Notes From the Butcher's Shop

R.I.P. Kurt

2007-04-11T22:26:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to say that Mr. Vonnegut is one of my favorite writers of all time. I hope that all of his family and friends celebrate his great life. Sir, you will be missed. Thanks for all of your creativity and exceptional work.

Super Bowl Meal

2007-02-08T14:08:00.000-08:00

The pork shoulder was prepared by Rien Fertel. I think it was his first attempt, and I can say that it was a succesful one.

Urban Cowboy for the conservative evangelical

2006-09-28T10:41:00.000-07:00

This puts a new meaning to Urban Cowboy

I saw this guy while I was walking around the other day. I love the fact that he is a religious cowboy. I bet he voted for Bush!

2006-09-28T10:18:00.000-07:00 This is one of the last of the graffittis left that remember John. Now even the one that was on the Young Ave. Deli is gone. This one is at the busstop near U of M and RPTracks. Italy: Rome, Siena, Pisa, Florence 2006-01-18T07:30:00.000-08:00 I have just gotten back from a 10 day trip to Italy. It was a great time. I went with my girlfriend and her family. We got to Rome in the middle of the day and checked into the hotel on the Piazza Barberini. Rome is a very big place. It could be any other huge city except for the fact that there are ancient ruins and places of historical significance around every corner. We did a pretty good job of hitting all of the main sights in the few days that we had there. We saw the Vatican museum and St. Peter's Cathedral on our first real day there. We walk around Piazza Navona and looked at the fountains. There was also a carnival in the piazza, which was nice. The Vatican really puts things in perspective. It is definitely an awe inspiring sight. I can see why so many people are Catholic. They definitely have the market cornered on really big and ridiculously ornate churches. before the Vatican was actually what we think of as the Vatican, it was were Caligula, Nero, and a few other despots held their crazy forms of entertaiment. It was also were Peter, disciple of Jesus, was crucified. The last thing he ever saw apparently was the huge obelisk that still stands today in the square outside his church. I think that that is pretty impressive. Micheangelo's Pieta is inside the church. It is a beautiful sculpture that shows Mary holding a dead Jesus on her knees. It was actually damaged once by a crazy man with a sledge hammer, and before the guards could get the man under control and pick up all the pieces, the tourists had taken all of bits that fell off of the statue. We are talking about a priceless piece of art here. The Pope eventually had to ask for anyone that had taken a piece to please return it, and they would be forgiven for taking it. All of the pieces were returned with the exception of Mary's nose. A chunk of marble was carved out of the back of the statue and shaped into a new nose. It wasn't really a big deal because the backside of the statue is actually unsculpted, but if you know anyone with a suspicious marble nose in their mantle, you might want to see where it came from. There are several Bernini sculptures inside the cathedral, which are simply amazing, along with frescos by Raphael. Raphael also did some interesting work inside the papal apartments of Julius II, which depict all the famous philosophers from ancient Greece with the faces of painters and sculptors of the time. The Sistine Chapel was great too, but mainly because the statistical improbability of it being such an excellent work of art are dumbfounding. Michelangelo had never painted before, yet he somehow managed to produce a masterpiece his first time around. I will get into the rest of Rome and the trip on another occasion very soon, but I must go now because I have be somewhere. LOVENOLA Long time 2005-11-28T23:49:00.000-08:00 Sorry about the serious lapse in posts. I hope that everyone is doing well. I will get a little more free time soon, so expect more then. If you want to see what I've been writting about, you can check www.thedailyhelmsman.com. It has my articles every Wednesday and most Fridays. You can also check out the archives and search for James Coleman, that should show you the older ones. Anyway, I hope that everybody is doing well. Most of all, I want to say hello to all my New Orleans friends. Where ya' at? Ya' heard me! And good luck to all the students, especially the Tulane ones, that are going to be starting classes before they know it. love nola. Ready to go 2005-10-06T13:43:00.000-07:00 I am leaving for New Orleans tomorrow, and if anyone from there would like me to stop by their house then drop me a line. I really don't know what to expect. I know that it is safe. I am really more worried about my house being so nasty and all my stuff being moldy and disgusting. I'm also not looking forward to dealing with the landlord. If you ever move to New Orleans remember to stay away from Riverlake properties. They are devious. I really won't be surprised to see my stuff out on the front lawn when we get home. Enough of that though. Last week someone finally filmed a giant squid. I am pretty excited about that. I still haven't been able to find the video online though. If anybody has it, please put a link in the comments for everyone else. Thanks ahead of time. It is amazing to me that this enormous squid has somehow eluded the cameras for so long. In other water related news, scientists have tracked a great white shark over 10,000 miles from Australia to Africa. It's a big deal because it links the two populations of sharks. I know that most people don't care, but I do find it fascinating that an animal could go that far. I know that these past few posts have been a little out of character for the blog, but it has been a weird time. I haven't really been able to deal with politics lately. It's not that I've lost the stomach for it. It's more that the government seems that it is being run with such gross incompetence that it isn't even laughable anymore. I would describe it as scary. Anyway, I hope that you are all doing well. LOVENOLA Memphis Report 2005-10-03T12:46:00.000-07:00 Howdy Ya'll I has been awhile since I last posted. So much has gone on. I'm not going to try to explain it all, but I can give you a quick rundown. I have enrolled at the University of Memphis and gotten a job there writing for the paper. That has been good. My articles come out on Wednesday and sometimes Friday. You can pick up a paper at school if you are reading this in Memphis, or you can read them online at www.dailyhelmsman.com I am having a good time doing it, and classes are ok. I plan on graduating in the spring. I am trying to figure out what to do with my phone. It hasn't been working well, which I'm sure you can tell if you've tried to call me. I'm living with my girlfriends family. I don't do that well living with my family, but I'm sure that I'll have to go home eventually. I am driving this weekend to NOLA to get my stuff from my real home. I miss it. I miss all the people most of all. What can you do? Anyway, keeping my chin up, trying to get life started again in the old home place. There are a lot of people here that I knew in high school, so it makes it a little easier to get by. Hope that this entry finds everyone well. LOVENOLA Down and Out 2005-09-02T15:34:00.000-07:00 I finally made it back to Memphis and relative safety. I am enrolling in University of Memphis for the semester, so I guess that I will be staying here for a while. I am pretty depressed about this whole deal. I lost all my stuff, but at least I have my life. It was very scary, and the aftermath has been even worse. If you know someone that was affected by the hurricane please take them out or buy them a drink. Believe me, they need it. To all my fellow refugees...Stay strong and try to rebuild. Make sure that you let people know about our suffering because this country seems to get wrapped up in the TV drama and forgets about the actual tragedy. To everybody else... give what you can, do what you can. It doesn't have to be much, but if we all pull together, we will be able to overcome this. God bless you all. I probably won't be writing much for a while. I just don't have it in me at this point. Happy Birthday To Elizabet 2005-08-22T09:10:00.000-07:00 I am sorry about the lull in posts, but I have been busy getting back into the groove of school and finishing up Summer work. I want to announce that Elizabet Travis was born today in 1983. She is one of my favorite people in the whole world, and she happens to be my co-habitant. She is in Greece right now, so there won't be any celebration until she gets home. I hope that she is being safe, and if she is reading this then I hope it finds her well. Anyway, I love you Elizabet. I also love anybody else that is taking the time out of their day to read this, but in a different way than I love Elizabet. Sorry Al, I know that you really hoped it would work out. Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya should have just sent flowers 2005-08-04T09:32:00.000-07:00 Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya was overthrown by a military coup on August 3, 2005 while he was out of the country, attending the funeral of King Fahd of Saudi Arabia. I guess what goes around come around. Taya was put into power after he led the last successful military coup. He then installed himself as the leader of the Democratic and Social Republican Party. He won two multi-party elections under the party name, one by 62% and one by 90%. Unfortunately, most people, even those in his own country, don't believe that he really won the election. I've really go to side with the skeptics here. On the other side congratulations to Colonel Ely Ould Mohaned Vall. He is the new president. His party is named The Military Council for Justice and Democracy. Vall was the head of the military police, and was widely thought to be an ally of Taya. Some speculate that he wanted to go to the funeral and was just retaliating for getting the cold shoulder. Others believe that Taya had been caught cheating at their bi-monthly, super secret, no-holds-bars, strip poker tournament. It will be very interesting to see what happens with Vall. I am predicting that he gets overthrown by a military coup. I also believe that the honorable Col. Abderrahmane Ould Boubacar is the man for the job. He is head of the military police. Hmmm? My Man, Your Man, Klosterman 2005-08-03T09:12:00.000-07:00 Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting Chuck Klosterman. He was really cool, but in a really nerdy way. I guess that it is hard to be cool at a reading. Let's face it, readings are not the place that you go to party or to be seen. If they are then you need to invite me to those readings, or you need to get some help because they are either the coolest readings in the world or you are the nerdiest person alive. Chuck didn't even really read from his new book. He explained the idea behind the book and tried to impart the wisdom that being a widely read rock critic and author is a cool thing. He signed my copy of Fargo Rock City "Jay... Rock Forever!" He also signed my copy of Sex, Drugs, and Coco Puffs "Jay... Power!" I know that when you do a fourteen city book review you probably run out of cliché fraises to put on the inside of your novels. I don't want to be down on old Chuck for that. I am going to be down on him for turning down a drink offer. I understand that there is a certain amount 'crazy' fan factor. You know, I might be a fucking mad man that is slowly sneaking around the country, killing all the rock critics whose books I buy because the angles in my cerebral cortex demand it. He made up some stuff about being busy. I suspected that he would be busy, but I figured that there was nothing stopping me from asking him to get a beer. The girl that was in front of me in line had the biggest fake boobs. She looked a lot like Charo. Her name was Ocean. I'm guessing that she picked that one up while she was pole dancing in the mid-seventies, early eighties. The other kids that were there seemed nice. They are probably as good as it gets, considering it was 6:00 pm on a Tuesday at an independent book store in Memphis, TN. If you haven't read any of Klosterman's stuff then you are a fool, and I pity the fool. Hope everybody down in NOLA is doing well. Clay, please remember to get my mail. Back in Memphis 2005-08-01T13:16:00.000-07:00 I just got back to Memphis this weekend. I am enjoying just sitting around and reading. I will definitely be putting up some new posts soon. Hope that all a' y'all are doin' good. Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Micheal Donohoe 2005-07-19T12:04:00.000-07:00 Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Micheal Donahoe. Micheal Donahoe and Jane Aldinger were married last weekend in Memphis. The ceremony was held at Independent Presbyterian Church, and the reception was at the University Club. From all reports, it was a success. I hope that both of you lead a happy and prosperous life. I am sure that it will be lots of fun. Also please excuse any spelling mistakes. I hope that I got both of your names right. happy Birthday 2005-07-19T10:29:00.000-07:00 Tomorrow is my Birthday, July 20th. I will be 25. That's right, I have rocked through a quarter of a century. I hope that all of you can celebrate in your own way. At least have a nice glass of wine for me, or maybe smoke a "doobie" in my honor. Rove him over and turn him loose 2005-07-13T11:54:00.000-07:00 There has been so much stuff happening in the news lately that I can't go back and cover it all. I am sure that the few people that read this blog regularly are gnashing your teeth and pounding on your computer screens, trying to reconcile your feelings about this... tough. Ha. Anyway, I do feel like writing about Judith Miller, or the Judester as I affectionately call her. She is still in jail for not telling a federal grand jury who her source was for a story that she didn't write. As I am sure that most of you are aware, Carl Rove is the prime suspect for leaking information about a CIA operative's identity, but let us not for get about Cheney's Chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, who has also been indicated, but has largely managed to avoid the wrath of the media. I am all for getting rid of a guy like Rove, but we should focus on the other people involved too. Richard Nixon wasn’t brought down by people hurling accusations at him. It was a long and involved series of journalists, government officials, and a grand jury that ultimately led to his downfall. There are also the ulterior motives that exist in all these accusations. It must be recognized that there isn't ever really a pure crusade to uncover the truth in Washington. It is all a big power play. Once you have it, you fight to keep it. Once you lose it, you fight to get it back. I think that Judith Miller is fighting to keep another source silent. That has become quite apparent because he is still in jail after both Rove and Libby have both sign away their rights to anonymity. I truly admire her for her principles. She is making up for all the damage that she did before the Iraq war started when she basically regurgitated what the White House told her. Journalists should have more protection. I've written about all that before (check the archives it was my second or third post ever). We need to get the thugs out of politics. I don't believe that we can return to a simpler time mainly because there never was one, but I do believe that things can get better in DC. The people need to hold their politicians responsible for their actions. Write your congressmen. If you want to sign the letter urging Carl Rove's firing go to John Kerry's website. It is really too bad that people (liberals and democrats) still need John Kerry to fight their battles. I really think that there has to be someone else in DC that happens to be a democrat that is worth a damn. Enough of that. I'll try to get back to blogging regularly. I have a couple of papers due, but after that I am through for the summer, so expect some good ones. Back From Vacation 2005-07-07T15:56:00.000-07:00 Sorry about the lull in posts. I just got back from the beach. It was a good time. We got hit pretty hard by tropical storm (can't remember the name, but I'm sure it was bad). It totally shut down our vacation, which sucked. I did get my fill of magaritas for awhile though. Nothing big to report on, just kidding (supreme court nominees, bombs in London, the list goes on), but I am tired. So no real blog today. This is really just a heads up post for anyone that gives a damn. Runaway Train, never comin' back/ wrong way on a one way track 2005-06-21T17:35:00.000-07:00 A moment of silence please for Karl Meuller. He was the Bassist for Soul Asylum, and he sucumbed to throat cancer on Friday. I ment to post about this earlier. I remember the day that I got their album Grave Dancer's Union. I thought the songs runaway train and somebody to shove were awesome. I listened to it a whole lot. I eventually sold it to CD Wharehouse. What a mistake. A Good Example of why the US Media is Terrible 2005-06-21T15:43:00.000-07:00 In the modern mediascape there is an ever increasing number of places to get information. There is the internet (which you have undoubtedly gotten the hang of because you are reading this now), TV, radio, newspapers, books, and magazine. We could go deeper than that, but that would be rather pointless. What I am about to post was taken off of the yahoo.com news site. It was listed as a top story. Hold that thought... top story: NEW YORK – The Michael Jackson saga is coming to bookstores. Court TV anchor Diane Dimond is writing a book about the singer's legal struggles, to be published this fall by Atria Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Judith Curr, executive vice president and publisher, announced Tuesday. Now I understand that the media need their fix of trash. I don't even blame the woman for writing the book. She is the one that had to spend thirteen weeks, or whatever it was, standing around like an asshole trying to tell her viewers what MJ was wearing. I can't imagine why she would want to spend anymore time focusing on the trial, but, if the cash is good, I am sure that she would like a new car or a vacation. I think that this story and stories like this one show America's true colors. We have become super voyeurs, which means that we like to watch way too much. We don't like to be involved. Why? You might be asking yourself. What unfortunate turn of events has led us to this point? I blame it on the 24 hour news cycle. Our media outlets are competing so vigorously for the almighty dollar and your attention that they have totally forgotten why they exist. They aren't there to cover every movement of a middle-aged pedophile pop-giant, or what Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen shoved up their nose at the same party where Paris Hilton shat on the buffet, and Tom Cruise declared it a holy shrine of Scientology just before he cleared the place out so he could communicate with the disembodied head of L. Ron Hubbard. It just really pisses me off. I am no better than the next guy. I fell for it too. Quick! Name which cable news channel is liberal and which is conservative. Did you say CNN and Fox? Probably... The point is that we as viewers and members of society spend more time obsessing over these trite and meaningless people. Be they celebrities or brain-dead vegetables (Terry Schaivo), we as a culture are willing to settle with comfort and safety, vicariously living through the wonderful world of TV, than we are to see well presented and meaningful news about what is going on in the world. Person A: "Your government is lying to you!" Person B: "What? Be quiet. This new reality show is on. It's to see who can consume the most raw pig rectum over a three month period." Person A: "Whoa! Pig rectum? Let's watch." Don't let them spoon feed you information. There is a good chance that the people that are swearing to you that they are the absolute most objective reporters that the world has ever known are also the same people that are telling you the biggest lies. The Catholic Church used to believe that the world was flat and that the Earth was the center of the universe. They killed people for disagreeing with them. They had interests that they needed to protect, just like the media elite in the US. They are willing to do whatever it takes to stay on top. Are you willing to let them? And You Thought America was UBERPARANOID 2005-06-18T17:42:00.000-07:00 Are you like the average America, vigilantly keeping your day-to-day routine because if you don't then the TERRORISTS WIN? Do you think that the Patriot Act sounds like a good idea because you won't need civil liberties after the evil-doers blow you up? Do you eye every person that isn't black, white, or Latino as a potential terrorist? Have you recently purchased duck tape or saran wrap to be used as protection against possible anthrax infection? If you answered yes to more than one of these questions I think that I have the answer. The end of your problems, the solution is here... Move to Israel! That's right. You might be shaking your head right now, but wait until you read what I am about to lay out. The Israelis are going to seal off Gaza with an underwater wall. I know that there are a lot of separatists dolphins, and I've seen the looks on the faces of those god damn scuba instructors, pure evil. An underwater wall. Just take a minute to think of all the paranoid, worthless craziness that has been spewing out of the mouths of the administration in America. It must seem really middle of the road compared to the astronomical, other-worldly hoo-hah that is going on in Israel. That's right, hoo-hah. I am at a loss, but I strongly urge any one that would side with the "wall-building " crowd to get their asses over to Israel in a hurry because we really don't need you here in the U.S.A. hoo-hah! the Phunky Bitches: A Tale of How Life Can go Terribly Wrong 2005-06-18T15:13:00.000-07:00 Somewhere in the vast wasteland of the mid-west in the 1990's I happened upon a group of people that have never ceased to thrill and excite me while also shocking and disillusioning me, the jam band enthusiast. I drove north from Memphis, through St. Louis finally stopping in Noblesville, Indiana. For anyone that has never been there, it's not worth going to. The reason for this excursion was to attend three days of Phish concerts at the Deer Creek Amphitheater. Now it’s probably called the Dyson Cyclone Arena or Depends Adult Diaper Outdoor Experience, but that is irrelevant to what I'm trying to explain here. My friends and I had booked camping at Dead Creek, a wonderful place next to the amphitheater that has very lax rules about illegal substances. So lax, in fact, that as you drive up and are checking in they had you a flier explaining that the only things that are contraband inside the grounds of Dead Creek are fireworks and nitrous oxide canisters (hippie crack). The glorified parking attendant was draped in a tie-dyed muumuu. She was very excited, and told us that, "we were in for the ride of our lives." because we were to camp next to the Phunky Bitches. The Phunky Bitches are a group that is dedicated to giving women a place to go or a ride or anything else that a woman might need if she happens to be touring around the country and attending almost nightly concerts. I do respect their intentions, but like many other welfare organizations they were taken over by idiots and turned into a laughable failure. By the time that we met them I can only hope that they were at a supreme low point, but I feel like there was some room for them to sink a bit lower. They could best be summed up as a bunch of drug addled pseudo-hippies with an RV and a large stockpile of drugs, which they didn't share. The driver and self-proclaimed leader was a wack job named A.C. I never did get his full name. He said that he hadn't slept in about three days. When I asked how he managed to stay up he explained that he had taken enough acid to "melt his brain." I still, to this day, believe that he was the only human being that has successfully melted his brain and lived to tell the tale. AC was an inventor. He didn't have a job, and said that he used the money that he made off of all his patents. The one that he was working on when I met him was a combination frisbee/ pipe. He believed that the centrifugal force would keep the content of the pipe, which in his case was most likely pot or crystal meth, from falling out. I have yet to see his invention being sold in any stores or the parking lots of any concerts, so I can only guess that it never reached the mass production stage that he was predicting in 1999. "You hit it... Then you throw it," was how he explained the practicality of the frisbee/pipe. I still smile when I think about him hitting and tossing the disk. Along with AC there was an assortment of women that completed the Phunky Bitches. One girl looked more like a moose than any other person that I have ever seen. It didn't help that she weighted about 200 pounds, had a penchant for brown clothing, and enormous dreadlocks. The other girls I don't really recall, and the only reason that I do remember the one girl is her unmatched ugliness. After the show one night I was looking for a spot to piss and I saw her having sex with this really scrawny kid. The kid always wore a visor. I mean always. He had it on while he was having sex with a human moose. It was the most comically ugly and mismatched coupling that I have ever seen. I have never seen the Phunky Bitches again at any show. There aren't even Phish concerts