A Night Like Forever

2006-06-11T15:45:00.000-05:00

Hookahville Pics...

Well, it took me long enough, but I finally posted some pics of my Memorial Day weekend trip out to the Hookahville festival in Ohio with my friends Styx and Elisha. It was an amazing time, perhaps the best Hookahville of the 7 I've attended. Yonder Mountain String band has gained yet another fan. Those guys are sick. Hookah was really impressive and the second night triple encore of Powderfinger (Neil Young), Jack Straw (Grateful Dead) and Pigs (Pink Floyd) blew my mind. Summer has officially begun. I'm gonna try to put up some more political stuff when I get the chance.

2006-05-25T11:30:00.000-05:00

Off to Hookahville!

I'm leaving tonight for my yearly summer starting adventure in central Ohio. This year, Hookah has a new lineup which I'll be seeing for the first time. Other firsts: Blues Traveler and Yonder Mountain String Band. Expect pics when I return.

2006-05-22T15:59:00.000-05:00

Didja Miss Me?

I've been busy.
Lots of things have been happening. For example:

I finally finished grad school (yay!)
I almost lost my car insurance (boo!)
Hookahville is just around the corner (yay!)
Emily is in Costa Rica (boo!)
I got tickets to Phil Lesh and friends, with Trey and Mike from Phish as special guests (yay!)

And so on...

Anyway, I'll try to get back on track now that things are a little mellower. Also, if you have a nice job you'd like to give away, feel free to let me know about it.

2006-05-13T18:10:00.000-05:00

Hydrogen Jukebox News...

5/12/06
The Tiborino Museum
Philadelphia, PA

Set 1
Astro Brains from the Planet Spain
The Big Bang Theory
Golden Nugget
Friendly Fire
Sam Hall
Morphus Indigenous Sound
Johnny's a Space Frog >
Nan
Peach Fish Blues
Hip to the Wind
The Ballad of Ray Pagoda

Set 2
Drum Solo >
Jam >
Astro Zombies
Moon Wisdom Intro >
Moon Wisdom Jam* >
Perv the Strangester
The Last Newscaster
Sweet Sunny South
Sgt. Piggley's Got a Sweettooth
Elliot's Animal Jam >
Hydrojonian Jawn
Elliot's Poetry Jam
Shall We Call the Gods
Fingerprint Face
Mrs. Mouth
Alien Assassin
This Strange

*w/ the blue-haired Moon Wisdom dancer

A packed house at the Tiborino. Fire spinning, sideshow, and plenty of dancers sucking in the weirdness and spitting it back out onto the Jukebox. The lights went out about half-way through Astro Zombies (to the cheers of the crowd) and then came back on just as the song finished. Were you there? Tell me what you thought. (Thanks Em for the pics.)

2006-05-13T17:20:00.000-05:00

Hydrogen Jukebox News...

5/9/06
Fumé
Philadelphia, PA

Set 1
Friendly Fire
Sam Hall
Lonliest River
Sweet Sunny South
Astro Brains from the Planet Spain
The Ballad of Ray Pagoda
Astro Zombies
Nan
Hip to the Wind
The Last Newscaster

Set 2
Golden Nugget
Peach Fish Blues
Morphus Indigenous Sound
"Bang Bang" (?)
The Legend of Spidy Jones
Jam
Streamind Shuffle (aborted)
Johnny's A Spacefrog >
What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body? >
Johnny's A Spacefrog

Acoustic show in celebration of Beth's 29th birthday.
There was no Royce to be found.

2006-05-13T17:17:00.000-05:00

Thursday Poem on Saturday...

And This I Know

here I am again, at home –
such as it is. with:

you that sand away my rough edges
and hypnotize me –

you that crawl on all fours
lingering, lusting –

you that question me
and solve me –

you that resort to eye-rolling
and misdirection –

you that pander and pose,
as it were.

2006-05-06T12:42:00.000-05:00

Hydrogen Jukebox News...

A week of Hydrojonian meyhem is forthcoming. Two, count 'em, two shows in the Philly area this week. Be there bitches! Here's the details...

Tuesday, May 9th
10 pm
Fumé
229 S. 45th Street
FREE SHOW!

Friday, May 12th
8 pm
The Ellen Powell Tiberino Museum
3819 Hamilton Street
$5 (Carnivolution complete with sideshow, fire, dance and assorted craziness)

So now you're armed with everything you need to have a week full of music, art, insanity, glass-eating, space frogs, and astro brains. What more could you ask for?

2006-05-05T10:07:00.000-05:00

Fun With Rummy...

I don't know how many of you caught this, but Rumsfeld got DEMOLISHED by some exceptionally difficult questions regarding, well, the truth. You remember the truth, right? Go here to see the video.

Let's take a look at the transcript, shall we?

