Mike Malloy

Air America's Mike Malloy (Courtesy Of Mike Malloy)

From Mike Malloy's website, comes the following:

MIKE MALLOY FIRED BY AIR AMERICA RADIO

There will be no Mike Malloy program today - or any day - on Air America Radio as we have been terminated. We are told its a financial decision.

We are as shocked as you are, especially since as recently as last Tuesday we were told we had the go-ahead to announce our return to NY airwaves and that our contract was "on the way."

We are told its a financial decision.

More details to follow as we hear them ourselves.

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I was extremely disappointed to learn of Air America's decision to let Malloy go. I have been a big fan since he joined the cast of Air America's radio hosts several months after it began broadcasting.

Mike Malloy is an angry man. Some nights his indignation is on the edge. Some nights it's over the edge. But Malloy is only reacting to news of the day, somedays more insane than others. And I appreciated his anger. Fact is, like Malloy, I'm often astounded at the lack of anger by citizens of this country whose lives are being adversely and directly impacted by this nation's leadership.

Sure Malloy went over the edge sometimes. But he's never been one to go softly into the night. And now he's gone from the night's airwaves.

You, too, can be a major TV network news producer!

Transcript from Paula Zahn Show during Katrina:

MICHAEL BROWN, Director, FEMA: Paula, I think it's so important for the American public to understand exactly how catastrophic this disaster is.

I mean, we have a major American city, a major urban area that has been totally demolished. And what we're finding is, is that, as we continue to do the evacuation and get people out, people who have completely lost everything, they have no place to go, they have nothing, that we're finding other people who are literally coming out of second stories of homes, that are suddenly appearing on bridges that are not under water, that people who were unable or chose not to evacuate are suddenly appearing.

And so, this -- this catastrophic disaster continues to grow. I will tell you this, though. Every person in that Convention Center, we just learned about that today. And so, I have directed that we have all available resources to get to that Convention Center to make certain that they have the food and water, the medical care that they need...

ZAHN: Sir, you aren't telling me...

BROWN: ... and that we take care of those bodies that are there.

ZAHN: Sir, you aren't just telling me you just learned that the folks at the Convention Center didn't have food and water until today, are you? You had no idea they were completely cut off?

BROWN: Paula, the federal government did not even know about the Convention Center people until today.

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More from Wikipedia:

On September 2, 2005, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley stated that he pledged firefighters, police officers, health department workers, and other resources on behalf of the city, but was only asked to send one tank truck.^[25]

Controversy arose in November of 2005 as a House committee investigating the response to Katrina released about 1,000 e-mail messages between Brown, staff and acquaintances. On the day Katrina struck, Brown jokingly wrote "Can I quit now? Can I go home?" He later quipped to a friend on September 2 that he could not meet her because he was "trapped [as FEMA head] ... please rescue me." On August 29th (the day the hurricane hit), Brown also quipped in e-mail to a co-worker, "I am a fashion god" because he shopped at North American fashion chain Nordstrom's [26]. In another e-mail, Brown's press secretary, Sharon Worthy, advised him to roll up his sleeves, "to look more hard-working." "Even the president rolled his sleeves to just below the elbow."[27] An e-mail offering critical medical equipment went unanswered for four days.

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Did anyone else get as sick as I this past weekend at the one year anniversary of Katrina as we had to listen to former FEMA director, Michael Brown, share his "expertise" with us on what the fuck went wrong with his agency's response to people left stranded and dying in the wake of this storm?

These days, when "Brownie" is not traveling around the country, speaking before groups in his apparently successful self-redemption effort as evidenced by his appearance on TV News shows, he runs a consulting firm for--of all things--disaster preparation and response!

I don't give a damn who seeks his services. That's their business. But the record is clear, people drowned, died of dehydration, died for lack of food or medications, or were simply left stranded in flood waters to fend for themselves under Brown's watch.

What I do care about is the media flooding the airwaves with Brownie's "expertise" based on his Katrina experience which is inexcusable. The news networks casting him in the role of a resurrected disaster expert is totally irresponsible. Perhaps the media are using Brownie to trash the Bush administration's response to Katrina. But Brownie was part of the problem. He has no credentials to criticize, much less lead in disaster preparation.

Anyone out there similarly outraged by airing such an "expert" in disaster response as Brown just might have a future as a TV network news producer. Certainly, if without better credentials for the job, you definitely have better judgment.

"I must admit it's getting better!"

A headline on my Excite.com homepage this morning reads, "Census Reports Slight Increase in ’05 Incomes." Well, as an old student of 'the dismal science,' I can't walk past stories like these. Census data, median American household incomes and gross national product numbers dancing in the street window are too tempting to pass by without a peek at what's inside.

And what the story said was that last year for the first time since Bush has been in office, the median household income actually grew 1.1% more than inflation. This is the first time incomes haven't shrunk under Bush.

This is GREAT NEWS!! Wait--or is it? I then read further. The article next said, "The rise, however, had little to do with bigger paychecks — in fact, both men and women earned less in 2005 than 2004. Rather, census officials said, more family members were taking jobs to make ends meet..." (emphasis mine)

Oh shit. It looks like the media and me are victims of those goddamned statistics again. People's incomes aren't up because wages aren't up. No, we're just scrambling to keep heads above the waterline by taking on more work. Or getting junior an after school job.

But the "good news" didn't stop the administration from exploiting the numbers as only analysts of statistics can do, illustrating yet again numbers can be used to prove anything--even a lie. So here's how Rob Portman, director of the Office of Management and Budget portrayed the stats (don't worry, Dada will try to translate for director Portman):

Portman: “Unemployment is low, wages are rising,"

Dada: Well, not exactly, Junior's taken an after school job at Taco Bell to supplement his family's household income.

Portman: "and there are more jobs in America today than at any other time in history"

Dada: Portman neglected to say that's because there are even more Americans in America today than at any other time in history (oh, and more of them below the poverty line than at any other time in history).

Portman: “While we still have challenges ahead,"

Dada: Ah, a hint of truth--that being, under Bush, American households incomes have actually fallen 5.9 percent since he seized office!)

Portman continued, "our ability to bounce back is a testament to the strong work ethic of the American people,"

Dada: Recall Bush's encounter with a divorced mother of three, including a 'mentally challenged' son, working three jobs that the president responded to by saying, "Uniquely American, isn't it? I mean, that is fantastic that you're doing that." (Applause.) "Get any sleep?" (Laughter.)

So, yes, Portman may be partially correct citing American's "strong work ethic" indeed. Perhaps we're driven not so much by our desire to get ahead, but more by trying to just keep the fuck up?

Portman, concluding and attributing the good news to "the resiliency of our economy and pro-growth economic policies, including tax relief."

Dada: Meaning obscene corporate profits and tax cuts for the rich resulting in a rapidly growing gaping gap between rich and poor.

What it comes down to is how information is presented. I'm reminded of Bush in New Orleans yesterday. Pictures of him marching in front of an Afro-American band, meeting with Fats Domino, an interview with NBC's Brian Williams in front of some easter egg colored new houses for Katrina victims, but not one shot of Bush standing in front of the the horrific scenes of devastation still littering the landscape he has still not responded to a year after the storm!

Just as with photo-ops reminding us what a great job Bush has done for Katrina victims, statistics, likewise, can be used to "prove" anything. Like how much better off our household incomes are now than a year ago this time, despite the fact (ignored) that both men and women earned less than the year before!

As the Beatlies liked to remind us, "I must admit it's getting better, a little better all the time!" just as presidential photo-ops and OMB statistics on our growing incomes seem to prove. Even if they are lies.

Yesterday's big adventure.

7:00 a.m. - Twenty-four hours ago, my neighbor handed me the keys to his house as his wife gave me last minute watering instructions then went back inside. They'd be back sometime after Labor Day he said.

This is the same neighbor who watched over our house last month while we were on our 4,038 mile roadtrip to Oregon. The same one who called early on a Tuesday morning to reveal our hot water heater was leaking. Who then called the following day to say the old one had been removed and a new one installed. We look out for each other while away. It's a good arrangement.

A couple of minutes later, his wife reemerged from the house and handed me two cans of dogfood. "Here," she said, "for the turtles." An hour later and I noticed they and their 29' trailer were gone. Headed to their grandson's graduation from Marine bootcamp in San Diego the end of this week. Since a young kid, he's wanted to be a policeman or a soldier. A member of some Civil War reenactment group, he's died in Union--Confederate battles all over New Mexico. To shoot someone, I surmise, would be the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. He should make an excellent marine.

About three hours later our phone rang. It was the neighbors. "Everything's okay," they assured us. They were calling from Lordsburg, the last stop in New Mexico before entering Arizona. Or it could be the first stop in New Mexico after leaving Arizona. It's all a case of one's perspective and direction in life, I suppose.

I'd never really understood why Lordsburg exists. Oh, it's at the junction of two roads and I have noticed a tendency for a stagecoach stop or gas station to spring up at points like that. There's a railroad too. Maybe Lordsburg was once a watering hole for thirsty steam engines at one time.

I'm sure it has some reason for being there, but ever since I've been traveling that road the past 40 years, it's been a town from brighter days hanging on hopes of a better tomorrow. Much of it in decay, Lordsburg is dying a slow "Last Picture Show" kind of death.

But as I learned in July, the tourist information center there is a great place to change one's shorts after discovering the ink pen in your pocket has sprung a leak.

"We forgot to turn our air conditioner off," said my neighbor from Lorsdburg. No problem, I'd take care of it.

A little while later the wife and I walked over to the neighbor's and shut off the AC. We decided to do a walk around the house outside to see if we might spy the "turtle." Our neighbor, who has a few years on us, was a child in France or Germany during World War II. That colored the entire rest of her life. She has seen bad times. She knows scarcity. I'm sure that explains the lushness of her jungled backyard where wild and tame gardens exist in a tenuous truce under her watchful tutelage. Finding anything back there is a challenge, a "turtle" especially.

But as we turned to leave, what did I see down the walk coming towards us but the desert tortoise. "Look who's hungry!" I said to my wife, pointing to the other end of the path. I knelt down and spoke calmly as it approached.

Since the loss of our last greyhound in May, we have become even keener in our awareness of other sentient lifeforms, suggesting "Pony's" leaving left a huge gap in our lives. As a result, other people's dogs, our yard's birds and the geckos climbing the walls of our house at night have taken on a new importance to us.

As I watched tortoise's determined assault towards me slowly continue, my wife volunteered to go over to the house and get a can of dogfood the neighbor had left.

During her absence, the tortoise fearlessly came within reach. Extending my hand, I gently patted him on the head. I guess that's where most reptiles are different from greyhounds and other dogs. Maybe it's their colder blood, but the toroise, obviously repulsed by my gesture of "welcome," recoiled into his shell.

