The Sun Also Rises

Sunrise in the 'hood, El Paso, January 30, 2007

From yesterday's Democracy Now!

Molly Ivins Hospitalized

In media news, the columnist and best-selling author Molly Ivins has been hospitalized again in her ongoing battle with breast cancer. She was first diagnosed with cancer in 1999 and has successfully fought it off several times. Her sister said the cancer has back with a vengeance and has spread through her body.

Molly's regular column in the local newspaper had been missing for weeks. Eventually, we learned why. She was taking a leave of absence for treatment for her cancer which had recurred. After the beginning of the year, there appeared one column from Molly before she disappeared again. Sadly, we discovered why from the above story.

I'd like to just take this opportunity to send Molly Ivins our very best thoughts. Over the years, she has given us so much for which I am so very grateful.

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

Dick Chainey to hang!

Dada note: In the explosion called the *Big Bang*, the next galaxy over, just outside our's--called the Silky Way, burst forth 1/14,137th of a nanosecond before our own Milky Way. Because the Universe continues to expand after its birth "13.7" billion years ago [there's the damn recurring, mysterious number *137* that continues to plague physicists!], the Silky Way is now 3.7 Earth years ahead of us. And so, from that galaxy comes the following news, originaly transmitted in early August, 2007, Earth time: (Note: any resemblence to persons here on Earth to those of the Silky Way, is purely cosmic coincidence.)

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

Dick Chainey to hang!

Former U.S. vice president-despot, Dick Chainey, has been sentenced to death for his role in 925,000 killings of Iraqis and more than 17,000 American deaths in Iraq since 2003. He will have his sentence carried out by Sunday, NBCEEDY News reported Tuesday.

According to a U.S. military officer who spoke on condition of anonymity, Chainey will be hanged sometime during the Easter religious holiday weekend, which begins on Good Friday, the network's Richard Angle reported. (Unlike Jesus, he is not expected to resurrect.)

The U.S. military received a formal request from the International Court of Justice in The Hague to transfer Chainey to United Nation's authorities, NBCEEDY reported on Tuesday, which is one of the final steps required before his execution. His sentence, handed down last month, ordered that he be hanged within 30 days or one month, whichever comes first.

Earlier Tuesday, Chainey's chief lawyer implored world leaders to prevent the United States from handing over the ousted leader to the U.N. for execution.

"According to the international conventions, it is forbidden to hand a prisoner of war to his adversary,” claimed Chainey's lawyer, Kenneth Starre. “I urge all the international and legal organizations, the United States, the Arab League and all the leaders of the world to rapidly prevent the American administration from handing the vice-president to the U.N. authorities,” he told The Disassociated Press.

When asked how it is Starre considers the U.N. to be Chainey's adversary, Starr responded saying, "because it is comprised of members Iraq, Iran, Syria, Turkey, North Korea, Venezuela and the other 10 South American nations, 7 Central American countries, all of sub-Saharan Africa and France!"

Any hopes for U.S. intercession based upon Starre's request on Chainey's behalf appear dim.

El Paso reflects D.C. demonstrators

The Grim Reaper, as portrayed this day by Mrs. Dada. As I warned
her beforehand, "I want no embraces from you while in costume."

Saturday's national protest in Washington, D.C. was echoed in cities and towns across the nation. El Paso was one of those communities which chose to speak out. I had the pleasure of accompanying Mrs. Dada, who is a member of the local peace group, Border Peace Presence, downtown to observe and participate in a show of their displeasure of the administration's endless, pointless, unwinnable Iraq war and their plans to escalate it.

I was impressed with the turnout of demonstrators at one of the downtown's busier intersections. The peace group was joined by church groups, sympathetic citizens and, for the first time, university students organizing against the war and military recruitment tactics in our high schools.

But most impressive was the tremendous outpouring of support shown by passing motorists. The waves, flashing peace signs, thumbs up and the blaring horns evidenced the true tidal wave of public opinion that is taking place against Bush and Cheney's "victory" delusions.

During the two hour event, I personally witnessed only three disapprovals: one thumbs down; a bird which flew in our direction and a funny car with driver's thumb down, his female companion with an ever so coy thumbs up. This small minority is probably a standard representation of the greater national population still buying into George Bush's Willie Loman impression of a man who is no longer able to meet the demands of his own selling job.

Besides the great outpouring of public support, I was also pleased with local TV news coverage of the event. (Dada's "BUSH IS NUTS"sign was flashed prominently three times during one channel's reporting of the event.) But I have to take a moment here to chide the local newspaper.

SHAME - SHAME - SHAME El Paso Times!

Today's El Paso Times coverage of the D.C. demonstration proved puny ("see page 4A"). And coverage of El Paso's own demonstrators proved totally nonexistent!

Maybe the fact anti-war protest took place on Saturday explains why it received no coverage, i.e., it's "newspaper" reporters don't work on weekends.

Thankfully, that's a nice coincidence because, apparently to the El Paso Times' way of thinking, this is the same time of week no news happens either!

Busted!

I was pushing my shopping cart down the candy aisle today when I spotted my dentist's receptionist up ahead studying what to buy. She didn't see me, and as I pushed my cart behind her, she reached into the shelf and pulled out a 1 lb. bag of M&M's.