anymore. It is a real shame. I feel like those concert tours gave these disaffected people a home. There was something for everyone, and all that they really had in common was a band. Something out of a crowd of people that was more than music. I feel like there was an ideology or a social system. I don't mean to get all sentimental, but I feel like this needs to be said. It was like its own world. A place that you could go, and there were people that you identified with. Some of them were smart and descent people. Some of them were hideous morally and physically. There were addicts and dealers, philosophers and politicians, fans and foes. The list goes on and on. They existed inside American society, but as there own semi-functional, cohesive unit. Although it was hardly ever spoken, I think that most everyone there felt like they were changing the world. Looking back on it, I realize how utterly idiotic and wrong we all were, but I still carry it with me just like everyone else that was there, AC and the moose girl, Thomas, Keller, Robbie, Logan, Jamie, Jules.... Chebeague Island Finally catches up with the South 2005-06-09T09:14:00.000-07:00 It's about time that somebody seceded from the Union. This time it isn't the South either. A small island off of the coast of Maine is tired of being bullied by those damn landlubben bastards that make up the USA. They are being taxed out of existence by the rise in property value and new tax codes. The town of Cumberland is their closest neighbor, and it is a suburb of Portland. Their schools and city government are being carved up piece by piece until there is nothing left on the island. That combined with the rise in taxes is forcing people to leave permanent residence on the island. It is just another example of greedy county governments trying to pack every available penny into their coffers, so that they can pay to dismantle and homogenize all their surrounding areas. In the Northeast there is a lot less space, so the problem becomes even more apparent. Historically the islanders have been lobstermen and fishers while the mainlanders were farmers and merchants. All that these people want is control over their situation which the sovereign state of Maine has chosen to relieve them of. I am throwing my support behind the tiny island. I believe that these people know better how to govern themselves than the county government that has taken upon itself to turn Chebeague Island into a vacation spot for only the wealthiest of people. A house that cost $2,000 a year last year will cost in the range of $12,000 a year in the future. This massive tax increase will force most of the people on this mild-mannered island to move away. After they empty out the island I am sure that there are a few hotel chains and developers that can't wait to buy everyone's property at a deflated price then carve up the 800-acre island into the new pleasure zone for the financial elite. A $10,000 a year increase! Go Chebeague! Stand your ground. States Rights Now! 2005-06-06T10:02:00.000-07:00 I must express my deepest regrets that the Supreme Court has decided against the reformation of marijuana law. One because I would like to see it decriminalized and taxed. Two, because the states need some rights too. I thought that it was going to happen this time, but the judges seemed to disagree. The case was divided 6-3 with Justices Renquist, O'Conner, and surprisingly Thomas dissenting. The core of this case doesn't really lay with the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes. It is really a battle between the federal and state governments to see who the final decision maker is. Obviously the big, bad federal government won this time. Boy, this is really killing my buzz. I think that the federal government has good reason to override these laws, but not without looking at the set of laws that they have established to regulate marijuana. These arcane laws have only been made more severe under the Reagan war on drugs. We lost that one by the way. We lost it big time. Instead of keeping drugs out of the country we made international super rings of drug manufacturers, dealers, and shippers. They are so far ahead of the game now that there is very little chance of the federal government ever being able to stop it. Congratulations to the drug dealers by the way. No one gives these guys enough credit. They went up against the money, man power, and technology of the USA and kicked out asses from here to Colombia. Watch out all you dirty feds. The hippies haven't lost yet. Under our current laws, there are more people in jail for marijuana related charges than anything else. Here is a little blurb from the norml website: These new FBI statistics indicate that one marijuana smoker is arrested every 45 seconds in America. Taken together, the total number of marijuana arrests for 2000 far exceeded the combined number of arrests for violent crimes, including murder, manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault. What is wrong with this picture? Is it that all the people that the FBI arrested for pot were too stoned to run? Did the violent sex offenders put up too much of a fight? I think the problem is in a societal trend. Let's face it. There are a lot of people out there that smoke pot. I've got to say that I support them. I hope that they are like those Buddhist monks that protested the Vietnam War by lighting themselves on fire. I want these pot smokers to be mildly intoxicated kamikazes. Keep on smoking! Let the man take you to jail! Fill up their cells! And, by all means, write to your governor, senator, congressmen, who ever. Just write to them and tell them that America's pot laws suck. It is your last chance folks. If the people want to get stoned all day long then they have to make their voices heard. Congress is the only way that the situation can change now. Good luck. Back From The Beach 2005-06-01T13:36:00.000-07:00 I had a long weekend on the beach with my family. It was a little too crowded to be comfortable. It is funny how utterly speecheless I am left after a few days with my family. I love them all to death, but they really don't function on the same level that I do. I guess that we are crazy in our own ways, but when you put them all together it gets to be a bit much. I will try to get something out tomorrow. Tennessee Politics at its finest 2005-05-26T14:14:00.000-07:00 Although I know that most people aren't familiar with the politics in Tennessee, I think that you might be surprised to find that there is a treasure trove of scandal and malicious uses of power, going all the way back to before Al Gore Sr. was in office. I will begin by giving a short and slightly racist rundown of the political scene. It is only slightly racist because that is just the kind of place that Tennessee is. I won't deny it. They have made huge leaps of progress when you consider what the climate was fifty years ago. They have long since quelled the race riots and strikes, but whenever Louis Faracon shows up there are still a few people that don't mind pulling out their old Klan robes and burning a few crosses. I don't, by any means, support this kind of behavior, but it does make for some interesting political divisions. Most white people are Christian and Republican, and most black people are Christian and liberal. I was even a republican for a little while. Granted, I was in sixth grade, and my school had set up play voting machines in the basement of my exclusive, predominately white, Presbyterian elementary school, so I must say that it came as no surprise when Bush/Quayle 92' won overwhelmingly in the PDS poles. Thank god the rest of the country had the brains to vote the other way! Let us get back to the nitty gritty. Imagine, if you will, the state of Tennessee, or look it up on the Internet or nearest atlas. It is long and can be divided into three sections: West, Central, and East Tennessee. Central Tennessee's largest metropolitan area is Nashville. It is the home of country music and a shit load of white people that will vote republican almost all of the time. Big Billy "the Bully" Frist was born there if that tells you anything about the city. (Lots of cowboy hats and squirrel hunting.) Not so good in the food department. Next let us go east to , well, East Tennessee. It is a magical world that was settled by the scotch-Irish after some potatoes famine or some shit like that. Chattanooga and Knoxville are both located in this section of the state. Currently, it is occupied by a strange sub-class of humans that are both crazy and republican. There are a few democrats in Knoxville, but it is a college town. The Eastern part of the state is very beautiful in the fall, but be careful when you are wandering around the Smokies because marijuana is the largest cash crop, and those hill billies don't take too kindly to nobody walkin' on their grass, if you know what I mean. There are also a wide variety of moonshine bars. They are usually a large trailer that has been converted, and the alcohol is brewed right on the premises. Be careful though because if you get a bad jug you could go blind. Briefly, I would also like to write about one of my favorite religions that has its roots in the mountains of Tennessee, Snake handling. These jackasses believe that they can handle poisonous snakes as long as they truly believe in God. They get bitten. Some die. Fucking non-believers. Their religion is based almost totally on these two verses out of the bible: "They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." (Mark 16:18) "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you." (Luke 10:19) It sounds like a whole lot of fun. Now, we have looked at the central and the east. Lets get down to brass tacks. The place where all the actions at... Home of the blues... Bar B Que capital of the World... Memphis and the Western section of the state. Memphis has the distinct advantage of being the cultural and population epicenters of the state. It is very racially diverse, and it has re-invented itself on more than one occasion. Memphis is also 70% African American. I would like to be the first to thank all the past and present African Americans that lived in Memphis because without you Memphis wouldn't exist. Thanks. This key demographic has allowed there to be a democrat strong hold in our fine state. I must admit that I was a little let down when Al Gore lost it in 2000. I don't like him much either, and I'm pretty sure that it was raining, so if you couldn't get out to vote... well, never mind. No one is perfect right. There are two major political machine left in Memphis because of said demographic. First, the honorable dictator of Memphis, city mayor, Dr. W. W. Herenton. He has been around quite a while, but has recently been involved in several scandals that might lead to his downfall in the next election to someone in the second major political machine, the Ford family. The Fords are honestly my favorite just because of their "balls-to-the-wall" "in-your-face" style of politics. Here is a great example of the Fords http://www.memphisflyer.com/content.asp?ID=3250&onthefly=1 I will get back to them later. I hope that I haven't managed to offend anyone too much. Hope everybody enjoyed it. Got to go for now. Goodbye Jimmy 2005-05-20T15:17:00.000-07:00 (August 10, 1927 - May 14, 2005) Jimmy Martin was one of the most controversial and lovable assholes in all of Nashville and Bluegrass music. He played with almost every famous bluegrass and country musician that was out there. He drank, hunted squirrels, and drank. Got to love him. If you don't own any of his music then you should go out and get some. If you want to read a hilarious but true book about this colorful character then you should check out Tom Piazza's True Adventures With the King of Bluegrass. You can get it from his website www.tompiazza.com I think that it is also available at your local bookstrore or off of amazon.com Goodbye Jimmy. I would ask you to say hello to Johnny Cash, but I'm pretty sure that you went the other way. I'm sure that I'll see you in a few decades. Till then, tell the Doctor that I hope he burns! Product Placement. 