But that was only a momentary pause in his mission. Reemerging, he extended his head and turned it, looking me square in the eye. I sensed he was evaluating me and warning me at the same time. "Don't be trying to pet me!" he seemed to scoff. I took the strong hint.

I watched as he paraded underneath my bent left leg, to the edge of my flip-flop. Appraising my toes, he settled on the longest--the one next to the big one and what my new little buddy did next startled and tickled me--simultaneously. He started nibbling on my toe. Fortunately, my wife reappeared with the dogfood, saving my foot.

The tortoise appeared famished as I dished it out some meat. We watched. He was making a mess. Dogfood all over his chops. The chunks were too big. I decided I'd help. I'd slice 'em into small bites. The tortoise waited as I chopped. Wife and I both sensed his growing impatience at my diligence, so I finally stopped. He dove back in. Pausing for a moment, his right front foot suddenly thrust forward to wipe the dogfood from his mouth, much to our delight.

While a cold blooded reptile, he's still our cousin. Tortoise may not use napkins, but he still wipes his mouth. I guess that's what keeps me getting out of bed every morning. I never know what I'll learn today. And it's not everyday a tortoise nibbles your toe!

A brighter tomorrow!

Ever have one of those days where you wake up feeling lousy, look outside and see your car's feeling badly too. Like it's been through a paper shredder? But you know that can't be right because you live in a rubber, sheet metal, plastic world? Yeh, well, that's why I stopped and snapped this picture awhile back.

I suspect much of our angst is brought on by sick people making us feel iller. I mean, what the hell can we expect when two of the biggest, baddest leaders in all the world live in our very own White House and go by the nicknames "Fart Boy" and "Turd Blossom"?

Well, relax. If you're concerned for your future under such leadership because you feel so alienated from such aliens, your entire security is at risk, as well as those of your folks maybe, or your kids, take heart. If you can't support the future being created for us all, maybe you can at least try to secure a little of it but emulating those creating it, like our own vice president.

If that sounds like a bright spot in an otherwise dark day, let me offer up a portion of a recent article I discovered on Information Clearing House which sheds light on Dick Cheney's financial acumen, to wit:

NeoCon Continental

For all the contempt that the NeoCons shower upon "Old Europe," they sure seem to find it a good place to invest and even live. Vice-President Cheney likes to tout how great the American economy is, but he and his wife Lynne don't have much confidence in the dollar. Kiplinger Reports took a close look at the Cheney's financial disclosure report recently, and found that the Second Couple is betting against the U. S. economy. The biggest chunk of their estimated $96 million in change is bet on a fund that specializes in predominately European bonds and had only 6% of its assets in dollar-based investments when Kiplinger took a look.

How nice for them. If the Vice-President's relentless push for a new war against Iran succeeds, and oil prices skyrocket to two or three times the previous record, with a resulting collapse of the dollar, it won't be the Cheneys who suffer.

I thought this might help any of you out there suffering the same angst as I. Ooooh, holy jesus, I can't wait for the markets to open tomorrow to transfer my wealth and secure my future!

Pictures, schmictures!

Wikipedia describes this photo as "the only known picture to date of Billy the Kid." Up until just a few years ago, it was thought Billy the Kid was lefthanded as a result of this picture. But it was determined this image is in fact reversed because of the "Model 1873 Winchester with the loading port on the left side. All Model 1873's had the loading port on the right side, proving the image was reversed and that Billy was in fact wearing his pistol on his right hip" according to Wikipedia.

But the legend of the Kid's left-handedness, being ingrained for over a century, is difficult to overcome. Others now attribute William Bonney as being ambidexterous due to the the resulting confusion.

Photo courtesy of Las Cruces Sun-News

In today's local paper is an old family photo recently revealed to the public by its owner, Pauline "Pola" Chiavone. On the back of the picture is written, "Jose Dolores Lueras and William Bonney The Gabacho, alias Billy the Kid."

See, "gabacho" translates as American and Jose Dolores Lueras was Pola Chiavone's grandfather. The photo has been studied and appears it could actually be a picture of Billy the Kid. The only question so far that casts doubt on it being BtK is the suits worn by the two young men. They seem too modern and that's bothersome.

Billy the Kid died in 1881. But if it turns out to be authentic, it would become known as the second photo of Billy the Kid. Some have also speculated on the photo's authenticity, wondering how a nice young man pictured in a suit could be the murderer of 21 men. Good question.

But an analysis of the 37 thousandth, 37th picture of George Bush has recently come under heavy scrutiny. Thought to be authentic for the past 3+ years, someone with reading skills analyzed the presidential seal under high resolution and determined it was backwards! Upon this discovery, his attention was directed to the American flag behind the president. Turns out, it was backwards as well!

The analyst then noted another curious inconsistency. When the presiden speaks, the left side of his mouth always sags. (Some have attributed this to side effects of him being heavily medicated for his pscychoses, but that's not an issue here, merely a noted characteristic when Bush talks.) Some who have had difficulty accepting this, or can't read--hence the presidential seal appears normal--don't trust the analysis that the left side of Bush's mouth always sags when he speaks. Others more accepting of the possibility this photo might be reversed, credit Bush with being able to speak out of both sides of his mouth.

However, the analyst went further. Upon checking out the white phosphorus laser weapon of mass destruction with depleted uranium tipped ammunition that Bush is demonstrating, now being used widely in Iraq, it was discovered it always loads from the right, unlike the one he is holding here in his left hand.

Despite supporters who now claim Bush may be ambidexterous and capable of speaking outta both sides of his mouth, evidence to support such claims have been refuted. It appears Bush shoots from the right and only speaks from one side of his mouth, the lying side.

Finally, as in the case of Billy the Kid, there are the fans who believe the latest photo discovered of The Kid is authentic. If so, they claim, it refutes the fact he was the killer of 21 men that history records him to be because, frankly, how could a young man such as he, dressed in a nice suit, possibly have killed 21 men they ask? One need only look at president Bush in his Sunday best and, knowing he's responsible for the deaths of at least 10,000 times that number, realize--despite William Shakespeare's proclamation that, "Clothes oft proclaim the man,"--that's a lie.

It appears the 37 thousandth, 37th picture of Bush is, indeed, backwards. Just as backwards as the direction he's taking the nation. And that seems to have been authenticated!

"Somebody out there really likes me."

The below was forwarded to me by a family member. (Thankfully, most of my family and I are on the same page.) Judging from the date on it, this may have been floating around the internet for over two months now, I don't know. But it's the first time I've seen it, so on the chance it's yours too, I post it. If you've seen it before, I apologize.

It's pretty obvious whoever compiled this resumé of the president's accomplishments is not a big George Bush fan. But to whoever took the time to do so, I say "Thanks!"

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Resume - George W. Bush
6-22-2006

GEORGE W. BUSH, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC 20520

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

LAW ENFORCEMENT
I was arrested in Kennebunkport, Maine, in 1976 for driving under the influence of alcohol. I pled guilty, paid a fine, and had my driver's license suspended for 30 days. My Texas driving record has been "lost" and is not available.

MILITARY
I joined the Texas Air National Guard and went AWOL. I refused to take a drug test or answer any questions about my drug use. By joining the Texas Air National Guard, I was able to avoid combat duty in Vietnam.

COLLEGE
I graduated from Yale University with a low C average. I was a cheerleader.

PAST WORK EXPERIENCE
I ran for U.S. Congress and lost. I began my career in the oil business in
Midland, Texas, in 1975. I bought an oil company, but couldn't find any oil in
Texas. The company went bankrupt shortly after I sold all my stock. I bought the Texas Rangers baseball team in a sweetheart deal that took land using taxpayer money. With the help of my father and our friends in the oil industry, including Enron CEO Ken Lay, I was elected governor of Texas.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS GOVERNOR OF TEXAS
I changed Texas pollution laws to favor power and oil companies, making Texas the most polluted state in the Union. During my tenure, Houston replaced Los Angeles as the most smog-ridden city in America. I cut taxes and bankrupted the Texas treasury to the tune of billions in borrowed money. I set the record for the most executions by any governor in American history. With the help of my brother, the governor of Florida, and my father's appointments to the Supreme Court, I became President after losing by over 500,000 votes.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS PRESIDENT
I am the first President in U.S. history to enter office with a criminal record.

I invaded and occupied two countries at a continuing cost of over one billion
dollars per week. I spent the U.S. surplus and effectively bankrupted the U.S.
Treasury. I shattered the record for the largest annual deficit in U.S. history.

I set an economic record for most private bankruptcies filed in any 12-month
period. I set the all-time record for most foreclosures in a 12-month period. I
set the all-time record for the biggest drop in the history of the U.S. stock
market. In my first year in office, over 2 million Americans lost their jobs and
that trend continues every month.

I'm proud that the members of my cabinet are the richest of any administration in U.S. history. My "poorest millionaire," Condoleeza Rice, had a Chevron oil tanker named after her.

I set the record for most campaign fund-raising trips by a U.S. President. I am the all-time U.S. and world record-holder for receiving the most corporate campaign donations. My largest lifetime campaign contributor, and one of my best friends, Kenneth Lay, presided over the largest corporate bankruptcy fraud in U.S. History at Enron.

My political party used Enron private jets and corporate attorneys to assure my success with the U.S. Supreme Court during my election decision. I have protected my friends at Enron and Halliburton against investigation or prosecution. More time and money was spent investigating the Monica Lewinsky affair than has been spent investigating one of the biggest corporate rip-offs in history.

I presided over the biggest energy crisis in U.S. history and refused to intervene when corruption involving the oil industry was revealed. I presided over the highest gasoline prices in U.S. history. I changed the U.S. policy to allow convicted criminals to be awarded government contracts. I appointed more convicted criminals to administration than any President in U.S. history.

I created the Ministry of Homeland Security, the largest bureaucracy in the history of the United States government. I've broken more international treaties than any President in U.S. history. I am the first President in U.S. history to have the United Nations remove the U.S. from the Human Rights Commission. I withdrew the U.S. from the World Court of Law. I refused to allow inspectors access to U.S "prisoners of war" detainees and thereby have refused to abide by the Geneva Convention. I am the first President in history to refuse United Nations election inspectors
(during the 2002 U.S. election).

I set the record for fewest numbers of press conferences of any President since the advent of television. I set the all-time record for most days on vacation in any one-year period. After taking off the entire month of August, I presided over the worst security failure in U.S. history. I benefitted from the most sympathy for the U.S. after the World Trade Center attacks and less than a year later I had made the U.S. the most hated country in the world, the largest failure of diplomacy in world history.