"Oh, Carol, you are so busted," I said, passing without so much as looking at her.

Carol immediately spun around and started stammering, "They're not for me!" Then muttered something about "they're for a recipe of trail mix" she had seen, tossing the M&M's into my cart, thinking that'd make me complicit.

As I returned the candy to her cart I said, "I'm still going to tell Doc!"

If only Bush, or Cheney, or Rice, or Gonzales, congress or America could experience guilt and take some action to alleviate it.

Reviewing an old picture and new words of old men

I thought it'd be nice to take a minute or two to revisit a photo I uploaded here back in October of Specialist Kim Choy gripping her M-16 in one arm and her Teddy bear in the other as she prepared to board a 20-hour flight to Kuwait before deploying to Iraq. They've been gone almost three months now and within an 8 day period this month, her 4th Bridage of the 1st Cavalry Division lost six of its members in two separate events there.

Of all the photos I posted on the blog here last year, this is one of my favorites (and one of the most powerful). I hope Specialist Choy and her Teddy bear are still safe.

And while looking through old photos, I came across the words of some of our old "warriors" and thought it'd be nice to review them here also. First, from our vice president comes the following:

if we were to follow the comments, for example, of Democrats that a lot of them made during the last campaign about withdrawing U.S. forces, we simply go back and re-validate the strategy that Osama bin Laden has been following from day one, that if you kill enough Americans, you can force them to quit, that we don't have the stomach for the fight. That's not an answer.

It's nice to know Dick "the-insurgency's-in-its-last-throes-May-31-2005" Cheney can be so resolute using our kids, family members and loved one's lives to reaffirm to Osama bin Laden and all terrorists we're willing to sacrifice as many Americans as it will take to avoid admitting the Bush Cheney failure.

Or, as our old warrior Bush has reminded us, "I really am not the kind of guy that sits here and says, 'Oh gosh, I'm worried about my legacy,'" reaffirming he doesn't give a shit what Americans think of his lost Iraq war.

Hopefully, these are reassuring words to Specialist Choy and all the troops now in Iraq or those who will be heading there soon for the escalation.

Free lube jobs with oil change

George Bush in his Slim Pickens' impression of
Dr. Strangelove's Maj. T.J. "King" Kong (shown
here riding his heavy metalled monster macho
mare, "Momma," into nuclear obliteration).
****************************

This is getting old. As I ventured tenuously out onto our snow covered driveway to pick up the morning's paper, I could read through its transparent orange prophylactic wrap, "Another Bliss loss."

Apparently, another soldier from our local military outpost died yesterday. That's the 6th from Fort Bliss in the past week. And I wondered if other military communities around the nation are experiencing similar headlines in their local newspapers as a result of our latest Iraq "surge." (Oh wait, the surge is only just beginning!)

This happened on the eve of Bush's State of the Union tonight. Once more we will suffer through another speech of delusions and lies and Bush visions on how to protect America from the onslaught of his worst psychotic nightmares.

As we heard in his response to Jim Lehrer's analogy of Iraq as a broken egg we caused, Bush said, "I don't quite view it as the broken egg; I view it as the cracked egg ... where we still have a chance to move beyond the broken egg." (sic)

Such is the jibberish we can most likely expect more of this evening from the man with his thumb on the bottle containing the nuclear genie.

Don't expect talk of America's vanishing middle class, or mention of the General Accounting Office's recent report the federal budget is not only very bad, it's even worse than we are led to believe while we learn the theme of this year's World Economic Forum confirms America's prowess is fading fast to the likes of emerging economic powers like China and Brazil. These are the things that should strike real terror in the heart of every American, but you won't hear that from Bush tonight.

Instead we'll hear how strong the American economy is, perhaps some saber rattling to grease you for war with Iran, maybe some weird funny money tax scheme plan to insure more Americans have health care, but don't expect much reality from dilusionary Bush.

As I'm typing this, a Truthout article just arrived in my mailbox with the headline, "U.S. warns Iran to back down." How about the U.S. backing off too? As with Iraq, it ain't gonna happen with Iran.

Are we scared enough yet by the Iranians? If not, tune in tonight for some more grease. I pity the American troops in Iraq when the bombs start falling on Iran. In fact, I will pity the American people too, because if we do this, if we let it happen, that's what we shall all truly be: a pitiful nation.

The mysterious number 137

In physics, the number 137 is considered somewhat of a mystery. I can't pretend to understand exactly what it means to physicists but it's been described by physicist R. P. Feynman as "one of the greatest damn mysteries of physics: a magic number that comes to us with no understanding by man. You might say the 'hand of God' wrote that number, and we don't know how He pushed his pencil."

So I won't begin to describe how this number mystifies scientists, mostly because I wouldn't have a clue what I was saying, and I wouldn't want to scare any readers into some college physics phlashback for fear they might be tested on it or something.

I can relate, however, that early 20th Century theoretical physicist Wolfgang Pauli, when he became ill with cancer in 1958, was admitted to the hospital and assigned room 137. The significance of that wasn't lost on Pauli.

