Philznewz

Pigs in Space!

2008-02-22T12:59:00.000-08:00

In all of the hysterical opinionating over the recent Naval exercise to test our ability to shoot down space based vehicles, or rather the "emergency" shoot down ao a horribly toxic satellite that threatened life itself on our planet, Rich Lowry of the National Review takes the cake. There are times that I feel that Lowry is an editor of The Harvard Lampoon rather than the National Review. His essay on "Weapons in Space", which I read in The Oregonian newspaper, is one of those times. When he refers to the " 1,000-pound tank of toxic fuel" he fails to realize that while hydrazine will form a chlorine-type gas, you would have to stand over it and breath deeply a number of times to get the full toxic effects.
When he states that we "have resisted...getting pushed into an unenforceable treaty against weapons in space" is he referring to the "Outer Space Treaty" of 1967 to which we are already bound. The only thing I see that might make it "unenforceable" would be our recalcitrance in following it's dictates.
As for ICBM's, for the most part, the part at which we would be able to try to shoot them down, they are sub-orbital, and thus not space weapons.
Finally, the V-2 reached a height of 50 miles before shutting off it's engine, much lower than the spy satellite the Navy shot down and, again, hardly an example of the weaponization of space that Mr. Lowry so deeply fears.
In all, Mr. Lowry is a prime example of the old saying about opinions. Every one has an opinion and an asshole, yet for the most part we don't really want to hear them. Still, someone pays him none the less. What a cool gig.

The Real Credit Crisis

2008-01-17T18:19:00.000-08:00

I'm sure that in the coming years we will be given some glimpse of the real shenanigans behind this so-called credit crunch, but it is fun to see a few obvious signs. On January 16 Citigroup takes an $18.1 billion write-down on the value of the mortgages in their portfolio. This leaves them with a quarterly loss of $10 billion. Since a write-down is not actually spending the money, and we have no earthly notion, other than Citi's word, that this amount is necessary, let's do the math. $18.1 billion minus $10 billion equals $8.1 billion in earnings now protected from paying taxes upon. They then can take that money, now tax-free, and put it in the reserves that they are required by law to have been maintaining just for this purpose. Wow, we the tax-payers get to subsidize Citi's creating the cushion against loss that they should have had all along.
On January 17th, JP Morgan Chase wrote down $1.3 billion, reducing their taxable income by 34%. I wish I could be fiscally and legally irresponsible, then stick the tax-payers with the bail-out for my irresponsibility. Oh, yeah. I used to be able to do something similar by declaring bankruptcy, but Citi and JPMorgan Chase lobbied long and hard to clear up that loophole.

Good Bye to Old Friends

2008-01-07T10:18:00.000-08:00

I have been driving a delivery route in the early AM for two years now, and the only entertainment I get is "The Young Turks" on Air America, from 3-6 in the morning. I now find out you are going off the air and going completely on-line. I will miss you guys.

Where else can you get the low down on Republican sex-capades, the latest O'Reilly craziness or the truth about everyones political games.

I am sorry that I probably will only make time once or twice a week, as I spend as little time as possible on-line. Good luck with your new format, Cenk, keep up the good work

Law and Order

2007-10-06T13:22:00.000-07:00

OK, so I was wrong on my last post. I'm apparently a blabber-mouth. I forgot the cardinal rule of blogging, "blogging means never having to say you're sorry!". Anyway, I have stumbled upon some fascinating quotes in my Intro to Law textbook.Calm down, I am merely studying to be a paralegal, not F. Lee Bailey. Here is a shout out to GW.

"We are going to have to decide what kind of people we are-whether we obey the law only when we approve of it or whether we obey it no matter how distasteful we find it."
-Harry S. Ashmore, "On Integration of Little Rock High School", Arkansas Gazette 4 Sept, 1957

And this, from Robert Bolts "A Man for All Seasons":

Sir Thomas More: The law, Roper, the law. I know what's legal, and not what's right. And I'll stick to what's legal.

William Roper: Then you set man's law above God's?

More: No, far below; but let me draw your attention to a fact-I am not God. The currents and eddies of right and wrong, which you find such plain sailing, I can't navigate.

Roper: So... you'd give the Devil benefit of the law!

More: Yes. What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil?

Roper: I'd cut down every law in England to do that!

More: Oh? And when the last law was down and the Devil turned round on you where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? Yes, I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake.

Oh, if only Bush had read more in college. Or at least gone to see the movie. Although I am sure that we all would like him to be a little more like Roper in his pursuit of Bin Laden. Wasn't he the devil there for a while?

Mea Culpa

2007-10-06T11:55:00.000-07:00

As if anyone reads my little rant-fest, but if someone does, I'm sorry that I have had nothing to say lately. I have started school and appear to be too busy to have an opinion on anything. Sure, Rush Limbaugh is reprehensible but what else is new? Mr. Bush again is either so out of touch or so hypocritical that he can declare October 1st National Children's Health Day, and then veto S-CHIP a few days later, which would have insured four million children for their...health.
On Air America there is a radio program that airs in Portland at 3AM, while I am doing my deliveries. It's called "The Young Turks" as it is hosted by a Turkish-born American named Cenk Yugar (I probably got that last name mis-spelled but the first is pronounced Jenk). A few weeks ago he had a discussion about Bush, as to whether he was stupid or evil. I vote for both. He is stupid enough to do a great deal of evil by listening to truly evil advisers like Cheney and Rove. There might be a few parallels to a certain central european country in the 1930s here. I can truly see a middle class couple sitting in Munich in 1939 commenting on the need to invade Czechoslovakia or Austria. Sure, they might be able to justifiy it, but then Hitler wants to invade Poland? Wait a minute. They might write a letter to the editor, or their local representative in government, but they discover they have no way to stop this idiot. I feel that way about the talk about invading Iran. There seems to be nothing we can do to stop these guys.
I have a sick feeling that we have fifteen months for Bush/Cheney to start an incident in the middle east, nuke Iran and then reveal themselves on national television, in ermine lined robes and gold crowns, as the representatives of Christ on Earth, sent here to bring about the Revelations of St. John the Babtist.... and then I wake up and towel off the cold sweat.

Two Sizes Too Small.

2007-09-26T09:47:00.000-07:00

There is a wonderful success story in the health-care industry. The federal government and the states and the industry all get together and treat children under the poverty line for free. The law is called SCHIP, the State Childrens Health Insurance Program. It is one of those few programs that is a win-win-win for everyone. The kids get subsidized health insurance. The families don't have to worry about their kids health, even the health-care industry gets paid for their services instead of seeing these kids in the emergency room and not getting paid for it.
After months of negotiating, the Congress has a bill everyone agrees with to increase funding for this program. The Democrats wanted fifty billion more for five years, the Republicans far less, and they agreed on thirty-five billion more for the program over five years. Hmmmm, I'd almost forgotten how politics is supposed to work, this strange thing called negotiating.
Still, it is a substantial increase, enough to offer the program to people slightly over the official poverty line, which we all know is a joke. The official poverty line hasn't changed much in years and barely reflects the increased cost of housing over the last five years. Offering this program to people right at the poverty line is not a luxury, it could mean the difference between living in an apartment or living in a car.
This bill has been so skilfully written that advocates for the poor, health-care providers and even an insurance industry group have come out in favor of it. And of course, George Bush has threatened to veto the bill. He is so afraid that it will work, and people might get the idea that a single payer health plan might be a good idea, that he is willing to throw four million kids under the bus. He is so afraid that his insurance industry buddies might not make their bonuses this year that he is willing to stand by while these kids get sicker and sicker and finally, when their families take them to the emergency room the hospital and the rest of us get stuck with another avoidable bill.
Mr. Bush, it is time to put up or shut up. Is your heart really two sizes too small, and like the Grinch, will you veto this bill and throw those kids off the train just in time for Christmas?

"General Betray-us?"

2007-09-21T16:07:00.000-07:00

What is the most over-looked part of the Moveon.org advertisement that the above quote comes from? Can you see it? Isn't it obvious? It is a common punctuation mark, right? Yes, clever reader, it is the question mark. The advert does not call the general "Betray-us", it asks, before his testimony, if he will "betray-us" by testifying for a failed policy or actually tell the American people the truth. The only truth he told was his response of "I don't know" when asked if the Iraq war was making America safer. Mr. Bush has no problem answering this question in the affirmative, but his main enforcer of his policies in Iraq will not, or can not answer the question.
Very few media have made the distinction of the question mark, not even NPR, thus allowing the right to frame the debate once again. I have not even heard any Congress-person make this distinction. No, not just make the distinction, but many of them voted for a bill that condemned the ad for something it didn't even say. I can commend Sen. Wyden for voting the right way, but must condemn Sen. Obama for ducking it. What a profile of courage that was. Not only didn't Obama vote on the Moveon issue but he didn't even show up for the AARP debate to defend his health-care platform, if he even has one. I'm about ready to remove my Obama sticker from my car. Where can I get an Edwards sticker?

Why Do They Hate Us?

