Gentle Reader -- You are welcome to peruse my web-based journal. I assure you that my contributions to this medium will be both infrequent and inconsequential. Read on!

BOB HOPE

He's dead. Yep. I saw one of his "Road" movies once. It was kinda funny. I don't have much else to say, except that this was a guy who was a nostalgia act before I was born. He had his laughs.

Except . . .

Are there going to be ANY celebrities left alive by the time our Dead Pool gets started? I was going to put ol' Bob on my list, just to make sure I got SOME points (you get more points for younger celebs who die, but at least 10 for each one you get right). If we had gotten the thing cranked up by July 4 (as we had originally intended), I would have those points now. Buddy Ebsen, Buddy Hackett, Kate Hepburn (who was quite a goddess, back in the day, really), Gregory Peck, Hume Cronyn -- they are kicking off like mad. I was thinking about putting Uday and Qusay on my list as well -- what a difference a month makes!

Barry White was actually ON my list -- a little post-it that is on my computer monitor. What, he couldn't wait around for six weeks?

In case anyone is interested, the start date is August 15, and we are letting it run until August 30, 2004. Anyone interested in reading the rules should look here. posted by Carlton at 6:10 PM

INTERESTING

Saw this quote from Bush on CNN:

"I am mindful that we're all sinners and I caution those who may try to take a speck out of the neighbor's eye when they got a log in their own," the president said."


I reproduce this, not for its content (It is possible, however, that not EVERYONE agrees that we are all sinners, whatever that means. ), but for the fact that CNN did not correct Bush's bad grammar. I swear, if the media stops whitewashing our Dear Leader's misstatements, that would go a long way towards exposing him for what he is: a mendacious puppet.
posted by Carlton at 1:01 PM

BUSH JUMPS THE SHARK

Here. I can't really add anything. posted by Carlton at 11:14 AM

DISGUST

Well, I totally deleted a post in which I attempted to make some lame jokes about prominent political figures. They were dumb jokes, but they had good hearts (I do think that John Kerry looks like a tree, for example, and I think there's something really funny about calling Condoleeza Rice "Tootie"). But they were crimes against nature, and had to be destroyed. Oh well.

What I am really disgusted about is the recent assassination of the Hussein brothers by our military. It's this kind of thing that makes me ashamed of my country. Yes, they were "really bad people", as W likes to say -- they were, by all accounts, insane rapists, murderers and torturers. At the time that we killed them, however, they were not in power -- in fact, they were hiding out at their cousin's house, by all accounts, a cousin who thought so little of them as to turn them in for a reward. If I have read correctly, U.S. forces cordoned off the neighborhood, surrounded the house with HUNDREDS of soldiers and then blew the house up with a MISSILE.

We didn't have to kill them. Our forces were so overwhelming, and their force was so weak (just a couple of guys with AK's I think), that we could have arrested them without much trouble. In fact, the NYPD could have arrested them without much trouble -- it's probable that the HATTIESBURG police could have arrested them without much trouble. But we killed them instead, with a missile.

Putting aside the fact that these were bad men who deserved to be tortured to death (as they had done to others), and putting aside the question of their value as prisoners and sources of intelligence -- these were criminals who we could have arrested, and chose instead to kill. That, my friends, is murder. I think that it was morally reprehensible -- if it was wrong at Ruby Ridge, it's wrong here.

So, why do it? There are a number of explanations. Simple bloodlust is one. Expediency is another -- it is possible that they would have been embarassing to the administration in some way if allowed to live. More likely, however (and perhaps most awful), is that they were killed simply to break up the news drumbeats that are increasingly against Bush -- as counterspin.

What kind of a world is this?
posted by Carlton at 5:54 PM

BALLET OF THE UNHATCHED CHICKS

I don't expect any sympathy, but I would like to note that I always find it depressing to actually accomplish goals, especially the long-term ones. Recently, I've been banging out the goals like crazy -- I found myself a new apartment, sold my old one, bought the car I have been thinking about for almost a year, paid off some debt. These were all things that I had been scheming about for months or a year, not only counting my chickens before they hatched but constantly estimating and re-estimating how many eggs there might be.

And now the hatched chickens have been eaten, and I have a couple of leftover drumsticks in the fridge and a bunch of well-gnawed bones in the trash. And now what? I had this same feeling upon graduation from college -- as though getting my diploma was the worst thing that could have happened. I note that some friends have recently had plans come to fruition: Scott, for example, has recently become Dr. Scott (a very big deal). Any thoughts?