2005-05-16T09:32:00.000-07:00 I do occasionally write something serious and try to explain something to you that I deem important enough to be serious about. Today, I am writing about product placement. It is the most tricky and despicable form of advertising. Essentially what happens is that you, the audience, are completely un aware of what is going on, but you are being bombarded with advertising. There are two sides to this story. First we will look into the advertiser's point of view, then I will represent you, me, and everyone else. On the side of the advertisers it must be said that these people are performing a service that is vital and essential to all the newspapers, magazines, radio station, broadcast TV stations, and cable and satellite services. Take a minute to think about that. Really, without these advertisers we wouldn't have any of these things that we depend on everyday. I bet that if you are reading this then you are three or four of these things each day. That being said, there are also negative aspects to what they do, including adding fuel to the fire of rampant consumerism in America. "Rampant consumerism?" you might be asking yourself. Yes, I think that American society is under siege by people trying to sell us things that we don't need, which is where the advertisers come in. There are so many products out there in so many categories that these advertisers are actually working there asses off trying to get to you. Their intense drive has caused the most interesting variation of advertising yet, product placement. I will give a real life example of how this form of advertising is underhanded and unethical. I will also tell you haw you can avoid it. The Disney company started a deal with the following companies, " Visa, McDonald's and Verizon Wireless, Eastman Kodak, Dodge, Nascar and TiVo" I retrieved this info from an article by Todd Wasserman in Brandweek. It allowed them to get $160 with which to promote their movie National Treasure. It is the most that Disney has ever spent on a movie advertisement except for the other movie that they released in that month, The Incredibles. Remember, if you will, a few months ago when Mc Donald’s had the special national treasure contest along with visa, and verizon wireless. It was designed to take people away on real treasure hunting trips. There were commercials everywhere. I don't have a problem with a little synergism, but they went over board. When Nicolas Cage steals the Declaration of Independence he walks out through the gift shop, and a girl behind the counter stops him and makes him pay for it because she thinks that he is trying to steal a fake. He doesn't have enough cash on him. Oh no! He might not be able to steal it! But wait! "We take visa." she says. "Oh, I have a Visa card" (camera pans downward, exposing the conveniently placed visa logo in his wallet) After that the Visa executives write a couple of really big checks to Disney, and Mickey Mouse and Michael Eisner drink a couple bottles of Crystal. You see. Product placement is evil because most people don't even realize that they are being shown ads. I would have much less of a problem if there was a disclaimer. Almost all TV shows have product placement. Notice next time you are watching your favorite cop drama or sit-com. There will definitely be a scene where a product is put in plain view of the audience. It might be a McDonald’s food rapper or a can of diet dr. pepper. It is out there. There are really only two things that I can think to do about it. First is be aware of what you are watching. Secondly, Don't buy those products that you see on television. They are probably bad for you anyway. I don't know if this actually helped any of you become more aware of the media environment that you are a valuable part of, but I hope that you will at least think about it. Don't be some advertisers bitch. Howdy, Glad to be back 2005-05-16T09:25:00.000-07:00 Here is a short one. My girlfriend graduated this weekend. I am very proud of her. Almost her whole family was here. We spent a lot of time drinking at the Columns Hotel. We ate at Jaqueimo's Cafe. I ate the Godzilla vs. the fried green tomatoes. It was actually kind of scary. We ate at lillette the night before, and I had the Kobve Beef, which was supremely delicious. I think that I might try to become an cow massager after I retire. Elizabet's family is very interesting. That's about all that I can say about that without getting too specific. I would like to wish Large a very good vacation because he deserves it. He is going to spent a few days on a goat farm in rural Alabama, and after that he is going to a nice beach house in South Carolina. I'll try to keep everyone posted, just kidding. Sorry about the lull in posts 2005-05-10T11:20:00.000-07:00 I am going through finals right now, so I really haven't had time to get anything up here. I have a few in the works though. One about product placement and one about a guy named Randy Elvis. Both should be amusing and informative. Anyway, hope that everybody is doing well. I'll get back to it soon. j Another Successful drinking Season Draws to a Close 2005-05-03T08:58:00.000-07:00 For those of you that aren't familiar with the drinking season, it is much longer in New Orleans than the rest of the South, and drinking is still in season along the coast of the gulf and the eastern seaboard. Drinking season? You might be asking yourself. In New Orleans it starts when the first Mardi Gras Parade rolls and ends when the last Jazzfest concert is played. It is a time when drinking is acceptable at almost anytime of the day or night, and there will most likely be a good reason to drink like the fact that it is any catholic saints birthday or a day that has a vowel in its name. I am happy to say that I will be extending the season a few days to include the graduation of my girlfriend from college. I wouldn't normally, but I felt that it was necessary. Now is a time for all New Orleanians to reflect on the past year, the mild winter, and where the hell they are going to when it starts getting hot again. In a few short days the spring will have sprung, and the primordial sludge of the swamps will start to boil. All the damn spined caterpillars will have turned into ugly moths. The humidity will be so overbearing that you will start to sweat as soon as you get out of the shower. God help us. I would like to make some special announcements in the old blog here. First, I would like to congratulate the SAE chapter at Rhodes College for producing such honest young men because ya'll did a shitty job of showing those boys how to drink. There is also a warning in the states of Alaska, Alabama, and Colorado. You should keep your eyes out for a guy named Dave Heaney(I think that's how you spell the last name). He is very persuasive and will most likely ask you to join one of his clubs. He is desperate for a following, but he will lead you down the long and terrible road to your ultimate demise. His clubs include the infamous Snow cone, I-hate-dave-club, and PAUTPRJ(People against the Unethical treatment of Porto Rican Jews). You have been warned. Is it summer camp or hell? You tell me. 2005-04-27T12:24:00.000-07:00 I decided to look at one of my favorite organizations websites: www.thecauseusa.com I am going to post their little blurb for their Summer program. Calling all Nazarites! That's right Nazarites. They want nazarites. If you are part of an ancient jewish tribe and a fanatical christian, then you have found the perfect way to spend your money and time. Oh, and parents, if you are trying to find something brainwashing for your children to do, here you go. I think that nazarites might be a typo. They ment to say Nazis. Justice House of Prayer WHAT:It is time for a House of Prayer that will contend for the government of our land. We are summoning the thousands of high school, college age, and older Nazirites to come to Washington D.C. for day and night worship and intercession, from January 16th to June 17th, 2005. This will be no easy walk in the park. It will be intense. Each student will be expected to give 6 days a week with one day off. Many will go on extended fasts. The night watches will be as important as the battles in the day. There will be a strong emphasis on intimacy with the Lord and extended worship as a place from which to move into governmental prayer and intercession. There will be two-hour shifts for devotion and spiritual refreshing. Then we will follow the Lord again into the battle for the courts of our nation and the overturning of Roe v. Wade, for a great youth awakening, for the ending of the Iraq war and for a powerful move of the Holy Spirit in the homosexual communities of America. During the first days, we will hold equipping meetings on how to start 24 hour houses of prayer, how to mobilize students to activism and how to enhance campus ministry. Seasoned leaders in the body of Christ will be joining Lou as he trains and mentors, including Dutch Sheets, Mike Bickle, Ted Haggard, Dick Eastman and many more. WHERE: The outcome of Roe v. Wade will be decided, first and foremost, in the heavenlies (What the hell?) through fasting and prayer. Like Moses who held up his hands in prayer while Joshua fought in the valley below, we must win a decisive battle in the spirit , maintaining 'air superiority' over America or face defeat in the ground war. WHY:This new year, will not only be a time of abandoned worship, prayer and intimacy with the Lord, but we are intent upon mentoring a new generation of emerging prayer leaders…(Pause for dramatic effect) Our hope is to train many of the new 'officers' for the coming revival…(Pause for dramatic effect again) those who will start houses of prayer on their campuses and in their cities, the activists committed to reformation of society and the transformation of politics, business and the media, the radicals who are catalysts of a new student volunteer missions movement, the Nazis whose hearts are given over to the Lord in bridal love and who have made a covenant by sacrifice. This is not the year to be asleep. Come toWashington DC! ACCOMODATION:First-come, first-serve accommodations will be available for a nominal fee. Short term sessions are $15.00 per person, per day. Groups are $10.00 per person, per day. Registration is required. JHOP Internships are $400 a month starting January 19, 2005. This will be a six month session. (hopefully you are not in school) Overflow camping will be available in the summer months at the farm!(The Farm is actually where we will hold up in case God tells us that we need to start a crazy cult thing. We have plenty of survivalists on staff and lots of guns. A warning to the ladies, all our male members will need multiple wives, so bring your friends. No birth control please! Be prepared to bear multiple children.) A listing of off-site accommodations can be found at: The Courtyard Marriott in Greenbelt, Maryland Links on- www.marriott.com REGISTRATION:If you are under 18, you must have completed Parental Permission Form and a Medical Release Form. No one under 18 will be allowed to participate without these signed forms - no exceptions. Children under 18 must also be escorted by a parent, guardian, or be part of a youth group under the supervision of a responsible adult. Damn those homosexuals and their support for Roe v Wade. I can't take it anymore. I am fasting and praying for twenty-four hours straight until these fuckers GO AWAY. I had a dream last night that Washington D.C. was covered in a mountian of human feces, and all the people from the Cause usa liked it because they all ate their way out to freedom. Shit eaters. Also you can join my summer program. We will spend most of the summer drinking and practicing voodoo. Once we have gained a supreme knowledge of the black arts we will use our new found power to make my crazy visions happen. I think that we should get this done by late July because I am planning a trip to the Greek Isles in early August, so if all goes as planned we can rain mountains of fecal matter down on our nations capitol. Send all inquiries to drjpcoleman.yahoo.com Accomodations will be provided by the Riverlake property management company. All over flow can just wander the streets. Can't wait to hear from you. Please don't go Bar! 2005-04-26T10:49:00.000-07:00 I had the misfortune of hearing that Barbara Hamilton, Ontario, Canada is quiting the game. If you want to catch her one and only entry go to linguistnaturally.blogsopt.com The only reason that I'm writing about this is because I am having trouble figuring a few things out. I am listed as the crazy guy's friend and my buddy Al is the crazy guy. Now I have doubted Al's mental competencey as many times as the next guy, but he has feelings too. How about calling me the eclectic guy's friend Bar? Al is probably crying at home alone. I saw a picture of your sister Bar. See is a cutie. If either of you wants to come to the U.S.A. for a little while drop me a line. I live in New Orleans, so guys would probably dig it. Tell your sister to link me as crazy guy's friend too. I hope that we keep getting hits from you. Don't give up Bar. You can just talk about nonsense or write shit like this. Make all the typos you want. Nobody gives a fuck. Wooo! I have read blogs of poetry. Do you know what people write on these things? Poetry to their best friends older sister or about a day in the park. Some people even write about thier babies, but it is from their babies perspective, so it goes something like this, "Pooped my pants again. That nice lady who's tits I suck on cleaned me up. She