QUESTION: Why did you lie to get us into a war that caused these kind of casualties and was not necessary?

RUMSFELD: Well, first of all, I haven’t lied. I did not lie then. Colin Powell didn’t lie. He spent weeks and weeks with the Central Intelligence Agency people and prepared a presentation that I know he believed was accurate, and he presented that to the United Nations. The president spent weeks and weeks with the Central Intelligence people and he went to the American people and made a presentation. I'm not in the intelligence business.

Trust me, no one accused you of possesing intelligence. What's unfortunate is that you're not in the "being a capable Secretary of Defense business" either. See, that's where we could use some help. Also, I love how he appeals to Colin Powell, a man that people actually see as having some integrity.

RUMSFELD (continued): They gave the world their honest opinion. It appears that there were not weapons of mass destruction there.

It appears that perhaps, maybe, in light of what is known, lacking better information, possibly, that there were not weapons of mass destuction there. We think.

QUESTION: You said you knew where they were.

Oh, Snap!

RUMSFELD: I did not. I said I knew where suspect sites were and –

Pssst! Rummy! It's hard to deny lying when you're lying to cover up the fact that you were lying.

QUESTION: You said you knew where they were-- Tikrit, Baghdad, northeast, south, west of there. Those are your words.

Double Snap! (Actually Rummy's exact words were: "We know where they are. They're in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat." Unfortunately for him, that's close enough not to make a fucking bit of difference.)

RUMSFELD: My words — my words were that — no, no, wait a minute, wait a minute. Let him stay one second. Just a second.

This is my favorite part of the video. Rumsfeld looks completely lost and then the security guards move in to eject the offending party until they're waved off by a Secretary of Defense who looks as though he's just peed his pants.

QUESTION: This is America.

RUMSFELD: You’re getting plenty of play, sir.

Is he trying to sound magnanamous here?

QUESTION: I’d just like an honest answer.

RUMSFELD: I’m giving it to you.

I'd hate to see what an evasive answer full of lies looks like.

2006-05-04T15:18:00.000-05:00

Thursday Poem...

Ever Ended

“Good god,” said old black sharecropper.

“See, my hands are tied – I do suppose I tried to be in spaces
where I fit.

Your flutter me and spit my name out with precision.

You awkwardly repeat these deep demands and beat the carpet of your tongue.

No sooner did I stand for all your weary indiscretions than you took me by the neck’s last nape and, see, you shook enough to loose my jawbone and my certainty.”

2006-05-03T11:49:00.000-05:00

Protest Pics...

These pictures are from the April 29th, protest in NYC. (Click 'em for bigger versions.)

2006-05-01T10:06:00.000-05:00

Hydrogen Jukebox News...

Hey hey!

The good ol' Hydrogen Jukebox have joined the human race (for a moment) and established a MySpace page. There you will find samples of their music, pictures of their events, gig dates, contact information, and more. So what are you waiting for?

Go check it out!

Plus, there will be a Jukebox show on Friday, May 12th at the Tiberino Museum. More details here as the date approaches.

2006-05-01T10:01:00.000-05:00

Thursday Poem on Monday...

[gave my thesis presentation on last Thursday. it went well. here's a poem cause i skipped the one I would have posted that day.]

Untitled (15)

I saw you, sister, as you dissolved, dithering, under my microscope in a pool of saline solution dripped from on high by obscure celestial digits –
As you navigated your chemical obstructions and expanded inward, away from the strongest sources of black light –
As your misshapen cells retracted and recoiled, sucking membrane and empathy into deep spirals –
As you shrank from my sight completely, leaving me wanting in the wake of your unfinished auras.

I saw you once more, sister, as I cast about with near-blind eyes into the perpetual ceiling of the night sky, finding for myself your figure strewn among the constellations –
As you rode bareback along nebular corridors with cold eyes, cause you’d rather not come undone at multiple angles, unnerving and crowded with come in doubt –

disenchant me now I say for sooth for you for play for gone and fold me in you gently yawning maw –

resonate you now I pull a tooth, for on this sill I sit and spill
my juices –

so quaint we’ve darkened our last door and quibbling vanished at the
breath of us –

give a mild lip to the former lovers in our dreams, panting and weaving through the Sistine sepulcher, finding pleasure in these ancient moments bound tight with twine and desire –

at last, I watch you as you drift between Castor and Pollex and lose yourself, as if our existence was merely opaque memory.

2006-04-24T09:40:00.000-05:00

Same Old Situation...

I've not posted for a few days due to the absolute shit-ton of work I have to be doing. Thankfully, after quick visits to a few random news sites, I am secure in the knowledge that things are still nice and insane in the world. Just how I like it. Let's see here...

Ginormous gas prices? Check.

Crazy guy still running things in Iran? You betcha.

Continuing cluster-fuck in Iraq? Oh heeeeelll yeah.