I have set the all-time record for most people worldwide to simultaneously protest me in public venues (15 million people), shattering the record for protests against any person in the history of mankind.

I am the first President in U.S. history to order an unprovoked, pre-emptive attack and the military occupation of a sovereign nation. I did so against the will of the United Nations, the majority of U.S. citizens, and the world community.

I have cut health care benefits for war veterans and support a cut in duty benefits for active duty troops and their families-in-wartime. In my State of the Union Address, I lied about our reasons for attacking Iraq and then blamed the lies on
our British friends.

I am the first President in history to have a majority of Europeans (71%) view my presidency as the biggest threat to world peace and security. I am supporting development of a nuclear "Tactical Bunker Buster," a WMD. I have thus far failed to fulfill my pledge to bring Osama Bin Laden [sic] to justice.

RECORDS AND REFERENCES
All records of my tenure as governor of Texas are now in my father's library, sealed and unavailable for public view. All records of SEC investigations into my insider trading and my bankrupt companies are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view. All records or minutes from meetings that I, or my Vice-President, attended regarding public energy policy are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public review. I am a member of the Republican Party.


PLEASE CONSIDER THIS WHEN VOTING IN THE 2006 MIDTERM ELECTIONS, AND SEND THIS TO EVERY U.S. VOTER YOU KNOW.

Rising above Bush's flatulence.

Hitting a rough spot in the road here. That's just metaphor, hinting at the sinkhole the whole damn nation's fallen into.

I guess news of our president loving flatulence jokes and farting on new White House aides has me a bit down. Seeing our leader of the "free world" stuck in the developmental stage of his pre-adolescent love of frat jokes, er, "fart" jokes, has me in a new low. (Never forget, our kids are dying while he's asking aides to pull his finger.)

Other emerging stories that have me in a funk are the phony terrorist threats being used for political gain, the continued prepping of us for war with Iran based on the same bogus bullshit as our current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Or the latest "Survivor" brainstorm based on race so amusing to right-wing radio and repulsing to left-wing radio, both giving it way too much air time.

Then there's NPR story revealing how billions of investor's dollars are being poured into oil futures by speculative fund managers in a kind of amnesiac Enron late-90's "irrational exuberance" that's inflating oil prices at our pumps--all in the name of our retirement security. Or the sale of public toll roads in Indiana and Illinois to a Spanish/Australian consortium, supported by our "fart boy" president's enthusiastic endorsement of privitization for cash strapped local governments. It's all been eating on me just a bit more than normal.

One of my favorite blogs has fallen inexplicably silent the past month or so. When I wrote to see if everything was okay, I learned my blogger friend was just too depressed to write. (I was so relieved--to learn she's only as sick as the rest of us of this tiresome ongoing farce of a charade being conducted in our names as legimate government.)

So that is where I've been the past day or two. And, hence, this morning, I took the initiative. I finally picked up the phone and made the call to save my mental health. I made reservations for a few days in Taos, NM. It won't be until October but already the anticipation of our escape has lightened my load. And truthfully, October's not that far away.

So in a few weeks, I'm gonna celebrate making it through another year of insanity with some really good beers, maybe a big bowl of Wanda's Wicked Stew in one of my favorite places.

You know what I love about Taos' only brewpub besides great ales? The crowd! There's something about people who appreciate good microbrews. Maybe it's the spirit of freedom from the Big Three auto-brew makers of industrial beers. Maybe it's just testament left wingers still have taste buds, i.e., are more sensitive to tasteless, thoughtless things, hence, the enhanced appreciation for good ale and their diminishing civil rights.

And then there's the little independent bookstore with the great name I so dearly love, "Moby Dickens." The shop is laid out in the shape of the letter "L". You enter at the top leg of the L. The cashier is at the bottom of the L, enabling her to see both ends of the store, It was there one year with family from out of town that I played one of my favorite tricks.

Arriving a few steps ahead of everybody, I opened the Moby Dickens door and asked loudly down to the salesperson at the end of the room, "Excuse me, do you allow illiterates in here?"

The saleswoman, not to be taken aback by some tourist's question, responded without hesitancy, "Why, of course! We have many books filled with just pictures! They're more than welcome!"

Noticing our interchange had gotten the attention of everyone in the store, I turned to my wife and family approaching outside and said, "It's okay, you can come in!"

As they entered, each did so with a curiosity as to what the patrons found so amusing. (I later explained to them why over some 10,000 Foot Stout ales at our little brewpub.)

By the way, before making reservations for our stay in Taos I wrote Eske's, the microbrewery, to make sure they would be open when we plan to be there. In Taos when it snows, establishments are known to close down unexpectedly and go skiing. I try to anticipate this and reserve before the first snows fall. Taos without Eske's or Moby Dickens wouldn't be quite the same.

Recalling "The Few, The Proud"

To many of our marines out there who have served their country honorably and have been discharged, it looks like you might wanna dig into the back of the closet, bring out those old boots and dust 'em off. That's because there's a report in USA Today entitled Marines to recall troops on involuntary basis for Iraq, Afghanistan. Key word there being "involuntary" which is ironic in that the United States proudly boasts an all voluntary military. As noted in the article, reactivation has become necessary due to the shortfall in volunteers currently being experienced.

As we've all been prepped by our president, the war on terror is to be a long, long war. As a result, Marine Col. Guy A. Stratton, chief of marine manpower mobilization, has warned marines may continue to tap into the reserves for the duration of the long, long war on terror.

The article concludes by saying some of those subject to recall will be engineers, intelligence, dancers, bicycle repairers, elevator installers and marine biologists. Apparently the marines have a glut of infantrymen and rifle sharpshooters.

For those who have fulfilled their active duty military obligations and face possible recall, think of it as Karma for your president who just didn't see fit to complete his Texas champagne reserve unit duties during Vietnam. SEMPER FI!

Commander-in-Chief Cheese Cutter

As heard on Randi Rhodes Air America this afternoon and as linked to there and seen on a US News and World Report website, we get a small glimpse into our president's lighter, more personable side.

Animal House in the West Wing

He loves to cuss, gets a jolly when a mountain biker wipes out trying to keep up with him, and now we're learning that the first frat boy loves flatulence jokes. A top insider let that slip when explaining why President Bush is paranoid around women, always worried about his behavior. But he's still a funny, earthy guy who, for example, can't get enough of fart jokes. He's also known to cut a few for laughs, especially when greeting new young aides, but forget about getting people to gas about that.

Armed with this information, new nicknames for the president are sure to follow. Maybe those of us who have sometimes referred to Bush as a "FRAT" boy are dyslexic?

Bush admits a second mistake but media misses it.

From president Bush's press conference, Monday, 8/21/2006, discussing Iraq:

Bush: You know, I've heard this theory about, you know, everything was just fine until we arrived, and then, you know, kind of that we're going to stir up the hornet's nest theory. It just -- just doesn't hold water, as far as I'm concerned. The terrorists attacked us and killed 3,000 of our citizens before we started the freedom agenda in the Middle East.

Reporter: What did Iraq have to do with that?

Bush: What did Iraq have to do with what?

Reporter: The attack on the World Trade Center?

Bush: Nothing. (Attribution: Democracy Not!)

Bush's quick, half-whispered "Nothing" appears to also have answered the question of what more than 2,600 Americans have died for in Iraq. Sadly, most of the media must not have heard Bush say this because it went mostly unreported.

Other headlines in today's news:

North Korea threatens attack due to war drills.

This warning, the result of joint U.S.--South Korean war games being conducted, is further indication how paranoia manifests as belligerence in outlying provinces when the U.S. refuses to talk directly to "axis of evil" nations. In this case, a weak and ineffectual U.S. State Department is only comfortable talking to North Korea through China, Russia, South Korea, Japan, Morrocco, Lichenstein and the Maldives. A sad testatment to the kind of diplomacy one gets when your State Department chief negotiating leader is a Chevron Oil Tanker?

Bush: International force must be deployed quickly to Lebanon.

As the very first evidence the president may be capable of changing his mind on anything (except on Iraq, of course), Bush strongly urged an international force of peace keepers be deployed in Southern Lebanon as soon as possible. This from the man who during the brief war found absolutely no urgency in ending the slaughter of innocent Lebanese.

Katrina struggle goes on for many

At the one year anniversary of the hurricane Katrina disaster, many victims are still without jobs, homes or aid from the government. As a balm to soothe survivors weary of the incompetence and inaction of the FEMA feds, the president Monday urged patience. "We'll be there for you in the next few weeks, or months. A year or two at most maybe." As further comfort, Bush confessed to victims he had spoken with God and received assurances his request for suspension of all hurricanes this hurricane season will be honored by the Creator.

U.N. resolution would disarm Hezbollah.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton--"I am the walrus, goo goo g'joob g'goo goo g'joob"--plans to introduce a resolution to the U.N. demanding the Hezbollah in southern Lebanon be disarmed. In light of the death tolls from the recent conflict, it would appear Bolton is displaying publicly another area of his gross incompetence to represent the U.S. before the rest of the wrold: Statistics! In his demand for Hezbollah disarmament, Bolton apparently misinterpreted the death toll numbers from the recent conflict, i.e., Israeli dead = 163; Lebanonese killed = 1,000. Bolton made no such demand for Israeli disarmament.

America's most dangerous weapons: Today we look at the Predator weapon system.

THE PREDATOR

According to Answers.com, The RQ-1 Predator is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) described as a "medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle system." When weaponized with two AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, the Predator can do great damage to unsuspecting targets.

WHERE PREDATORS ARE DEPLOYED

In the United States, Predators are stationed in large and small cities and towns across the nation. In the past year, Predators have scored more than 100 successful missions against unsuspecting young women targets who were "raped on recruiting office couches, assaulted in government cars and groped en route to entrance exams." (source: Martha Mendoza, AP)

A very dangerous weapon indeed!

"Nobody does it better....."

.....than those privatized, government contractors

Anyone see this article in yesterday's paper?

"IRS outsources collection of delinquent taxes
By David Cay Johnston
New York Times

"Within two weeks, the IRS will turn over data on 12,500 taxpayers...to three collection agencies.

"The move, an initiative of the Bush administration, is the first step in a broader plan to outsource the collection of smaller tax debts to private companies...Although IRS officials acknowledge that this will be much more expensive than doing it internally, they say that Congress has forced their hand by refusing to let them hire more revenue officers, who could pull in a lot of easy-to-collect money.

"The private debt collection program is expected to bring in $1.4 billion over 10 years...


BUT


"By hiring more revenue officers, the I.R.S. could collect more than $9 billion each year..."


The article went on to say while more IRS agents could bring in more delinquent taxes at a cost of 3 cents on the each dollar collected, private contractors will collect less and keep 22-24 fuckin' cents of each dollar collected! Source: New York Times

Best we just ignore that, because we can't do anything about it, right?