Pauli had spent much of his career preoccupied with the significance of 137. When assigned the hospital room with that number, Pauli feared the worst. His fears were realized. Pauli died in room 137.

So what prompted me to write on this today? Well, coincidentally, 137 is the body count in Iraq today. And nobody here in America knows the significance of that number either. But it's nice, as a common American lay person, to share in the mystery of a number that even the best scientific minds know is special, but don't know why.

(Dada footnote: At the time of writing this, astrophysists estimate of the age of the known universe, according to the best available data as returned by the Hubble space telescope is (ready?) -- 13.7 billion years. That means, unless refined, we are once more confronted with that "137" number and that all of us were born at the time the Universe was 13.7 billion years old and will die when the Universe is still 13.7 billion years old! Is it possible someone's trying to tell us something?)

My first laugh of the day comes from those D.C. clowns!

The story's headline reads:

"Chavez to U.S. Officials: 'Go to Hell' "

Jan 22, 8:11 AM (ET)

By CHRISTOPHER TOOTHAKER

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - President Hugo Chavez told U.S. officials to "Go to hell, gringos!" and called Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice "missy" on his weekly radio and TV show Sunday, lashing out at Washington for what he called unacceptable meddling in Venezuelan affairs.

The tirade came after Washington raised concerns about a measure to grant the fiery leftist leader broad lawmaking powers. The National Assembly, which is controlled by the president's political allies, is expected to give final approval this week to what it calls the "enabling law," which would give Chavez the authority to pass a series of laws by decree during an 18-month period.

On Friday, U.S. State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said Chavez's plans under the law "have caused us some concern."

Chavez rejected Casey's statement in his broadcast, saying: "Go to hell, gringos! Go home!"......

Hmmm, "broad lawmaking powers" being granted by "the president's political allies" in Venezuela is raising concerns in Washington, D.C.?

I don't recall similar concern or outrage from Washington D.C. power pimps when president Bush's political allies granted him the same authority.

"Don't Worry, Be Happy!"

In this short, one minute clip, Robert Anton Wilson (who passed away earlier this month) reminds me where I keep going so wrong. I can't get inside (and stay there!) my optimistic space. What Wilson fails to mention, however, by being continually pessimistic, your lifespan's reduced, you're out of here quicker, lessening the length one has to suffer the seeming insanity.

But, of course, as he DOES point out, if one is optimistic, longevity is increased, you live longer and have more fun doing it.

So the question becomes: How does one be so flippin' optimistic all the time? Petting ol' dalmation Sammy Cincos lying next to me works for the moment, but what about when I go out and get the morning paper off the driveway and the first thing I see is the fifth soldier to die in the past couple of days from little old local Ft. Bliss has succumbed to Bush folly. Aged 39, he leaves a wife and fifth grade daughter.

And if I could maintain my optimism through news like that, can I preserve it through Bush's state of the insane union speech tomorrow night, telling us why he's repeating the same dismally unsuccessful behavior, expecting a different outcome?

DON'T WORRY, BE HAPPY!

HELPING 'UNITED FOR PEACE' GET IT RIGHT!

In that a "lobby" is a group of people trying to bring about certain governmental action or legislation by influencing their representatives to enact a desired change, I agree with one commenting here (thanks Enigma) that the word "Lobby" isn't appropriate in United for Peace's solicitation of what political activists should do the last weekend of this month in Washington, D.C.

In that lobbying has come to assume a negative connotation of monied interests unduly influencing our government often against the best interests of the public, I decided to amend UFP's banner.




I don't have a lot of money, i.e., I can't afford to buy an influence peddler to lobby in my interests. No, instead I did the next best thing: I voiced my opinion along with millions of other Americans this past November '06 in the nationwide election. Granted, I made the mistake of thinking that was the primary means by which our government representatives 'got the message.' And -- it was *free!*, i.e., I didn't have to buy anybody to peddle influence for me.

We know the real primary means our representatives most often get the message of what is best for America is through the whining, wining, dining, and special favors given them by the monied interest lobbyists. Some of the best examples of these special little packages the government gives back to them are hidden at the last minute deeply inside bigger bills late at night, just before being voted upon for passage as most Americans sleep.

Perhaps that explains United for Peace's thinking we need to lobby our senators and congressmen the end of the month in D.C. for what we already told them we wanted two months ago in a national referendum? Some representatives just feel more inclined to listen to 'we the people' if we fly them overseas to play golf at exotic clubs we, ourselves, are not privy to. But I don't think we should have to lobby 'em like that. That's why I thought "demand" sounds more appropriate than UFP's "lobby"; as a kind of reminder of what we already told them in November.

Do-it-yourself metaphor (No. 13)

For those of you who love a good metaphor, here's
your latest chance to make up your very own!

