interest rates will increase to 6.8%! Anyone who is getting financial aid in the future, you are out of luck. The GOP, in order to curb the deficit, will increase the financial burden on students and families trying to finance college educations in order to pay for tax cuts for wealthy Americans and the war in IRAQ. It is a shame that cuts have to come at the cost of students who are the future of this nation and incure very little debt on the overall deficit. Okay...i'm off my soapbox...thanks for reading... Dear XXXXXX, 1. Interest rates will increase to 6.8% for all new loans disbursed on or after July 1, 2006 -- Any new federal loans that you borrow after July 1, 2006 will be at a fixed* interest rate of 6.8%. 2. Interest rates will increase on all current student loans disbursed before July 1, 2006 -- Your current federal student loans are at a variable** interest rate, presently at 4.7%. On July 1, 2006 the interest rate on these outstanding loans will change -- likely increase. (The new variable interest rate on outstanding loans will be announced in June by the Department of Education.) If you are considering consolidating your federal student loans, you should act now. You have until June 30, 2006 to consolidate your current Federal Direct or Stafford loans at a lower repayment interest rate whether you will continue to be enrolled in school or you will graduate this Spring 2006 semester. Contact Direct Loan Services to see if you may benefit from consolidating your federal loans now. (If you previously consolidated your federal loans check with your lender to see if a reconsolidation would benefit you.) To take advantage of a lower fixed repayment interest rate, you must apply for federal student loan consolidation before June 30, 2006. The telephone number for consolidation information is 1-800-557-7392 or to read more about Direct Loan consolidation, please link to the Direct Loan consolidation website at: http://www.loanconsolidation.ed.gov/borrower/bconsol.shtml Consolidation brochure : www.loanconsolidation.ed.gov/forms/sldyc.pdf * Fixed interest rate: the interest rate on the loan stays at a certain percentage for a specific amount of time. **Variable interest rate: the interest rate on a loan is tied to a stated index and changes annually, every July 1, as the index changes. Cannot exceed 8.25%

My heart just broke

babblingfreak — Fri, 31 Mar 2006 19:15:39 GMT

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/31/nyregion/31cnd-tapes.html?ex=1301461200&en=45d5930f4f4ddec8&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss The city released partial recordings of 9/11 911 calls. What a knock into what's important here and forget about your piddly problems that was. A reminder of the humanity in all of us, a reminder to learn from what's come before. I feel so blessed to be here, to have my family and friends here, and to have been lucky enough that the people I know who worked in or near that building were not there at that time and are still with us today.

can i just say, being sick sucks

babblingfreak — Wed, 29 Mar 2006 18:03:51 GMT

i am hardly ever sick, well, in my own head, i am in denial when i am sick, but i have a cold, yet again, and this time, it's making it hard to talk, oh how sucky. i have this cold *again* i am sure, due to the fact that over this weekend, i was in a film whereupon we stood out in the pouring rain and cold for 12+ hours shooting a scene and again another late night outside in the cold. while it was fun and people were nice the hours, the weather, and having this cold now sucketh. i must like that word, as i keep using it. tonight i begin a voiceover class that isn't going to go so well as my voice is nearly gone at the moment, doh!

so i am like, blond now

babblingfreak — Thu, 23 Mar 2006 19:29:57 GMT

don't know how i feel about this (read: if you see me, you say "oh! mary, you look so awesome!") i am doing a short film and they highlighted me hair so i could look more the role. how bizarre. my hair hasn't been this light since i was a wee lass in ptown.