cried and said she hated me and that I ruined her life." That is probably more entertaining than what these people write. I saw one that was a story about "a group of waery travelers." Waery? What the fuck is waery. It's not a "waord." These are all real. Blogs are an electronic record of how worthless and stupid most people are, but I love it. The blogs from people in Japan that I can't understand but have music and special cursors. These poeple put hours of work into absolute shit. Bar, we aren't asking for perfection. Best of luck. Wish you would reconsider. Invitation still stands you and Natalie come on down to New Orleans. It'll be big fun. I love Robot Camel Jockeys 2005-04-21T09:13:00.000-07:00 No, this is not a joke. No, it is not a cleverly named rock band. No, it is not the title of a compassionate magnetic ribbon that I bought at Wal-Mart to stick on my car. It is just a statement, "I love robot camel jockeys." My friend Rein alerted me to their existence last night, and I knew that it would be perfect to talk about here. In the Arab nation of Qatar, which when pronounced correctly sounds a lot like guitar, they have finally given into international pressure and banned the human jockeys from camel racing. Now, I know that some of you that aren't familiar with the practice might be thinking, "Those poor camel jockeys. They're out of work." Well, you're right. The camel jockeys are out of a job, but when you are a child slave kidnapped and forced to ride a camel across the desert as fast as possible, being out of a job isn't really so bad. Camel jockeys are exactly that. They are young boys that have been taken and forced to ride camels. Some of the young lads go out to play and never return home. No one seems to know what happens to the camel jockeys once they grow up and become too big to ride the camels. I wonder if they hang out at retired camel jockey bars and drink their sorrows away. I got most of my information for this from www.camelraces.com. It has several pictures of camel jockeys, all of which show them smiling. Something I didn't understand because they are supposed to be slaves, and last time I checked slavery wasn't a very happy thing. Camelraces.com has some interesting titles for its sections including, "You Camel Jockey!" and "Worse Things Could Happen." Both of those sections really cracked me up, just kidding, but really though, worse things could happen? The site also has a section about chimney sweep exploitation, but I saw Merry Poppins and I know what goes on in chimneys. Back to the matter at hand. I must congratulate the Qatari government on their sweeping social reform. After a little research I can really say that these Qataris are on the ball they have resolved all their border disputes in 2001, bloodlessly overthrown their leader in 1995, and have one of the highest per capita income levels in the world. The CIA says that they don't have any major international issues left to take care of. That is some impressive shit. Plus, universal suffrage! Can you believe it? It seems like the only thing they had left to deal with was the whole camel jockey thing, and because of the Swiss firm K-team they got that one out of the way. I never would have thought that the Swiss would come up with the robot camel jockey, but you never can tell. English Proficiency 2005-04-15T18:04:00.000-07:00 I am happy to announce that after the second time that I took the English profeciency exam that I finally passed that bitch. I would go into greater detail, but I have some celebrating to do. It is the exam that all transfer students at UNO have to take in order to get out of Freshmen English. I actually failed the first time. I couldn't believe it. The second time around I went to the free seminar on how to pass the exam, and they tell you that you must write the dumbest essay possible. If you write above a fourth grade level then you will probably fail. I did. The second time around I had a few wild turkeys on the rocks and smoked about a quarter of shwag, and I passed. It just took decapacitating myself enough to get that P grade on blackboard. No more F's! No English 101! Go PPPPP! Cloned Beef, It's what's for dinner again and again! 2005-04-12T12:08:00.000-07:00 After a short film on the Human Genome Project and quick read through a few articles on cloned cattle, I felt like I couldn't swallow. Genetics is one of best and the worst things that could ever happen to mankind. The possibilities for good are almost endless, according to some schools of thought, but there are many dissenters that just don't want us to play God. I can't really blame them, and if the pro-genetics people weren't run mostly by dangerous corporations that seek nothing more than to gain a profit I would probably agree with them. The U.S. Patent Office receives an astronomical amount of patents on DNA sequencing. What this means is that if a group of scientists discovers a way to get rid of a terminal cancer, but they don't own the patent on the specific sequence of genes, the patent owner can stop them from curing the cancer unless the scientists are willing to cut the patent owner in on the spoils. This is the very nature of evil in the drug industry; the rampant greed and corruption that are generated from corporate interest in “helping people”. These bastards have jacked up the price of drugs so much that they are bleeding our society dry faster than the damn oil companies. The things that these companies do is almost criminal and I hate them all deeply for it. I guess it is the dual function that they serve that really gets me going. They help us. It's true! They actually do things that better our lives, but they hurt us too. By advertising directly to consumers they inadvertently cause doctor shopping, among other things. Doctor shopping is when a patient wants a specific drug because they believe, because of advertising, that this drug will solve all their problems, but when the doctor doesn't give them what they want, most patients will go to another doctor until they finally get some one that will give them the drug. This process has two affects. One being the constant switching of physicians. The other being the pressure put on doctors to prescribe whatever the patients want for fear of losing business. If you don't think that it happens then I suggest you consult the Journal of the American Medical Association or the New England Journal of Medicine. Both have plenty of articles dealing with the subject. The other thing that direct to consumer advertising has done for modern medicine is jack up the price of the drugs so high that very few people can realistically afford them. I hate to think that the average person would be able to benefit from the massive drug culture that America has fostered over the past two decades. You have to feel for these drug companies though. It is very expensive for Merc to pay for super bowl ads, and if you didn't know how to get a rock hard erection to counter act the depression medication that you are taking what would you do? I can't imagine a doctor being capable of telling you what you need to know. We all know that advertisements never lie or leave out important information. Right? Enough of that mess. Back to cloning. If you've actually read this far then you actually want to know about cloning. I just thought that I would stick that stuff in there about dtc advertising. I am glad that we can clone, but we must always remember the negative side of cloning. There is no substitute for the really thing. What I love are the scientists that argue that they wouldn't be given such a hard time if they were cloning endangered species. My question is, "Why aren't you cloning endangered species Asshole?" They're in danger of not existing. Why not put a few more out there to give them a numerical booster shot? The problem with genetics and cloning doesn't lay in the science. It is in us. It is in the hearts and minds of every human. It is human nature. We fuck more things up than anything else in the universe. We are a bumbling, foolish race that will never know its own strength, kind of like Lenny in Of Mice and Men, but on a much larger and much more dangerous scale. We might realize it in the last, waning hours of our existence, but by then it will be way too late. I hope that our scientists and government bodies use the power afforded to them by genetics the best way possible, but it is almost inevitable that they won't. It is like my 1st grade teacher used to say, "One bad apple can spoil the whole bunch." She wasn't talking about me by the way. She was referring to a kid that is now serving a few years in the state penn. for aggravated assault. I predict that it will start in California in a goofy clinic that will give you the baby of your dreams. Some one like Paris Hilton will get one, and it will ultimately lead the life of a beautiful yet mentally depraved maniac. The results won't stop more and more people from getting them though, and then it will slowly become a part of society. Designer babies! You should get one for yourself. Oh, and eat cloned cattle because it is just as good the second time around. The disemboweled cat on my front steps 2005-04-07T11:03:00.000-07:00 I am posting this coming off a pretty weird afternoon, and it is just 1:00. I took a test this morning in one of my classes, and then I went home to get off of campus for a little while. I had parked my car, and my neighbor was pulling away when I saw it. His cat was lying on the driveway, clearly dead. Its intestines were strewn everywhere. I waved him down to alert him of his cat's demise, and I noticed that there was no blood on the ground. He jumped out of his car and ran to the cat. His face was frozen in a look of terror. I could see the beads of sweat forming on his furrowed brow. "Who did this?" he asked. I didn't have any answers for him unfortunately. "What kind of person..?" he managed to squeak out. I was drawing a blank. I figured that someone had hit it with a car or a stray had gotten a hold of it. He turned and looked up at me. My shadow covered his face, but I could still see the bright anger in his eyes. His hands were shaking and his mouth was hanging open. "She was pregnant." he croaked in a voice that sounded like he had been drinking hot glass shards. "Oh Jesus. That's disturbing, terribly disturbing. Holy Shit." I went on like that for a few minutes. My head was spinning, trying to understand what had gone on, weighing the options. Who had been crazy enough to do something like this? He flipped the cat on its back. There wasn't an unborn kitten left in the animal. He threw up beside her. "Why would anyone do this? Where are the babies?" He said as he wiped his mouth off. Voodoo was all that I could think. I was going through my small knowledge of voodoo, trying to come up with something that could possibly explain what the fuck was happening. There were spiny caterpillars inching along the ground. They are the kind with big stinging horns that hurt like hell. They take Uptown New Orleans hostage for a few weeks before they turn into moths or butterflies or I squash every last one of the little fuckers. Their very existence is testament to the fact that NOLA might actually be born out of Hell. Think about it. Man raised the land out of the swamps, and now the city is sinking back into the fiery muck that spawned all this evil. It’s hard to explain to an outsider. You really have to let the grime get on you, into your veins, or walk through the fog that smells like an army of hippies' body odor to really understand why this place might be evil. Voodoo. Gumbo. Back to the matter at hand. Some sick bastard captured this cat, cut it open, took out its unborn babies, and laid it back on the front steps. I don't know how to make peace with this one. All that I know is that this person is sick enough to cut a cat open and put it back, and they know my building. I live on Harmony Street for Christ's sake. This isn't harmony. They know where I live. They might even be a person that lives in the building. I feel sorry for this dude, but I live with my girlfriend. I mean, what if animals are only an appetizer for this maniacal pig fucker. What's for dinner? All that I know is that I am going to be looking around before I get out of my car at night. I am scared. I haven't been scared in a long time, and I don't like it. What if this is some Voodoo thing? Are dead animals going to start showing up on my door steps every couple of weeks? Is the landlord really that concerned with the no pets policy? Who is this man that I know almost nothing about? I know that he's a cat owner. I know that someone really doesn't like him. Beyond that it’s anybody's guess. I'll try to keep you posted. P.S. Send good Juju my way. I think that I might need it. R.I.P. RARR 2005-04-06T12:01:00.000-07:00 Sorry that I have been a little lax on the posts lately. I have been trying to locate one of my long lost partners in crime. I received a note from him through the postal service warning me of imminent danger to my life. In the note, He wrote, "Danger Jay, They already have me. Don't let them get you. Sincerely, RARR" For those of you that don't know RAR is the code name for the secret organization Republicans Against Republicans and the last letter identifies the agents name. In this case it was Rohit. We sent Rohit to Tennessee a few months ago to infiltrate the Shelby County Republican Party. The Shelbs , as they are called in the RAR dossier, are a dangerous lot. They are a paranoid and violent bunch. One wrong move and he was a dead man. Don't feel sorry for him though. He knew the risks and was trained well. We tried to offer whatever help we could, but I feared the worst. The RAR is a guerilla organization that attempts to dismantle the Republican Party from the inside out. There is really no way to tell who we are. We look, act, and dress just like any other white bread American. We spend hours training and conditioning ourselves, so that we blend in seamlessly with the other Republicans. Unfortunately we all have a weakness. Rohit's was women. I think he spilled to beans to the wrong girl, and she told the Shelbs about him. He thought it was love. Love is a tricky thing, especially in political espionage. Those barbarians tortured him for hours. Very few details have come out since then. We here at RAR are sure that he is a dead man. He was a good one. You don't run across class acts like that every day. This one is for your RARR. We hope that you come back as a higher life form, and don't worry; we'll gut those lousy pig-dogs right. Oh My God: What is wrong with the cause? 