Examples:
~~~

Anonymous 1: "It's Condoleezza Rice speaking of the Saddam Hussein execution, bemoaning, '"We were disappointed there was not greater dignity given to the accused under these circumstances.' "

(Dada note: I don't know about that, but that's why this is a do-it-yourself metaphor. If it works for you....)

Anonymous 2: "It's George Bush still believing in Iraq's non existent nuclear program he halted, as expressed last Sunday on 60 Minutes to Scott Pelley: 'Well, our administration took care of a source of instability in Iraq. Envision a world in which Saddam Hussein was rushing for a nuclear weapon to compete against Iran.' "

(I kinda like this one, but unlike the pole in the picture Pelley didn't stop Bush's lie that there was no Saddam Hussein nuclear program. Oh wait, Bush didn't state for fact Saddam was pursuing a nuclear weapon, he only asked us to "envision" that he was. That's like so much of his foreign policy which asks of us to "imagine a mushroom cloud over America," or "fighting 'em here if we don't fight 'em there," or imagine "we don't torture," etc. etc.)

Okay, I'm not passing judgment on how good or bad these are. If you have one you like better, feel free to share it.

Shortestcut to peace, or what's your state's Gross National Product?

On past occasions I have jokingly suggested secession from the Union as the best way to end our wars with Afghanistan and Iraq. Doing so for those bold enough to strike out on their own as independent nations would also avoid our upcoming wars with Syria, Iran, Pakistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and possibly Jordan and China (for brevity's sake, I've chosen to not include all of Latin America and Russia in this list).

Going to the polls every two years, trying to elect lucid representatives who see the folly of futile U.S. global domination may take too long and may arrive too late. The Earth, and the United States, most probably do NOT have the luxury of taking their time to bring about the drastic changes required for a more peaceful world and avoid reversion to a state of global Stone Agedness as now being realized in the Middle East under the U.S. policy of nation ghettoization we are now witnessing there.

So I sometimes have suggested--if you feel empire is something you and your next seven generations can't afford--simply convince your state to secede.

But after stumbling across the following map, I'm having second thoughts. Before you convince your representatives to hoist the state flag over the U.S.'s atop the flag pole above your state's capitol, you might want to take a look at this.

(Thanks to Carl Stormer and The Big Picture website. To enlarge, click here.)

This is a map comparing your state's economic prowess to the Gross National Product of nation states around the world. Say for example you live in Ohio. Were you to become an independent nation, you would enjoy the equivalent economic power of Australia. Utah, about the same as Peru's.

Delaware? Hell, I'd forgotten Delaware was even a state. Maybe that's why, as a nation, it'd become another Romania. Maine, a Morocco. Interesting stuff. For some of us, depending on where one lives, scary stuff maybe.

Poor New Mexico would wield the economic equivalent of a Hungary, yet would instantly become the world's fourth largest nuclear weapons power. Texas = Canada, yet with a predominantly ultra-conservative base, would be a far more aggressive nation state then its Great White Northern neighbors. Texas would be a United States on steroids.

So while Gross National Products don't tell you everything about how your state would fare as a nation, you may still want to consider that anyway before opting out. As noted, other factors enter in. You might want to take a look at your state, county, and city governments. Or better still, you may want to start by just looking next door first. At your neighbors.

Secession might not be the super highway to peace I'd envisioned. Instead, it may be a deeply rutted and pot-holed dead end, leaving me to wonder if there's any hope at all for peace. Maybe in lieu of secession, if there's to be any future at all for mankind, we should consider instead an evolutionary succession of our earthly dominion to some other species, like salmon or slime mold?

Today's quotes of the day - old and new.

"As you know, you have to go to war with the Army you have, not the Army you want."

Donald Rumsfeld, December 9, 2004

"As you know, you have to go to impeachment with the president you have, not the president you want."

Dada, January 16, 2007

"Robert Anton Wilson Defies Medical Experts and leaves his body"

Paul Watzlavic ... performed classic experiments in which totally sane people will begin to behave with all the irrationality of hospitalized paranoids or schizophrenics - just because they have been lied to in a calculated and systematic way. This sort of "disinformation" matrix is so typical of many aspects of our society (e.g., advertising and organized religion, as well as government) that some psychiatrists such as R.D. Laing, claim it is the priciple cause of psychotic breakdowns. When the politics of lying becomes normal, paranoia and alienation become the 'normality' of the day.

The government, as the principal liar of the 1960's was, of course, more deluded than anyone else, since its reality-map had become a classic disinformation system.

~~~

These words, as written by Robert A. Wilson in his Cosmic Trigger, Volume I, are as valid today as back in the 60's when applied to our current government.

It was with some sadness that I learned of the passing of Robert A. Wilson this morning. Much like the Dadaists, Wilson helped to enlarge the reality tunnel in which I now reside. And he did it mischeiviously and most always very entertainingly. Yet his messages were not only thought provoking, they were deadly serious.

In news of his passing, as reported in an AP press release, "Mr. Wilson contended that people should never rule out any possibility, including that lasagna might fly."

As also revealed in that same article, "in his last post on his personal blog, he wrote: 'I don't see how to take death seriously. I look forward without dogmatic optimism, but without dread. I love you all and I deeply implore you to keep the lasagna flying' "

(Pictured above, Dada and Sammy Cincos, shortly after learning of Robert Anton Wilson's death earlier this morning. Here Sam is learning of the influence R.A.Wilson had on his "dad" who is explaining to Sammy in the most Wilsonesque disalarming way as he can, "Reconciliation between 'America the Beautiful' and 'America, the global asshole' is creating a growing cognitive dissonance all Americans will be inevitably forced to reconcile. By what means is yet to be known, Sammy," to which Sammy replied by getting a ball, walking to his doggie door and asking, "Can we go toss a few now?" I think Wilson would have appreciated Sam's reaction.)