So, there's a void. I think I am now casting about for something else to obsess over. posted by Carlton at 1:00 PM

WHAT ELSE IS NEW?


Threat rating: Medium. Your total lack of decent
family values makes you dangerous, but we can
count on some right wing nutter blowing you up
if you become too high profile.


What threat to the Bush administration are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Thanks to Ms. Twink! posted by Carlton at 5:41 PM

JOIN MY DEAD POOL


My friend Jason and I are running a Dead Pool. What is a Dead Pool?

What It Is: A Dead Pool is a game in which each player prepares a list of celebrities whom the player thinks are likely to die in the following year. Points are awarded for each correct person on a player’s list, and the person with the most points at the end of the game wins.

The Dead Pool will commence on August 15, 2003; celebrities who die on or before August 30, 2004 will count towards winning the Dead Pool. An entry fee of $20 will be required to enter the Dead Pool. All entry fees collected will be used as prize money. A prize for highest score will be awarded on or about August 30, 2004. If enough people participate, there may be prizes for second and third highest score as well.

Anyone intereted in playing (or seeing the rules) should email me at carltonwking@yahoo.com. We're hoping to have 20 people or so -- with more, the potential prizes could get really big!

posted by Carlton at 2:05 PM

STORY?

It's been awfully political around here lately, for which I apologize -- but it is an awfully political time. Here's the germ of a story which could be a really big deal if, you know, the media actually REPORT it (and, of course, if it's true).

So you may recall that in early 2001 -- before September 11, before Enron -- Vice President Cheney had a big meeting to plan the U.S. energy policy. Predictably, the energy policy that emerged boiled down to something along the lines of "Suck the planet dry, drill for oil in every spot that doesn't already have a coal-burning power plant built on it." Many people were unhappy, and tried to make an issue of it.

If I understand the story, several groups inquired of Cheney's office about this meeting. The questions were pretty innocuous-sounding: Who was there? What did you talk about? Are there any minutes we could read? Who presented on what topics? These are basically the questions you would ask about a philosophy class you weren't able to attend.

Surprise! Cheney's office completely shut down these inquiries. No information is available. National security is at issue. Cheney invoked executive privilege (despite the fact that EP is supposed to protect the PRESIDENT, and Cheney is not -- officially -- the president). This was very odd behavior. (Though this kind of secrecy, we later find out, is typical of this administration.)

Stay with me now.

Then the Enron scandal hit. "Aha!" said many. "They won't release the information because of the presence of Kenneth Lay and friends, and because the information might implicate the Administration in the scandal!" People stared to get interested in this story. The General Accounting Office (the investigative arm of Congress) sued Cheney to get the information (a suit which was unprecedented, by the way). Cheney again stonewalled, and threatened to slash the GAO budget the following year -- a classy move. The case was later dismissed by a friendly federal judge.

Don't go anywhere -- this is getting good.

There are OTHER lawsuits. Organizations Judicial Watch and the Sierra Club, both interested in this matter, prosecute a Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) request for the documents used in the meeting. Recently, their request was granted. Guess what they got! Bet you can't!

Maps and charts of Iraqi oilfields. A memo entitled " Foreign Suitors for Iraqi Oilfield Contracts."
Remember, friends, this was BEFORE SEPTEMBER 11. This could mean that Cheney and his people were planning to divide up Iraqi oilfields and sell off the rights BEFORE THE WORLD TRADE CENTER ATTACK. It could mean that the Iraq war had nothing to do with terrorism OR weapons of mass destruction. What was it about? Oil! How much simpler can it get?

This could be big.

UPDATE: I guess you could always read what the Associated Press has to say. posted by Carlton at 2:11 PM

MEA NON CULPA

One thing is very evident in the recent scandal regarding the fact that we invaded a foreign country which was not threatening us based on a lie. Here it is: The people in charge of our government, and responsible for this mess, are totally incapable of admitting that they make mistakes. The more you listen to them talk, the more it rings like a bell: We weren't wrong. If you think I said something wrong, I didn't. You must be wrong. I never said it. You have a record of me saying it? It's not important. That's over. Let's move on. Why are you being so partisan? You must hate America. You don't support our troops. And so on.

Personally, I think it would go a long way for Bush to take the world stage and announce that he, himself, erred in the analysis that let up to this stupid war -- not even a full Jimmy Swaggart, but an admission of a mistake and an assumption of personal responsibility for the consequences. Americans, especially heartland Americans, believe in redemption, and accept apologies. He might not get reelected (God willing), but he'd go a long way towards rehabilitating his character for the American people. Heck, *I* would have a lot of respect for him if he did that, and I really hate him as a President. That would put me out to a great degree.