2007-09-20T10:33:00.000-07:00

I actually, partially agree with Mr. Bush on something. They do hate us for our freedoms. They hate that we have a free society with free speech. They hate our sacred documents, The Constitution and the Bill of Rights. They hate our polytheistic society that tolerates all religions while granting political power to none. They hate the fact that we are tolerant of other races and lifestyles. They hate our brave and loyal troops, willing to fight and die for a concept like Liberty or Democracy, instead of for a dictator, or for their religion. There is only one thing I disagree with Mr. Bush on. He is referring to so called "radical" Islam, or the Taliban. I am referring to the Republicans in the Senate.
When Senator Jim Webb introduced a bill that would give our soldiers time off equal to the time they are in combat, that is, twelve or fifteen months at home with their loved ones for every tour in harms way, the Republicans not only voted against it but threatened to filibuster the bill to keep it from becoming law. This would only restore the rules to the way they were before this ill-conceived war. The bill actually passed but the Republicans hate our troops so much, they threatened to hold it up if the Democrats didn't pull it. This is democracy in action?
On the same day the senate voted to grant Habeas Corpus rights to the detainees at Guantanamo Bay, in Cuba. You might remember Habeas Corpus from beginning law class or from history class. It means"You have the body" and compels the arresting entity to provide actual proof that there is a detainee and the court then provides the detainee with all legal rights to counsel, to a speedy trial etc. The writ of Habeas Corpus dates back to the Magna Carta in 1215 and is the foundation of the rules of law that western civilisation is built upon. Without this, we would still be in a feudal system under a king who could jail people at will and without cause. I believe the Republicans would like that. Why else would they vote against this bedrock right being granted to the detainees? Again, this bill actually passed, but the Republicans are so scared of this right that they again threatened to filibuster until the bill was pulled.
So, we need to be ever vigilant. They do hate us for our freedoms. They do want to impose a one party system headed by a strong executive. They do want to impose a state sponsored religion. All we have to do to fight this new Republican Taliban is to vote for Democrats, and vote for Democracy.

Don't Taze Me, Bro! or Three Steps Closer To Anarchy

2007-09-19T13:43:00.000-07:00

As most people already know, we were all witness to a violation of a persons civil right to free speech when the police at The University of Florida assaulted, subdued and ultimately tasered a student during John Kerry's visit there. It doesn't matter that he was annoying or asked inconvenient questions, he was invited to and did not break any laws. The police reaction was way over the top. As a shout out to conspiracy theorists everywhere, look at the You-Tube video. To the right of the student asking questions you can see the cops and a guy in a black suit looking to the back of the room repeatedly as he speaks. As soon as he asks the question about Kerry's membership in Skull and Bones, the same secret society at Yale that the Bush family and many CIA employees have belonged to, the black suit makes a chopping gesture across his throat and the cops step in. I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin'.
Finally though, the scariest thing about this incident isn't the police over-reaction or the screams of the guy getting tasered. It is the complete indifference of the people within 10 to 20 feet of the incident. Other than a few people taking pictures with cell-phones or video cameras, no one stepped forward to say anything to the police, no one intervened.
When you couple that with the press being absolutely silent about the transfer of nukes from an air force base in North Dakota to the base in Louisiana that we bomb the middle east from, one does have to take a moment to think about what is happening here. Why is the press also silent about the Israeli bombing in Syria? Were there North Korean nukes there or not? Was that the final destination of the North Dakota nukes?
The silence is also pretty deafening about Fox censoring Sally Fields remarks at the Emmy's. While a Fox censor might mistakenly think that "God-Damn" is censorable, it isn't. Then continuing the black out through her comments on the war is unacceptable, although not unexpected by Fox.
If we can't count on our fellow citizens and the media to help protect our constitutional rights, we are in a world of trouble. All I know is, I am going to get a sweat-shirt made up that says "Don't taze me, Bro!" and hope the cops have a sense of humor at the next peace rally I attend.

Whose 9/11 Is It Anyway?

2007-09-12T17:12:00.000-07:00

President Bush still insists that it is better to fight "them" over there than to fight "them" here. Is it really? On 9/11/01 we were subjected to a well-planned but heinous act of war against our civilian population which resulted in fewer than 3,000 U.S. deaths. In 2003 we committed a well-planned but heinous act of war against Iraq that has resulted so far in over 3,700 U.S. military deaths and upwards of 600,000 Iraqi deaths. Oh yeah, and it's gonna cost us 600 billion dollars and there is no end in sight. I guess Bush failed any comparative analysis classes he might have taken in college.
When will anyone end this madness? I would even appreciate an admission that, yes, it was all about the oil. With over 100 billion barrels of reserves, at least this fiasco would only cost us $6.00 per barrel for oil selling for over $75.00 per barrel now. Great investment strategy Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney.

Freedom Muffin, Anyone?

2007-09-05T16:27:00.000-07:00

I wish the media could just get it straight. When Barack Obama makes a perfectly reasonable statement, like we should unilaterally go into the tribal areas of Pakistan in search of Osama Bin Laden if Pakistan won’t, he is raked over the coals for calling for the invasion of a sovereign nation. As if the same media didn’t bow down before Bush when he did the same thing for less reason in Iraq. Then when Obama insists that he would sit down with nations deemed to be enemies by this administration, without preconditions, something that used to be called statesmanship, he is again raked over the coals for being an appeaser, and giving unnecessary stature to our enemies. I’m sorry to point this out, but even if Kim Jong-Il was wearing a pair of Phil Spector’s elevator go-go boots he wouldn’t gain much stature in this world.
The sad, sorry state of the media in today’s world is, that when this administration finally does get around to dealing with a foreign threat diplomatically, that is a foreign threat with no oil, all they can do is negotiate the same deal Clinton did in 1996. Nobody in the media is willing to point out that this deal Bush has made with North Korea is virtually the same deal in place when he took office and decided not to pay for. Bush again gets a walk for cribbing from someone else’s paper, while Obama gets slapped for actually thinking for himself.
Now, the media is buying the same old dog and pony show from Bush in regards to Iraq. I am surprised nobody has noticed that the British have figured things out in Basra, and no longer have their troops in harms way. What surprises me more is that some conservative on Fox Noise hasn’t already called them surrender monkeys and called for the English muffin to be renamed the Freedom muffin. I guess they figure we are all too busy with the bogus election coverage to notice.

She Just Doesn't Get It

2007-09-03T09:31:00.000-07:00

When the word got out that a person who raised at least $100,000 for George Bush was given a special status, and a cute name, "Pioneer", many of us were aghast. When it became clear that people like "Kenny-boy" Lay of Enron were members, it became obvious what that special status got you. A compliant regulatory atmosphere for whatever shenanigans you and your accountants could dream up to fleece your investors and the American tax-payer.
I, and many like-minded populists who are in favor of public, transparent financing of elections would like to limit donations to a small, almost symbolic amount, like $100.00. Match this with public funds, either one, two or three times the money raised. Provide free advertising time through the use of tax breaks for media companies, while requiring them to either run all ads equally or run none, that's for you Fox. This would free up the money to be spent on travel, consultants, speech writers and production of ads. This would certainly take the big money influence of large donors out of the equation and free up the candidate for more speeches and forums where they can interact with we, the people. The people who will actually vote for the candidate, who have been largely marginalized by the current system that has the candidate begging, tin cup in hand, over the phone to big donors.
By the way, I am still aghast that a candidate would set up a special status for a $100,000 fund-raiser, and even come up with a cutesy name to cover up the fact that the candidate will be beholden to them for whatever favors they want to request. I am of course speaking of Hillary Clinton's "HillRaisers". I wonder how many Bush "Pioneers" are already "HillRaisers"? As they have proven time and again, big-money interests have no political ideology, only the seemingly insatiable need to make ever more money for themselves.
She just doesn't get it.

Sportsexism

2007-09-01T17:43:00.000-07:00

I haven't watched much sports television since the college football season ended, but I have started to watch lately. I understand that the beer advertiser needs to appeal to the 18-35 crowd. I know this because I was once the 18-35 crowd. Oddly enough, I lost my taste for multiple beers at approximately 37 years.
This might have coincided with my move to Portland, Oregon and my introduction to tasty micro-brews, but I also have enough respect for Budweiser's research analysis capabilities to suspect that I just out-grew it. When a corporation is widely known as the biggest advertiser, by dollar, of any other, you just have to think they know what they are doing.
None of this knowledge can suppress the repulsion I feel for the latest Heineken advertisement I have seen on a number of sporting events. An animated blonde female, looking like Gwen Stefani with larger breasts, comes out to some disco-techno score, dances around a bit, then sprouts robotic arms while splitting open in the middle to reveal a Heineken small keg they are trying to sell. Not only does she encourage your excessive drinking, but she provides the keggette, and pours it for you. The perfect female, at last!
As the father of two daughters, I try to discourage as much sexist advertising as I can, but for crying out loud, where do you start with this one? I guess I should take some encouragement that no animated slacker male comes out and slaps her for not pouring fast enough.
When is enough, enough? Does no advertiser have any sense of decency anymore?

Hopes and Dreams

2007-08-30T12:13:00.000-07:00

The writer James Lee Burke has a framed letter from Franklin Roosevelt, to one of his ancestors that has the following in it:

“The Democratic Party organization is made more difficult by the fact that it is made up in chief part by men and women who are unwilling to stand still but who often differ as to method and lines of progress… Only by uniting can we win.”

