T.R.U.E. - B.L.O.G.

Timeless Real Unedited Excessive Bloggers Love Our Gods

(...)

Soaking back the world in 17"...

Sweeet.

It's safe to see from here, and fairly silly if you look up close enough...

I'm watching Democracy NOW!, a 1-hr daily news show, and catching up on things in more depth since it's been a while.

It's freaky...

Bush's Uncle made $450k off the war, and a spokesperson for the company admitted to the Los Angeles Times "Having a Bush doesn't hurt."

Especially for no-bid contracts.

See?

"The company's Vice Chairman and Chief Executive said: "The increasing likelihood for a prolonged military involvement in Southwest Asia by U.S. forces well into 2006 has created a fertile environment for the type of support... products and services that we offer." (Yay!)

People are having trouble with "No Child Left Behind"...

Actually, it's just politicians having trouble talking about having trouble so far, and what they wanna say is great... it's just... well... you know.

They let the soldier who shot that wounded unarmed Iraqi off, "not enough evidence" from the embedded reporters fine camerawork. I think at least a slap-on-the-wrist would be appropriate... possibly up to The Australian Boot.

(Can someone tell me why I get Parking Tickets?)

NYC is holding it down, keeping Wal-Mart out: badaass.

Y'all have the right to be loud - g'wan... throw ya middle-one's up!

"I got a hundred-one's, a hundred-flips, and I'm from New York... New York..."

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12,000 Germans from Mainz (pop. 300k) protested Herr Bush's visit.

Wikkid...

What a brilliant defence of your sovereignty.

Largely invisible...

But brilliant.

I'm glad someone had a flashlight.

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I just read an article by Thomas Walkom called "Uncle Sam's Steely Glare", that said an obscene amount of our personal info is being accessed by The Department of Homeland Security - both Canadians and Americans, including domestic and international flights. A few Canadians recently found out the hard way, and because "watch-lists" don't officially exist, they can't complain to anyone.

"You have just taken a detour through the Twilight Zone..."
- Rod Serling

But Canada is opting out of the pigheaded-in-space U.S. Missile Defence Program, which, beyond all the B.S. "will it work?" red-herrings, is among the most blatant and brilliant corporate cash-grabs I have ever seen.

(Think: latest Star Wars films + a lot more incomprehensibly wasted time, money, lives, bad acting and story.)

(In fairness, the Military has no plans for Jar-Jar Binks... So we call this one a pick'em. Heyoooaahhh...)

The Brits are punishing 3 soldiers who abused detainees.

Go Brits Go!

Just... go a little further mates, you know what I mean?

I mean...

It's funny how you can't stay with little people in big sitches...

Sooo...

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How much does this suck for poor Tony B?

He thought he was working with Don Corleone.

Turns out it's really Scarface.

"All I Have... is My Balls, and My Oil!!!"

(...)

I like Tony, you really get to know him on Prime Minister's Questions in any episode - it's a format where he gets randomly peppered with tough impromptu questions from all parties in the British House of Parliament - including some from his Party that can be critical, but usually help him out. It's not sodium penthathol, and other Parliamentary systems have it, and it seems reasonable for a mere one-hour a week to get Timeless Real Unedited Excessive Blair Laying Out Gamely...

No Biggie?

It hasn't been done in the U.S. since Bill Clinton answered every cute reporter's questions with a hotel-room key...

...BUT, at least he answered them!

In contrast, the Germans cancelled a "Town Hall Meeting" because Bush's people wanted all the questions vetted first in writing.

Now, the cancellation ain't a big deal because "of course that's what you should do"... but rather someone actually having the tiny Plutocratic balls to cancel on principle instead of just white-wash lying later.

Go Germans... would all cities or countries do that?

Or just go "that's what you do these days?"

Who makes the call?

How can we say "Props Homie, stay G-G-G-G-4-German'd Up!"

Hmm...

I wonder if I need a licence to hand "props" out...

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BTW, Is all this "normal" now?

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Of course we say: "Yeah? So?"

That HAS to be cool...