2005-03-24T13:32:00.000-08:00 These manaical Hitler Youth are taking upon themselves to change the world through prayer and fasting. What's worse is the fact that they started right here in America. I really wish that they popped up in some other part of the world, some place I'm not. Here is a little quote from thier latest news letter. " The Cause team came into D.C. deeply burdened for the elections. We had received powerful dream revelations from several major, prophetic voices declaring that President Bush will be a “Burning Bush” in his second term. These dreams demonstrated that he would be powerfully used to limit, if not overthrow abortion. These acts of justice by the “Burning Bush” could usher in one of the greatest awakenings that the nation has ever seen." It freaks me out that these people are serious. They are using a dream they had, which I think they're lying about, as proof that "Burning Bush" is here to get some shit done. I had a dream too. My dream was very similar, but it was about Bush burning. Pres. Bush was in hell with rabid rats being shoved in his ass on an hourly basis while eternally burning. It was the best sleep that I have gotten in weeks. Let us go deeper into the NEWSLETTER! Here is another littler excert from a section entitled the Arrow of the Lord has Landed. One morning, I was weeping before the Lord. We had received two dreams in which we were building a house next to the White House. In both dreams we were stretching a measuring line out over the White House. A young man had a dream of thousands of youth coming to the Supreme Court with the word “LIFE” taped over their mouths. As events unfolded in D.C. I could not shake this dream. I began to wonder, “Was God giving us a strategy to overturn Roe v. Wade and usher in revival in our land?” Providentially, our first day in D.C. was the opening session for the Supreme Court. As if to seal our mandate to end abortion, on our very first day interceding at the courts, God set up a high-noon showdown between our young intercessors and a gathering for N.O.W. (National Organization for Women). In the face of the shouting crowd and waving signs saying, “Keep Abortion Legal” and “Same Sex Marriage,” we decided to follow the dream. In complete silence, we stood with red tape that proclaimed “LIFE” over our mouths. The contrast of our silence to the loud press conference was deafening. No media covered our band, but the Lord whispered to me, “He used the foolish things to confound the wise, the weak things to overthrow the strong, the things that are not to nullify the things that are.” (1 Cor. 1:27-28) Once again, I am appalled. These crazed Jesus zombies are what cults are made of. I don't think that I would drink any of the Kool-aid that they pass out at their functions. Here is the last one that I am going to put in, but it is a doosey. A member of our team recently had a real-life encounter with prophetic significance. It highlights two of the issues America is facing and will help you to better understand our mandate to pray. As one of our team was driving from Kansas City to Colorado Springs, a massive tornado touched down behind his car and followed him along the freeway! With the fear of imminent death upon him, he fled wildly down Interstate Highway 70, barely escaping. He said later he felt as if there was almost a personality behind this phenomenon. Two days after this, he had a dream in which two huge tornadoes were pursuing him and with the letters “h” and “a” on both tornadoes. In the dream, he was restrained from confronting the tornadoes until the young people with TheCauseUSA had first gone to a laundry room to wash their clothes. He understood the tornadoes with the “ha-ha” on them were two mocking Goliath spirits unleashed against the Church and bringing destruction to the nation. He knew the “h” stood for homosexuality and the “a” for abortion. We knew God was giving us a mandate for intercession. Preparation and cleansing were first needed before we could resist these powers. As the leaders gathered to discuss the “haha” tornado vision, we gained more prophetic insight. We’d been discussing our plans to travel to Washington, D.C. for a national fast and noticed that I-70 ran directly from our location in Colorado Springs to D.C. We felt led to read Psalm 70 to seek confirmation for this next phase of the journey. As someone began to read the Psalm we were electrified... Ps. 70:2-3: Let them be ashamed and confounded who seek my life (children in the womb); let them (these two tornadoes) be turned back and confused who desire my hurt. Let them be turned back because of their shame, who say, ‘Aha! Aha!’ We sat stunned and shocked as God confirmed these two mocking spirits MUST be turned back with repentance, extended fasting, and prayer. As a result of this remarkable confirmation, we soon embarked on a prayer journey from Kansas City, the heart of America, along I-70 to D.C. We believed that God commissioned us to go on this divine national assignment to resist and turn back these two mocking and destructive spirits of homosexuality and abortion. However, this task was not ours alone. As we traveled through strategic cities, we called for others to take up the Cause and launch into day and night governmental intercession for the heart of our nation. We stressed this was more than just a call to pray for the elections; it was a life-long mandate to obey 1 Timothy 2:1-2. They're all gonna laugh at you. "haha" I interpret this one a little differently. I think that God sent the tornado down to suck this bastard up and rid the rest of the world of his terrible and mis-guided existance. How's that for a right to life? If you see these people on the street then run the other way because they will try to eat you alive. Their shaman told them that if they ate the brains of their enemies that they would be able to gain their strenth. "Death to all those who would whimper and cry."- Bob Dylan Our right to life: the Feeding Tube Saga 2005-03-23T13:35:00.000-08:00 I have tried to post a few separate times on this issue, but each time it comes out wrong. I think that I finally know what it is that I want to say. After a brief discussion with my friend and colleague Jonathan Large, I finally got a good feeling for the other side of this issue. He made some very good points, and I am going to attempt to explain them here because I believe that it is important for us to understand why our government is making such an enormous deal out of what appears to be nothing. I think that they should let poor Mrs. Shaivo die. Most of all, I think that the government should have let this one go. Here's why they aren't: These congressmen are making a moral stand. It goes beyond just the day to day governmental position. These men and women on both sides of the political spectrum are really trying to stand up for what they believe in. It may cost some of them their political careers. We have to respect them for doing that. I can definitely see why their motives are being questioned. It is very hard to say who is right or wrong here. I think that that is what can be agreed upon by both sides. We can't say what it is that Mrs. Schaivo feels or is capable of feeling, so, the argument goes, why can't we come down on the side of life? It is an important point that a lit of the major news networks have missed. Honestly, does it matter if she survives on a feeding tube for another month while we let the debate come to fruition? I don't think it does. I think that the outcome will still be the same, but I feel that everyone can benefit from using a little caution in the matter. Let this stand as an example of cooperation. So that next time we have an issue that is being rushed through the government we can say that we should use caution. That caution and respect of each other are truly the only way that our government should be run. It is hard to get immediate results from a large governing body, which is why it is so surprising to me that this mess has happened. Let this be a lesson to the government. If they can all get together and produce results, we may start expecting them to do their jobs. I would hate to think what all our poor congressmen would do if they were expected to perform honestly and efficiently. Let us not leave this debate with a bitter taste in our mouth. Let us use this as a means to hold our government to higher standards. If they can show up, debate for a few hours, come up with a bill, and have the President sign it, then why are they normally so slow? I will tell you why. Our government officials have grow fat suckling on the teat of the Federal government. Is this what you want people, fat, complacent representatives? Or, do you want good government? I always lean towards good government, let’s unite against these fat bastards, democrat and republican alike, and make them do what they are supposed to do. Back in Memphis 2005-03-22T09:56:00.000-08:00 I must apologize for the lack of posts in the past week. I had mid-terms last week, and now I am on spring break. I hope to write as few things while I am in Memphis, but don't hold your breath. Congrats To Jim and Nan 2005-03-18T17:21:00.000-08:00 I would like to announce the marriage of a person that is very dear to my heart. Her advice, compasion, and understanding have made her a second mother and friend to me. I also must thank her for giving birth to one of my best friends, a man that is my brother, Thomas. Congradulations to Nancy Chears on her marriage to Jim Buckmann, a wonderful man and artist. I hope that you two have many, many happy years together. I know that your relationship will be fruitful, and hopefully one that brings joy to those around you. Congrats again! DRJPCIV Would you Rather? 