It has always been thus in the progressive and Democratic movements. We have the big tent, not the big stick. Maybe we try too hard to see all sides of every problem, and that makes us vulnerable to partisan, monolithic power grabbers like Karl Rove or Adolph Hitler. But do we really want to be like them? No, we don’t.
That being said, I still would like to go all Michael Vick on the “Blue Dog” democrats. They might as well affiliate themselves with the Republican party and allow us to elect some real Democrats in their stead. With the details of the Larry Craig two-step coming out, I cannot imagine anyone who is undecided voting Republican this election.
Finally, we need to stop bashing the Democrats for not accomplishing everything we had hoped. They really only control the weakest house of Congress, not the Judicial, or Executive branches. They certainly don’t control the Senate, thanks to Lieberman, thus have difficulty doing all we would desire. The thing to keep in mind is, look what they have accomplished. It is the equivalent of tipping over a rock in a field and watching all the bugs go running. Or better yet, turning on the lights and watching the cockroaches run, for you city folks. For every House investigation a Bush administration official seems to resign.
I hope they keep up the good work, and maybe the bizarre primary clustering will bring back something missing from politics for many years. Instead of anointing someone the winner by winning a few well spaced primaries, maybe the cluster will result in three or more candidates hitting the convention with a pocketful of delegates and the convention will actually mean something again. Lets hope so.

Musical Interlude

2007-08-29T09:50:00.000-07:00

I used to think that James Blunts "You're Beautiful" was the most useless song on the planet. So you see some chick in the subway, have some huge emotional moment, and... you are never going to see her again? Then you write a song about this embarrassing moment? How...precious.
But now, this song has been supplanted on the most useless list. I know it might seem like I have it in for the guy, but "1973" by James Blunt is the new king of the most useless songs.
What exactly is the relationship described in this song? Two girlfriends who go out clubbing? A girl and her gay male friend? It's hard to tell, but the opening lines would tend to indicate the latter. "Simona, you've gotten older." How catty. As if the singer hasn't aged since 1973. Like they both aren't in their early fifties? Or perhaps this is just sloppy writing, since "we've gotten older" would work more appropriately.
One last humorous thing about this, which is not Mr. Blunts fault, occured when I heard this on KINK.FM. The D.J. called it "another of James Blunts takes on his lost loves." As if James was, say, 52 years old? Not his fault, but funny.

The Dough Almost Rises

2007-08-29T09:03:00.000-07:00

The Oregonian Food Section ran an article a few months ago that I found oddly intriguing. It was a recipe for and description of “no-knead” bread. While I read the first part of the story and accompanying recipe, I found it intriguing due to the memories it raised in me of baking with my mother.
From the time I could see over the counter, about five or six years of age, I helped my mom with the cooking and baking on most afternoons. This went on for six or seven years until she had to take a job outside of the house due to divorce. That was the last time I did any baking for over 30 years. But something about baking bread has always appealed to me. I think it has something to do with using my creative side, and being able to eat the result. This lingering urge to bake caused me to go to the store, buy a five pound bag of flour and a package of yeast. I was ready to bake.
I fully intended to read the entire article and measure everything carefully, but once I opened the bag of flour, assembled measuring cups and spoons, my inner urgings forced me to plunge ahead into the process. Nothing could be simpler, I thought. Measure 3 cups of flour, 2 ½ tsp. of salt and ¼ tsp of rapid rise yeast. Add 1 ½ cups of warm water, plus 2 tsp. and let rise for 12 to 18 hours. Without a moment’s hesitation, I got out the bread board and started in. I also noted that in my mind, what I had called a cutting board for 35 years, I now referred to as a bread board. It is odd how some things stay in your memory, unused for so many years, but it takes only a smell or sight or sound to bring it all back.
I sifted the dry ingredients into a bowl, added the water, mixed it well and set it aside for 18 hours. I then floured the board, opened the container and smelled the sweet and sour smell of rising yeast dough. I turned this out on the board and kneaded it a few times, covered it and let it sit for 15 minutes. Feeling the wet dough between my fingers and the way it firmed up when covered with flour brought back more memories of baking Christmas cookies, bread and donuts with my mom.
After the 15 minutes was up, I placed the dough in a floured kitchen towel and allowed it to rise for two hours. In the last ½ hour, I preheated the oven to 450 degrees with the baking pan inside. Finally, I baked the bread for ½ hour covered and 15 more minutes uncovered. This part of the process brought back memories of Thanksgivings past and the sweet rolls that we would bake for breakfast and the dinner rolls we prepared for later. These dinner rolls were far more satisfying than warmed up brown-n-serve rolls from the grocery.
Unfortunately, while these memories and emotions were welling up, the rest of my brain was riddled with doubt due to the fact that when I took the lid off, the bread had hardly raised during cooking. When it was cooled enough for slicing, the bread was a dense and flavorless mass. Something must have been wrong with the yeast.
This failure was greatly disappointing due to my increased anticipation. I had to find out what happened, so I read the entire article that I had been too eager to finish. It turns out that the food writer for The Oregonian had made the same mistake that I had. We had used regular yeast instead of rapid-rise yeast. Again memories of my mom adding yeast to warm water, or proofing it, came to my mind. Well, at least I was not alone in my mistake, although if I had bothered to read the entire article, I wouldn’t have wasted so much time. A valuable lesson was learned. Don’t just leap into something because you think you know what you are doing. Fortunately, there is a happy ending to this cautionary tale. Once the rapid-rise yeast was substituted, the bread turned out just as I had remembered from my childhood, thick, tasty and filling, or rather as fulfilling as I remembered.

Parental Advice/Boon or Bane?

2007-08-28T11:21:00.000-07:00

As I was growing up in southern California, I was the recipient of widely divergent parenting advice. My dad was an eternal optimist who insisted that every cloud had a silver lining, that if you are given lemons you just need to make lemonade, ad infinitum, ad nauseum. My mom, on the other hand, always felt that any silver lining had a cloud lurking nearby and that if you are given lemons, then you have too many lemons.
Due to their influence, I have found myself generally approaching most changes in my life with a jaundiced eye. I tend to let things play out before declaring any benefit from tragedy or debt from success.
The events of this past year, though, have led me to believe that one of my parents was probably on the right track. My wife and I found ourselves in an increasingly precarious position, debt-wise, due to her quitting her job to go back to school. This prompted me to take a second job, as I wanted to support her quest to better her job prospects as it would lead to greater income for us in the end. The stress of my working 14 to16 hours a day was something neither one of us could foresee. We went through a particularly nasty patch, highlighted by the fact neither of us could afford to move out of the house.
Another unforeseen result was the stress affecting my full-time job. This resulted in a series of misunderstandings that ended in my being fired. Only, my Mom seemed to have the inside track on how this was all working out.
My loss of the full-time job helped me gain access to my retirement fund, which allowed me to make some repairs to our home in anticipation of selling it. This sale went through eleven months ago, which according to The Oregonian , was the peak of the market before the current downturn. The resulting profit from the sale, after riding the inflation roller coaster for three plus years, was enough for both my wife and I to be able to separate. This has allowed us to become better friends, as long as we concentrate on taking care of the children. Now my father seemed to have the inside track. I only hope that we have not instilled the same cynical belief in parenting that I have. But having gone through two divorces, I am afraid they will.
As much as my cynical side wants to discredit Dad’s optimistic streak , the events of this past year have forced me to accept that he had a valid point. When one path in your life is blocked, you have two options. You can bemoan your fate and feel sorry for yourself, or you can cast about looking for another path. In the end, he was right, and often that path is a better one than the one you were on.

Sports Fluff

2007-08-27T11:23:00.000-07:00

The Portland Trail Blazers, in the last three years, were ridiculed for their lack of moral integrity. But with the subtraction of some trouble-making players, like Zach Randolph and Rasheed Wallace, and the addition of younger, less troublesome players like Greg Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge, they seem to be on the road to a better reputation.
The team name, “Trail Blazers” comes from the original settlers of the Oregon Territory, who literally blazed or created the Oregon Trail in the mid-1800s. In the early years these basketball Trail Blazers lived up to that ethic. In 1977, after only four years in the NBA, the Portland franchise won the national title. In a sport previously dominated by teams from larger cities such as Los Angeles, New York and Boston, this opened the door for smaller city franchises to study how it was done, and try to replicate their success. The teams from Utah, Sacramento and San Antonio are examples of teams who have succeeded using a similar formula as the Portland model.
Unfortunately, the Portland team became a different kind of trail blazer in the 1990s. After being purchased by Microsoft billionaire Paul Allen, the team began to make personnel decisions based mainly on monetary considerations. They unceremoniously fired a beloved announcer, Bill Schonely, who had tirelessly promoted the team all over the state of Oregon. They hired a younger, less expensive announcer with no local ties who succeeded in alienating a large number of fans outside the Portland area. The team began signing players for their playing abilities, without taking into consideration their maturity or morality. This led to a period of time in which the only national basketball news coming out of Portland involved shootings, drugs, strip clubs or some combination of the three. The classic example of this is the time Damon Stoudamire tried to bring marijuana, wrapped in foil, through a metal detector at the airport. Not only illegal but stupid. Activities like this resulted in a new nationally recognized nickname for the team, “The Jail Blazers”. What a monumental decline for a once proud franchise.
Recently, though, the team seems to be bouncing back, again trail blazing a path to fiscal health and moral integrity. The team has solved many of its financial problems, hired more people with basketball experience than financial experience to make basketball decisions, and has drafted players with an eye toward their character as much as their scoring abilities. The new trail being blazed in Portland should result in a team to be proud of, in a league to be proud of.