A perfect match!

During yesterday's visit downtown for a lunch hour peace vigil, I couldn't help but be drawn to a small building for lease. It looked like just the place to locate Dada's Dally. I tried envisioning it as such.

What I found especially enthralling was its facade, forever drenched in sunshine while, at the same time, under an eternally dark cloud.

Recreating The Last Supper?

Americans huddled together across the land in scenes out of some da Vinci like mural Wednesday night to hear the latest proclamations of their Father protector.

But if Bush's subjects were hopeful of hearing something new for Iraq after he had consulted civilian and military experts across the land, their hopes quickly morphed into despair. Groans of disappointment, gasps of disgust could be heard behind the collective TV screens across the country. Some yawned in apathy. Many tuned out. Many more didn't even tune in.

While Bush announced plans for his fourth or fifth re-escalation of the war in Iraq, the real telling sign The People had little hope was the realization of their Father's strengthening, not waning, priapismic lustings for war. The people will have to sacrifice again and more, perhaps a lot more, he told us after intimating he now longs to engage Iran.

Here in El Paso, we are home to Ft. Bliss. It's primarily an air defense artillery center. Insurgents and terrorists of Iraq have no military air combat capability. That is why the El Paso Times announced before Father's speech Wednesday that Ft. Bliss troops would probably not be called upon to contribute to this newest Iraq re-escalation.

But Bush, our Father, threatened Syria. And he threatened Iran and as evidence of our priming for war with them, ABC News told me last night that "sources inside the administration" revealed Iran, acting provocatively, has already been engaged by American troops. I once more felt the strange victim of this administration's sick propaganda aided by our mainstream media.

War with Iran is why the The El Paso Times Saturday headline read, "Patriots will go to Iraq." (Patriots are those missiles credited with killing all those Scuds during Gulf War I, while really missing just about everything they were designed to hit.)

Sadly, our newspaper's original report had it wrong. Ft. Bliss will be contributing to the re-escalation. But if the Iraqi civil war poses no air threat to Americans there, why are they now telling us our Father protector is sending 600 troops with missiles? As our paper further told us, the Patriots are for use against Syria and Iran!

On the 11:00 news just before retiring last night, I heard assurances were given congress by our new secretary of defense Gates and white house spokesman Snow denying Bush had plans to engage war with Iran. Their reassurances concluded as usual, with "War is always the last resort." But somehow the people groan at this, having learned with Bush, and Iraq and war, our great Protector's "last resort" is really his "first choice." The people are on to him and his hackneyed, empty assurances that end up getting people killed.

I'm no psychologist, but I've witnessed people who suffer addictions and often the "cure" for their compulsive physiological and psychological need to satisfy their (often) destructive habit comes in the form of transference to some other (often) less harmful addiction. Religious militant fundamentalism may be cured by sudden devotion to atheism. Alcoholism or drugs may be substituted with caffeine, religion, aspartame laced diet sodas, or--in Bush's case--all of these, plus power. Sadly, as unhealthy as Bush's prior addictions were for him, his new one is for us all, for allowed to continue unabated, many more will die. Needlessly.

Sensing that more and more probably explains the "Ooohs," "Ahhhs," moans and groans emulating from huddled masses nationally this past Wednesday night. Bush's continued escalation of the deterioration of planet Earth is sensed as proof he is, indeed, not cured. He's addicted as ever and I fear his increasing need for more and more power in defiance of all logic and reason is evidence of this.

Unfortunately, the current "cure" for Bush's addictive personality is about to really manifest in the form of a growing expense to the health and well being of the entire planet. A cost it cannot afford. And many, many more of us will pay and pay dearly.

Could someone pass that wine chalice down to my end of the table?

In the words of a great American,

..."I have an overhead projector...and I'm not afraid to use it."

PTCruiser

I joined my wife outside the federal building downtown at noon today. She's a member of Border Peace Presence, a local group that demonstrates their displeasure of Bush's war in a number of ways. One of those ways is their Friday peace vigils.

Situated between federal, city, and county government buildings, their demonstrations are really centrally located and, should authorities become annoyed enough with them, it's only half a block's walk to the county jail.

I decided to join them today in reaction to Bush's arcane desire to initiate World War III he not so subtly hinted at in his speech to the nation Wednesday night. Judging from today's nice turnout at lunchtime downtown, many others were also inclined to display their displeasure.

So inspired by PTCruiser who does such thought provoking promotions along the freeways of the Bay Area, I found myself shortly after dawn this morning out on the patio painting a sign. I was very pleased at the reception it got downtown.

I don't make it to these demonstrations regularly and because of that I discerned much more support for the peace group's message than the last time I attended several months ago. Of the 11 percent still in support of Bush's war strategy, none of them were in downtown El Paso at noon today. It made for a very nice, almost festive, lunch hour.