Ann Coulter still setting women back by light years? Clearly.

Teachers assigning racist math problems involving a current White House staff member? Huh? Wow.

It's times like these that we need music like this.

2006-04-20T10:50:00.000-05:00

Thursday Poem...

(A series of three related poems.)

Nakba

each time we strain to lift, or pull, or plow
we feel a burn beneath our knuckles,
deep pulsing aches and stabs within
the muscles and joints of our hands.

to find the source of our pain
we open our fists,
only to discover flakes of glass
embedded
beneath the skin of our palms.

we stand in circles
plucking at the shards,
rending our ancient flesh,
exhuming the splinters,
and spoiling our hands.

Intifadah

in so many of my lives
I have heard the music.
I am still young,
and this is not the worst of it.
bound in layers like sediment
I squint out from the rift
in these vestments
and marvel at my breath,
visible now, and thus – undeniable.

I hear the drumming distant,
like sticks across my father’s knee,
but rhythmic – and more.
some flutes or horns in high pitch –
some booted feet stepping where cars should be.
some horses topped by stoic drivers
ignoring with practiced ease the shits they leave behind.
to my side a child not so young as I,
gripping Glory by its convenient plastic handle –
swinging it in time
as these familiar apparitions pass.

Hudna

I stood silent along avenues
ancient and unmarked,
lending my ears to
unnatural sounds.
darling, you are staring me down.
this night has been decisive;
complete to the extent that
completion is possible –
to the extent that
conclusion is a real notion,
and not some mental aberration,
some rank, soul-less concept,
some excuse not to do more.
I am complicit and this I know.
I will forfeit this desire,
and give it back.
for far beyond forgetting
lies memory, waiting.

2006-04-18T11:00:00.000-05:00

Good Music...

We can probably agree that one of life's profound joys is turning people on to music. (Getting turned on in return isn't so bad either.) In that spirit, check out One Under. They are composed of segments of several bands that are/were located in and around Columbus, OH including my beloved ekoostik hookah. From the little I've heard, One Under brings a sound that's more influenced by funk and electronic, so it has a bit of that trance-like vibe, but not to an annoying or repetitive degree. They also have a MySpace Music page. I'm hoping they'll make their way out towards Philly sometime soon.

P.S. Any music suggestions you wanna post can go in the comments...

2006-04-17T21:42:00.000-05:00

Guest Blogger...

I'm in a bad mood, so AJ thought it would be a good idea for me to rant in his place. So anyway, I would like to start by telling all you liberal intellectuals you're going to hell becuase you think man came from monkeys, the world is round, and "gays" (forgive me lord for being politically correct) deserve rights. If you don't believe me check out this site, verified true by the bible itself.

Justin "Revelation" Losh

p.s. only True Christians need leave comments

2006-04-16T19:35:00.000-05:00

Probably not a good sign...

OK, I'm doing thesis stuff at the moment so I'm not gonna go off on anything today, but I would like to point out that this is not good.

TEHRAN, Iran (Reuters) -- Some 200 Iranians have volunteered in the past few days to carry out "martyrdom missions" against U.S. and British interests around the world if Iran is attacked, a hard-line group said Sunday.

This is insane. The only points I can give Iranians on this one are for honesty. When we bomb people we're all, "These bombs will bring freedom and democracy." Iranians are all, "We're gonna fuck you up."

The fresh fears over a possible U.S. attack on Iran's nuclear sites helped attract volunteers during its latest recruitment drive, Mohammad Ali Samadi, spokesman for the Committee for the Commemoration of Martyrs of the Global Islamic Campaign, said.
"Because of the recent threats, we have started to register more volunteers since Friday," Samadi told Reuters by telephone.

Volunteers?? Recruitment drive??! It's not like they're signing up to work the dunk tank at a PTA fund raiser. Maybe it's just 200 really lonely people.

The Committee for the Commemoration of Martyrs of the Global Islamic Campaign, which says it has no affiliation with the government, was formed in 2004. Since then, Samadi said, some 52,000 people have signed up to be involved in possible attacks. The Sunday Times of London, quoting unnamed Iranian officials, reported Iran had 40,000 trained suicide bombers prepared to strike western targets if Iran is attacked.

Ho. Ly. Shit.

"We are the only martyrdom seeking group in Iran," [Samadi] said. "And we are an independent group."

He added, "We're a family-run business and we've been operating since 1979. Folks in the greater Tehran area have come to trust and rely on us for all their martyrdom-seeking needs. So stop on by and speak to one of our friendly representatives. As we like to say: 'Death to the great Satan...one volunteer at a time.' Oh, and ask about our gift certificates."

(hmm...i guess i did go off...)

2006-04-14T09:04:00.000-05:00

Secretary of Pissing People Off...

Donald Rumsfeld says that he has offered his resignation to the President on several occasions, but that Bush has declined to accept. It looks like a military man is asking George to reconsider.