I guess when congress and the president are beholding to special interests in the accounting industry, as they are to just about every goddamned industry lobbyist stuffing their rear ends with cash, the government has to rob Peter (ah, that'd be us, the citizens) to pay Paul (ah, that'd be special interest groups the government owes their collective asses to).

Apologies for my language this morning. Maybe it's indicative of something, like my fuckin' outrage? Huh? Huh? Ya think?

My Thursday representative Sensenbrenner immigration reform hearing photo essay

The Chamizal National Memorial was established in 1967. It was the culmination of over a century long border dispute between the U.S. and Mexico which originated when the Rio Grande River dividing the two nations shifted its course in 1864. The result was 600 acres, formerly in Mexico, now belonged to the U.S.

These 600 acres lost were a particularly sore point with Mexico, who had just a few years earlier ceded to the U.S. - as a result of the Mexican War - 525,000 square miles.

But as the National Parks website explains, "Chamizal National Memorial serves as an open door to... diplomacy and cultural values as a basic means to conflict resolution."

The U.S. generously returned 437 acres formerly belonging to Mexico as a result of the treaty formalized in 1967. While some may cynically see this as generosity the U.S. could easily afford after gaining all of Texas, California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming in the 1846 war with Mexico , Dada prefers to see it as a monument to successful conflict resolution by the U.S. through negotiation vs. its more usual approach to resolving international differences - war.

Four hundred thirty-seven acres returned after more than a 100 years of delicate, sometimes heated tête-à-têtes beats the hell out of 525,000 square miles gained by war in 16 months.

************

As I reported and promised last Saturday in my Passive Participatory Fascism blog, I joined my wife yesterday down at the Chamizal where congressman Sensenbrenner (R., WI) was holding the third edition of his immigration reform charades. Billed as a chance for citizens to voice their concerns, public input was the most important aspect missing. That's because public input was not allowed. In typical Sensenbrenner fashion, the message to citizens was "shut the hell up and just listen."

My wife was going as a member of one of several groups against the criminalization of illegal aliens and those who would give them aid or support.

As we parked and were walking to the visitor center where the hearing was to be held, we passed this SUV in the parking lot. I was so impressed I just had to take a picture. My favorite sticker was "My other auto is a .45."

It was nice to see someone unashamedly showing their proud support of strong values. I was a bit concerned, however, that with all those stickers plastered on the back of the vehicle, its driver was as blinded to what is behind him as he is to the vision of what's ahead for all Americans.

However, what we noticed next as we looked over the parking lot was the huge--I mean HUGE--number of law enforcement vehicles present. They were everywhere. I estimate there were at least 237 there. Led by the El Paso County sheriff's contingent, then border patrol, city police, national park police and other official federal vehicles, it was an impressive presence. I'm thinking they were probably the 17th largest armed forces in the western hemisphere yesterday.

But if I felt a tad nervous from our encounter with the SUV proclaiming the owner's "second auto was a .45," I felt much better seeing so much authority present to maintain order. I suddenly really felt really, really safe.

But it also occurred to me how such an enormous presence by authorities might indicate how afraid they were of my wife. Well, not just her, but her fellow impassioned citizens demonstrating there as well. This was a little empowering because, while the public would not be allowed to speak inside at the immigration hearing, their presence outside was sufficient for the El Paso County Sheriff to pull all his deputies into the Chamizal at risk of county security of national banks and 7-11 Stores in outlying areas.

By my estimate, there were far more police cars than protestors. This concerned me momentarily because, if disorder broke out and we all were arrested, how would demonstrators get down to city jail in one piece with 1 1/2 cars to transport each?

Truthfully, I was a little disappointed at the turnout of the demonstrators. I suspect these symbolic meetings of "democracy" are just that. Symbolic. That's because they're scheduled when the majority of people are at work and can't attend. And those who can are not allowed to speak. But maybe that's not it. Maybe it's just El Pasoans are apathetic? Or who knows, maybe it's the high lithium content of their drinking water?

(NOTE: If I was disappointed at their turnout, the total number of protestors in support of representative Sensenbrenner's gypsies who showed up was three!)

But of the small crowd gathered, I am pleased to report they were orderly and obedient in confining themselves to the *free speech zone* that had been roped off for them. Some came with nice signs.

As I looked over the park's lush, green landscape, thanks to recent floods, I was surprised to see the county sheriff had been thoughtful enough to have his deputies bring along some dogs. I assumed these were for the protestor's children to pet and play with. A nice gesture I thought.

Another point of amusement for the crowd were the people who must have arrived way before everybody else got there. That's because they got the very best possible seats of the whole crowd-- up on the roof! At least, that's what I thought.

Somebody else didn't think that was it at all. They speculated with dove season just opened, they were hunters there to get their choice of the flock. They didn't look real happy. Maybe because they weren't counting on the crowd below that would show up and scare off all the birds.

But perhaps most disturbing of all, however, was someone who voiced the opinion those weren't spectators or dove hunters on the roof. They were snipers! I couldn't believe this. Not in America. Pure fantasy, I thought. Besides, they weren't wearing recognizable uniforms of any of the many law enforcement agencies present. No problem someone pointed out, suggesting they might be members of one of those neoconservative contracted out private security armies immune to U.S. law, i.e., legal assassins!

Whoever they were, they sure had the best seats.

Finally, I'd just like to mention, while demonstrators were there to take a serious stand regarding immigration reform, I was at one point very disappointed as the vitality of the group seemed to sag.


Feeling a need to re-engerize them, I yanked the sign from a nearby child much smaller than myself. Wending my way to the front of the *free speech zone*, I stationed myself next to a small group whom I felt were losing their zeal. To reinvigorate them, I hoisted my sign high and commanded them to follow suit.

"If you want to be heard," I said, "you have to stand tall, hold your signs up high and shout. And for Pete's sake," I pleaded, "please stop clowning around!"*

At the end of two hours, representative Sensenbrenner's road show had gotten what it came for, packed up and left. And sadly, I even forgot to go up to one of those police officers and ask if I could pet his dog.

*Note: As my wife later informed me, the clowns were really there as comment on representative Sensenbrenner's immigration reform circus.

Cafferty Kicks Ass (again!)

If you missed Jack Cafferty (on CNN) speak truth to power regarding Bush's trashing the constitution. This is must see. Short and to the point. Please note the bottom screen banner line, "Developing Story - Gonzales: There is a Stay in Place"

So a judge has ruled Bush in violation the 1st Amendment, the 4th Amendment, and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to which Bush's attorney general in effect says "Fuck American's, fuck their law, we will place a stay on that decision and continue to illegally tap wires while we appeal this decision all the way to Supreme Court if need be, where the president's lap dogs will have the final say." (Well, those weren't his words, they were mine just voicing Gonzales' thoughts aloud for all to read.)

Jack Cafferty sums it all up very resolutely.

Weather update

Night before last my wife was having a helluva time trying to find something to watch from the 120 channels plus we have on TV when she accidentally stumbled across one of those channels like Discovery or some such. I'm not real familiar with them because I don't watch much TV. So when I saw it was a program on climate change and their affects of lost civilizations, I sank into an easy chair.

I was thinking it may have even been a program I'd seen before but as it progressed, I wasn't so sure. Of course, as I learned about the demise of the Mayans I sensed where this was going. I had to stay for the end.

I don't have much time to write this morning. That's because of the representative Sensenbrenner charades hearing is being held today and I hope to tag along with my wife who plans to demonstrate outside his appearance at The Chamizal. But I'd like to take what few minutes I have to share a little more with you about our local weather as perhaps just another harbinger of greater changes being felt globally. Weather changes taken collectively which over time become climate changes?

Previously, I wrote some about the floods that had occurred locally while we were away on vacation. Of a couple of homes in our very neighborhood that were damaged when the raging waters overwhelmed drainage systems. Walking around the neighborhood after our return from Oregon only hinted at what had happened as crews had been working a couple of days trying to erase the evidence. The sounds made of metal on concrete and pavement, the chirping sounds of heavy equipment when it backs up and the rumble of dump trucks nearby have been the constant background noise of our normally quiet neighborhood since our return. That's because, unlike all the other summer monsoon rains we've experienced in our 28 years in this house have come and gone quietly sans much damage. But this summer they don't want to leave.

One of the regular readers here at Dada's had asked if I might not post some pics of the 'hood. I thought that a good idea but nixed it after looking at some I took. They just weren't all that dramatic. Besides, it seems I'd employed my best hyperbole when I echoed here my neighbor's opinion those homes would have to either be gutted or destroyed.

Well, in the last two weeks, the course of my regular morning walks has been past these houses and the apartments just behind them--the first line of defense against the waters that come raging off the mountain. And I've documented in my mind the events at those homes, now abandoned. Briefly, it goes like this:

Mounds of dirt taken from their overwhelmed backyards rose neatly in the street in front of them. Both houses were abandoned, with windows and doors left open to speed drying inside.

Then came the debris of household goods piled outside that had been lost. In one pile, I saw the discarded boxes of four large box fans. Walking past this house early one morning, I could see and hear the fans though open windows, quietly circulating the air.

A day or two later came the furniture stacked outside beside a rental truck to cart it away to someplace dryer. Then one morning piles of saturated sheetrock were there. I could see inside approximately the bottom two feet of wall had been stripped from their frames. New walls to replace them were then installed. And then, earlier this week, the rains came--again.

These are the "normal" rains from the 28 year weather we've observed while living here. Maybe these are just freak rains. Or maybe they're worse. Harbingers of climate change? For those poor houses and their people working feverishly to reclaim them, they must have realized this past Monday that, without solving their drainage problem, new walls become wasted walls real fast. The new sheetrock absorbs water just as well as old sheetrock. Their efforts had been for naught. The new walls had gotten soaked.

But these are just a couple of families in our neighborhood with "leak problems." Images of people escaping their homes in waist high water are now common on local news channels.

So yesterday I had a 2:00 o'clock appointment at the car dealership to have our oil changed. As my appt. time neared the clouds blackened and sagged. Ignoring the urgings of my wife to cancel, I decided to risk keeping it. My shortest route was over the mountain, a distance of about 12 miles to the other side of town. It was harrowing. Like a scene out of a disaster movie. The desert rock overhangs were raging waterfalls and in spots, earthen debris had washed across the highway. As I drove along, it became easy to imagine being buried and crushed beneath the landsliding crags of rock above.