Mary Jane

2007-08-11T14:11:00.000-07:00

The use of medical marijuana as a treatment is gaining acceptance in the medical field, but it is fraught with danger for users due to the fact that the Federal Government does not recognize any medical uses for marijuana. From the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 to The Drug Abuse and Control Act of 1970, the Government has outlawed the use and distribution of marijuana and has classified it as a Level I drug. Recently, though, many researchers are recognizing that historical medicinal uses of marijuana are replicable in lab settings, and there is a growing call for legal use of medicinal marijuana.
Twelve states have legalized the medical use of marijuana, including Oregon which has 14,868 medical marijuana cardholders, and 7,115 caregivers who are licensed to provide it for their patients. Many medical uses and the processes through which they work have been discovered recently. According to the Mayo Clinic, the active ingredients in marijuana, THC and cannabin and cannabidiol, have the ability to attach themselves to two types of receptors in human cells. The main receptor, called CB1, is found mainly in the brain and controls movement, memory and nausea. This is why research has shown THC to be effective in helping to control the after-effects of chemotherapy. Other ailments that THC is effective in treating include Glaucoma, Multiple Sclerosis and general pain relief.
The Governments response to this beneficial use of marijuana can be summed up by the words of Bernie Hobson, spokesman for the DEA’s Seattle regional office, “From a Federal standpoint, there is no such thing as medical marijuana…Marijuana is not viewed as a medicine, period.” This despite the years of research and testing and, in twelve states at least, historical documentation of its efficacy.
This leaves the “legal” user in these twelve states with a “Hobson’s Choice”, with apologies to Bernie. They can use marijuana legally, in their state, but if the Federal Government decides to arrest them, they cannot use their states medical marijuana law as a defense in Federal Court. Even the existence of a medical marijuana law in their state is not allowed into evidence in Federal Court. All the defendant can say is that they used marijuana, or grew it or distributed it, with no allowance for the reason why.
This extreme reaction by the Federal government seems to fly in the face of other decisions it and the Supreme Court have reached in recent years. The Supreme Court has been touting the cause of Federalism, or “states rights” since the current conservative majority took over. According to “The People for the American Way” website, from 1995-2000 this court has overturned 22 laws passed by Congress, in contrast with only 128 in the first 200 years of the Republic. The medical marijuana issue would, on the face of it, qualify as a “states rights” issue. In this case as in many others the Federal Government criminalizes an activity that some states have allowed. The court should treat this issue the way they have treated gun control, workplace discrimination, and environmental laws, that is, wave the Federal law in favor of the right of states to govern themselves. Unfortunately, that is not the case, they have upheld the Governments right to regulate marijuana.
The vast volume of research and the sheer hypocrisy of the governments stance should be enough to sway anyone to recognize that medical marijuana, as long as it is regulated and controlled, is an acceptable treatment option for many ailments. As with other controversial issues such as gay marriage, abortion or assisted suicide, people who don’t agree with the legalization of these issues should remember one thing. They don’t ever have to get a gay marriage, an abortion or an assisted suicide. They also don’t have to use medical marijuana if they don’t want to, just don’t make it illegal for others to make those choices for themselves.

Chester Cat

2007-07-26T21:04:00.001-07:00

When I started blogging, I told myself that I would stick to political hi-jinx and stupidity, and I would leave my personal stuff out of it. I even went so far as to look at other blogs for some idea's of what not to do. I read a blog from some young woman that detailed the activities of her cats, and I cringed. I went so far as to ask a friend of mine to shoot me if I ever blogged about my cat. I understand, that for the most part, a personal blog is like your diary left open at your bedside, few will read it or care. Even so, in this case, I will violate my rule, and request that my friend not fulfill my previous wish.
Chester was a damn good cat. He lived a life of mystery before we took him in, but we knew that he had been homeless for a while. We found him at our vet when we went in for treatment for another cat. We had no business thinking about taking him in, but for some reason, he bonded with my wife and daughters, so much so that they couldn't get him out of their minds. What kind of monster would say NO! to that? Apparently not me.
We ended up taking him in, and it was a match made in heaven...rhetorically speaking. He had his flaws. He was skittish, having lived at the vets office for a few months. He was missing his front sharp teeth, so he drooled a bit when he was happy. But, Chester's biggest flaw was what we later thought might be Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). He would be totally happy in your lap, but if there was a loud noise, he would freak out and jump with all claws rampant, what we came to call "Chester's Gang-way". We all had scars from it, but nobody ever really held him responsible. We all assumed it stemmed from his previous unfortunate lifestyle.
We all loved him, but when he started losing weight, we didn't know what to do. We were going through some personal changes, moving, etc. so we thought that was the problem, but when his weight dropped by half,I took him to the vet.
After palpating Chester's abdomen for what I thought was way too long, the doctor told me he had a tumor. A tumor as large as an egg. I stupidly asked if he meant a hen's egg, and he said,"Yes." I felt like an idiot. My previously 12 pound cat was now six pounds, with a hen's egg sized tumor inside him??? What kind of idiot was I?
I finally understood that I was not a veterinarian, so how could I have known about the tumor? Yet, as human, or humane as I am, I still held onto some hope about death. Maybe it was just wishful thinking, perhaps more likely my own inability to accept death, but I would not "put down" Chester. If Colin Powell can say that if we break Iraq, we have bought it, then once you name your pet, you are responsible, even unto death.
Today, Chester died. That is the saddest and most important sentence I have ever written. He taught me many things. That redemption is not always your choice, but if you live right it will come to you. That social faux-pas will be forgiven, if you mean well. That perseverance will be rewarded.
When we brought Chester into the vets office at the end, I will admit to more than one teary phone-call to make an appointment, the vet asked us how long he had been in the coma-like state, straining to stay with us ? When we told him, somewhat sheepishly, two hours, he responded with a question that was tinged with surprise and awe, " Two Hours, that long?"We understood that Chester had held out longer than this doctor could believe. That was the cat we had grown to love. We will miss him, I am not ashamed to say I loved him, and does anyone have a good way to dry these damn tears off of the keyboard?

Big Lie: Part Deux or Troix or...

2007-07-18T17:22:00.000-07:00

So despite all intelligence to the contrary, and intelligence being in short supply in this administration, the acting President, George Bush, believes that if we leave Iraq there will be a horrible civil war, and that tens of thousands of Iraqis will lose their lifes. Ummmm.... doesn't that describe the last four years, George? Why don't we try letting that happen without American troops dying also?
I know that Colin Powell said that if you break it you buy it, but I think we have bought way too much. But, then again, I'm sure that there are those in this administration who feel it is still a good deal. I read in the paper that the cost of the war, so far, is around 600 billion dollars. With an estimated 110 billion barrels of oil in Iraq, that's still less than six dollars a barrel for oil that is worth about 70 dollars a barrel these days. Another good investment, Mr. Cheney...oh yeah...and Mr. Bush.

What Kind Of Moron...?

2007-07-07T19:04:00.000-07:00

What kind of moron would denounce "Live Earth" for actually creating some carbon foot-prints? As Al Gore said, "I would rather light a candle than curse the darkness." Let the right wing and their acolytes curse the darkness by denouncing the effort to alert the populace to the threat of global warming, we can only bask in the glow of the ever-warming sun that at least we are trying to do the right thing by educating people about what is really going on.
Even if the global warming cycle is a natural one, what if we were responsible for an increase of only 2-5%? If the last global cooling, in 1200-1850 were increased 2-5% would we only have 30-50 million killed from famine and plague, or might we have reached a tipping point in which we all were eliminated. Exxon-Mobile may be willing to take that chance, but are you?

Topsy-Turvy world Part II

2007-07-07T11:04:00.000-07:00

If there were an after-life, and I'm sure he would have denied it more than me, George Orwell would be looking down on us and laughing his ass off. "I tried to tell you, but NO, you wouldn't listen," he'd crow.
An appeals court threw out a lawsuit designed to reveal the subjects of top secret government wiretaps. The reason given was that the complainants couldn't prove they were the subject of top-secret government wiretaps, and thus did not have standing to bring the lawsuit designed to reveal if they were the targets of wiretaps. Thank you Mr. Orwell.
The president states that he "respects" the juries finding in the Scooter Libby case, and then throws out the sentence. TYMO.
The office of the Vice-President claims executive privileges, and yet when asked to comply with an Executive order to keep adequate records, claims to be in the Legislative branch. TYMO.
The war in Iraq is going well because the civilian death toll is falling, but when it rises it is not an accurate measure of the success of the "surge". T.Y.M.O.
The Republicans lost the mid-terms mainly due to the electorate being sick and tired of the war in Iraq. The Presidents response? A troop "surge" announced at 21,500, later determined to be 39,000 with support troops factored in, and even later determined to be upwards of 100,000 with delayed redeployment factored in. That, and we are asking the troops to stay longer in theater, with fewer R&R breaks than the troops in WW II recieved, and that was a real war fought for real reasons. Finally,TYMO for the concept of a permanent war waged over-seas designed mainly to keep the people at home in constant fear of attack, and thus more willing to give up their rights for some semblance of "safety". Was Karl Rove the only one who read "1984" in high school and remembered what it was about?

The Final Days?

