Luch needs a tripod to hold up his Viewfinder. Do you have the disk of Saddam at Disneyland? Man I loved those things when I was a kid...

From Naomi Klein's article The Rise of Disaster Capitalism:

Last summer, in the lull of the August media doze, the Bush Administration’s doctrine of preventive war took a major leap forward. On August 5, 2004, the White House created the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization headed by former Us Ambassador to Ukraine Carlos Pascual. Its mandate is to draw up elaborate "post conflict" plans for up to twenty-five countries that are not, as of yet, in conflict. According to Pascual, it will also be able to coordinate three full-scale reconstruction operations in different countries "at the same time," each lasting "five to seven years."

* * *
So, let me get this straight. Did those of you that voted for Bush really believe him when he said there wouldn't be a draft? He's lied more than any other president about very serious issues, i.e. WMD's in Iraq, why wouldn't he lie about a draft? Think about it. There is no way he can pull off these preventive wars without drafting. The military forces do not have the numbers to sustain several simultaneous war fronts and protect our homeland. Recruitment is way down. Do a search on the Internet and look for articles indicating such. You'll find them. Will your child be the one drafted?

Our soldiers as people are too important to lose in these conflicts that quite frankly don't have much of a benefit for our people or humanity in general. Bush seemed to look pretty damn spiffy in that flight jacket on the deck of that Aircraft carrier when he declared victory over Iraq. Why doesn't he go to Iraq on a mission and "smoke the bad guys out of their holes?" He can talk the talk when he or his kids aren't the ones putting their lives on the line.

I mean what did we go to Afghanistan for if not to get Bin Laden? And yet we moved most of our troops on to another war before the objective was met. So what was the objective? Was it to secure the land so a certain American company could run a natural gas line through Afghanistan? You have to ask yourselves these questions if you care about our troops.

These wars have nothing to do with making us, the American people, safe. We are much less safe after going into Iraq than we were before. Many scholars agree that Iraq is and will be a breeding ground for terrorists because of our actions. There are thousands of dead innocent Iraqis and they were killed under false pretenses. Yes, those WMD's again.

For over a year I've heard that Iran is on the list as the next country we plan to "preventively attack." What have they done? Oh, the reports from our intelligence about nuclear weapons being developed. I’m extremely weary of any “intelligence” that comes from this government. Most have forgotten or don’t care that there were no WMD’s in Iraq. In fact I read a day or two ago that the search for WMD’s in Iraq is officially over. Did anyone even notice that article?

They Think You're Stupid

In his article Bush's War on the Press Eric Alterman reports of what an unnamed Bush official told reporter Ron Suskind.

"We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality--judiciously, as you will--we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how thing will sort out. We're history's actors...and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do."

He also reported of what another Bush adviser as saying, "Let me clue you in. We don't care. You see, you're outnumbered two to one by folks in the big, wide middle of America, busy working people who don't read the New York Times or the Washington Post or the LA Times."

If these kinds of statements don't alarm you to a great degree, no matter if you are on the left or the right, then you better look a little closer to what is at stake. These bastards are and will "creating other new realities." It's called propoganda folks. It called lying to further the interests of corporate America.

And I hope all those from the Midwest understand in the second quote the gist of the second quote is. They think you don't read the news and therefore they can say things like "we are the new reality" because they think you're too damn ignorant to know any better! They're using you to further the agenda they have which only benefits the extremely wealthy and large corporations!

Ty Bluesmith the III tells me to be the bear. Thanks man for the ear. You're right I should be the bear. I looked in the mirror this morning and yeah there was a black carpet of hair sprouting on my back. This afternoon I tried to pick up a dumbell and it slipped out of my hand because I'm growing claws. My teeth, oh yeah, you should see my fucking teeth...

Oh yeah and Hell yes I would buy her flowers, the wild ones, the ones that smell like laundry sheets and pale in comparison to the way she is who she is.

This is life on the run. This is the world where the spiked toothed weasels dwell. A day in the life...