But I made it to my appointment just before the storm hit there. When it did and the electricity went out, I learned the flaws of their state-of-the-art new facilities. Fortunately you don't need electricity to change oil but as we learned, you do need it to flush urinals, draw water or paper towels in the restrooms. The free coke dispensers quit. The coffee and free popcorn soon went cold. And most importantly, when it came time to pay, credit and debit cards were worthless. Apparently without those little electronic sliders, cashiers and their managers have forgotten how make a charge on plastic. Returning home, I opted to advoid the mountain. I took the longer way, through town.

Water continues to deepen its new streambed beneath an apartment
parking lot with each good rain behind the two houses it loves to hit most.

It was a long trip but to traffic's credit, drivers were exceedingly civil and slowed to safer distances. Driving was like playing one of those action video games that have you leaning forward in your seat, squinting to see thru the water on the screen to the outside world in front of you.

But the hairiest part of my round trip was the last three blocks after I turned off the freeway frontage road into my neighborhood. The side street was raging with water, the deepest I had been in the entire trip. And as I slowed to the speed of a small outboard motored boat, I saw the mud that had once more buried the apartment parking lot. Many of the people living on the lower floors of the apartments had their front doors open. Some were standing outside in what struck me as a kind of neighborhood social, but this was no picnic. As I turned past the two houses, I noted a worker in the first desperately squeegeeing water out its front door. The second house had streams racing down each of its sides into its frontyard and out into the street. The garage door, wide open, revealed residents who had been working on the house sitting around a table in quiet resignation of Nature.

As I walked there to survey the damage this morning, I encountered a neighbor I'd never spoken with before. I related the surreal scene yesterday afternoon with many people standing outside their apartments and homes commiserating in disbelief that this was happening again. He said to me, incredulously, that it was a blessing. Then mentioned something about the Lord. The people in the two homes damaged at the end of the block had shelters to go to. They would be okay, he said. But without these floods, neighbors he'd lived next to for years but never spoken with would still be strangers.

Backyards of the two corner houses as they looked this morning after yesterday's storm.

What a strange Christianity I thought to myself. I guess it's easier to consider the floodwaters a blessing when it's not your home being damaged, it's not you who has to sleep in a shelter "somewhere, I don't know where in the city," as he said. With *blessings* like these, I wonder what that nice neighbor man might consider a curse?

Oh, and that Discovery channel hour on climate change as it has affected previous civilizations? Well, with the melting ice caps from global warming, ocean currents will be altered triggering a new (hopefully, only, mini ice age). The Easter US states will freeze to death, west coast will suffer tremendous land- and mudslides from the unheard of El Ninos. We here in the desert Southwest may be the luckiest. We'll just starve to death for lack of food.

Just more of the same old BS.

Yesterday morning there came a small explosion-like sound from my neighbor's. I passed it off as a car backfiring. But my attention was refocused next door minutes later by sirens very close that suddenly stopped. They were over at the neighbor's.

The curiosity gene kicked in and I found myself drawn to the front yard to watch as two bodies were brought out of the house on stretchers. One, a female, looked extremely gruesome. The other, larger, presumably male, was next, but his entire body was covered. Dead I asssumed. The small group of onlookers that had gathered watched in shock. Muttering among ourselves, we speculated what could have happened.

Police were there into mid-afternoon. I have a neighbor who's more than just curious. He's a gossip as well. If you're getting a new roof, expect him up there inspecting the worker's job. A new hot water heater? He'll be there to supervise installation. He's funny and everyone who knows him, knows he's that way.

Well, from what my neighbor was able to piece together from eavesdropping on police most of the day was, as this couple was readying for work, she apparently leaned over to kiss her husband. As her lips touched his neck, the volatile mixture of her gloss and his aftershave proved way too explosive.

The hole blown in his carotid artery killed the husband instantly. The wife will likely never kiss anyone again. Lipless.

Who could have known the dangers present in everyday fluids like toothpastes, pudding and bottled waters? But now it's been entered into the collective unconscious. And I fear it's too late to erase such thoughts. Expect more tales of similar horror to become common.

******

Well, somewhere beyond the truth lies the results of the latest poll. Bush's approval is up 2 to 38%. But when asked of how he's doing against terrorists, he receives an incredible 55% approval.

Obviously, many Americans are buying Chicken Little's falling sky declarations. But what they're being fed isn't chicken meat. Bush is feeding 'em chicken feathers. And Americans are swallowing it. That's what Bush does. Feeds his flock fear.

A headline on Excite.com last night read,"Bush Says U.S. Safer, but Not Yet Safe." Just curious, but what the fuck would you expect him to say? He's doing a good job, but you're still in danger. The biggest danger lies in the fact this is an election year and if republicans don't retain control of both houses of congress, Bush and gang could end up facing impeachment.

Karl Rove told us months ago this November's election would spin on how much safer republicans keep us. How many elections can be won on American's psychoses?

Never mind that last week's terror plot revealed by British busts of a ring planning to blow up American airliners over the Atlantic was broken, not by the Brits, but by Bush pressure to take it public--NOW!

The administration needed to divert American's attentions from Iraq, Connecticut, Lebanon, whatever. The UK wanted more time to gather more evidence. Now we learn some of those busted may walk because they don't have sufficient evidence to hold 'em. (Evidence that British citizens still retain rights we've willingly conceded?)

But the neocons had urgent need to raise the terror level to red. Needed Americans to see terrorists who intended them harm being rounded up. And if some of the aleged plotters escaped arrest or some arrested get released back into society, that doesn't bother Bush. That's because our take of events that reflect negatively on him must be minimized by spinning these kinds of distractions. If terrorists walk free that's okay. A majority of you think he's making us safer when the exact opposite is true. Bush is fueling terrorism globally. He doesn't give a fuck for your safety. It's his own neck he's trying to save. But at least 55% of you don't believe me.

John Dean, whose latest book is Conservatives Without Conscience spoke yesterday on Democracy Now! of over 50 years of post WWII studies to see if the fascism that overtook Germany and Italy could ever happen here. The conclusion of interdisciplinarians was, "Absolutely!"

And those 55% of approving Americans of Bush's concern for their safety will likely lead us there. In Dean's own words:

"...we know an awful lot about this type of personality. There are people who submit very easily to an authority figure. They do it because they're frightened. 9/11 drove an awful lot of people into submitting to authoritarianism, and they're very aggressive once they submit. This explains a lot of the incivility, the nastiness, the mean-spiritedness. They're not self-critical, and they become true advocates....of whatever position they're advocating and pushing."

Well, who can blame them? Fear can be a pervasive thing. I'm scared too. Not of the terrorists. No, it's Chicken Little's supporters who feel Bush is making 'em safer that scare the shit out of me.

And I'm getting weary harping on this. Those of you who read this are the choir. Your voices are beautiful. But maybe my time would be better spent blogging about dogs, or Taos, or good movies. Things and places I love. To ease my fears of my fellow citizens.

Quote of the Day by someone "uniquely" American

Today, I speak with you about a radical idea. It is one born from the very concept of the American soldier (or service member). It became instrumental in ending the Vietnam War - but it has been long since forgotten. The idea is this: that to stop an illegal and unjust war, the soldiers can choose to stop fighting it. ~ as spoken by Lieutenant Ehren Watada last Saturday night at the National Veterans for Peace Convention.
********************
This is the kind of troop I support. Lt. Watada is an officer I would have been proud to serve under as a member of the U.S. Army. And his words echo my very thoughts.

If corrupted leadership continues to demand unlawful acts be conducted by our service members, it is the duty of every uniformed soldier to refuse felonious leadership ordering them into the bowels of hell. It is their sworn duty to defend the Constitution of the United States. It is their duty to return the military to its intended purpose - defense of the nation and refusal to obey all illegal orders. To do otherwise is to aid and abet the acts of criminals.

Reminder to military members: The Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) 809.ART.90 (20), makes it clear that military personnel need to obey the "lawful command of his superior officer," 891.ART.91 (2), the "lawful order of a warrant officer", 892.ART.92 (1) the "lawful general order", 892.ART.92 (2) "lawful order". In each case, military personnel have an obligation and a duty to only obey Lawful orders and indeed have an obligation to disobey Unlawful orders, including orders by the president that do not comply with the UCMJ. The moral and legal obligation is to the U.S. Constitution and not to those who would issue unlawful orders, especially if those orders are in direct violation of the Constitution and the UCMJ.

Passive participatory fascism.

This Thursday representative Jim Sensenbrenner (R., WI) is coming to town to hold a public meeting on immigration. I'm not sure why the meeting is open to the public, seeing how all public input is to be stifled. Sensenbrenner's road show will include three preselected speakers: a minuteman from California and two other republicans.

Perhaps you remember representative Sensenbrenner from June of last year when, as Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee debating the Patriot Act's renewal, he suddenly ordered all transcriptions of the meeting be halted, cameras shut down and the meeting be halted. He then stormed out.

Seems Sensenbrenner got upset at democrats who raised concern over human rights violations at Guantanamo and in Iraq. Accusing democrats of violating house rules in that they kept presenting witnesses in support of their allegations, Sensenbrenner's sudden adjournment of the hearing was a violation itself of House parliamentary rules. Apparently for Sensenbrenner, democracy is 'shut the fuck up, I don't want to hear what you have to say.'

This coming Thursday continues this tradition and El Pasoans will get a close-up chance to witness Sensenbrenner's democracy in action. It should be a great civics lesson in passive participatory fascism. (Authority speaks, subjects listen.)
*************
According to the flyer handed my wife announcing his hearing, Sensenbrenner can claim the following credits:

- Author of HR-4437 which makes felons of anyone caught assisting undocumented immigrants (to include church groups).

- "Voted against increasing the federal minimum wage by a dollar."

- "Voted against public housing as well as lowering interest rates on student loans.

- "Voted against giving grants to Afro-American and Latino students.

- "Voted against the investigation and development of gasoline alternatives"

Don't lick your balls!

Heard on a local radio show called "Natural Solutions" on Saturday morning: Apparently, there exists a nasty habit among some golfers that is proving to have serious health consequences for them. As host of the show warned, any duffer engaged in such behavior "should stop licking their balls."

Yes, that's exactly as he said it. Apparently, some male and female golfers alike have developed the habit of licking their balls while playing a round. I've never personally observed them directly licking their balls on TV. I have, however, seen a couple of players lick the fingers they also handle their balls with.

So I don't doubt a problem may exist that's widening as this habit catches on. As a result, hepatitis among those athletes is on the rise. The suspected cause is toxins used to maintain golf courses that golfer's balls are exposed to. It was also noted that many golfers suffer joint pain in their arms and legs. While not attributed directly to these toxins, it was implied.

Anyone who enjoys golfing and licking their balls while playing, may want to rethink this habit. Dada just felt it his duty to pass this along to golfers. "Please. Stop licking your balls!"