2005-03-10T11:53:00.000-08:00 Goodbye Danno! Some would say good riddance. I am a little sad that Dan Rather is leaving the CBS Nightly News. I have really enjoyed tuning into him on a fairly regular basis, but I do support his decision. I am extremely sad that Dan had to leave after that whole mess that some people called "rather gate." We will just say that was an extreme lapse in someone's judgment. Dan has been at the center of so many big stories, and he deserves a lot of credit for helping to mold younger journalists because he is such a figure head. On top of that, he isn't exactly the most attractive or animated fellow that we have ever seen, but I still like the automotom that he had going. The real question is, "What next?" I feel that CBS actually has a chance to make a big move in network news. I know that most of the people that read this are tech savvy enough to have weaned themselves off of the network news nipple and gone onto greater things like the semi-solid food that is cable news or the teething ring of internet news. Enough developmental metaphors. For those of you that don't get into media trends much I will provide a brief explanation. For years the media critics have been waiting for the networks to axe their news programs, so that they can go and dissect the remains in a scholarly effort to let everyone else know why network news died. That hasn't happened yet though. Although the networks are losing ground fast, they still have a lot of fight and money left in them. Remember, you never corner a wounded animal. Back to it. There have been some far off rumblings about a big turn around in the staff of the nightly news. From what I understand they might be looking at putting in some lower-paid anchors and go back to the old style where they actually had reporters in the field, like Rather used to be. I fully support that. The reason that they stopped all that is because they wanted to save money had a 20-million dollar set, and high paid anchors. Those are some serious things to fund for a program that is losing viewers. I say return to the old, hard way of reporting the news where all the anchors might not have been great to look at, but they were at least good reporters. Some of the people that I see on the TV today literally make me want to vomit. I hate these beautiful talking heads. Unless they are topless women reading the news then they can shove their candy-coated beauties up their ass. Give me fugly and reliable any day. Hopefully the networks take some time to look at their current situation. If they don't, then the journalism teachers in every school will have to explain it to their students, probably with tears in their eyes. I ask you CBS, "Do you want to make the journalism teachers cry?" Green Fairy after thoughts 2005-03-08T11:42:00.000-08:00 I hope that you've read my last post as this is a little companion to it. Now, all of you that are dying to try absinthe but are afraid that there might be some legal reprocusion, let me ease your worried mind. It is now legal in the States, but it has been distilled by half. In the old days, if you drank 7 absinthes, you might be seeing things, but today it would take 14 of the same drinks to get that effect. To all you heavy drinkers, I recomend that you try it if you think that you have the ability. To all you day trippers, I say welcome to the fold and thank you for your support. I have a dream that one day I will be able to enjoy a frosty absinthe anywhere I want. I also dream that one day everyone in the FCC will give up and let us have porn on public access late at night, but that is another dream entirely. The following is a post directly from www.wikipedia.org: Absinthe (from the French) is an alcohol liqueur derived from herbs including the flowers and leaves of wormwood, Artemisia absinthium. Absinthe is known for its popularity in France—and especially its romantic associations with Parisian artists and writers—in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, until its prohibition in 1915. The most popular brand of absinthe known to the world was Pernod Fils. Absinthe usually has a pale-green color (giving it its nickname "The Green Fairy") and tastes much like an anise-flavored liqueur, but with a more subtle flavor due to the many herbs used, and light bitter undertones. In addition to wormwood, it contains anise (often partially substituted with star anise), Florence fennel, hyssop, melissa, and Roman wormwood (Artemisia pontica). Various recipes also include angelica root, sweet flag, dittany leaves, coriander, and other mountain herbs. A simple maceration of wormwood without distillation produces an extremely bitter drink, due to the presence of the water-soluble absinthine, one of the most bitter substances known. Authentic recipes call for distillation after the primary maceration and before the secondary or "coloring" maceration. The distillation of wormwood, anise, and florence fennel first produces a colorless "alcoholate" which leaves the alambic at around 82 percent alcohol, and to this the well-known green color of the beverage is imparted by steeping roman wormwood, hyssop, and melissa in the liquid. After this process, the resulting product is reduced with water to the desired percentage of alcohol. Inferior varieties are made by means of essences or oils cold-mixed in alcohol, the distillation process being omitted. The alcohol content is extremely high (45 percent - 85 percent, though there is no historical evidence that any commercial vintage absinthe was higher than 74 percent) given the low solubility of many of the herbal components in alcohol. It is usually not drunk "straight," but consumed after a fairly elaborate ritual in which a specially designed, slotted spoon with a sugar cube inside its bowl is placed over a glass, and water is poured over the sugar until the drink is diluted 3:1 to 5:1. During that ritual, the components that are not soluble in water come out of solution and cloud the drink; that milky opalescence has always been called the "louche". Historically, there were four varieties of absinthe: ordinaire, demi-fine, fine, and supérieures or Swiss, the latter of which was of a higher alcoholic strength than the former. It can be colored green (which is done to add flavors) or left clear. The best absinthes contain 60 percent to 74 percent alcohol. It is said to improve very materially by storage. It is known that in the 19th century absinthe, like much food and drink of the time, was occasionally adulterated by profiteers with copper, zinc, indigo, or other dye-stuffs to impart the green color, but this was never done by the best distilleries. Flying on the Wings of Green Fairies: A guide to Absinthe for the 21st Century 2005-03-08T11:07:00.000-08:00 Imagine a warm March Saturday, walking among the ancient streets of one of America's oldest cities. The waste laden air pleasantly mingles with the first hint of the fragrant blooms of Spring. You are walking in Jackson Square, home of the St. Louis Cathedral and the Cabilldo. If you don't know what any of those are I recommend looking them up. You linger briefly in front of pirates alley. An alley that, years ago, was where people were mugged and dragged onto ships against their will. On a whim you decide to stroll down it as a short cut to Royal Street, where many artists have their wares on display and street performers do their things, trying to make a buck. Mid-way down the alley you see that a bar is open. You slip into the bar quietly and take a stool. Behind the bar is a large, distorted self-portrait of Vincent Van Gogh, looking as if he is sprouting a couple of extra heads. To the untrained eye this is just a cool ad that has no real meaning, but to the more experienced drinker the message rings in the back of their skulls like a hit from a sock full of quarters. The blood pops and fizzes in their veins as the rest of their body begins to realize that this watering hole offers one of the most delectably addictive and wonderfully mind-altering substances known to man, Absinthe. I remember our the green fairies first sweet embrace. It was in the duty-free store at the airport in Paris. I bought a few small bottles from a mildly friendly sales women. I cracked one open later that day after touching down in Memphis and being whisked off to the famed Galloway Mansion. For those of you who don't know about the Galloway Mansion, tough. The sticky green liqueur poured over my lips and numbed my tongue and gums. The feeling starts at the base of your brain in the medulaoblongata, the control center. This stuff doesn't play around. It gets to you quick. Within a few minutes the green fairy is coursing through your veins, warming your whole body up. The first time wasn't done properly. In order to get the full affects of absinthe it must be enjoyed somewhere there is a fair amount of dirt and grime, preferably built up over a number of centuries, but not everyone has that kind of place readily available. I imagine that if you were to compare it to another drug then you would have to look to heroine. Not that it is really that hard core. Today's absinthe is distilled by half, so it takes some serious drinking to start hallucinating. It is really more of the ceremony that goes into preparing a glass that reminds me of heroine and not the actually affect of the drug. First, an absinthe spoon is placed across the top of the glass and a sugar cube put on top of that. Secondly the absinthe is poured over the sugar cube into the glass. After that the sugar is set alight. Vapors collect in the glass and steam up the rim. After the cube burns down, water is poured from a slightly chilled decanter over the sugar cube. Here is where the green fairy comes in. The liquor is already neon green, but as the chemicals in the absinthe react with the first drops of water weird translucent ripples run through the glass, making the drink look like it has a flock of tiny organisms. As more water is poured into the mix the drink turns milky white. Lastly, take the absinthe spoon off of the top of the glass and enjoy. They Call Him Black Lightning 2005-03-03T12:54:00.000-08:00 "NASCAR Courts Minorities" is what the headline in today's Wall Street Journal Marketplace section read. Yes, NASCAR is finally trying to break the color barrier. They have started by getting the first African American driver. I am so proud of them. I mean, not only is NASCAR trying to leave the South, but it is also trying to reach its way into the hearts and minds of every human possible. That's right, even you are a target. They are willing to do anything to get you to say that you like watching colored blurs going around and around in a circle. Back to the point at hand. Bill Lester is the lone African American that drives a NASCAR, and he has gotten a whole lot of press. I am truly happy for Mr. Lester, but I am disappointed in NASCAR. They are shameless in their pandering. NASCAR has had celebrities like Magic Johnson, Pharrell, Bow Wow, and Anthony Hamilton, out to help draw in the "hip-hop crowd," as the Journal calls it. I know that NASCAR is only trying to do what any other red-blooded capitalists would do (i.e. Mc Donald’s), but I think that they are going over the top. I know that if they pump enough money into wrangling the "hip hop" demographic that they will finally drag a few colored faces into the stands for the next race, but what happens then? That is the real question. For all of you that have never had the opportunity, I feel that it is necessary for me to elaborate on what exactly goes on at a NASCAR race. I cannot lie. My family is actually a huge supporter of NASCAR. Some might say that I am too close to it to really comment, but I think that I can do it. If any of you reading this know my association with NASCAR please do not tell anyone by posting it in the comments section. Thanks. A NASCAR race is a decedent celebration of light, sound, and joy. Now, it can get a little bit menacing as the race goes on because there are so many drunken rednecks. I don't believe that there is anything quite as dangerous as a drunk redneck high on crystal meth. I have seen packs of them devour a pig in a matter of minutes. They are a quick as cobras and as mean as rabid pit bulls. Most often you can pick them out by their rambling, stumbling gait and shirtless back. The belt buckle and tattoos can also be telling. I say tattoos because it shows off their affiliations. If they just have some goofy tribal strip then they are probably harmless. If the tattoo is in the center of their shaved head and is a swastika, then I would advise that you keep your distance, that goes double for the hip hop crowd. Depending on the race, these fans could have been partying since the evening before, and although their bodies are still functional, anything that resembles a soul has been buried beneath a mountain of Busch beer and PCP. Be careful out there. These living zombies are maniacal. They will hurt you if given the chance, so women please carry your pepper spray and men please where your ass-kicking boots because it could get nasty. These people fill an enormous stadium in order to howl at the drivers and whoop whenever there is a gut-wrenching crash at 180 miles an hour over on the fourth turn. Their screams for blood remind me a lot of the ancient Romans. It is a comparison that I have made since I saw my first race. These are the people that help to make up the back bone of our society, and, whether we like it or not, they have a hunger for death. While you're in the stands watching the race you should close your eyes and imagine that you are in a Roman coliseum at a chariot race. I guarantee that the cries of, "Dale Jarret is a motherfucking bitch and I want to fuck his mother." will slowly transform into, "Carpe Diem, Nominus Patri" (Note: Those phrases are not what they actually screamed in Roman times. In fact, they don't even make any sense in the context of the story. It is just a bad example.) I think that I have summed up a basic idea of what I feel we are dealing with here. There are definitely good, honest, god-fearing people that attend these events, but they aren't very fun to write about. Now, I ask you. Does that seem like something that is ready to leave the South, much less integrate? I know