Friday, January 31, 2003

Great Patriotic Stickers

I already have a few. Check them out. He's probably working overtime now...but check him out anyway!

My favorite sticker, and I have 3 of these, is "IFYOU DON'T VOTE PEOPLE LIKE BUSH GET ELECTED."
I'm watching this newsconference between Bush and his bitch lackey poodle counterpart Tony Blair in Britian.

I think I loathe them both.
Conservatives Against the War


This site is weird. It's going to take me awhile to sort through it.
This also concerns me.
This concerns me.

As does this excerpt from the story:

North Korea has more than 11,000 artillery pieces — many within range of the South Korean capital, Seoul — that could rain between 200,000 and 300,000 shells per hour on South Korea. U.S. officials believe the American and South Korean militaries could crush North Korea, but not without the fiercest of battles.
Alrighty, I'm confused.

There seems to be more conflicting information on Iraq. Frankly, I'm tired of blogging about this, and I'm tired of the waiting, and I'm tired of the war-jitters. Watching family and friends ship out is making me very nervous. I can't possibly be the only one.

But anyway, I surfed through the headlines and came away with more questions than answers.

Examples:

*Exile an Option
What? I thought we hated the man and wanted him dead!
*Iraq Not in Material Breach
but...
*Iraq has Nuclear Goal
then . . .
*Jordan to allow limited troops
which they've never wanted to do in the past . . . yet . . .
*Jordan preps for Iraqi backlash. . .


Oh yeah, I saw this today, although it really isn't related. US/India joint Military exercises.

My gut tells me (it could be wrong) that this probably isn't the brightest thing to do, considering who India neighbors and the war drum rhetoric they constantly beat each other down with.

Thursday, January 30, 2003

Ok I was mad. I won't punch anyone. We on the Left must maintain our dignity, like Martin Luther King, Jr.

But I'm still angry.

UPDATE: I think everyone should take a deep breath. Inhale...exhale...that's better.
You know, I'm really peeved.

[Sarcasm] I guess I'm an Iraqi spy, because I intially opposed the war and I'm headed back in that direction. I guess my friends are all spies for Iraq, because they've all protested the war. I guess that old lady I saw in 30th Street Station on Sunday was an Iraqi spy, because she was still wearing her "STOP BUSH" button only obtanible at an anti-war protest. I suppose John Kerry is an Iraqi spy. I suppose everyone in the US who opposes this war is an Iraqi spy. And I suppose the anti-war movement overseas is run and filled totally by Iraqi spies. [/Sarcasm]

You know what? This is the last time I'm going to speak on this. Anyone who questions my patriotism, and that of my friends, gets punched in the face. No questions asked. And I'm the most non-violent person on this Earth. Butthat's a line you just don't cross, not even to be funny. Not cool. Not cool at all.
Iraq fueling anti-war protests.

[Sarcasm] This must be the case. There's no way that in America, where we are all behind our President, with his democratic historic mandate to lead our Great Nation, our Great Shining Palace on the Hill, our Beacon of Light and Freedom for the World, that anyone would dare oppose him. Anyone who opposes our democratically elected wartime President is ultimatly a Benidict Arnold and should be dragged out into the streets and shot like the tratiors that they are. You Liberal pinko scum tax-and-spenders should support the President, or else. . . [/Sarcasm]

Unfortunatly, there are people who really think like this, as I and many others on the left side of the aisle (and even the sane part of the right side of the aisle) have discovered this to be the case. They are called Freepers.

Anyone who believes this report is ultimately a moron. People don't want this war. And people protesting it, well, they are exercising their First Amendment Rights to do so. My suggestion is when you encounter a Freeper do the following:
1. merely remind them of the first amendment. If you don't remember all the words, here's a site where you can get started.
2. Keep your spine.
3. Know your facts, like in #1.
4. Don't hit the Freeper first.
5. Stay Calm.

Eventually, he'll just bluster himself and either hit you or walk away. If he hits you, you can sue.
I'm glad humor isn't dead like Irony is.

Wednesday, January 29, 2003

Oh yea, what the fuck is Moral Clarity? Only God knows who is truly moral or not...sheesh...not conservatives, not liberals, not anyone inbetween.