2007-06-11T12:34:00.000-07:00

In Bob Woodward's riveting book about the final days of the Nixon White House, he paints a picture of a President heading severely off the rails. His legacy destroyed, his political career in ruins, Mr. Nixon was teetering on the edge of his sanity.
What are we to make of the recent events in the current Presidents life in light of this? We have rumors of chest-beating and declarations of "I am the President, you will call me Mr. President". There are photos of Mr. Bush drinking a beer. Although rumored to be non-alcoholic, this is a dangerous precedent for an admitted alcoholic. More troubling was his missing various functions at the G-8 summit meeting after this "non-alcoholic" beer episode.
Finally we have the following exchange from the weekend of June 9/10 in Europe, according to the LA times/Washington Post reporter Michael Fletcher.

"Responding to a reporters question in Rome on Saturday, Bush said a deadline should be set for a U.N. resolution on Kosovo's independence. 'In terms of a deadline, there needs to be one,' he said. 'This needs to come- this needs to happen.'
Asked Sunday about when he would like that deadline set, Bush seemed flummoxed. "I don't think I called for a deadline," he said. Told that he had, Bush responded, "I did? What exactly did I say? I said, 'deadline'? OK, yes, then I meant what I said."

Oh boy. What's next? If someone leaks any word of late night prayer sessions in a White House hallway between Karl Rove and Bush, we will know we have entered "The Final Days."

Equity vs. Cash Cow

2007-06-10T14:57:00.000-07:00

My wife and I went through a separation recently that involved the sale of our house. We were always on the cusp of foreclosure due to bad job/school investments, but we always stayed close enough to hold onto our equity. Even though we sold under market, we cleared over 50,000 dollars on the sale, after three years of ownership.
This memory was triggered by an ad for a Chase Bank equity loan. The advert-gal was almost chiding the owners of homes with any equity for not refinancing to fuel their profligate lifestyles. I'm sorry for pointing this out, but what is wrong with cutting back on that profligate lifestyle and paying off your mortgage? Why does Chase or any other lender deserve the fees and interest from your life so you can keep over-spending? Pay off your house loan or pay it down, and only re-finance for something important. Re-finance for your children's education or for your retirement, not for your lenders.
I know that Mr. Bush asked all of us to go out and shop after 9/11/2001, as if that were some patriotic act, but you have to realize by now that he was only acting for his corporate masters, not for the good of the nation. We are the nation, we the people, not Wal-mart or Exxon/Mobile and not Chase-Whatever. My name is Phillip and it will always piss me off that Phillip Morris has more influence in our government than Phil Fears. I have only one vote, and Phil Morris has a million dollars worth of influence, as if my speech is somehow equal to that. We all know better.
Vote your heart, vote your conscience, vote your true beliefs.

The So-Called Liberal Press

2007-06-09T20:45:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, a candidate for president took credit for passing legislation that helped to bring about the transformation of the government/military Arpanet into the World Wide Web. The press ridiculed Al Gore for claiming to have invented the Internet. When he mentioned that he had met with the Director of FEMA after a natural disaster, the press pointed out what a fool he was for actually having met with the Assistant Director.
But when Republican Presidential seeker Mitt "flip-flop" Romney has the following exchange, the "Liberal" press somehow gives him a pass.

"Governor Romney, I wanted to start by asking you a question on which every American has formed an opinion.
We have lost 3,400 troops, civilian casualties are even higher, and the Iraqi government does not appear ready to provide for the security of its own country. Knowing everything you know right now, was it a mistake for us to invade Iraq?"

MITT ROMNEY, FORMER GOVERNOR OF MASSACHUSETTS: "Well, the question is, kind of, a non sequitur, if you will. What I mean by that -- or a null set -- that is that if you're saying let's turn back the clock and Saddam Hussein had opening up his country to IAEA inspectors and they'd come in and they'd found that there were no weapons of mass destruction, had Saddam Hussein therefore not violated United Nations resolutions, we wouldn't be in the conflict we're in."

Okay, where do we start? The question is not a "non sequitur", genius. Nor is it a "null set". Also, in case you were so busy protecting gay rights and upholding gun laws in Massachusetts that you didn't notice, the IAEA and UN weapons inspectors were in Iraq until we told them to get out as we were about to invade despite their inability to find ANY weapons of mass destruction. The Iraq government even turned over thousands of pages of documents and CD-ROMs concerning their weapons programs, or lack thereof, but we ignored them for the sake of propaganda.
But perhaps Mr. Romney's confusion is due to the success of that propaganda. When you consider the input from the Vice-Presidents office, and his Chief of Staff "Scooter" Libby, the propaganda machine becomes more obvious. Libby's specialty at the time of the first Gulf War was weapons of mass destruction and according to the Washington Post profile on him, "his portfolio included the biological and chemical capabilities of Saddam Hussein." Thus it would be inconceivable that Libby did not know about the massive destruction of Saddam's chemical weaponry at Khamisaya near Baghdad in Gulf War I. According to government documents, covered up initially, but ultimately admitted to due to the insistence that Gulf War Syndrome was caused by some exposure to chemical weapons, the US destroyed 6,240 155mm mustard- gas filled artillery shells. Another 2,160 sarin filled 122mm rockets were also destroyed in these explosions. So much for Saddams WMD.
Mitt, you are a liar and a scoundrel and undeserving of anyones support for higher office. The perfect Republican candidate for president in 2008.

Commander-in-Chief

2007-05-31T17:13:00.000-07:00

I just saw the video of this C-i-C attempting to handle the wreath for the unknown soldier. He looked like a criminal on CSI trying not to handle the evidence. He couldn't even bring himself to touch it. Like that will fool us into believing he didn't have anything to do with his own personal mass-murder spree. This president has tried to avoid another 9/11, so he says, yet he has his own 9/11 with over 3,500 killed. He just was smart enough to spread it out over the entire United States, instead of allowing it to happen in one major US city.
Mr. Bush has absolutely no shame. Now he has the temerity to offer up some "leadership" on global warming? What about the Kyoto Accords? We should have shown leadership then, Mr. C-i-C. Now he wants money to fight AIDS in Africa? Gee, why has Bono been wasting his time the last 6 years if you were going to show such leadership, C-i-C?
I'm sorry that President Carter felt it necessary to back away from his criticism of Mr. Bush. Even though he had made the diplomatic observation that this "administration" was the worst ever, we all know that he meant this President.

Luke and Laura on the High Seas

2007-05-26T17:24:00.000-07:00

My kids are into the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, so we went to see Pirates III the other day. After seeing Pirates I on DVD right before seeing Pirates II, I really wondered what all the fuss was about. Pirates II was an incomprehensible mess. So I was not looking forward to Pirates III. I don't know if that sufficiently lowered the bar or not, but I found III to be rather enjoyable.
Although I feel like it was 15 minutes too long, and tried to do too many things, it was a rip-roaring adventure that made sense , for the most part.
During Luke and Laura's wedding scene (actually quite clever) I can imagine Davey Jones and Jack Sparrow leaning on their swords and waiting, high up on the mast, before they can continue fighting. You just know that Orlando and Keira have to get together as they are the only good guys with white teeth. The prosthetic dental-work creator should be up for some kind of Oscar for this.
Also, I still don't see the genius in Depps performance, unless you happen to like drunken, androgynous mincing about. I feel, also, that the much bally-hooed appearance by Keith Richard as Johnny Depps father was rather short and wasted (no pun intended). They actually look kind of alike, until you give Richard a big fake nose and skin lesions. That is unless Keith has aged even more since I saw him last.
All in all, Pirates III is a typical summer movie of late. It is enjoyable, loud and completely unmemorable, until the sequel rolls around next summer.

Law and Odor

2007-05-18T16:17:00.000-07:00

So, Fred Thompson doesn't want to debate Michael Moore on health care. Yet, he will take a cheap shot at Moore and Cubans by citing the case of a documentary film maker being subjected to electro-shock therapy by the Cuban mental health system.
I wonder what Mr. Thompson thinks about the treatment of Jose Padilla, whose lawyers describe as incapable of assisting in his own defense due to our governments systematic torture for him over the last 5 years?
What does he think about the Guantanamo detainees who have killed themselves in a Kafkaesque quest to clear themselves of charges they are not allowed to see, without legal representation? What about the "Gitmo" detainees force-fed when attempting hunger strike protests. I'm sorry Mr. Thompson, but the USA has no "moral high ground" for you to make snide and condescending remarks from.

Midnight Ride Of Alberto G.

2007-05-18T10:13:00.000-07:00

The story that James Comey told , under oath at the Senate Judiciary hearings, is very disturbing. That the White House would send two aides to John Ashcrofts hospital bed in an effort to circumvent the acting Attorney-General is problematic, and kind of dumb. Not that anything Alberto Gonzales, then Bush's counsel, does surprises me any more. I would have expected more of Chief of Staff Andrew Card, though. As with any high ranking official who is about to undergo major surgery, Ashcroft would have signed papers making Comey acting Attorney-General. That would make Ashcroft on the night in question nothing more than an influential private citizen.What a waste of effort. A fools errand, so to speak.
One of the most interesting details in James Comeys story is that he apparently felt Ted Olson was on his side of the argument against warrentless wiretapping. Why else would he ask Olson to accompany him to a meeting with White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card concerning the incident. If any one would have a desire to go to any lengths to catch terrorists, you'd think a guy whose wife died on 9/11 would be the one. But even Olson could not justify this breach of the Constitution by this White House. If Ted Olson and John Ashcroft are against you, how conservative are you, really?