"Uniquely American"

Detail from Semarkand beggars, 1905

I had one of those "uniquely American" moments yesterday. I use that term in the context of a president Bush response to a woman who caught him offguard last year during one of his national public relations campaign tours to reassure folks Social Security would be safe, would be there for them, even if his effort succeeded to gut it.

"Promises made will be kept by the government," is a hard swallow in light of Bush's record on everything from assurances "we don't torture" to "we don't spy on Americans."

So it was perhaps bound to happen in one of Bush's townhall meetings somewhere that a concerned and unconvinced 50-something woman would rise up from the audience and explain to Bush she was a divorced mother of three, including a 'mentally challenged' son, working three jobs.
*************
BUSH: You work three jobs?

WOMAN: Three jobs, yes.

BUSH: Uniquely American, isn't it? I mean, that is fantastic that you're doing that. (Applause.) Get any sleep? (Laughter.)
*************
What I find uniquely American about this encounter isn't the fact that the struggling woman works three jobs to try to make ends meet. No, what I take as uniquely American is the reaction of the president, the "oddience", the glib quip about sleep, and the laughter. It eases the tension of the real underlying message nicely, doesn't it? It then gets reported in the uniquely American media as a light moment Bush video clip.

Personally, I don't find any humor in that. Nor, in Bush's words, do I find it "fantastic that you're doing that" as regards that mom's efforts to stay afloat. But it IS the reaction to her situation I find "uniquely American" because the reaction to and reporting of this ignores the entire goddamned point.

So anyway, back to yesterday. In our household I often do the grocery shopping. Hence, I pretty well know the prices I pay for items I purchase regularly. Like orange juice.

The last time I purchased frozen OJ was back in July before we departed on a three week trip. That is, until Thursday when I purchased two more cans. To my surprise, the price of OJ was over 19% higher than a month ago.

Then yesterday I read the following news telling how retail sales had recently surged 1.4%. I think that was supposed to indicate a good sign for the economy in that the media called it "robust consumer spending."

I'm no economist, but when I finally juxtaposed that news with the price of my latest OJ purchase, it occurred to me that maybe Americans ARE spending more. They're just GETTING LESS! It's not that we're out here prospering like that single mother with three kids and three jobs. Maybe we're spending more solely because we have to pay more--for the same stuff.

The article went on to hint of the underlying flaw in these statistics by mentioning a.) the rise in gasoline prices, followed by b.) "The figures are not adjusted for inflation." So, what the hell good are these statistics anyway? Why bother to report 'em, if they have little bearing upon American's economic reality?

Conclusion? Well, I'm pretty sure all that robust consumer spending is NOT a sign of a prospering economy any more than the story of the single mom struggling to get by with three kids and three jobs is glib and funny as reported.

Maybe in the months ahead I will pay even more for even less orange juice. And maybe that working mom can add a fourth fucking job.

In both cases, as Bush might say, "I mean, that is fantastic that you're doing that."

"Uniquely American, isn't it?" [sic]

Greasing the electorate

If Americans have become lackadaisical about the terrorists getting us, I think we should also recognize the apathy of republicans as evidenced by Newt Gringrich's remark re Joe Lieberman's Connecticut senatorial primary loss Tuesday. Gringrich rued if the news of the terrorist plot to blow airplanes out of the sky had broken a day or two earlier, Lieberman would probably have won this primary for reelection to his senate seat.

Evidence the republican's had become reactive instead of proactive? I think so. Red alerts can be declared anytime by the president. Raising it to red as he did on Wednesday, it appears Bush was a couple days too late to help Lieberman. So the Connecticut primary may have shaken republicans towards becoming proactive once more and Americans scared shitless again.

Fear not, democrats. If Lieberman was such a loyal democrat as he repeatedly liked to remind us all, why is it the republicans are the ones in such a tizzy he lost?

Trust me, neocons are going to make hay with this latest real, or imagined, terrorist plot. On every TV news screen last evening, we saw huge lines of travelers, some missing their flights, conceding while such measures are a major inconvenience, they're a good thing. It's already working. Never mind that 32 major airports last month missed fake guns, bombs and other weapons over 40% of the time. And our port security is even more atrocious.

Wake up America! It's election time again. As vice president Cheney was quick to remind us after the Connecticut primary Tuesday, "Senator Lieberman's loss is good for Al Qaeda." I would suggest it's also good for the republicans. Some of us recognize how complimentary the two are -- a match made in heaven.

So it's that time again fellow citizens. Time to cough over a little more convenience and freedom for some renewed fear and faux security. Contributions toward the re-election of our republican government comes in many forms. Why, in lieu of cash, they'll gladly accept your hair gels and after shaves.

Storms update.

Photo courtesy of Team AU of the German Air Force Air Defense Center, Ft. Bliss

In the midst of the devastation being visited upon my hometown last week, the skies broke and this rainbow appeared. Fortunately, a friend who works at Fort Bliss forwarded this great photo to me, courtesy of Team AU of the German Air Force Air Defense Center here at Ft. Bliss, TX. What a wonderful capture of a rainbow in its entirety. I like to think of it as a portent of better things ahead. But first, there were still more miseries to be visited upon El Pasoans.

Several days after this photo and forty miles from home, we braved the biggest challenge of our 4,038 mile trip by driving directly into the eye of an extremely ominous storm that rushed out of El Paso to greet us. I interpreted that as a final test of our resolve towards our quest--to be back home. We made it!

Walking around the neighborhood the following day and surveying the immediate damage, I concluded we had been very lucky to only experience a couple of leaks in our ceiling. As I reported here afterwards, everything in our favorite natural food store was lost. The good news from this week revealed they plan to reopen as soon as they can. In the meantime, their employees are continuing to get paid. That's pretty radical for an American company.

In our neighborhood I initially reported, "two houses just up the street abutting ours will have to be gutted or destroyed." Well, I'm pleased to say the rumors of their demise--much like Castro's ?-- were greatly exaggerated. Both of them are now vacant, but during the day someone comes to open all doors and windows to help them dry out. A truck appeared to remove the furniture of one. Other trucks have carted off the mud deposited there. But the best sign for optimism is rebar that's been laid to soon be covered with new concrete that will be poured outside one of them.

FEMA was in El Paso over the weekend as well. They were surveying damages to the area. And there was lots. One of the neighborhoods where residents have STILL not been allowed back in their homes since the storm 10 days ago, was not seen by FEMA officials. That's because they couldn't access the area either. They have now returned to Washington where the president will determine if the area will qualify for federal aid money.

In the meantime, I've decided to ignore forecasts for the rains to be returning as the weekend deepens. I've opted to take that rainbow as prediction of "the worst is behind us" instead. Hopefully, it is.

Woe be to the fearful!

Well, with Lieberman's overthrow by antiwar voters in Connecticut Tuesday, it's obvious the American public's getting too comfortable with the state of things, save this inane war. That probably explains why the first headline I saw when opening the electronic newspaper this morning read, "US raises air security alert to red for first time."

Guess it's gonna be another long fall election's campaign season. But with dire warnings like that, rigged voter rolls and rigged voting machines, looks like another republican landslide in the offing.

Dada note:

I'd just like to express my congratulations to former democratic senator from Connecticut, Joseph Lieberman. Filing to run for reelection to the senate as an independent after his primary loss to democratic candidate, Ned Lamont, will do much to stop the slings and arrows of democrats, not just of his home state, but the nation as well.

As an independent, democrats will not care how far Lieberman sticks his head up president Bush's ass. So once more, "Congratulations, senator Lieberman!" (Ah, can you hear me in there?)

NOTE (Part II) After posting this, I was reminded how gentle I was on Joe Lieberman above while listening to Ralph Nader expound on Lieberman below:

Senator Lieberman would have lost even bigger last night if Lamont's people actually expanded their criticism of Senator Lieberman as big business’s favorite Democratic senator, not just George Bush's favorite Democratic senator.

The most aggressive, cruel and insensitive business lobby and the most powerful in Washington is the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and they have enthusiastically endorsed Senator Joseph Lieberman, one of only two Democratic senators they've endorsed out of 46 Democratic senators. And they have given him the highest cumulative score in their ranking of any Democratic senator in the Northeast, and for good reason.

He has supported the U.S. Chamber of Commerce positions, not only on capital gains tax cuts, he supported NAFTA and WTO and CAFTA, which have depleted jobs here, high-paying jobs here in Connecticut. He has supported the Chamber's drive to weaken the rights of injured workers and consumers and defrauded investors from having their full day in court against the perpetrators of their misery.

He has supported the Exxon-Cheney energy bill, that notorious energy bill that was signed into law last year that subsidized big oil’s profiteering, weakened environmental standards in a variety of ways and made sure that there were no further advances in fuel efficiency for motor vehicles. And here in Connecticut, like everywhere else, they're paying $3.40 - $3.50 a gallon, and it's going up. So he hasn't done anything on that.

And then, finally, on the labor issue, he's not been outspoken on the minimum wage like Senator Kennedy. He has not pushed for labor law reform to give workers a chance to organize. He has not gone after OSHA because of its weak enforcement of the Occupational Safety and Health laws. 58,000 American workers die every year, according to OSHA, from worker-related diseases and trauma.

So, in many, many ways, including never challenging the military budget -- that's the Chamber of Commerce position, as well -- never really in 18 years advancing universal health insurance. That's a Chamber of Commerce provision.

So, you know, the question I ask Joe Lieberman is, is he going to repudiate publicly the Chamber of Commerce's endorsement and campaign support -- lots of money from businesses in his campaign -- and is he going to challenge the Chamber of Commerce's drive all over the United States in hundreds of campaigns, working overtime to undermine his own Democratic Party and its more progressive candidates? Well, calls to four Lieberman offices in Washington and Connecticut last week received no answer to the question: Joe Lieberman, are you going to reject the Chamber of Commerce's endorsement of you?

So, he goes around, including this morning, saying he's a progressive Democrat and a progressive independent Democrat. So I think the struggle is going to be between the progressive Democrats and the corporate Democrats, who for years have dominated the party and has had Joe Lieberman as one of their charter members.

Attribution: Democracy Now! , August 9, 2009

It can't hurt you if it's fresh!

As a kid, I remember each November. Thanksgiving. Turkey. Leftover turkey. And more. Hot turkey sandwiches with gravy. Cold turkey sandwiches for lunch. A chunky gravy served as turkey on toast. We had to eat it or lose it.

Other times there would be occasions when mom would fix suppers that looked more like breakfasts. Sometimes rich in eggs. Like omelets. It seemed strange having breakfast at night but there was a reason. The eggs in the fridge were approaching their expiration date and to avoid letting them go to waste, she would scramble to save 'em.

Mom was good about trying to stay ahead of expiration dates. My older brother wasn't. In adulthood, he chose to ignore such warnings.