WASHINGTON - Retired Maj. Gen. John Batiste, who commanded the 1st Infantry Division in Iraq until last November, appeared on NBC’s “Today” show to reiterate criticisms he leveled earlier this week. Batiste said Rumsfeld had “failed to build the peace” in Iraq, and criticized “a leadership style which is intimidating, abusive. There was not a two-way street of respect.”

What a cry baby. Always complaining about how he wants things like respect from the Secretary of Defense. Ya know, you give these army guys an inch and they take a mile. Next thing you know he'll want body armor and an exit strategy. Anyway, this is just one kook ex-General who doesn't know what he's talking about.

Five other retired generals have also spoken out in recent days against Rumsfeld’s war strategy.

Oh.

But isn't criticizing the administration during wartime dangerous? I mean, won't the IslamoFascistMuslimaniacs sense our fear and uncertainty? We need to be bold, united, and focused. Any dissent undermines our cause, which is the defeat of evil wherever it may lurk. So I ask you: why do Generals Batiste, Zinni, Swannack, Riggs, Newbold, and Eaton hate America so much?

...at the White House, the 73-year-old Rumsfeld drew unflinching support. “Yes, the president believes Secretary Rumsfeld is doing a very fine job during a challenging period,” White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters Thursday.

He then stuck his fingers in his ears and, addressing the Generals, said, "LALALALALALA!! I can't hear you! LALALA!!!" The reporters in the room did not have any follow-up questions.

But retired Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Mike DeLong rejected the idea that new leadership was needed at the Pentagon. “Dealing with Secretary Rumsfeld is like dealing with a CEO,” he told CNN. “When you walk in to see him, you’ve got to be prepared. You’ve got to know what you’re talking about. If you don’t, you’re summarily dismissed. But that’s the way it is, and he’s effective.”

Fair enough. Makes sense. I guess my question would be, what happens when Secretary Rumsfeld doesn't know what he's talking about? Does anyone pull him aside and say "Hey, Don. Here's the thing. You're full of shit. And we all know it. You've never been in the military and you're talking out your ass. So stop doing things that get my buddies killed, ok? Oh, and fuck you." Somehow I don't think that happens much.

Bush’s dilemma, said Michael O’Hanlon, a military analyst with the Brookings Institution, is that Bush “shares a lot of the responsibility for the key decisions on Iraq. Bush is implicated. For Bush to fire Rumsfeld is for Bush to declare himself a failure as president. Iraq is the main issue of his presidency,” said O’Hanlon, who supported Bush’s decision to invade Iraq and said he still supports the war.

Mr. Bush, don't feel the need to declare yourself a failure as President. We're all well aware of your shortcomings. Hell, I'd do you one better and declare you a failure as a human being. But don't let a little thing like pride keep you from letting Rummy leave. I know making good decisions doesn't come easily to you, but this one is a no brainer.

*Sigh*

2006-04-13T09:42:00.000-05:00

Thursday Poem...

Proper Artists

proper artists don’t vent spleen
for no cause these days.
that’s an old trick and
one no need repeating.

proper artists don’t see call
for pushing visions of worlds.
that just get in way
of development and marketing and all.

proper artists don’t call bullshit
on hysterical self-evident farces
made up to look like faithful renderings.
it never been their place so far as one could recall.

proper artists don’t think art much matter,
in the end.
one don’t produce passion in public
or in polite company, come to think of it.

2006-04-12T09:58:00.000-05:00

Sounds like: Bay-ner. Looks like: Boner...

It took me a few days to get around to this. I'm pretty sure I had to give the stupidity time to marinate in my brain. In any case, it's good to see that the great state of Ohio is being so well represented.

April 9, 2006 — In an exclusive interview on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," newly minted House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, defended the Republican agenda, but acknowledged, "We've had a rough year, there's no question about it."

This year has been rough on the old Boehner.
Sorry. That's the last name joke.

The Ohio Republican asserted, "Tom DeLay's troubles have cast a shadow, there's no doubt about it." DeLay, known affectionately as "The Hammer" in the halls of Congress, relinquished his party post as majority leader when indicted by Texas grand jury last September, but pledged to quickly resume his leadership duties.

Boehner, known affectionately as "The Tool" by all who interact with him, has a gift for understatement.

"We have an agenda," [Boehner said] highlighting fiscal responsibility, a push for affordable health care, tax cuts and efforts on border security. Of the Democrats, Boehner contrasted, "[They have] nothing. … They have no agenda other than to stop us."

Fiscal responsibility.
Affordable health care.
Tax cuts.
Border security.

Way to follow through on that agenda, buddy. I can see how it would be a full time job for the Democrats to try to take the edge off your incompetence (not that they've been all that effective).