Now I'm mad that I've been duped.

Damnit!

I'm lowering Bush's overall grade for 2000-2002 to a C+. (On the four point system: it's now a 2.57.)
I'm sticking to my B+, and that's final!

Although surfing through the blogosphere, left and right today, methinks I've been had.

Sigh.

How BOLD.
How My Campus Views This Looming Conflict.


There's inside jokes in this very non-scientific poll...don't expect anyone to explain. I'm not going to either. I just smile and nod. It's part of the Marauder experience.

(if you surf the forums, I'm Terstorm131...)
I am also bowing in the general direction of the Great State of Texas.

Sean-Paul hit that one out of the park. Excellent observation. I was too distracted by all the bold new statements Bush was making to catch that little falsehood.
I bow in the General Direction of Southern California
Gulf War II

I think this was meant to be funny, but instead I'm deeply disturbed. What if that scenario happens? Christ...
Ok...

People looking for pictures of Emmitt Till: YOU WON'T FIND THEM HERE!


thank you
and have a nice afternoon, unless you're in the Northeast, then enjoy the snow.
After surveying the blogosphere today, and listening to my classmates in Intro to Global Politics(many agreed, they were suprised by the SOTU, but, since as students and more than likely dependants of their parents, we'll see little of the tax cuts; we were a bit leery) I'm sticking to my B+ grade I gave him. I'm quite certain we're going to war, no matter what anyone says. And I wouldn't be surprised if North Korea was next, after we're done with Iraq. Actually, I had the strangest vision of a democratic Iraq going to war with Iran again at our bidding a few years down the road, but I'm just prognosticating. I really don't have any evidence.

Looks like war to me.

Tuesday, January 28, 2003

Part of an Occasional Series


Recently, my wrath has been focused on the lack of money given to the Kean Commission, which is charged with getting to the bottom of September 11. I've asked :When are we going to hear from the Kean Commission? Well... The Kean Commission wants to hear from high-level Bush Administration personnel.
9/11 Probe: Aiming High


Very good. Very, very good!

I would like to see Bush questioned too.

Very, very good! I'm smiling for once!


Are you ready for this?

Bush says they have them. OOOooooooo.

I await the real proof next week.
Well that was a bold speech. Damned if he didn't use the word bold!


I like the AIDS relief. I like that a whole lot. That was awful liberal of him, why thankya Mistah Bush.

I could have done without the rest. I don't quite see how we can fund all these programs when taxes (for the rich) are pretty much being eliminated. Don't taxes pay for government programs? I hope he comes up with a better way.

Overall: B+ for the speech.
Overall for the last two years: B- (The Afghan War has helped his grade significantly. Bumped it up an entire letter grade.)

More later.
Dave Barry, comic genius, has a blog.
If I didn't have tonsillitis, and I didn't have school in the morning, I'd be doing this. So all of you who are healthy and lucky enough to have Wednesday off, indulge yourself, go to a bar, and play a round!
Damnit.

The State of the Union is tonight and guess what: I have tonsillitis. Ugh. I've never had it before either, so I'm behaving like a whiny 6 year old.

But, for my adoring fans, I will stay up for the State of the Union and offer some commentary.

Monday, January 27, 2003

Anyone know what's up with The Agonist? It's been down ALL day.

Q: When are we going to hear from the Whitewash Heinous Crime of Humanity Kean Commission?

They got started with their coverup work today.
I'll think twice before I check out that book on Guerilla Warfare.
The New American War Method


Everyone repeat after me. Collateral Damage.

In real language. . . little kids are gonna die.
Fun With Twisting the English Language 101.
It's The Incredible Shrinking Dow Industrial Average!
Solid liquid fuel rockets? I think it's beginning.

More later.

Sunday, January 26, 2003

The Storm is gearing up all his brain power for the big night. That big night is Tuesday.

I'm going to a Democrats/Republicans debate. It's a school thing (yes, I'm finally back, and over 400 dollars poorer because of it. These profs better use every one of these books to their fullest potential . . . ).

Since all my available brain power is being conserved for The State of the Union address Tuesday night, blogging during the day on Monday will be light. I'll blog, but nothing substantial.