that some people are going to read this and be appalled by my suggestion that NASCAR isn't ready to be a multi-cultural sport, but maybe it is one of the last bastions for goofy rednecks to do what they want to do. You don't have to agree with it in order to see that these people are very hard headed. I just don't want any trouble for anybody that shows up at a race. I say we should let the rednecks have their game. It will take time, but eventually there will be drivers of all races, and we won't judge them by the color of their skin. We will only be able to judge them by how fast their car can drive in a circle a couple hundred times. To NASCAR I say that in integrating so shamelessly not only do you risk turning off African Americans forever to your sport, but you might also get rid of the slobbering rednecks that have been your bread and butter for so long. No more killing children 2005-03-01T09:25:00.000-08:00 Today the Supreme Court handed down a ruling that bans the killing of minors in any state in the US. I must commend them for their actions, but their decision only complicates matters in a way because it furthers the idea that there Supreme Court's purpose is one of an activist that decides what is right for the rest of us. Now, some of you might think that that doesn't sound too bad, but it is. Admittedly the death penalty for minors seems like a no brainer, but I will give credit to Justice Scalia for reminding us, in his descent, that their job is only to rule on matters that are already law not to make laws. In some cases, like this one, I feel that it is ok for them to go ahead and make the law, but it is not what they were originally formed for. And it also takes power out of the hands of the people. In an increasingly government run country I think that we need to leave as much power with the individual as possible in order for our country to remain truly democratic. It would be a sad day in America if the Supreme Court could just wake up and decide that no one could attend rock concerts. People would be outraged. Ted Nugent would probably storm the Capitol and rock all the Senators to death or shoot them with flaming arrows. Either way, it would probably be mildly disturbing and extremely cool, in a rock'n'roll sense. I digress. My point is that we have the power to run our lives if we just act. That freedom is the best thing about America, and I don't believe that the Supreme Court, even if I agree with them, doesn't have the right to tell us different. So Justice Kennedy, Thanks for saving all those juveniles on death row. Justice Scalia, thanks for helping to keep us grounded. States Rights! Today the Supreme Court handed down a ruling that bans the killing of minors in any state in the US. I must commend them for their actions, but their decision only complicates matters in a way because it furthers the idea that there Supreme Court's purpose is one of an activist that decides what is right for the rest of us. Now, some of you might think that that doesn't sound too bad, but it is. Admittedly the death penalty for minors seems like a no brainer, but I will give credit to Justice Scalia for reminding us, in his descent, that their job is only to rule on matters that are already law not to make laws. In some cases, like this one, I feel that it is ok for them to go ahead and make the law, but it is not what they were originally formed for. And it also takes power out of the hands of the people. In an increasingly government run country I think that we need to leave as much power with the individual as possible in order for our country to remain truly democratic. It would be a sad day in America if the Supreme Court could just wake up and decide that no one could attend rock concerts. People would be outraged. Ted Nugent would probably storm the Capitol and rock all the Senators to death or shoot them with flaming arrows. Either way, it would probably be mildly disturbing and extremely cool, in a rock'n'roll sense. I digress. My point is that we have the power to run our lives if we just act. That freedom is the best thing about America, and I don't believe that the Supreme Court, even if I agree with them, doesn't have the right to tell us different. So Justice Kennedy, Thanks for saving all those junveniles on death row. Justice Scalia, thanks for helping to keep us grounded. I know that a lot of liberal people are afraid of states rights, but I believe that there is room for it in the democratic party. Some democrats might even be surprised at how well it could work for them. Sure, We might have some trouble getting our way in Texas, but I am of the opinion that Texas deserves to be as backwards as they wanna be. I don't like it, but I can stay out of Texas. I don't mean to pick on Texas. I think there might even be a way to remove the city of Austin. I like Austin. Oh yeah, if there is anybody out there that is pro-juvenile death penalty please drop me a line. I would really and truly love to hear from you. cpu help 2005-02-28T16:06:00.000-08:00 This is obviously not what I usually write about, but I figured I post it in case anybody needed links to some good fixen software. www.mozilla.org linux web browser, better at blocking the pop ups. http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger/ it gets rid of trojans, not the condems. http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/ great to get rid of spyware http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html made by a German Anarchist! Spybot http://housecall.trendmicro.com/ On line wirus scan. Works well. Thats it for now. Hope I could help those of you that needed it. Journalist Need Protection 2005-02-27T13:28:00.000-08:00 Everyday in America we, as a society, are faced with decisions that determine how the US is going to be run. Sometimes those decisions are simple and relatively meaningless in the average citizens’ daily life, but sometimes they are complicated and monumental in how they can possibly change your lifestyle. Relationships that allow confidentiality are absolutely necessary. For example, lawyer client privilege or doctor patient privilege. Both of those different types of confidential relationships allow the professionals the freedom they need with their client to do their jobs the best that they can. Journalists are in the same position. In order to have a free press, the press must be protected. Unfortunately, in America, the average person believes that the press is some villain out to bring down their favorite politician, or that the press is the mouthpiece for the Democratic Party. Those assumptions are both simply false and ignorant to make. We take our press for granted, and we look at the as a blight instead of the essential part of American society that they are. Hopefully everyone that reads this understands that the 1st and 14th Amendments to the Constitution guarantee the right to free speech and free press, and that the founding fathers of our nation saw that these two things were of cardinal importance in giving America a free society that can govern itself because of all the citizens are informed. Simply: Free speech + Free press = public with the information to participate in the democratic process. (People smart enough to make the country "go") Now there are two journalists facing 18 months of jail time if they won't disclose the source that gave them the name of a CIA operative whose husband spoke out against the government. Here is a rundown of the major players. Former Ambassador Joseph Wilson: He spoke out against the Bush government's accusation that Iraq tried to buy uranium from Niger. Valerie Plame: wife of Wilson. Her name was leaked, as well as her association to the CIA, was leaked to the press. Robert Novak: Journalist that leaked Mrs. Plume's name in his syndicated column. It is also worth noting that Novak is on CNN's Crossfire program and often weighs in on the conservative side of the issues. Judith Miller: A woman that is facing jail time for simply having information in her mind. She didn't publish anything. She works for the New York Times. Matt Cooper: the other journalist facing time. He also didn't publish the information. He works for Time. The reason that I'm bothering to write about this is the fact that neither of these journalists published the information that was given to them. They made a moral decision to keep the information, whish is criminal info, from the public, and they are being g charged. Robert Novak, on the other hand, published the info and put a woman's life at risk, but he is not being forced to testify. I am only speculating here that Novak must be cooperating with the Feds. For whatever reason the two other journalists are being forced to reveal a source that they promised would be confidential. There is no excuse for the fact that these journalists, trying to be ethical, are being punished. The Bush administration is probably very happy that both of these journalists are being quiet because I think that there is no doubt that the heat would come back to them if the truth got out. Both of these journalists would be protected in 31 other states by law, which leaves 19 states in which they can be punished for their knowledge, even if they choose not to disclose that knowledge to anyone. It is not right. We, as citizens, should have the right to protect ourselves if we choose not to disclose said information to the public. There is no excuse for violating that principle in order to have a free society. Now, I do support the fact that journalists should be forced to tell a grand jury whatever they know, but only if it has been made public info without the source being named. Journalists definitely have the burden of giving proof of truth because otherwise they could just print any falsehood without fear of being punished, and that would be something that hurts the very society that these journalists serve. There must be a certain amount of accountability, but I believe that that accountability ends when the information is not published. I wouldn't be writing about this if it was Robert Novak that was facing charges, but I feel that it is necessary under the current circumstances to discuss the wrongs that are currently being perpetrated against Mrs. Miller and Mr. Cooper. Best of luck to both of them. I know that they will stand on their beliefs and help to preserve the sanctity that the press deserves. Please comment. #1 See You in Hell 2005-02-27T13:27:00.000-08:00 I guess that this would be a good time for me to start this blog. I don't really have any purpose for writing this . I just feel left out because it seems that all the good news comes from bloggers. Yesterday evening Hunter S. Thompson shot himself and ended a great chapter in American journalism. He truly revolutionized the way that many people wrote. He also breathed life into a genre of writing that was dangerously close to becoming more of a mathematical equation than an expressive art form. I am aware that journalism is supposed to be objective, but only a fool would fail to see that in each phrase a journalist reveals himself. It is terrible today to see what people will accept as truth because it comes from the mouth of a person with a good smile or off of the page of a newspaper that they trust. Thompson threw all that aside. He interjected his view and opinion into everything that he wrote. He owned the page instead of just occupying it. I never met him. I always wanted to. He was even in New Orleans two weeks ago, and I missed him. I missed him by two weeks and a whole lifetime unfortunately. I won't drag this out. I just can't believe that he slipped away from me when he was finally so close. I have often told my friends that nothing has the ability to kill Thompson, that he is the only thing powerful enough to end that wild ride. It looks like he did. I think he was protected by something larger than all of us. It might have just been the collective will of the people that believed in him. He was a real life Peter Pan, zooming like an eagle on speed out of the sky just long enough to leave us all a little hint of what it was like to exist way up there. He finally decided that it was time to leave this world and get on to whatever waited for him on the other side. I really wish that he could have waited until I met him, but that is selfish, so to him I say, "See You in HELL." To the rest of you, I hope that you keep a watch out for what is next because the world is always changing, and, unless you keep your eyes open, it will pass you by. The amazing world of e-lationships 2005-02-27T13:25:00.000-08:00 Since I started writing this blog I don't think that I've had any visitors, but my buddy Jim helped me get it all set up, so here is a link to his blog. It is called life without buildings: http://jamestamp.com/lifewithoutbuildings.html I definitely think that it's worth the read if you get a chance.