Boehner rejected claims that the situation in Iraq has soured, arguing, "I really do believe, George … beyond a few hot spots, the situation in Iraq is improving."

Acknowledging the need to continue the debate, the majority leader continued, "It's in a handful of places that are still under attack by insurgents."

Improving relative to what? We're only 12 days into the month and already we've exceeded last month's number of dead Americans in Iraq.

Also, not to be a jerk, but I believe one of those "hot spots" Boehner mentioned is called "Baghdad" ... and that's a pretty big fucking hot spot.

2006-04-10T17:40:00.000-05:00

Insert Anti-France Joke Here...

Go ahead. Take your best shot. Cheese eating surrender monkeys? Cigarette addled appeasement advocates? Wine guzzling charter members of the Axis of Weasels? Short-hour-working commies? I won't stop you. In some ways, you're probably right.

But just make sure that you pay attention.

PARIS, France (CNN) -- The French government has scrapped a controversial youth job law, bowing to weeks of million-strong protests with a change of heart likely to further undermine the image of the country's embattled Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin.
Students and trades unions claimed victory after President Jacques Chirac announced the decision on Monday.

Set aside your opinions about the proposed labor law and think about what happened here. A coalition of social groups decided to oppose an intended action by their government. They cared enough to protest publicly, take to the streets and risk arrest. By demonstrating, singing, yelling, and raising a ruckus, they made it impossible for business as usual in France to continue until their concerns were addressed.

They won. And this was over a labor law.

Back here in the United States, we are engaged in an ongoing, vastly unpopular war of aggression. By our fearless leader's own count, 30,000 Iraqis have been killed. (By now that number is rather outdated, btw.) The cost in dollars is staggering.

So my question is: what is it going to take? What, exactly, has to happen for us to put this to an end? Someone please tell me. Because saying "we'll fight till we win" or "we'll fight until we defeat terror" isn't good enough.

Mario Savio: There is a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can't take part; you can't even passively take part, and you've got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you've got to make it stop. And you've got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own it, that unless you're free, the machine will be prevented from working at all!

2006-04-09T11:41:00.000-05:00

And you thought Iraq was fun...

From the same folks who brought freedom, peace, and democracy to the people of Iraq comes "Global Muslim Smackdown v. 2.0"

Admit it you guys. You knew it was gonna happen. Things have gone so well in the Middle East over the past few years that there just HAD to be a sequel. I know what you're thinking: How will our troops ever handle all the candy and flowers that the people of the region shower upon them? I mean, we can hardly deal with the adulation we've received in the wake of our invasion and occupation of Iraq. But I guess there's always room for more freedom in the world. And by freedom I mean bomb dropping.

The Bush administration is studying options for military strikes against Iran as part of a broader strategy of coercive diplomacy to pressure Tehran to abandon its alleged nuclear development program, according to U.S. officials and independent analysts.

Good god! Coercive diplomacy! Orwell spins madly in his grave (again).

No attack appears likely in the short term, and many specialists inside and outside the U.S. government harbor serious doubts about whether an armed response would be effective.

Not effective, huh? Never seemed to bother us before...

Many military officers and specialists ... view the saber rattling with alarm. A strike at Iran, they warn, would at best just delay its nuclear program by a few years but could inflame international opinion against the United States, particularly in the Muslim world and especially within Iran, while making U.S. troops in Iraq targets for retaliation.

Yeah we wouldn't wanna anger the international community or piss off Muslims or put our troops in harm's way. That's sooooo 2003.

Although Bush insists he is focused on diplomacy for now, he volunteered at a public forum in Cleveland last month his readiness to use force if Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad tries to follow through on his statement that Israel should be "wiped off the map."
"The threat from Iran is, of course, their stated objective to destroy our strong ally, Israel," Bush said. "That's a threat, a serious threat. . . . I'll make it clear again that we will use military might to protect our ally Israel."

Bush added that having a strategically essential nuclear outpost in the heart of the oil-rich Middle East has nothing to do with our willingness to defend Israel.

Israel is preparing, as well. The government recently leaked a contingency plan for attacking on its own if the United States does not, a plan involving airstrikes, commando teams, possibly missiles and even explosive-carrying dogs.

New Israeli secret weapon?

Site note: I added a counter so I can tell exactly how few people are reading my blog. :-)

2006-04-07T12:21:00.000-05:00

Hydrogen Jukebox News...

4/6/06
Mill Creek Tavern
Philadelphia, Pa

Set 1
Astro Brains from the Planet Spain
Morphus Indigenous Sound
Big Bang Theory
Johnny's a Spacefrog >
Astro Zombies* >
Johnny's a Spacefrog >
Nan
Shall We Call the Gods
Calamari Conception
Hydrojonian Jawn
Peach Fish Blues
Mrs. Mouth
Liquid Man #
Streamind Shuffle #
Golden Nugget

*Misfits cover
#Eric on acoustic

Helluva show! By the way, The Hydrogen Jukebox Website is back up and running. So go check it out some time.