"Don't eat any eggs at my brother's," I'd advise my wife before visiting there. That's because my brother knew eggs lasted forever. The egg carton in the fridge sporting a date from several months earlier bore testament to this.

I don't remember so many expiration dates on products as a kid. Maybe I just wasn't paying attention. But it seems anything perishable these days has a "Better before" such and such a date, "Best if used on or before" this time, etc. No more opening a jar and peering into moldy mayonnaise, or sitting down to a snack of rancid Ritz crackers. Expiration dates save us the trouble of having to smell, visually inspect, or worse - taste old stuff.

Most recently we've seen "Born on" dating used by some beer manufacturers. Rather than scare one off with an expiration date, they let the consumer decide whether it's old or not by the beer's birthdate instead. (I'm wondering how many beer drinkers would look at a bottle of beer and say, "Whoa! Can't drink this shit. It's too old!"?)

But in a way, I now appreciate my brother's wanton neglect of freshness warnings on eggs when I think of weapons arsenals.

And I guess that's the point I'm really getting to here--the real reason the United States is such a warring renegade among civilized nations. It has nothing to do with diplomacy or saving us from aggressors who threaten our very existence.

So just why do we have the largest arsenal of destruction on Earth, to include all kinds of flesh frying jellies, innerds incinerating powders when inhaled and multiple uses for weapons in the form of nuclear bombs, and nuclear tipped rockets and missiles? We have the biggest stockpile on the planet and yet we continue to make more. More, at the expense of better schools, healthcare for our kids and aging parents, the poor, and an infrastructure of the richest nation on Earth that's crumbling.

Why do we need more and more bombs? Easy. Expiration dates.

I'd like to suggest the reason we are a nation perenially at war is because of our aging military ordnance. Take all of our nuclear tipped, armor penetrating projectiles of depleted uranium (DU). After the first Gulf War, we were left with a weapons stockpile that continued to grow despite our enforcement of subsequent "No-Fly" zones there, or our African and Eastern European adventures. These just didn't use our war shit faster than we were replacing it.

In the case of DU weapons, the depleted uranium used in them has a half-life of 4.5 billion years. It's easy to see how the military could get nervous about them losing their effectiveness after ten or twelve years. They needed to be used. Afghanistan and Iraq were just the ticket!

The advantages of using up all these old armaments is we get to make new ones. This helps justify our huge "defense" budget. And our rockets and bombs will be the freshest, safest weapons on the market. No need to worry about them going bad or not functioning correctly when needed. They're also of the latest technology available.

We're not like the Russians or Chinese who, save for occasional incursions into Chechyna or Tibet, are at peace with larders full of aging, expiring, undependable weapons.

If it ever comes down to all out war with Russia or China, they may regret they weren't more militarily aggressive globally like their American adversary. We don't let things get old on us. We don't let stuff go bad.

Better to use 'em then let arsenals grow old. Freshness is important. Remember, it won't harm you if you use it "on or before" its expiration date.

Another New Mexico serendipity!

Just a mile or two north of Springer, New Mexico there's a Shell travel center where you pay 25-30 cents more per gallon for gas than anywhere else in the area charges. As I filled her up, I could hear me grumbling to myself about that. When my wife returned to the car she told me there were some old cars on display inside.

So after begrudgingly refueling the car, I pulled it out of the gas pump lane and went inside to look. There, tucked neatly in a snug corner of the store were four automobiles. A 21st Century Ford Thunderbird and three classic Fords from the last century of the previous millenium, the Fifties.

After ogling these oldies for a few minutes, I can honestly say they totally overwhelmed their newer cousin. Meticulously restored in every detail, their paint coats obviously contained hours and hours of effort and attention the new assembly line T-bird didn't. I should have taken a picture with the newer car alongside one of the others. The classics blindingly reflected the light--and love--that went into their restorations. You'll just have to trust me on that.

As I came to learn from the woman lovingly dusting these beauties with the softest of cloths, they belong to the owner of the travel center, Emory Russell. I also learned they are 3 of more than 25 rotating classics he displays here until his new museum on Interstate 40 just outside Amarillo, Texas is completed. It is there they will find their permanent home.

I left the travel center realizing what the extra 25-30 cents per gallon I'd just paid for gas was going towards. And I felt much better. In fact, I felt I was one who'd gotten a bargain, so worth it was the tremendous nostalgia trip I'd just been on. And the extra mileage for the premium gas was excellent. Better than the 40 miles we'd been getting. This fill up we got 50+ years!

Tip-toeing across the quicksands of the time.

One of the latest republican talking points is how those damn democrats denied bottom rung American laborers a raise. The minimum wage will remain at $5.15/hour because of the left's antipathy for poorer workers.

But what those republicans won't mention this fall campaign when talking about the minimum wage bill the democrats voted down is the other half of that bill that the republicans tacked on to it. The part about further enriching the rich who have been stuffing our legislator's pockets with the green since before the last minimum wage raise nine years ago, to wit:

....two watchdog groups have documented a decade-long, stealth campaign by 18... super rich families to eliminate the federal estate tax. These 18 families – averaging more than $10 billion each in personal wealth – would net a windfall of $71.7 billion if this deal passes! Jim Hightower

That's from a report that profiles these families and their businesses, which include the families behind Wal-Mart, Gallo wine, Campbell’s soup, and Mars Inc., maker of M&Ms. Public Citizen

I know we've all heard those dull statics about how the top 1 percent of households in the United States has more wealth than the entire bottom 95 percent. We've heard shit like this all our lives to where it really doesn't mean anything to most of us. But the United States continues to consolidate its "lead" among industrialized nations in this wealth distribution disparity which manifests in number one rankings for the US in categories like worst health care and greatest child poverty.

When we returned from our recent trip to the Pacific Northwest last Friday, I was swept away with the news of all the people who suffered flooded homes due to the monsoonal rains that occurred during our absence.



As I walked around our neighborhood, I saw in a couple of areas pavement that appeared just fine on its surface. But a glance of its underside, as revealed by the earth that had been washed away, showed just how dangerous and misleading that seemingly unaffected pavement now is. I'm not sure I'd want to trust my car or my safety to that foundationless pavement.

That's a great metaphor for the current state of the US. It all looks pretty much "as usual" to most of us, but we're really sitting on a base whose underlying support is being washed away con gusto!

But it really all seems okay, so this November when we go to the polls, those of us who still have faith the system works (which mountains of mounting evidence suggests doesn't), we'll vote for the party that keeps us safest from terrorists, gays and flag burners.

A nice little story in this week's USA Weekend illustrates the continuing erosion of life as we once knew it. It dealt with "luxury-style" health care for Americans. What it is is doctors offering patients a kind of privileged health care for those who can afford it. They call it "concierge" medical treatment and it works like this: For a monthly fee of $90-$200/month/patient, you will get better treatment. (Keep in mind, this is addition to your healtcare insurance - if you still have any.)

What you get from the benefits of this additional healthcare cost may be "same-day appointments," your ability to "skip the waiting room, arrange face to face access," and in some cases, your doctor's cellphone number!

I see this as just another (minor) symptom of the (major) widening gap between American "haves, have-mores" and the "have-nots." Oh, and how does your doctor manage to do this? Well, as the article explains, by "cutting back from the average 2,000 to 4,000 patients your doctor may see annually to just 400 to 600 patients!

So, as if you didn't have enough to worry about like getting health insurance, being able to afford it if you do, being denied certain treatments by your insurer, or cancelled if you get too sick, you now have to worry about being culled from your doctor's patient list! You gotta love this country's entreprenurial creativity. It's so ingenious. And so god-damned sick.

But that wasn't the most shocking part of that USA Weekend article. This was: Rose Darby, its author, calls the additional $90-$200 per month per patient cost reasonable for "ordinary patients"!

Well, thanks to Darby, one thing's been confirmed for me and my wife. We are no longer part of that group of Americans who are considered "ordinary patients".

But pardon my digression. As every old army "Sarge" would say when I raised an objection or complaint, "Sounds to me like you have a personal problem."

Okay, so no big deal, right? The really important thing to remember this November is to vote for those who support a ban on gay marriage. But if you get sick? Well, never mind when our vice president addressed senator Patrick Leahy that he was really talking to all of us when he said, "Fuck you!"

If you thought the collapse of the Soviet Union and communism was spectacular, wait til we see how bankrupt American capitalism crumbles!

Quote of the day

"There ought to be limits to freedom." George Bush, May 21, 1999, reacting to some satirical criticism of him.

Sign of the times

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign
Blocking out the scenery breaking my mind
Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign
© 1970, Five Man Electrical Band

The last forty miles of a 4,000 mile journey. A bad sign?

I'm beginning to like this global warming thing. Of course, we still have a roof over our heads. But you grow to appreciate things like that, knowing at any time you could join the growing throng of folks who don't.

As we began our trip to the Oregon coast two and one half weeks ago, I believe I blogged of an incident that occurred about three hours from home. It was when we stopped on the western-most edge of New Mexico at a tourist information center when I discovered a leaky ballpoint pen in my pocket. The large blue stain on my leg only spread from there--to my hands, the car keys, my wife's hands, my wife's pants, etc.

Little did we suspect at the time, we were being given a sign of what was to become known as "The Leaky Trip." I didn't mention in subsequent blogs the leaks that followed. That's because a couple of 'em involved presents we were taking to friends and family.

But as we pulled into our hotel in Blythe, CA for the night after crossing the heat of the Arizona desert--a heat that was to follow us all the way to Oregon--we noticed a vinegar like smell in the trunk of the car as we unpacked a few items. It was a bottle of wine we were transporting as a gift. Apparently, it couldn't take the 114 heat. It leaked. We had to chuck it. But at least it's memory lingered on in the aroma wafting up from one of our cases. Fortunately not the one containing our clothes.

Later that evening in our room, I discovered my aftershave lotion had also leaked. This is when we began to suspect we weren't getting the message being given us from the great beyond. But it did leave us to ponder many possibilities.

Double bagging the remaining three wine bottles in plastic that night, we proceeded onward the next day only to discover a second bottle of wine had escaped its containment at day's end. Fortunately, it wasn't enough to justify its destruction. Instead, we sentenced that bottle to ride the rest of the way in the ice chest. That was good, because it turned out to be the best Cabernet Sauvignon our sommelier-in-his-next-life nephew said he'd ever tasted. And it was from New Mexico!

Arriving in Portland, we thought we'd left the leaks behind us. We were wrong. On a Wednesday morning while everyone was sleeping, we received a call from our neighbor back home in El Paso. Our hot water heater was leaking! (Neighbor purchased a replacement and had it installed by noon the next day!) But it was another sign. And our laughing at leaking ink pens, wine and after shave bottles was growing weaker.