The good news is that there is zero chance of that happening. Anyone following W with a critical eye knows that he lacks both the strength of character and the sense of responsibility to the people that an admission would require. Bush has never taken responsibility for any of his deeds or misdeeds, and is not about to start now that the misdeeds have enveloped entire regions of the globe. I do believe that, in all the roundtable brainstorming that must be going on right now in the White House about this problem, the idea of admitting to a mistake does not ever come up.

True as ever: Being W means never having to say you're sorry. posted by Carlton at 7:14 PM

WHAT ARE WE DOING?

The U.S. is operating open-ended protectorates in Afghanistan and Iraq, at a combined cost of $5 billion a month, or $60 billion a year. That's roughly triple the entire foreign-aid budget, and almost double the federal government's budget for elementary and secondary education. Meanwhile, intervention in Liberia appears just around the corner. U.S. soldiers reside in nearly 100 different countries. During the president's trip last week to Africa, there was talk of opening bases elsewhere on that continent.

More here. posted by Carlton at 11:20 AM

DOOMED SPIES

Too long to reprint, but this (Thursday, "Somebody Please Tell Me", etc.) looks to be a fascinating tale, if true. If true, it's also a really good example of how petty and stupid those, you know, people in charge are.

posted by Carlton at 8:38 AM

THE CURRENT SCANDAL

Well, things seem to be coming apart for the Bush people. I'm not sad about that -- don't get me wrong now -- but I am very distressed at the state of affairs that he has left us in. Even if Bush is turned out of the White House in '04 (please, God!), it will take a lot of doing to fix the mess he's made -- or messes, I should say.

The weirdest part of this brou-ha-ha about the Niger uranium is that it is the tiniest possible aspect of a much larger campaign of deliberate deception. I recall listening to the State of the Union Speech and hearing Bush cite the uranium information. "I thought that was discredited," I remember thinking at the time. Me, an uninformed yokel -- *I* knew it was a bunch of hooey. It's taken months and months for the media to catch on, and they choose this?

I've thought the following for a long time:

1. The Bush people lie because they know their agenda is unpalatable to the general public. They have to disguise it in order to make it happen. They disguise it with fear, with threats, with false patriotism, whatever.

2. The more of his goals W accomplishes (the secret ones, not the stated ones), the closer he comes to destruction, as people start to figure out what he is really after.

My analysis: The WMD story is falling apart because it was phony from the start. WMDs were NEVER the reason Bush wanted to invade Iraq -- it was just a cover story. What was the real reason? Hard to say, but I think it has something to do with an open, naked, blatant grasping for power by men who are used to doing whatever they want with no accountability. Any thoughts?


posted by Carlton at 6:45 PM

THE WAR PRAYER (Mark Twain)

"O Lord our Father, our young patriots, idols of our hearts, go forth to battle -- be Thou near them! With them -- in spirit -- we also go forth from the sweet peace of our beloved firesides to smite the foe. O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy winds of winter, broken in spirit, worn with travail, imploring Thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it -- for our sakes who adore Thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their steps, water their way with their tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet! We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is the ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. Amen.

(*After a pause.*) "Ye have prayed it; if ye still desire it, speak! The messenger of the Most High waits!"

It was believed afterward that the man was a lunatic, because there was no sense in what he said.

posted by Carlton at 4:17 PM

NEWS FLASH

Tomorrow is my 31st birthday.

Sigh. posted by Carlton at 11:30 AM

ELECTORAL ENGINEERING

It looks like there will be a recall election in California, for a governor who was legitimately elected less than a year ago. This, plus the redistricting mess in Texas, plus the impeachment of Bill Clinton, plus the 2000 debacle, plus the weird controversy over a Republican owning a big stake in the company that makes all those voting machines (heard about that?) is just more evidence of a simple fact: the Republicans are working to destroy our democracy. Fundamentally, they disagree with the idea that there should be rules that apply to everyone, and that when you get fewer votes, the other guy gets elected. They are deliberately setting out to unmake elections which do not go their way, or to change the rules (districts in Texas, filibusters in the Senate), so that there is no competition in future democratic processes. They believe the rules should always favor them, and they are working to institutionalize the principle.