2006-04-07T11:37:00.000-05:00

Shame...

It's nice to see that SOMEONE is taking the president to task for his stunning incompetence...

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (AP) -- A man who identified himself as Harry Taylor rose at a forum here to tell Bush that he's never felt more ashamed of the leadership of his country.
He said Bush has asserted his right to tap phone calls without a warrant, to arrest people and hold them without charges and to revoke a woman's right to an abortion, among other things.

I hereby officially proclaim today to be "Man who Identified Himself as Harry Taylor Appreciation Day." I'm sure that the other members of the audience, upon hearing his bold, candid, and obviously correct statements, supported him vigorously.

He was booed by the audience, but Bush interrupted and urged the audience to let Taylor finish.

"Booooo! We like our useless leader! We're part of the 36% of Americans who approve of the job he's doing and we're proud of it! Boooooo!!" Given the degree to which the audience is screened for these canned events, it's a wonder that the MIHHT wasn't dragged out kicking and screaming by the conformity cops.

"I feel like despite your rhetoric, that compassion and common sense have been left far behind during your administration," Taylor said, standing in a balcony seat and looking down at Bush on stage. "And I would hope from time to time that you have the humility and grace to be ashamed of yourself."

Or, if you can't find it in your cold heart to be ashamed, you could just resign. That would be fine too. Because shame is a lot to ask of a shameless person.

Bush defended the National Security Administration's surveillance program, saying he authorized the program to protect the country.
"You said would I apologize for that?" Bush told him. "The answer is absolutely not."

Translation: I broke the law, I don't regret it, and I will continue to break the law as long as people will believe that I'm doing it for their own good. So there.

2006-04-06T11:30:00.000-05:00

Thursday Poem...

Untitled (17)

I sat and watched
junk boat
carbon copies
blend into the
distant horizon dusk
beyond earth’s hidden curve.

I strove to comprehend
ancient dialects
as again I marched
towards Gethsemane
and Golgotha.

I marveled at fantastic
mercury burns
upon the eyes of
the fathers of
modern verse
as I calmly hammered
a nail into a gleaming cross.

I provoked
illegal gestures
and my hair fell out
like corn husk threads
as I hummed
the Battle Hymn of the Republic.

I discovered fear
when I extended my fingers,
reaching out to a
pale, red eyed partisan.

I kissed the deep glass wall
and watched, enamored,
as it crumbled like
transparent sand
beneath my lips.

2006-04-04T12:32:00.000-05:00

Since when did the AP (and by extension, the NYT) start carrying water for Wal-Mart? With the exception of the token last paragraph, this "article" sounds like it could have been written by a PR firm.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, said Tuesday it plans to build more than 50 stores in struggling communities over the next two years, as part of a goal to create between 15,000 and 25,000 jobs.
Wal-Mart said it will build the stores in neighborhoods with high crime or unemployment rates, on sites that are environmentally contaminated, or in vacant buildings or malls in need of revitalization.
The Bentonville, Ark., company said it expects many of the jobs will be in minority communities and could generate more than $100 million in state and local tax revenue. It already has over 1.3 million U.S. employees.

So, Wal-Mart is planning on moving into neighborhoods inhabited by poor people, hiring massive amounts of poor people to man the registers, and selling products made abroad by VERY poor people to the poor people that come to shop at the store. They're trying to sound magnanimous, but really they're just cutting costs by utilizing the domestic and international labor of the most vulnerable and marginalized. Think about it. The 12 year old Cambodian girl making the sweater gets nothing. The cost of opening a store in a "struggling community" is (for a company like Wal-Mart) next to nothing. Local businesses invariably suffer and close. The local population is left to shop at the local uber-store and, given their options, can be forgiven for not wondering how those prices got so low. Wal-Mart profits.
I'm not knocking the job creation per se. But remember those 1.3 million employees mentioned above? Not a one of them is a union member. Their wages are piss poor. Many are illegal immigrants. Oh, and their health plans suck...

...the insurance plans don't cover things like children's vaccinations, flu shots or eye exams, they have a $1,000 deductible, and employees pay one-third of the cost - assuming they can afford that much. This is a plan for catastrophic health problems, not day-to-day health coverage. And how many Wal-Mart employees do get their coverage though government programs like Medicare? That matters a lot because the more Wal-Mart employees who rely on government programs, the more the "low prices" are a matter of cost-shifting, not cost-cutting.

One non-sequitur: Justin Losh is organizing a trip to D.C. late this month to do some yelling about Darfur. If you want info and you know him, he can fill you in on the details. If you don't know him, contact me and I'll put you in touch. I'll post more on this as the protest draws near.