Map of the Day

"Oh my, what a nice map!" said Johnny's second grade teacher. "But where's Utah?" she inquired.

***

No, no, this isn't something drawn by a frustrated elementary student unable to locate the Beehive State during a geography lesson. It's a map of the path radioactive dusts will take from a "Divine Strake" detonation test later this spring. The US program to develop a nuclear bunker buster weapon will inject radioactive soils of Nevada's previous nuclear tests from the 50's and 60's into the atmosphere . Think of breathing this shit as your contribution/sacrifice in America's preparation to nuke Iran--save for most the west coast.

(Oh, but wait, just where the hell is Utah anyway?)

***

As Gen. James E. Cartwright, head of our Strategic Command, said recently in the context of the new nuclear arms weapons about to be developed, "if you are going to have these weapons, they should be safe..."

(Thanks to "Downwinder" D.K. Raed for the link to this beautiful map. My apologies I don't know how to link herein to the excellent goddamned PDF file it was a part of.)

Random house thoughts

Quotes from my Christmas present, the George Bush, Out of Office Countdown 2007 Calendar:

"Rarely is the question asked, 'Is our children learning?' "

To my knowledge, that question was never asked ... not quite like that anyway ... until George Bush asked it. We're all very familiar with that misappropriation of his language, but that was something he said 7 years ago today, before the American people allowed him to install himself as president--without psychological evaluation!

***

"Who could have possibly envisioned an erection -- an election -- in Iraq at this point in history?"

Spoken January 10th, 2005 in one of his nicer Freudian slips. Interesting that Bush chose last night, the second anniversary of that misspeak, to unveil yet another overhaul of his failure laden Iraq policies and hint at his covetous future ambitions for us all in the Persian Gulf.

Having already lost Iraq and Afghanistan, Bush's international erectile dysfunctional saber rattling--as he strongly warned Syria and Iran last night--is now zeroing in on them! Maybe if he uses nuclear weapons this time, he can get the quick climax to a war he so lasciviously lusts after but which has frustratingly eluded him so far.

***

OK, enough of the calendar. Here's a nice quote from Bush in last night's speech:

"The year ahead will demand more patience, sacrifice and resolve."

Who better to prepare us for the future he envisions for us all than Mr. Patience, Resolve, and Sacrifice himself? George Bush knows sacrifice.

Preparing for Bush's new Iraq policy address

Deciding what to wear for president Bush's *special* new Iraq policy address to the nation tonight. For headgear, I've opted to re-*vise* something I haven't worn in over a year.

Bush's Magic Balls™!

With the citizenry rejecting Bush's call to stay the course for victory in Iraq in November's elections, to a divided, questioning congress, a reluctant Pentagon and generals in the field in Iraq shunning Bush's offer of more troops without a plan (plans are not Bush's forte), the president has decided to do what he's always done when someone disagrees with what he wants. Ignore the bastards!

But this is causing much consternation across the nation.

And so, in an effort to reduce president Bush's adversaries when deciding policy, Dada suggests a less controversial course of action.

Rather than engaging the false pretense of caring what the fuck the American majority wants, further emasculating an already impotent congress, ignoring his own Iraq Study Group's recommendations, pissing off the pentagon and firirg career American field generals in Iraq, Bush should simply procure himself a pair of Magic 8 Balls™!


With two--one in each hand--consensus can be expedited when asking "SHOULD AMERICAN SOLDIERS SACRIFICE SOME MORE FOR IRAQ?"* Oh sure, Americans will still be upset when the answer comes up "yes", but not as much as now where Bush pretends to care what they think.

And Bush can tell us we are going to have to sacrifice (again) (more) (longer) because he has the balls to prove it!

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

*For those too young to remember Magic 8 Balls, there are 20 possible answers one can get to any yes-no question one might ask. My thanks to Answers.com for the following information:

* Signs point to yes.
* Yes.
* Most likely.
* Without a doubt.
* Yes - definitely.
* As I see it, yes.
* You may rely on it.
* Outlook good.
* It is certain.
* It is decidedly so.
~plus,
* Reply hazy, try again.
* Better not tell you now.
* Ask again later.
* Concentrate and ask again.
* Cannot predict now.
~and finally,
* My sources say no.
* Very doubtful.
* My reply is no.
* Outlook not so good.
* Don't count on it.

Note of the 20 possible answers, 10 are positive "yes" type answers, 5 are vague, and 5 are "no" thus greatly reducing the likelihood Bush's question would receive a negative answer. But in the event it did, he could simply disregard that consensus, like he does with real people and roll his balls again until he receives the desired consensus he is seeking.

KNOW THE DIFFERENCE, Lesson #37

THESE ARE NOT SURGERS

THESE ARE ESCALATORS

Dada thanks El Paso's Border Peace Presence for pointing this out!
(For many years when at the mall, I thought I'd
been riding the "Surger" to the second level.)

GOING DOWN?

Requiem for ourselves

(Thanks to Blognonymous for directing me to this story.)