That HAS to be an easy choice in a difficult world...

That HAS to be an option where everyone has a right to enjoy themselves for every moment of their lifetime.

Or should.

(...)

So, I guess the question is of first principles, and why life feels a grind for so many - and I'm not talking objectively in a true-poverty sense, but rather emotionally in a "How do you feel a lot?" sense, as I've seen and heard and felt it. This certainly doesn't dominate my thinking, but it does irritate often enough to be irritating.

And yet, we live with it, defaulting to "that's the way It is, He is, She is, I am", as we casually redefine dignity as the nobility of silent vanity. In fact, it's in fashion to "live and let live", or misuse that statement in sucking back a mass apathy-idiocy martini, where we're shaken, not stirred.

(...)

If you're smart enough to help someone you know who is not happy with their B.S. self-immolation and you know you can help them understand the B.S. part, you have an obligation within concentric-circles of personal importance to Shawshank through any shitstorm to make it work for both of you.

Besides, indulging their B.S. won't make them fun to hang with anyway.

"ALL Practical Philosophy must boil down to individual happiness."
- Black Krishna

Otherwise...

Some of the dinosaur bones of our once proud collective pride can be seen in Self-Help Books, which seem addictive in (and of?) themselves. I though the idea was to read maybe a couple, and then be cured enough to use that time once spent reading to enjoy life in another fashion. I've had several recommended by the same people over time, sometimes in parallel memetic succession.

(I guess what that says about me depends on your respect for the books... I always see them sold as a short-term-means to a long-term end, which rarely happens. But, I also always appreciate any advice from someone who has no reason to be a prick...)

Still, sometimes I look at the re-proselytizer's like:

"You keep saying you got the cure."

"And then you keep saying that about a different cure."

"What kind of game is this?"

"You Gaslightin' me???"

"That's it, I'm outta here."
- Homer Simpson's Brain

I see it as a rush, kind of like The Planacea...

Unfortunately it's not an individually defined one, so the collective fealty to an idea or image keeps people from tailoring helpful advice constructively as they fit themselves into both the problems and solutions, while at the same time collectively amplifying idolatry...

Learn the terms, mantrafy well, serves 8 weeks.

(...)

I think that'll do...

Oh wait, I forgot, it's Black History Month.

So, we have Jason Ziedenberg, (?), Executive Director, Justice Policy Institute, with some thoughts:

"The report shows that while Latinos and African Americans make up about four out of ten Texans, they represent more than seven out of ten Texans in prison. This is of interest to us in the United States, because one out of ten people locked up in the entire country are locked up in Texas. The report also shows that most of the growth in the drug prisoner population in the state was made up by incarcerating African American people, and that over the time that the Texas drug incarcerated population grew 12-fold, eight out of ten new drug prisoners were African American."

Uhhh... thanks... Jason.

And, Juan Gonzalez, (?), host and President of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, you would like to add:

"Astoundingly, as I saw the summary of the report, you indicate that there was a 360% increase in the number of African Americans sent to jail for drug offenses, while there was a 9% decrease in the number of whites sent to jail for drug offenses. Any idea why that enormous disparity?"

Whoa...

Umm... that's... umm...

Jason: "Yeah. The report shows that there is more African American men of all ages in the prison and jail system in Texas than there are African American men of all ages in the higher education system in Texas. That's from a piece that we did in the year 2000. I think much more importantly than that was the finding from Princeton University which showed that nationwide, African American men in their 30s were more likely to have a prison record than they were to have a bachelor's degree. That's based on the work of a Princeton academic. And this is based on our policy choices. We have chosen to build more prisons in this country. We have chosen to elect officials that have decided that's the way our financial resources are going to be spent, and we have got to hold them accountable to what we want to be better choices about how our resources should be spent, and how we want to treat people that end up in our systems".

(...)

Either it's endemic or systemic.

Either you're a racist or a realist.

Either way it's an epidemic...

Don't tell yourself or anyone else otherwise...

(...)

Need... some... hip hop...

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SOURCE - http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/02/24/155222