2006-04-03T16:03:00.000-05:00

Our fearless leader may have a Ph.D in Advanced Empty Patriotism, but he clearly failed ECON 101.

WACO, Texas (AP) -- President Bush used the upcoming income tax-filing deadline and his weekly radio address to promote tax-cut proposals and set up an election-year debate with Democrats over the issue.
In the broadcast Saturday, Bush urged Congress to permanently extend tax cuts that he pushed into law during his first term, which are set to expire in coming years.
"Some Democrats in Washington are insisting that we let that happen, or even repeal the tax cuts now," Bush said as he spent the weekend at his Texas ranch. "In either case, that would weaken our economy and would leave American families with a big tax hike that they do not expect and will not welcome."

Nice timing. With your approval ratings in the shitter, your V.P. shooting old guys in the face, your democracy-building just a little behind schedule, and your own party begging you to stop fucking up, go with the one thing that no American can possibly disagree with: less taxes are good. Sounds pretty nice, huh? Especially since it's not like we have anything important we have to pay for these days...oh, darn. Also, what's a radio?

Democrats argue Bush's emphasis on sweeping tax cuts is driving up the deficit. They say his tax relief primarily benefits the wealthy.

I love how the article mentions these points as if somehow they're debatable. Yes, this is indeed what Democrats argue. And, in support of their position, Democrats also claim that these notions are "true" and "self-evident" and "based in reality". Crazy Democrats.

The president argued that he can meet his goal of cutting the deficit in half by the end of his time in office through pro-growth economic policies and spending restraint.

Quick. Name one situation in which Bush has ever shown restraint (besides his reaction to Katrina). While you're pondering that, tell me how many spending bills Bush has vetoed in his five years in office. I'll give you the second one. Zero. Nada. None. Never met an appropriations bill he didn't like. So, based on that gleaming track record of fiscal responsibility, we're supposed to believe that he's gonna cut the deficit to, what, like HALF a gazillion-bajillion-trillion? If you buy that one, I have some non war-torn land outside Tikrit you might be interested in purchasing.

2006-04-02T16:12:00.000-05:00

Hydrogen Jukebox News...

Alright people. Here's what's up...

Who? : Whaddaya mean, who? The Hydrogen friggin' Jukebox, that's who.

What? : A performance entitled "The Marriage of Doobal" replete with the usual insanity that is apt to take place when this particular group ambles onto the stage.

Where? : Glad you asked. It's at the Mill Creek Tavern. That's 4200 Chester Ave in Philly.

When? : This Thursday, April 6th from 9:30 pm to 2:00 am.

How? : Um, usually they just load up the bus with gear, and then unload it and set it up and then they play some music and people dance. I guess that covers "how".

Why? : This show will benefit the Drexel University chapter of NORML. I doubt that I have to explain to you what it is the good people at NORML are all about, but feel free to check 'em out here. The cover is $7.

All of that said, I expect to see everyone who reads this blog at the show (yes, both of you).

2006-03-31T23:04:00.000-05:00

I used to not like Condoleezza Rice in that normal, run-of-the-mill, everyday "you're a war criminal and part of the most awful administration ever" sort of way. You know, like in that "yeah, you're really horrible and have done some pretty severe damage to our nation" kind of way. I mean, I didn't like her, but it was in that standard manner in which any thinking person dislikes harmful and dangerous individuals.

Then I read this.

BLACKBURN, England (CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has defended her government's war in Iraq, despite having made "thousands of errors," as she faced a series of protests during a tour of northwest England.
"I believe strongly it was the right strategic decision," Rice said Friday. "I know we've made tactical errors, thousands of them, I'm sure," she said in a speech at Blackburn's Chatham House -- a center for independent research on global (sic).
"I am quite certain there are going to be dissertations written about the mistakes of the Bush administration," she said. "But when you look back in history what will be judged on is" whether the "right strategic decision" was made.

One time I asked my dad to borrow his car. It was a pretty nice car. He asked me why I needed it. I told him that I needed it so I could get to a nursing home where I planned to volunteer my time with lonely elderly folks. I also told him that if I didn't go, I wouldn't get the community service credit I needed to win some award or something. These were lies. There was a nursing home, and there were elderly folks, but I was really just interested in impressing this girl who worked there with my dad's nice car. But my dad didn't know that. So he let me use the car.

On the way, I stopped at a bar and did about 11 shots of Jaeger. That got me good and drunk. I left the bar and a block or two later I clipped a minivan full of children on their way to soccer practice. They all died. Shortly after that, I somehow managed to cut off a caravan of station wagons filled with nuns. I would estimate that there were 20 or so nuns. Their station wagons flipped and burned. They all died. Undaunted, I reached the nursing home and proceeded to crash the car directly into the front of the building. Several lonely elderly folks and the girl I had hoped to impress were nearby. They all died.