Luch is in the decorating division of the Air Force. Here we see him in Baghdad scoping out a room which he plans to furnish in the latest American bachelor pad style. He said that, "I, uh, think a kegerator would like nice in this corner. Over by the window I would put..uh, another kegerator. For a TV stand I would use..urh, uh, a kegerator. For a coffee table I would use cases of beer." Okay, I think we get the point.  

The senior citizens of Florida enjoy fishing in the Everglades...oh, wait that's Luch fishing in front of Saddam's palace in Baghdad.

Luch in Saddam's Palace sitting in the former dictator's chair. It will only be a matter of time until Luch takes over the world. Free beer for everyone.

Luch takes off. 

Richard Peabody

Nationals return poet to his youth
By Erik Brady, USA TODAY
Check it out here:
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/nl/nationals/2005-04-03-poet-timeout_x.htm

This is the guy that taught me at JHU and has been working on editing my first book.

Billy Bob on the Border. Yeeeeeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaaawwww!

'Minuteman' Volunteers Help With 18 Arrests on Border By BETH DeFALCO, AP

Read it here: http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20050403003809990001

This kind of bothers me. This is about a group of citizens who have volunteered to patrol the Mexican border. They may have good intentions but it seems to me this is the kind of thing that could get out of control very quickly. Supposedly, they won't apprehend any illegal aliens but will merely report their goings on to authorities. Why the Hell then do some of think they need guns? I picture a pickup truck full of beer bellied hicks doing donuts in the sand and throwing empty Budweiser cans over the border fence. Cooter is in the bed of the truck waving the rebel flag. Pedro peaks his head over the border fence and Carl lowers his deer rifle. BAM! "Damn,' Carl says, "I thought that was a hoot owl." Guffaws.

Those that "volunteer" for these types of endeavors seem to be people that don't have enough authority over others in their lives (rental cops) so they get involved in policing type activities to gain the power they so desperately desire. It makes them feel important. They can exert this "power" over the helpless Mexicans who cross the border and they are no longer at the bottom of the food chain.

Maybe next there will be volunteer groups to do the policing in your cities. Why pay cops when Earl and Jessie will do your policing for a six pack of Old Milwaukee? A militia forms. They are only there for your protection, to watch over you and makes sure everyone obeys their law. Oops, did I say their law? Silly me

Luch, that isn't Kansas is it? You look like you could use a beer.

Screwed

I'm so mad I could chew through the steel gate outside the Circuit City store. Those bastards got me again...

I purchased an HP laptop there on 2/16/05 after my Dell exploded in a mushroom cloud earlier that morning. The advertised rebate for the computer I purchased was $200. With the rebate calculated into the price I thought it was reasonable so I decided to buy it.

At the checkout I received four long receipt like printouts. Glancing at the top “Redemption Form” I noticed that it indicated the rebate had to be postmarked by 4/2/05 in order for it to be valid. I had over a month to get it in, no sweat. So I stowed this paper work away in my desk for a few weeks. Everything was cool...

Fast forward to today. This morning I began filling out the “Redemption Form” (I like to call them Rip-Off Forms), which by the way denoted that you must also provide the bar code from the packaging box. How many people throw away the box and realize that now they can’t get their rebate? I’d imagine quite a few. This wasn’t my problem but it very well could have been.

As I filled out the form I noticed that there were actually two rebate forms, not one long one as I had originally assumed. Upon further examination of the second form, I noticed a post mark due date of 3/19/05. If I hadn’t already thrown my box out and lost my UPC code there was this little snafu to keep me from collecting my rebate. After ripping a phone book in half with my teeth and taking several tranquilizers I was able to calm down.

Let me recap here.

I was given the two “Redemption Forms” and as most consumers with little spare time do I glanced at the top sheet and saw a post mark due date of 4/2/05. I think it was reasonable to assume that this was the due date for the entire rebate and I believe a lot of people would assume the same thing. Conveniently the top rebate form was for $50 dollars and the postmark due date was 4/2/05. The second rebate form with the postmark due date of 3/19/05 was for $150 and was on the bottom.