This is a picture taken yesterday showing what can be accomplished by over a thousand people coming together on a San Francisco beach on Saturday, January 6, 2007.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

And this is a picture showing what cannot be accomplished by thousands, or millions, of people coming together to rid the nation of the leeches sucking this nation's life blood.

Not Saturday, January 6, 2007, not tomorrow, not ever!

America: RIP

Another day in the life of Mohammed Jassim

When we last looked in on Mohammed Jassim, he was standing amid the rubble of a Baghdad coffee shop bombing he had miraculously survived.

Distraught over images he couldn't get out of his mind, Jassim decided to take a Sunday getaway drive out of Baghdad.

But while trying to forget the horrors haunting him from last Tuesday's horrendous event, his plans for a countryside ride with a fellow coffee shop survivor were suddenly scrapped when the car just ahead of them exploded in flames.

Jassim, here on left in white slacks and black jacket, is shown being comforted by his fellow passenger and another man.

"I can't even finish a cup of coffee. Now this!" bemoaned Jassim. "It's impossible to just take a drive into the countryside to escape this reality nightmare my life has become."

"Oh, for Allah's sake, be brave!" the third man is saying. "That was my martyred sister driving the car in front of you!"

"Yes," his passenger joins in, "and for we lucky enough to survive these slaughters, president Bush is sending more troops and a billion dollars to provide us jobs 'painting schools and cleaning streets!' "

Jassim continues sobbing uncontrollably, seeming--for some unknown reason--unconsoled.

Prepping to surge with LIWERARESTREPOSTOTERs (or putting the fun back in The Apocalypse)

One of the hidden appropriations included in a recent congressional Iraq war supplement of $70 billion that is now coming to light seems to dovetail perfectly with the warning by senators John McCain and Joe Lieberman made yesterday that Iraq could slip into chaos without a "surge" in US troop strength.

McCain, speaking during a luncheon at the conservative think tank, the American Enterprise Institute, said of such a surge, “it must substantial and it must be sustained.” The marines newest rapid response weapon for Iraq

As congress is now learning, $2.5 billion of the war supplement appropriation they approved for Iraq is to go for more than 1,000 of these light-weight rapid response stealth responders to terrorists (or LIWERARESTREPOSTOTERS for short). Among the advantages of the LIWERARESTREPOSTOTERS over the current M1-A2 Abrams tank is it's light weight and cost per unit.

And because the LIWERARESTREPOSTOTERS is battery powered, it will be far stealthier than the M1-A2 Abrams which Iraqi insurgents can hear coming up to 15 minutes before they arrive. Capable of speeds up to 79 mph, nearly double that of the Abrams, it will provide US forces with a rapid response capability against IED's and terrorist bombers in the crucial role it is expected to play in the recapture of Baghdad streets. LIWERARESTREPOSTOTERS is being eagerly anticipated under president Bush's planned surge to be announced next week.

The LIWERARESTREPOSTOTERS will be manned by retired US marines, between the ages of 65-82, recruitment for which will begin January 11th, immediately after president Bush's unveiling of his ambitious, first-ever war plan for Iraq.

Pentagon officials expect little difficulty in attracting 2,000 or more marines out of retirement to bolster Bush's ever sagging US military capability. "Of all US ex-military members, marines are the most loyal, to the core!" said president Bush, commander-in-chief and former air national guardsman.

Choosing one's words carefully

On my "The Out of Office Countdown" calendar for 2007 that I received as a Christmas gift, it offers a quote from George W. Bush at the dedication of his Texas gubernatorial portrait four years ago this date.

Reading that now, particularly with Saddam's last moments still so vividly in mind, Bush may want to choose his words more carefully in the future, now that he, himself, is responsible for the death's of two-thirds of a million Iraqis.

On that occasion back on January 4, 2002, Bush thanked his oddience for "taking time out of your day to come and witness my hanging."

Perhaps as he said that, Bush was just having a vision of his future?

"Sacrifice, Sacrifice, Dance to the Music! Sacrifice, Sacrifice........"

Back here on November 24th I wrote the following:

Well, here we are with one week remaining in November plus one month remaining in the year. The death toll of American GI's in Iraq is approaching 2,900 and I'm wondering--if we have a really good December--might we not hit the 3,000 killed mark by year's end?

Well, damn, would you look at that? Did you all happen to notice when we hit the *magic* 3,000 GI's killed? It was this past Sunday, the very last day of 2006! Now I know how Sylvia Browne must feel when she nails one.

As proud of that as I am, I can't really take the credit I so seemingly deserve--as much as I'd like to. Truth be known, I owe it all to president Bush, Dick Cheney, and a bunch of folks in congress.

Yes, thanks to them, we had a very good December that enabled us to hit the big three, triple zero on the very last day of the year.

I recall a story from some years ago of a man cleaning his stove with some flammable solvent when the pilot light was overcome with temptation. It simply couldn't contain itself any longer. In the mans's excitement to extinguish the resulting flames, he mistakenly grabbed a can of gas to douse the fire.

That's what the president is about to do next week, despite the fact we told him in November we just wanted the troops to get out of Iraq. So, as further illustration of the president's detachment from reality, Bush is going to "surge" our Iraq troop strength another twenty or thirty thousand, to throw gas on the flames.