I'm thinking that I will pretend I'm a professor and give President Bush grades for how I feel he's performed over the last two years of his presidency. I may not like him, but I'll be a fair grader. Or I'll just report, and you can just decide. Heh.

My little project is beginning to get started.

Enjoy, when I get it going, if you like science fiction.

Don't steal my ideas, that's plagerism. I can declare war on you if you do.

This is an AP Newswire story that I found on a site that might not be considered mainstream. I found a Montana newspaper that reported it as well. Here they both are:
50,000 US Iraqis questioned in terror search
50,000 US Iraqis to be questioned

How did that general order go? You know, the one back in 1942 when 110,000 Japanese were locked away in camps? Ahh yes. . .


"INSTRUCTIONS
TO ALL PERSONS OF
JAPANESE
ANCESTRY" ...................


I just felt a chill. 'Cause you know, one would think that those 50,000 Iraqis (I met more than a few at last May's Arabic Baptist Conference held at Millersville. . . couldnt meet a more patriotic bunch) would have nothing to do with Saddam. But that's just what I think and I probably don't count. Sarcasm emphasized on that last statement.

Oh yes: Exclusion Order #33. Every American should know their history...good and bad.
Air Force expects Civillan Deaths

Well, duh...a lot of my friends like to argue that "noone will die, just Saddam." One friend even argued that bunker buster nukes wouldn't even harm the city above it. I informed him he was a moron after I did extensive research showing otherwise.

This war will not be a walk in the poppies like people seem to think it will be. I'm starting to think that Americans are spoiled by scenes similar to The Gulf War. To this day, I still don't know how many Serbs died in the NATO bombing. I'm not even sure why I want to know, but I'm sure it was probably more than ten.

I'm thinking about starting a blanket collection at Millersville for the dispossessed Iraqi civillians, which we'll send as soon as the war ends. I'm sure they are going to need massive humanitarian aid, and that is how I will aid the war effort. Not by blindly following Dubya (who I really, really have a visceral dislike for), but by sending my prayers to all involved in this struggle, and sending food and blankets over when the war is over to help out those who will probably lose their homes and primary breadwinners in an American-led attack. The war is going to happen whether we want it or not. I've written my letters, sent my emails, hung up my signs, faxed my faxes to no avail. That doesn't mean I'm giving up, though.
Hmmmmmmmmm...

So I was surfing at 4am, and I discovered this :Turnout Low for Smallpox Vaccination.

I don't mean to be snarky, as smallpox could probably be a pretty real threat. But where were all those people who said "People who refuse smallpox vaccinations are objectively pro-Saddam" or some inane shit like that.

I've decided I'm not getting the vaccine, when its available to the public, until I'm positive I won't get sick from it or there's a very real threat. No specious threats. No "terror alerts." Ten months of the year, I'm out in the Pennsylvania countryside so I think I'm pretty safe. And if I'm wrong and I die, then I'll be dead. There's no arguing with that.
That reminds me: How's the anthrax letter investigation going?

Just wondering.
Les Dabney at Testify! is on Kean's case, and rightly so.

Uggabugga REALLY needs to do one of those neat little charts that they do.

I googled using "Kean Bin Laden connections" and got 58 hits. A few were from paranoid sites. Some weren't relevant.

Keep looking. Keep digging.

However, this just leads me to believe that I'll be a grandfather when the true story of 9/11 is finally told.

The citizens should start their own investigation. I'm sure there's some rich media person out there who will fund it. Right?

Oh wait.

The media doesn't want to think anymore. That's right.

Damn.
On December 11th, I wrote this : I'm giving lukewarm support to removing Saddam from power. Very, very lukewarm. Tepid, even.

As we loom closer to war, I'm continuing this lukewarm support. However, I reserve the right to be overly critical. As I also said on December 11th,

That DOESN'T mean I won't view military events with a hefty dose of skepticism. I'm still going to ask "What's in it for me? How will this keep the nukes out of my country? And just where is that bastard Osama?"
Japan tells its citizens in Iraq to prepare to evacuate
a quote
The warning came one day after Tokyo issued an advisory for its citizens in Baghdad to leave the city and recommended all others to postpone traveling there. The government also has an evacuation advisory in place for areas outside the capital.