Lynchburg Lemonade

2007-05-16T10:02:00.000-07:00

So Jerry Falwell, the leader of the so called Moral Majority, has passed on. It is amazing to hear the right wing television announcers on Fox and CNN go on and on about what a great man and a great christian he was. This was the guy who thought Tinky Wink on the Teletubbies was some secret gay symbol. This was the guy who thought attempts to "secularize" our country "lifted Gods protection" on 9/11/2001. This was the guy who preached against Brown v. School Board in 1958 , because he felt what God drew a line between, we should not try and mix. I'm assuming that he thought God was a racist, just like him. When you really listen to the hateful brand of christianity this guy espoused, you would have trouble not thinking he was as crazy as a shit house rat.
There are three possibilities now for Mr. Falwell. First possibility, he has gone to heaven and is accorded the lofty position he always assumed here on earth. Second possibility, he is in hell being judged as the hateful hypocrite he was. Possibility number three is my favorite though, that he will lie a mouldering in his grave, cold, alone and quite dead.

Wolfies Legacy

2007-05-15T13:32:00.000-07:00

All the talk recently about Paul Wolfowitz' handling of a huge pay increase for his girlfriend while lecturing recipients of World Bank loans that they need to cut back on their corrupt habits, reminded me of what his lasting legacy should be.
Wolfowitz and "Scooter" Libby go way back to when Wolfowitz was Libby's professor at Yale in the 1970's. When Wolfowitz was serving in the Bush I White House he brought Libby in. Libby's specialty was weapons of mass destruction and according to the Washington Post profile on him, "his portfolio included the biological and chemical capabilities of Saddam Hussein." Thus it would be inconceivable that Libby did not know about the massive destruction of Saddams chemical weaponry at Khamisaya near Baghdad in Gulf War I.
According to government documents, covered up initially, but ultimately admitted to due to the insistence that Gulf War Syndrome was caused by some exposure to chemical weapons, the US destroyed 6,240 155mm mustard filled artillery shells. Another 2,160 sarin filled 122mm rockets were also destroyed in these explosions.
In 2003 which WMD were the Bush administration referring to? No yellow cake uranium, no mustard gas, no sarin filled rockets, nothing.
Thanks alot Wolfie, and Libby and Cheney. Sounds like three of the seven dwarfs, doesn't it? Too bad hundreds of thousands have had to die so far for their lies.

Topsy-Turvy World

2007-05-13T10:32:00.000-07:00

Let me see if I've got this straight. After almost 6 years of government sponsored propaganda, you would think it would be easy by now. Muslims hate us for our freedoms. But wait, if that were true, why are thousands of Turks marching in the streets to protest the election of a president they deem to have pro-islamist tendencies? Why, in the country where the founding fathers actually included the separation of church and state in our Constitution, are all of the Republican candidates for our presidency somewhere to the right of the Taliban when it comes to catering to the religious community?
Speaking of the Taliban, they may be a bad bunch, "Killers and Terrists(sic)" according to Mr. Bush, but they sure knew how to stop the flow of heroin from their country. It's almost like they cared about doing the right thing. Most producer countries turn a blind eye to narco-trafficking as long as the drugs go else where and the money remains. Unfortunately, while we have been in charge the heroin production has exploded to pre-Taliban levels.
Further evidence of topsey-turvyism, is Vice-President Cheney lecturing President Maliki on sharing power with minority parties in government, reforming oil laws to share the income equally, and making his government more open and honest. Hey Pot, quit calling the Kettle black. If Cheney had tried any of those options here in this country, we wouldn't all hate him so much.

Insert Rush Limbaugh Joke Here.

2007-05-11T11:13:00.000-07:00

Pain is a debilitating problem. According to the Partners against Pain (PAP) website, "almost half of American households ( 44 million, or 43% ) have at least one family member who suffers from chronic pain...". This was discovered through a national survey of more than 1,000 chronic pain sufferers commissioned by Purdue Pharma, the main sponsor of PAP, and the company responsible for the development of OxyContin.
OxyContin, or Hillbilly Heroin as it is known, is one of the biggest drug problems the US has faced since crack cocaine. While it has proven results when taken correctly, it provides an intense high when ground up and snorted. This is no surprise to either the DEA or Purdue Pharma, as they are required to provide the following in a "Black Box" warning label on all OxyContin sold:

WARNING:
OxyContin TABLETS ARE TO BE SWALLOWED WHOLE AND ARE NOT TO BE BROKEN, CHEWED, OR CRUSHED. TAKING BROKEN, CHEWED, OR CRUSHED OxyContin TABLETS LEADS TO RAPID RELEASE AND ABSORPTION OF A POTENTIALLY FATAL DOSE OF OXYCODONE.

Unfortunately, Purdue Pharma didn't really care about any of this. They knew in 1995, the year they conducted a physicians survey, that doctors were concerned about OxyContins abuse potential. Purdues response? They encouraged their sales staff to lie. Or as the Federal indictment calls it, "Felony Misbranding with the Intent to Defraud and Mislead." No wonder they have been fined $634.5 million in addition to the $19.5 million they agreed to pay 26 states 2 days ago.
An interesting addition to this case is the mysterious appearance of Rudy Giuliani, of Giuliani Partners, and one of many running for the Republican Presidential nomination. Giuliani Partners lists Purdue Pharma as a client and there is evidence that Mr. Giuliani met with Asa Hutchinson, head of the DEA, in an effort to slow down, if not derail this investigation.
There is also talk of whether a $15,000 donation to the DEA for a traveling museum show by Giuliani Partners was an attempt to bribe the agency. I doubt this as I hope it would take more than that to bribe a federal agent, and also when one takes a look at the traveling museum show it seems to fit in rather well with Giuliani's mission in life since 9/11/2001. Promoting fear in the US public of Terrorists. The main focus of this DEA traveling museum isn't the abuse of narcotics or the growth in abuse of legal pharmaceuticals like OxyContin. No, the greatest problem we face, according to the DEA...Narco-Terrorism. That certainly sounds like more of Mr. Giuliani and this administration's idea of fear mongering, all right.
The crux of the matter is, though, Mr. Giuliani's attempt to sway a government official on behalf of his client, for his own monetary gain. I'm sure he'll plead ignorance, a popular defence these days, but he has tainted whatever good-will he supposedly earned as "Americas Mayor" after 9/11/2001.
As I heard someone say in reference to Dick Cheney, there is no line these guys won't cross if there is a couple of bucks on the other side.

Save The Children?

2007-05-08T13:43:00.000-07:00

There was a report issued by Save The Children on Monday. Iraq has had the greatest increase in child deaths under the age of 5, an increase of 150% over the last 15 years. That would be since Gulf War I and the imposition by the US of restrictions as to the import of certain products. These would include water purification products since, as the argument went, these were dual purpose and usable by the Iraqi military. That's nice, we can destroy the infrastructure, including water processing and delivery and yet won't let the Iraqi people import water purification products to protect their families. The Clinton administration is just as culpable for this genocide, as they had 8 years to stop it.
In 2005 about 122,000 Iraqi children under the age of five died. Does anyone really not understand why they hate us? We need to get out, militarily, now. We need to double or triple humanitarian aid now. As for Republican concerns, don't worry, we won the war, we just have seriously messed up the occupation.

Dead Men Talking

2007-05-04T10:54:00.000-07:00

Anyone who saw the Republican Presidential Debate last night knows what the title means. No, I do not advocate the wholesale assassination of all those red-tied, black-suited goofs. It's just that they are politically dead, morally confused and intellectually suspect.
Honestly, when asked if they did NOT believe in Evolution three raised their hands (Tancredo, Brownback and Huckaby). This caused Ol' Pop McCain to have to explain his previous statement of belief in it.
These guys are trying to appeal to "the base" which is still believed to be the religious right, but if the huge number of churches sponsoring anti-war rallies here in Portland, Oregon is any indication, even in religion the right may not be a majority any more.
Anyway, what can you say about a group of men, 9 out of 10 of whom say they want to repeal Roe v. Wade, when only 23% of the general population would do anything as radical as full repeal. If 23% is your "base", then you had better be building an inverted pyramid if you want to approach a majority in this next election.
I just hope the Democrats don't relax a little after that sad performance last night. We need to redouble our efforts, and show Bush and company what a real mandate is and what to do with it in 2009.

The Commander-Guy-in-Chief

2007-05-03T06:09:00.000-07:00

If your 8 year old son said he was a "commander guy" while playing some game, you might not be too worried about it, you might even think it was cute. If he referred to "the budget guy" and "the CIA guy", again no problem, maybe even cute, if not a little precocious. Unfortunately, when a grown man does these things, and when that man is "the most powerful man in the world" as the President is known, it should begin to worry even his most ardent supporters.
Why doesn't everyone on the planet Earth realize that George W. Bush is not only an idiot, but he has very little interest in even trying to do his job. Bill Clinton could probably name all his "budget guys" and "CIA guys" and probably their wives and children also. Sometimes the breadth of Clinton's knowledge about what was going on was breathtaking, if not down right creepy. But this president, I mean "President guy"? His total lack of preparation and caring is truly astounding. If it didn't mean the two most terrifying words in the English language, "President Cheney", I would insist on impeaching this moron, toots-sweet.