And how's he going to sell this to our troops and folks back home who spawned them? Simple. "Sacrifice."

See, the public told the president that's the opposite of what they wanted when they voted in November. So Bush waited for the Iraq Study Group's recommendations. But Bush didn't like those either.

So he talked to his general's in the Pentagon. No help there either. Then he went to his commanders on the ground in Iraq. Still Bush didn't hear what he wanted to hear.

So Bush interviewed his privates on the ground in Iraq and there he found support. So it was a coalition of his enlisted men and the munitions and materiel suppliers, the tanks and Humvee manufacturers, all that underground Iraqi black gold and the 25% of Americans polled expecting The Rapture in 2007 that convinced him to plunge forward to victory.

And all he is asking in order to accomplish this is more "sacrifice". That's pretty daring from one who has sacrificed little or nothing all his life. From bailing from his oil company with handsome profits just before it went belly up, to leaving the state of Texas which he governed with huge debts before moving on to destroy the US economy and endanger the rest of the Earth, Bush's sacrifices seem only to be enrichment of himself at the expense of others.

I wonder how General Casey, commander of our forces on the ground in Iraq who opposes increasing troop strength for Bush's lost cause, must feel being forced into early retirement by his reservist draft dodging commander who was AWOL at best, a deserter at worse, from his champagne guard unit avoiding the war in Vietnam?

And now, with the political tables turning against Bush and his rubber stamping congress gone, Bush generously reminds democrats, "It's time to set aside politics and focus on the future."

So prepare America for more "sacrifices" from one who knows not the meaning of the word. More of our sons and daughters will die. Prepare for a new year with more of the same old bullshit.

We've become a nation of enablers. Enabler citizens who enable our congress to continue voting the enabling funds to finance--despite our November protests--our enabling troops in Iraq to allow a small group of delusionary leaders to continue us down the same path we've been descending the past six years.

And if we're not uncomfortable enough to speak out louder and act out stronger in opposition of more of our sons and daughters coming home in boxes under the cover of the darkness of night, then why not just stop bitching about it, just chill out, and come back this time next year and tally the body counts of those who have died in Bush's surge in 2007--for nothing! Apparently 3,000 aren't enough already!

And around the end of November, 2007, I'll make my year end body count prediction. Look out Sylvia Browne!

Coffee a Go-Go!

"It's getting impossible to find someplace where I can finish just one cup of coffee in peace," a frustrated Mohammed Jassim bemoaned (above center, in black) outside what had been--just moments earlier--a Baghdad sidewalk cafe, now part of the sidewalk.

(But that's not all it's getting impossible to do, as Jassim will learn next weekend.)

The Perfect Gift

Dada is saddened he just today
--January 2, 2007--

realized the perfect Christmas
gift for our U.S. military
commanders.



With one outlet for each branch
of the U.S. military, here's their
George Bush/U.S. congress
surge protector!

Quote of the Day:

“What I want to hear from you is how we’re going to win, not how we’re going to leave.”

(Warning words of their *strong* commander-in-chief, George W. Bush, to his generals in December)

** The more lucid members of American society may wish to substitute any of the following words in place of *strong*: delusional, psychopathological, insolent, punk, deserter, or any other they deem more appropriate.

2007 New Year's Resolutions of the Rich and (in)Famous

Resolution #837: "I will stop contradicting myself." Hillary Clinton
(author of the book "It Takes a Village to Raise a Child" and U.S. senator voting to bomb the shit out of children in her 2002 support for George Bush's war)

Whoops, Dada apologizes. In her book, "It takes a village to raise a child," senator Clinton was speaking about American children!

In her vote, "It takes a bomb to raze a village," sen. Clinton was apparently speaking of Iraqi children.

Resolution #9 (of the not-so-famous): "I will stop being so confused." Dada

Happy New Year!

"2007--the time has come for Impeachment"
(graphic courtesy of ImpeachBush.org)

Appears we have our work cut out for us. I was just reading an AP article which reveals things Americans expect to occur in the coming year. Won't bore you with all the gloom of American pessimism, but one poll jumped out at me.

Apparently 1 out of every 4 Americans expect the Second Coming of Jesus in 2007. I suspect these are the same 25% left who comprise the sole base of Bush's remaining support.

Well, if Jesus feels it's time to pay us another visit, it would probably be precisely because of Bush and his diminished hardcore extremist supporters who have really fucked things up. But I really don't believe Jesus is listening to these delusionary gnats. Instead, I suspect he's laughing his ass off.

Which leaves it up to us as Americans to take matters in our own hands and do the hard work that's being demanded by the actions of our incompetent, duplicitous leadership-run-amok of the laws of the nation. Jesus, his Dad, the Fates, evolution or the Universe don't give a shit what happens here with Bush, us and "God's Nation" Bush is leading into disaster.

If there's to be any hope for this country, it's up to us to take matters in our own hands. It's what our Founding Fathers intended, what they would expect.

And for those of you expecting Jesus to pay us a visit in the coming year and save your puny asses because of the fucking muck you've made of the Earth? Don't hold your breath. Your god isn't that merciful.