It is my contention that the order in which you are given these two rebate forms is not a coincidence but a strategy to keep the consumer form cashing in on said rebates. Given the nature of the forms I don’t think this is an unreasonable assumption. Is it just coincidence that the top form was for $50 dollars and had a later postmark due date and the second form was for $150 and had an earlier postmark date? Knowing the nature of big business I cannot believe that this is simply a coincidence but I will let you draw your own conclusions on the matter.

It behooves these companies to make it as hard as possible for consumers to cash in on their rebates. Every rebate you don’t turn in is profit for Circuit City or whatever company you may have purchased from. So why then wouldn’t they make it as hard as possible for you to turn in a rebate?

So, what is the lesson here? Never trust the man…well, yeah that’s a given. First of all, as soon as you get your rebate information read over it and find the postmark due date. Second of all, don’t throw any packaging from the product away until you are sure you do not need it in order to cash in on your rebate. Thirdly, if you do feel you were mislead with rebate information write a letter to the store or company and tell them you will no longer shop at their store if they do not honor your rebate. Fourthly...is that a word? Anyway, if you really want to get them send yourself in your computer box and address it to store headquarters and when they go to open it up jump out wearing nothing but a keyboard and give them a scare they will never forget.

I formally challenge the CEO of Circuit City to a no holds barred steel cage wrestling match and no I will not be wearing a Speedo with the American flag depicted on it. I will however kick that fucker's ass for stealing my rebate so he can buy another ski house in Aspen. Better yet why don't we wrestle for that house you bastard? I await your reply.

Sick of the Lies

An excellent read is George Lakoff’s Don't Think of an Elephant: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate--The Essential Guide for Progressives. Among the things he discusses are class action law suits and the framing used by the right wing to make Americans believe that the current government is going after “frivolous” lawsuits to protect our interests, ie, keeping prices down for us. In reality “frivolous” lawsuits make up well under 5 percent of all class action lawsuits. The objective of the right wing in stopping many of the filings of class action lawsuits is a “strategic initiative.” According to George Lakoff strategic initiatives are "a plan in which a change in one carefully chosen issue area has automatic effects over many, many, many other issues areas."

In Jack Dalton’s article Bush, The Republican Party, and Eliminating Competition Through "Strategic Initiatives" he states that “at the core of Bush and the Republican Party wanting to "cap" or, if possible, eliminate liability lawsuits by individuals and especially class action lawsuits, is a much broader strategy to "de-fund" the Democratic Party. A substantial portion of the Democratic Party's funding is donations from trial lawyers and their associations. These are the lawyers that generally speaking are the ones that hold the practitioners of bad medicine and companies that violate the law accountable by representing those that have been harmed. In short, eliminate the lawsuits, you eliminate a chief source of funds for lawyers and therefore their ability to donate to the Democratic Party. Lose enough funding sources and you might as well hang a sign on the door saying, "Gone fishin' don't know when, or if I'll be back.”

Dalton further says that, “Then there is the issue of liability lawsuits. Stifle the lawsuits; make it more difficult to get into court by switching from state courts to federal courts; end these lawsuits (which the Bush cabal refers to as Tort reform) and with one stroke of the pen they will have eliminated all the potential lawsuits that will be the basis of future environmental legislation and regulation.”

In a nutshell the right wing wants corporate America to be able to do as they please to us without repercussion to poison our water with chemicals, ignore labor laws, stop lawsuits where a faulty product injures or kills a consumer, etc and to "de-fund" the Democratic party among other things. What does the right wing and corporate America get out of this equation? PROFIT at the cost of your well being.

So before you start supporting the end of “frivolous” lawsuits know exactly what is at stake. There is more to this issue than what meets the eye. If you don’t care about workers rights, laws that protect consumers and our environment then by all means support these selfish, self serving bastards. When will the majority of conservatives learn that George W. Bush and his cronies don’t care about you? Their God spells his name M-O-N-E-Y.

And for the religious out there that believe the right wing conservatives are on your side I might ask you which side of this debate Jesus would be on? Huh? Do you think he’d be on the side of the big corporations? Think about it.