Sports Digression

2007-05-02T17:40:00.000-07:00

It was a tragedy that St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Josh Hancock died in a drunk driving accident, for his family. But for Major League Baseball it should be a wake up call. Despite the irony that the Cardinals play in Busch Stadium, and were headed to Milwaukee to play the Brewers, MLB needs to look into more than steroid use by its players.
If the incredible waste of Mickey Mantles career and life were not a warning sign to players, let's hope that Mr. Hancocks untimely demise will be. If they can only look beyond the fact that Budweiser and Miller Light are major sponsors of the league.

Perpetual War

2007-05-01T17:16:00.000-07:00

So, George W. Bush has vetoed a bill calling for a time line for ending the "war" on terror. This has always been a source of some amusement to me. Terror is a tactic, it's like calling World War II "The War On Blitzkrieg".
It never ceases to amaze me that GW can be so obvious in his hypocrisy. In 1999, as Governor of Texas, he insisted that Clinton have a timetable for ending the war in Kosovo. But now that he is engaged his Orwellian "Perpetual War" it no longer matters. It only matters that we continue this thing till when?
My guess is that we are waiting for the Iraqi Parliament to finalize the oil drilling bill, which coincidentally gives foreign oil companies a 70/30 split 0f the profits. If anyone had any doubt about this war being about access to oil, just read the Iraq Study Groups report. Eight of their recommendations are entirely involved in the signing of this one-sided agreement.
If you have read "1984" anytime since high school, I am sure you are ready to join me in a "2 minute hate". Just think George Bush and his blame for 3300+ dead soldiers. His own personal 9/11/2001.

History is to be Learned From

2007-04-30T12:05:00.000-07:00

Normally I don't buy into most hand-wringing blathering about "National Security", and I'm even guilty of putting some personal freedoms ahead of security concerns ( I hate taking my shoes off at the airport). But, the recent gas truck explosion in the San Francisco Bay area concerns me.
One day, while we were sitting around thinking about what terrorists might do next, I considered the simplicity of hijacking a fuel truck. A determined suicide bomber could detonate one of those babies under the 4-level interchange in L.A. and virtually cripple the city. Set it off during rush hour and many deaths and much terror would ensue. If a terrorist were to open the valves before detonation, what could one tanker truck do to the Golden Gate Bridge? Talk about a visual for the television news, it would be right up there with the World Trade Center coming down.
If this seems far fetched, consider that 1996 was the worst year in history for plane crashes, and many news stories described how the wings of passenger jets were loaded with fuel before take off, some articles describing them as "flying bombs". All of the 9/11/2001 hijackers started flight training in 1997-2000. We aren't dealing with a bunch of dummies here and I hope the FBI is keeping an eye on tanker trucks for the next few months.

Le plus de choses change...

2007-04-29T12:49:00.000-07:00

On a sultry afternoon, on July 4th, 1892, Ignatius Donelly's preamble to the Populist Party's platform was read at their convention in Omaha, Nebraska.

"The conditions which surround us best justify our cooperation. We meet in the midst of a nation brought to the verge of moral, political, and material ruin. Corruption dominates the ballot box, the legislatures, the congress, and touches even the ermine on the bench. The people are demoralized; most of the states have been compelled to isolate the voters at the polling places to prevent universal intimidation or bribery. The newspapers are largely subsidized or muzzled, public opinion stifled, business prostrated, and our homes covered with mortgages, labor impoverished, and the land concentrating in the hands of capitalists..."

The more things change indeed.

Rush To Judgement

2007-04-24T16:42:00.000-07:00

Bill Moyers has a special on PBS this week about the sales job the Bush White House did in the run up to invading Iraq. Many theories will be laid out including wanting to suck up to the White House for continued access and lingering patriotism left-over from 9/11/2001. I have an alternate theory to throw into the hopper.
It always struck me that the major media outlets were almost universally in favor of the war, yet the polls indicated that there were 35-40% of the voters against the war. Imagine being a news director and seeing everyone else lining up to cater to the 50-60% in favor of the war, and then seeing 35-40% sitting there with nobody trying to reach them. If only as a smart business move, if not an ideological one , go for the low hanging fruit. That is, if you even appeared to be even handed on the issue of going to war, you would pick up a huge percentage of the anti-war group who feel left out by the universal drumbeat for war. Yet, no news outlet even tried, and the one cable show that came close was shut down when MSNBC fired Phil Donahue.
On the face of it, this doesn't make sense, until you factor in the age old motive, money. In late 2002 and early 2003 the FCC was debating about whether to allow giant media conglomerates to get even bigger. The decision would allow companies to hold three TV stations in some markets, instead of two. It would also allow broadcast networks to reach a total of 45% of the national audience, up from a limit of 35%. Michael Powell, coincidentally then Secretary of State Colin Powell's son, was the deciding vote. Supporters of the plan claimed that the old rules were out-dated relics. Opposition to the changes focused on the reduction of diversity of viewpoints, and the possible stifling of reporting of local news.
Oddly enough the decision, which was due at any moment after the hearings ended, inexplicably was delayed until June 2nd, 2003 . This is 1 month to the day after George W. Bush declared, somewhat mistakenly, "Mission Accomplished" in a photo op on an aircraft carrier. Not surprisingly, the FCC decision was in favor of all those media outlets who marched in lockstep with the White House down the road to war.
Oh, and those in opposition to this decision certainly appear to have been right, if the state of diversity of discourse and the state of local news is any example. As for MSNBC, they now are ardently opposed to this administration and this war as long as Keith Olbermann, and to a lesser extent Chris Mathews, is on the air. Sadly MSNBC, too little, too late.

Remember Moral High Ground?

2007-04-20T17:03:00.000-07:00

When I was a young kid, I avidly read comic books. Spiderman was one of my favorites, and Sgt. Rock of Easy Company my least favorite. But, I did read Sgt. Rock on occasion, and recent events have triggered a memory of one. In this comic, Sgt. Rock is taken captive by the Nazis and is being interrogated. When violence fails, the Nazis send in a beautiful girl to try to lure the truth out of Rock. She’s probably why I remember this one, as she was drawn rather sexily. I also remember thinking how diabolical those Nazis where to use her in that way. Now that information about US interrogation tactics leaks out of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, we can see that I wasn’t the only one reading Sgt. Rock that year. Perhaps that story resonated with the young Karl Rove as well. At any rate, the story that we are using sexy young CIA contractors to vamp the poor Muslim guys is certainly disturbing.
This also extends to our rather tepid reaction to the recent capture of British military personnel by Iran. Honestly, how could we possibly lecture the Iranians on their treatment of the British, when the whole world knows about our water-boarding and sleep deprivation techniques.
Finally, we have once again shown ourselves, as a nation to be represented by a pack of moral hypocrites. We howl with moral indignation for the extradition of Tre Arrow from Canada for what amounts to a series of property crimes. Certainly damaging and dangerous acts, but property crimes none the less. At the same time we can block the extradition to Venezuela and allow the release of Luis Posada Carriles, a man who is generally believed to have been involved in the blowing up of a plane with 73 people on board. This is more than twice the body count at Virginia Tech, and we let this guy walk? The only explanation seems to be that he worked for the CIA, we don’t want to give Chavez credit for his trial, and the dead were Cubans. Can you imagine the outrage in this country if the positions were reversed? If Hugo Chavez was blocking the extradition of a mass-murderer of US citizens? Fox News would blow a gasket.
I truly am ashamed of the people who lead this country, mainly because they are trying very hard to make me ashamed of being American. We cannot let them do this. Vote, agitate, but do not stay the course.

Salmon Rush Die?

2007-04-10T12:09:00.000-07:00

While I applaud the 9th Circuit Court for its decision against the Bush Administrations attempts to avoid any responsibility for salmon recovery, I can just hear the conservative pundits ranting and raving about the "Liberal" 9th Court while not providing any solution other than "stay the course". Of course, this delays any help for salmon recovery to probably the next presidency, so I guess no one is really in a rush to save the salmon.
Has anyone looked into partially breaching the 4 dams on the Snake River for salmon access, but leaving the structure and power house and transmition capability intact? We could then attempt to recoup some of the lost energy through wind power. The four dams in question have a total of 3,033 mw of nameplate capacity, although I don't know if they come near that in actual production. The smallest utility-scale wind turbine is rated at 700 kw (.7 mw), and the newest larger scale turbines approach 5 mw. Assuming the larger rated model were used, you would need 600 turbines to replace the nameplate capacity, fewer if the dams don't actually put out that much. Now 600 turbines at 4 sights on the Snake River might just be too much, but, it sure merits looking into. It also beats the heck out of throwing more money at lawyers to keep fighting this.
I understand that there is the further question of water diversion that this does not address, but maybe there could be a compromise reached by just breaching the first two dams, I don't know. I just know that there are a heck of a lot of people, and salmon, sick and tired of the endless debate and delays and infighting.