Somehow, I escaped the inferno. Needless to say, my father was not pleased. At first I refused to admit that I done anything wrong. Then I asked him why he always had to focus on the negative things and never on the good stuff I did. Finally, I said "Dad, I've made errors. Thousand of them, I'm sure. I'm quite certain that someone could write a dissertation on the mistakes I've made today. But when we look back at this day, years from now, we'll remember the important thing: I was on my way to visit lonely elderly people."

2006-03-30T15:24:00.000-05:00

Warning: if naughty language and/or common sense bother you, don't click here. Don't say I didn't warn you. Because I did.

2006-03-30T10:53:00.000-05:00

Thursday Poem...

In this, I

she has a tendency to say things
that stick in my throat-

can't you see how I'm warming your dinner
once again and steeping tea
as you try to order your little insanities?

I am left to fend for myself
against the figments of your imagination and,
I tell you my dear,
they are not to be trifled with.
your make-believes are more real than most
flesh-and-bloods.

they have teeth.

I am sorting socks against my will and
situating my soul amongst the devilled eggs.

2006-03-29T12:27:00.000-05:00

Last night I attended an amazing multi-media presentation at the Rotunda in Philly (40th and Walnut, free programs all the time, check it out). Words don't really do it justice, but there were components of poetry, film, music, dance, song, and performance art that centered around cultural consciousness and political activism. The main performer was Taina Asili (that's her on the left), a remarkable young poet with unreal energy and passion.

Be sure to hit up her website.

Beyond that, I have word that the next Hydrogen Jukebox show is on April 6th at the Millcreek Tavern. Get your details here and stay tuned for more info as the date draws near.

2006-03-28T14:59:00.000-05:00

See that guy on the left there? His name is Andy Card. This is a picture of what he was doing on 9/11. He is whispering to the President "The nation is under attack." Today he resigned as White House chief of staff.

"I have watched as you have kept your oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution," Card said about Bush during remarks he made in the Oval Office on Monday, adding that the White House staff helps the president uphold those values. "You're a good man, Mr. President, and you do great things."

Also a good man:

So, is this the first sign of a major shake-up in the administration? A tacit admission that things aren't going quite as well as our fearless leader had hoped? That he may need to make some long overdue changes? What new blood will he call on to repair the damaged credibility of his inner circle? What young Turk will cleanse the halls of government with the disinfectant of his righteousness, un-tainted by the foul odor of nepotism and corruption?

Oh. Longtime Capital Hill/Wall Street insider and Bush cabinet member Josh Bolton. Sweet. The times they are a-changin'.

2006-03-26T11:35:00.000-05:00

The computer gods are not smiling upon me.

My laptop is experiencing some sort of malfunction. The timing is pretty awful, given the whole thesis writing process I'm supposedly involved in. Hopefully the IT guys can get it up and running by the end of this week. We shall see...

Yesterday I picked up tickets for what will be my 7th straight Spring Hookahville out in central Ohio. This is a festival thrown twice a year (spring and fall) by a kick-ass little jam band called ekoostik hookah. This year the bill includes Blues Traveler and Yonder Mountain String Band, among others. If you're looking for some good live music over Memorial Day weekend, you should check it out...

www.hookahville.com

Trust me, it's a real good time.

2006-03-24T16:36:00.000-05:00

More proof that irony is dead (as if you needed it).

It seems that our fearless leader feels that the debates we have in this country about contentious issues just aren't civil enough.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Anticipating turbulent debate over immigration, President Bush urged Congress on Thursday to grapple with the emotional issue in a way that avoids pitting groups against each other.

And who better to push for congressional unity than a man whose administration has been marked by unprecedented levels of co-operation and openness when faced with tough issues? He's a uniter! Not a divider! Even the American people are united, just as Mr. Bush said we would be. I mean, look how unified we are about the Iraq war. Now that's what I call unity! Bravo, sir.

Immigration is a divisive issue for the country, and Republicans in particular. It splits two main GOP constituent groups -- businesses and social conservatives.

It's a real pain in the ass when you have to choose between the nativist xenophobes who make up your voting base and the morally retarded millionaires that fund your campaigns. I guess it would be pretty rude of me to suggest that the abject poverty of many Mexicans is due primarily to American trade policies and this is by far the biggest contributing factor to the illegal immigration situation. Yeah. That would probably be pretty rude of me.

2006-03-24T13:33:00.000-05:00

Here's my obligatory first post. Chances are this blog won't be read much except by a few friends, but that's probably not unlike the majority of little blogs out there, right? Anyway, feel free to comment and argue and complain and all that good stuff.

If you are at all politically inclined and enjoy laughing at wingnut pundits, you should be aware of this blog:

www.sadlyno.com

One of the writers (Brad R.) was a roommate of mine in college. So there it is. My first post on my first blog and my first posted link. Good times.