Why don't we care about this? That this is harmful to our method of self-government should be evident to everyone. Would the Republicans want Attorney General Hillary Clinton to have the powers enumerated in the Patriot Act? Would they acquiesce to Tom Daschle gerrymandering his own state to establish certain Democratic House seats? No -- they would change the rules BACK and cry foul if they were the minority party.

Why are we not outraged? I think this year may see some outrage, especially if this recall election goes forward. Nothing like the feeling you get when the guy you voted for wins and still gets his ass kicked . . . I've felt that before.
posted by Carlton at 6:11 PM

SHAMELESS THEFT

. . . from someone else's blog: How the French hate us, and always have. posted by Carlton at 5:59 PM

IN OTHER NEWS

Well, now that's out of my system -- the below rant was actually inspired by my realization that I would be more outraged by a remake of Casablanca starring Ben Affleck and J'Lo than about the invasion of Iraq . . .

I got my car! It's a MINI Cooper S, white on top and black on the bottom. Molly and I rode the commuter rail up to Peabody on Saturday where lies my dealership. (There's a MINI dealership in Boston as well, but I have heard bad things about their service.) I presented the largest check I have ever written in my life to the dealer and drove away -- it was surprisingly easy. Since we were already on the road, we decided to drive up to Maine along Route 1, the coastal highway which is more scenic and slower than the interstate. It was 95 degrees outside (according to the readout on the dash), and we stopped for a quick paddle at York beach. While there, we played a few rounds of Skee-Ball at the "Fun-o-Rama" (which Molly won, I'm sorry to say, so I owe her a lobster dinner). It was a fun trip -- the first of many, I hope.

As I believe I have mentioned, buying this car is somewhat in disharmony with my "keep it simple" philosophy. I don't need a car. I've been thinking about what else I could have done with the cash -- hoarding it away for a rainy day springs to mind.

But oh, I love it. It's small and peppy and fun to drive, although I'm a little rusty on the stickshift, as it turns out. There are a number of MINIs in my neighborhood, but very few in the countryside, and I could see people turn and look (and sometimes point) at the car as we drove past. "Cute!" seems to be the consensus, though this car doesn't seem to have been gendered like other "cute" cars -- the Mazda Miata and the New Beetle, for example. Even if it were gendered though -- it sure is fun!

posted by Carlton at 4:43 PM

CO-DEPENDENCE DAY

In the past few months, I've read a few articles trying to "diagnose" Bush, to identify what it is exactly that is wrong with him (since it is clearly something). Ms. Dowd recently opined that the Bush Administration has a version of Attention Deficit Disorder. Several have noted that Bush himself exhibits many of the symptoms of a "dry drunk", an alcoholic who has stopped drinking but has not sought treatment for the psychological problems associated therewith, and who will often sustitute a kind of intolerant monomania therefor.

This is a democracy we live in, a government by the people. If Bush is mentally ill, an addict, learning disabled or has any other type of recently-recognized disorder (I can, in all seriousness, believe that this is the case), then we all take responsibility for putting him where he is today, and for what he does there. When the 2000 election was stolen by the Republicans, we looked on in shock and let it happen. I believe the Supreme Court did the same thing -- although nakedly partisan, their decision was rooted in a desire to avoid the disorder and chaos that would have resulted from a recount, and to avoid taking a hard look at whether our democracy is really working. The Republicans exploited all of our desire for a smooth transition, and beat that democracy bloody, while we doubted the evidence of our own eyes. We enabled this, making excuses and hoping that if we were good it wouldn't happen again.

We must take responsibility for Bush. I know very few people (outside of my blood relations) who will admit voting for him, and it is easy to throw up one's hands and say, "I voted for Gore!" I've been doing it a lot lately. But as the person who is in place as our President, properly elected or not, acts for us and is our representative -- and nowhere moreso than in the area of foreign policy, as no other officer of the United States or any particular state is permitted to deal with other sovereign nations. He is speaking and acting for you and me.

During this Administration, I have become very interested in politics -- it's really better than sports or "Survivor". But politically active? I've never written a letter to an editor. I've never attended a protest. I've only recently contributed any money towards any political entity (a pittance to MoveOn.org). It is becoming clear to me, however, that I am as resposible as the goons who stormed the Florida election office in 2000 -- I am enabling George Bush by my inaction. I am the parent who just doesn't want to know what is happening to the children in the other room. When the truth comes out, people will turn on me and demand, "Why didn't you do anything?" posted by Carlton at 4:03 PM

NEW LINKS

Check 'em out! posted by Carlton at 10:09 AM