Fear of a Rip-off

2007-04-09T09:32:00.000-07:00

I just read and heard a number of pundits blaming the problems of the V.A. on government inefficiencies. They then extrapolated that to welfare, health care and Social Security fraud. The writers claimed that the lack of caring about doing your job efficiently inherent in a bureaucracy made these programs open for fraud. I know I'll annoy some people by saying this, but I'm willing to live with a little fraud. Most fraud in programs like this consists of an overpayment here, or a service not earned there. So what. I would be willing to see $12,000,000 worth of fraud go to individuals than see the same amount go to some corporate CEO overseeing the privatization of these services and then see him cut those services to the bone for everyone just to get a bonus for himself.
That's not to say it should be open season for fraudulent claims. No, just keep a certain amount of checks and balances and oversight in the system and carry on. Its a proven fact that Social Security already does its job for far less than some Wall Street smoothie will charge us if it is ever privatized. And I think it's the height of goofiness for the President to have offered the glory of Individual Savings Accounts, when the market is already doing a great job with IRA's. Heck the government already gives us a match in deposits with the tax break for an IRA.
My biggest problem with these privateers is their lack of fiscal responsibility. You could save 90 billion a year by combing 15% of the fat out of Bush's bloated war department budget. One less carrier group and one less nuke-q-ler submarine might go a long way toward fully funding the VA and making the G.I. Bill the true reward it was when my dad served in the 1950's. After two years he got money for education and a cheap home loan, the road to a comfortable middle class existence for my family of four, and for the people my dad employed in his small business.
My second biggest problem with them is how they can decry the welfare given to individuals, and yet be first in line for a tax break or no-bid contract from the same government. We could balance the budget if we just eliminated corporate welfare and truly used some fiscal responsibility in the war departments budget.

Grindhouse

2007-04-08T12:48:00.000-07:00

When Shawn Levy has to spend 17 paragraphs attempting to put Tarentinos latest into some kind of perspective, we should all be worried. I have not seen it yet, but from all of the trailers and his review, I can see that Tarentino and Rodriguez have gotten it all wrong again. You know they spent enough on giving Rose Mcgowan a CGI stump as a real grindhouse director would have spent on a dozen movies. Sure a z-movie director might have put a machine gun on his leading ladies stump, but it would be because his leading lady had only one leg. He couldn't afford the going rate for working actors.
It was this creative work in the face of a limited budget that made watching z-movies such a hoot. You never knew when you might uncover a low-budget classic such as "El Mariachi", Robert Rodriguz' great first movie. Unfortunately, like many low budget directors, once they get a larger budget. they don't know when to stop spending it. Thus, you get the sequel to El Mariachi, which was bigger, more bloated but not better, and the remake of El Mariachi with Antonio Banderas, even bigger, more bloated and still not as good. This seems to be a habit with Rodriguez. I enjoyed Spy Kids alot, but Spy Kids 2 was bigger, more bloated and not better. Spy Kids 3, well it just sucked.
It's not that I don't understand Tarentinos point. My own experience with so-called grindhouse fare came in 1976 when we went to downtown L.A. and plucked down a buck and a half for a triple header, one of which turned out to be John Carpenters "Assault on Precinct 13". Totally low budget with maybe two sets, but it was as tight a little action flick as you could find. When you suddenly realized it was an homage to Howard Hawks "Rio Bravo" it was all the more enjoyable. Unfortunately the snoring of the homeless people around us drove us out before the other two pictures showed, but we definately got our moneys worth. Since one of the other films was a masked wrestler movie from Mexico, maybe one of the Hercules series, we didn't feel too disappointed.
Hey, I've got an idea. Maybe Tarentino and Rodriguez could do a masked wrestler movie next. Or do you think they already have such a thing in the pipeline?
Great, another z-movie genre they can pump up with silicon and steroids and toss up on the screen while they stroll off, chuckling ironically of course, all the way to the bank.

EZ VOTE.COM

2007-02-16T17:36:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe that states are still leaning toward paperless voting and not moving to the Oregon example of voting by mail. I am of the impression that my vote is at least as important as buying beer and pretzels at 7-11, but for some reason the states with paperless voting cannot provide a detailed receipt? I can get a detailed dated and timed receipt for my 7-11 purchase but not for my vote for the most important office in the USA?
I try to stay away from "conspiracy theories", but if Diebold can give me a dated receipt for my ATM withdrawal, then they can issue me a detailed receipt for my vote. The only reason I can see why they won't, is that the Diebold CEO is a Bush supporter, a Pioneer level donor to his election campaigns, and was quoted as saying he would do anything to get Bush re-elected. We report, you decide.

Vote, Already!!

2007-02-13T10:21:00.000-08:00

I have had enough of this election campaign. I realize it is still a year out to the official election, but enough is enough. It's been brutal. Joe Biden called Barack Obama "clean" Edwards bloggers dissed the catholic church and Hillary still thinks she did the right thing in authorising the war.
So before we have to hear about any more scurrilous behavior, lets vote.
What we should do is follow the lead of that cell phone company and pick 5. Take the time to learn the names of 3-5 candidates, everyone gets 5 votes and go ahead. This way you can vote for the same person in 3 votes, but you would still have to be paying enough attention to know at least two more. I know, some knuckleheads will vote for Mickey Mouse or their bartender, but enough people will take it seriously and we should end up with 5 serious players. The person getting the most votes will be President, second most Vice President, third would be Secretary of State. Four and five could be Defense and Treasury, I haven't really worked out all the details.
The last changes I would make take on the apathy of the electorate. While I think the avoidance of the next 11 months of negative ads would help to not turn voters off of the process, I believe that moving election day to a Sunday would help. Too many people had to wait in long lines and when faced with the possibility of missing work, just gave up. I know that there can be no religious argument against this, because every Catholic country on earth, including Italy already votes on Sunday. If the Pope allows it, so can Jerry Falwell.
I would also advocate a national voting lottery. We could use the election money pool to provide a certain amount of 1 million dollar prizes. With Hillary and John McCain turning down public financing, that frees up 150 million for prizes right there.
So, let's vote and let's vote now!

Reagans prophecy

2007-02-09T11:01:00.000-08:00

When Ronald Reagan was running for office at various times in his career he would wheel out one of his favorite jokes. "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'"It only took 30 years and the Bush administrations response to Hurricane Katrina to make this a reality. Can anyone translate this into Arabic? I bet this would get big laughs in Baghdad and Tehran.

To Have and Have Not.

2007-02-07T12:50:00.001-08:00

A headline on the Oregonian Front page on 2/6/07 stated that the new Bush Budget plan would short-change domestic spending in favor of the "war". I contend that the Bush budget shortchanges domestic spending, (thats you and I and our kids) in favor of continuing his massive tax giveaways to the super wealthy.
Many argue that tax cuts stimulate the economy because rich people supposedly create jobs. I suppose they do, but they can only hire so many pool cleaners and gardeners. The truth behind tax cuts is that the poor are most likely to spend their tax cuts right away, flushing that money into the economy and actually creating jobs locally, where they do the most good. Rich people tend to invest their tax cuts, which do create jobs on Wall Street and at hedge funds, but not necessarily on a local basis, say at the corner grocery store. The rich can only eat so much after all.
In the mean time, tax cuts drain the treasury, forcing state and local entities to cut services, such as subsidized health care. It is a proven fact that universal health coverage encourages people to obtain preventative health services, rather than wait until they are really sick and then go to emergency care which ends up costing all of us more in the long run.
I have heard various business pundits on TV and radio wondering why there are so many hedge funds and investment groups buying up real estate and businesses. Just how do you get to be a pundit these days? It's obvious that these investment entities are flush with Bush tax cut cash from rich investors. Again this kind of investment is bad for the economy in that in many cases, to make even more money on these investments they lay off workers before flipping these investments for a profit.
When all is said and done, tax cuts for the rich are a bad overall investment for the economy, while tax cuts for the lower 80% actually flushes more money through local economies and can actually create jobs instead of resulting in layoffs.

Ode to Dick Cheney

2007-02-04T10:51:00.000-08:00

Dick Cheney is a misunderstood individual. If we only could see him in his correct historical context we would be able to better understand him. Anyone who can use the word hogwash in an interview and keep a straight face is special. What could come next from this mans mouth, "Codswallop" or "Balderdash"? If you look closely at him you realize that with the addition of a top hat and a walking stick, you'd have a very decent road show version of Ebeneezer Scrooge. You can almost hear him sneer out of the side of his mouth, "Are there not poor-houses and prisons enough to take care of the poor?"
If we accept this, and try to understand Cheney as some 19th century robber baron, then some of his other statements begin to make sense. In this context, when Cheney told Wolf Blitzer that things were going well in Iran, he might have a point. If you consider the 350 billion spent so far with the 250 billion to be asked for soon, that's only 600 billion dollars for oil reserves of 110 billion barrels. As Adam Corolla says, do the math, that's less than 6 dollars a barrel for a commodity that is hovering in the 60 dollar range. Yes, Mr. Cheney, that's quite an achievement.

write right, right?

2007-02-03T11:44:00.000-08:00

Since I will soon be taking a writing class, I have been told that writing is like a muscle, it must be used every day to get stronger. I hope to use this as a journal and like a message in a bottle, if it happens to connect to someone, so be it. If not, at least I will be honing my typing skills.
One thing I do want to get off my chest, I am tired of global warming. This is anathema to any right thinking lefty, but it is probably mostly a natural phenomonon. During the little Ice Age in 1250-1800 temeratures dropped 4.5 degrees. So now they are going to rise 4-5 degrees. Yes, we are contributing to it, and while it is probably the best way to scare the populace into doing something they should already be doing (stop using fossil fuels), I am tired of it.
The incredible hubris of the Human Race, to think that we control the planets temperature variations. Have we learned nothing from Hurricane Katrina? We control very little and the earth will be just fine after we have killed ourselves off.