One of the thoughts I had at this point was this was some kind of omen for us to skip the beach portion of the trip. I'd seen a TV program about the tsunami that would hit the Oregon coast when the Juan de Fuca and North America plates just off the Pacific Northwest coast slip. The massive earthquake that could result would give you 12-15 minutes to see if you could gain enough elevation to survive.

But I decided we would risk it. After all, we embrace risky behaviors daily in the food and drink we ingest, the air we breathe and the government we allow to continue unabated. A tsunami didn't seem to be the object of our omens to me at that point.

Towards the end of our beach stay, we received an early "leak" regarding our planned rendezvous with Cindy Sheehan in Taos. We learned through a friend helping organize the event that Cindy wouldn't be there. Instead, she would be in Jordan on invitation from members of the Iraqi parliament trying to find some way to get American troops the hell of their country.

At the very end of our stay in Oregon we heard of one final leak. A big one. It was the skies over our hometown of El Paso. Sudden thunderstorms had decimated many neighborhoods. Some folks there had been told to climb up on their roofs to escape rising waters. It's been nearly a week and still Air Force One with the president aboard has yet to make a low flyover and tip its wings. With the waters in recession, hopefully folks have climbed down off their roofs and have given up thoughts of getting to "wave back" gestures to the president.

But on the last 40 miles of the trip, we drove into one of the worst storms I'd ever seen. It was scary, but we made it through! We have since learned two houses just up the street abutting ours will have to be gutted or destroyed. The raging waters running off the mountain to the west chose a shortcut through them. Our favorite organic food store is gone and many, many more homes flooded.

And as for any damage to our house? A couple of leaks in the ceiling! Looking around the neighborhood at those houses and the apartments behind them, the lower floors of which were inundated, we're feeling very lucky. Maybe that's what all those signs we couldn't interpret were about. Let's hope that's all the omens were trying to tell us about during The Leaky Trip.

On the road in New Mexico

The Livery Stable, Springer, NM

Yesterday, on the last day of our drive home from the Oregon coast, we stopped for a bit in the town of Springer, New Mexico. We had been there 15 years ago or more. My only memory from then was of a hot day and an older, elongated building with a screen door where we stopped to ask directions. On the other side of that door was an older man from the 30's, working at a desk, his eyes shielded beneath one of those green transparent billed shades as worn years ago by accountants and professional card dealers.

As my wife went inside to speak with the man, as she "stepped back in time," I watched as the tracks immediately across the street hosted a speeding Amtrak train on its way to Albuquerque. It was coming from Denver. As quickly as it had appeared it vanished. But I remembered the rows of windows, some shielding faces behind them. People on their way to someplace else, much as we were.

But something about Springer captured my and my wife's imaginations that day and the desire to revisit had been with us since. It's part of the reason I opted to return from Oregon via a longer, hence slower route than the California--Arizona one. (Less traffic was another.)

As we drove the streets of Springer trying to locate that little place we had stopped at so many years ago, it was apparent our memories of it were quite different. I enjoyed comparing mine with my wife's. Together we reconciled memories on a place that now houses an old-fashioned gas station, mini-store combination. The man with the green visor behind the screen door is long gone.

The Springer Hotel. It's just a door or two down the street from the Livery Stable. Unlike many little towns that are dying, Springer seems to have defied the odds, as both an active hotel and livery stable would seem to indicate.

But as we drove around this little town of about 1,300 people, we enriched our memories of Springer far beyond our original impressions. And we were both impressed! In many ways, Springer is a town beyond time.

Sitting on the very doorstep of the vast plains of eastern New Mexico, Springer reminds me of the Oregon coastal town on the edge of the Pacific ocean we had left just days earlier. Except here there exists a quiet that is rare in Cannon Beach. That's because there are no tourists, save for a passing Amtrak train twice a day. But they don't stop. They just speed through on their way to someplace else. But that's okay. Nice, in fact.

Springer's also in the area where the Santa Fe trail brought thousands across the plains in covered wagons. Much like the Amtrak train, they were just passing through. But a few of 'em must have decided they'd had enough "sightseeing" and stopped right here. And *POOF* -- up sprang a Springer!

That ocean of grasslands just to its east of town is so vast, it's possible to imagine one could see the dust from wagons rising up in a brown cloud over the horizon days before they came into view, crawling slowly ever so nearer.

I like this town. I imagine if I lived there and ever got to feeling lonely, I'd amble down to the train tracks around lunch time to catch the southbound, or maybe at dinner time to catch the northbound Amtrak speeding through. And I'd wave to those folks shielded behind little windows sipping drinks on their way to some other place. And I'd try to remember how it was, rushing to be somewhere else.

Going home, sans Cindy

Today was the day we were to arrive in Taos, NM for a two night stay. We had hoped to see Cindy Sheehan who was scheduled to be there on Saturday. But earlier in the week we learned Cindy cancelled her scheduled appearance in Taos. Seems she got a better offer.

As we learned from a dear Taos friend, Cindy is in Jordan instead with a contingent of peace activists meeting with a group of Iraqi parliamentarians who, in Sheehan's words, "don't parrot what BushCo wants them to say and would actually like coalition forces to be removed from their country."

We are sorry we will not see Cindy Sheehan, but she has been invited to meet with Iraqis to do something our Chevron Oil Tanker Rice won't, i.e., diplomacy! Or as Sheehan tells us, "We have no diplomats in our country: just warmongers who can clear brush, shop for shoes, and laugh at gullible Americans all the way to the bank while they are depositing their war profits."

Ouch! Harsh words, especially the reminder of Oil Tanker's shoe shopping excursion during the Katrina disaster as flood victims were left stranded, starving, and many dying.

But despite Rice's extreme diplophobia, it's good to know she is sensitive to the new ongoing slaughters in both Lebanon and Israel as was reflected by her performance at this year's annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations dinner which took place last week in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Sadly, it was closed to the news media because one gets suspicious, without the press present, there was a lot of frivolity and grab-assing going on that would appear terribly inappropriate juxtaposed to the bomb, rocket, and mortar attacks taking place elsewhere in the world.

Yet, normally, this event gives world leaders a chance "to let their pants down," to express their more playful sides by presenting silly skits to their contemporaries, who are normally engaged in total endangerment of life on Earth.

However, to her credit, our Oil Tanker said such frivolity this year wouldn't be appropriate. Instead, Rice opted to perform a piece by Brahms. One that reflected a more "serious mood" in a wonderful gesture of empathy for little middle eastern children being decapitated or getting their limbs blown off while being orphaned beneath indiscrimminate bombs. It was also a tribute to Rice's own diplophobia.

And so, sadly, we'll miss Cindy Sheehan as she tries her hand at negotiating an end to America's misadventurisms in Iraq. Something those we employ to do so can't or won't do because they have a larger vision for all of us. Even if they have to kill all of us to achieve it.

As a result, we won't be going to Taos this weekend. We spent the night of day three on the road in Raton, NM. Any town that ends in "NM" feels like hoNMe to us. Today will be an enjoyable ride into El Paso over familiar roads. Today will be the last, and favorite, part of our journey.

This is a hint of the beauty of the Utah landscape. This particular shot is of a "Van Eerden Trucking" truck with an "Xtra" truck in the background. Regrettably, it's the best of the photos I took yesterday.

Sightseeing and making tracks for home aren't compatible and, unfortuantely, we were engaged in the latter yesterday. We didn't get as far as intended due to an Idaho rock which dinged the windshield, but its repair was promptly attended to by the nice folks of Utah.

I realize there are some incredibly beautiful landscapes to be had in Utah, but this is what we must content ourselves with this trip. Hopefully, it doesn't disappoint too much because, as we've come to learn, trucks are a growing part of the landscape. That's why I just had to steal a shot of this beautiful Van Eerden Trucking one.

Beach Dogs

This was the last sunset I saw from our Cannon Beach hotel Monday night. In what was four short days of eternal bliss, I've reflected several times since on the experience and what jumps out most at me since our last visit there six years ago--aside from the swarms of abundant humanity that continue to overrun such landscapes--is the increasing number of hotels that accept dogs as guests and the resultant population explosion of vacationing canines.

That's a good thing. I'm not sure of all the ways we reap the benefits that dogs manifest, but if the weekend throngs of humanity were sometimes overwhelming and regularly inconvenient, the respite we took in the dogs accompanying so many of their people more than made up for the hordes.

And while I'm most partial to dogs, I realize there are other life forms which serve us equally as reminders of sentient life outside are own. Companions from Nature that are not as hell bent on their own destruction as we. I only address the dogs because people haven't gotten 'round to bringing their cats or pet tetras and angel fish to the beach--not yet.

But dogs seem particularly attuned to mankind. I'm not sure exactly why they love us so. We're often not very nice. But I have it in mind dogs make us better people. And looking around, it's obvious they really have their cosmic jobs cut out for them. I think we need a lot more dogs if there's to be any hope of saving ourselves from ourselves and the rest of the planet as well.

A night in Boyz!

Leaving the beach at 10:00 was good--we would pass through Portland after the rush hour traffic. It would be an easy day's drive to Ontario, OR...hopefully. We hadn't made any reservations to avoid committing ourselves to a particular distance or destination. Mistake. Calling our hotel chain about halfway there, we learned there were no vacancies.

But a voice in heavily broken English, probably somewhere in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia told us there was another about 45 miles down the road in Boyz. After some moments of stammering and grouping my atlas to see if Boyz was a town on our route, I finally asked in frustration, "Do you mean Boise?" She did.

Trying to make reservations was too difficult for someone fortunate enough to have an outsourced job formerly held by someone more familiar with US geography. We would call Boyz ourselves. She gave us the number.

But from previous experiences, I was extremely skittish about spending the night in Idaho. So it was that circumstances "lived down" to expectations when a road sign just over the Idaho border, warning of "game on the road," a bird flew into the car as if an omen of things to come. The recoiling I was experiencing at the thought of that poor pigeon now adorning our front bumper was to return again and again as our night in Boyz progressed.

(Reminder: Don't order a cheese boca burger at Denny's in Nampa, ID because it doesn't have any, but they try to charge you for it anyway, calling it a "cook's problem." We thought it would be a good place to eat dinner from the overflowing parking lot. Little did we know many of those inside had been there since lunch.)

And now it's morning and I can't wait to leave. I never imagined Utah could sound good to me. Wyoming even better.

Meanwhile, with some anxiety of news from back home--El Paso's experiencing flooding from record downfall, we're anxious to return. So far, things sound okay back at the ranch. But it's time to saddle up and hit the trail.

It's been a real experience in Boyz, in the state of my own private Idaho!