State Department Issues Global Alert

It may mean nothing, but something might be up.

Added to the links list:
Stratfor:pay service, but I'm going to be reading their free stuff over my morning coffee from now on.

Global Security :Similar to Stratfor.

Saturday, January 25, 2003

Never mind, only the week of 11/17 is functional. Ugh. Changing it again. I hate writing code, but I'll survive. In the meantime, I have to get ready to begin another semester of learning. Post Sunday. Hopefully.
It's imperfect, but it will do for now. The Archives, from early October to the first of the year, are on the left hand side.

Friday, January 24, 2003

Apparently, all my previous posts back to the very beginning are still in Blogger's system. Yet, for some reason, I can't bring them up or republish them. Does anyone know how to fix this? email me: mailto:terstorm12@hotmail.com.
ugh

Blogger ate my archives. I want them back.

My Congresspeople (Rep. Joseph Pitts(R-Lancaster), Sen. Arlen Spector (who has canceled his guest lecture at Millersville twice now...it's apparently on Iraq...which would explain why he canceled right before Congress abdicated its right to declare war...that was the first time. Arlen, buddy, you've lost my vote. ), and Sen. Rick Santorum (#3 in the Senate, and Stepford wife in Training) are not going to be of any help. So I suppose I'll have to accept $1,000 a life for those killed on September 11, 2001. But I'm not.

Then I discovered that Kean is somehow connected to a company run by a member of the Bin Laden family. While yes, they've disowned him, I still think it's just a tad fishy. A few bloggers have commented on this: most notably Xymphora who I've noticed is often on top of things before the mainstream blog world gets them. If I don't read him(or her) for a few days, I miss a lot.

Xymphora's coverage: Here and here.

Sean-Paul has blogged on Kean's fishiness too. He's doing some great work these days.

Uggabugga should make a chart on this, although it won't do much. Bush got his $1,000 a life whitewash and we'll never truly know the answers to September 11.

You know, I've realized something: If I get outraged over every slap in the face, I'm going to get warn out. Perhaps I should direct that energy into something else.

Wednesday, January 22, 2003

The anger has spread. As it should. And it will.


The silence of the media speaks volumes and further fuels my already seething anger. I think we have our new mission.

I'm calling my Congresspeople tomorrow.


Part of an Occasional Series. . .

Let's break it down.

$3 Million for the investigation into the biggest intelligence, civil defense, and military failure in US history and the murder of 3000 Americans.

I did the math.

Bascially, this amounts to $1,000 per life. So I'm forced to make the conclusion that the life of a person killed by being crushed, by falling 1,000 feet so they wouldn't roast, by fire, and by airplane on September 11, 2001 is only worth $1,000.

The Bush Administration bascially is saying that those lives are only worth $1,000.

Bastards.

That's fucking sick, and I can't begin to tell you how angry I am.

If they can spend 70 million to investigate Clinton only to find "insufficent evidence", then they can spend much more then a palty $3 million to investigate the murder of 3000 human beings.

Here's my open letter to the Administration


YOU BASTARDS. I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. I WANT TO KNOW WHAT WAS KNOWN AND WHEN IT WAS KNOWN. I WANT TO KNOW WHY IT HAPPENED IN THE FIRST PLACE. YOU FUCKING TWITS ARE SHITTING ON THE MEMORIES OF ALL WHO DIED ON SEPTEMBER 11 AND I HOPE FOR WHAT YOU'RE (NOT) DOING, GOD HAS MERCY ON YOUR MISERABLE, WORTHLESS LITTLE SOULS. HOW DARE YOU!


Tuesday, January 21, 2003

Part of an Occasional Series. . .


I asked this a couple days ago: Q: When are we going to hear from the Kean Commission?


Atrios points out this lovely little gem. They have no freaking money.

So I guess that answers my question.

A: Never.

Damnit.


I should probably keep asking.

So should you.
Changes

I got a blogroll. I was tired of surfing through code that makes my eyes hurt.

And I changed the categories. I think they reflect my sense of humor.

And yes that link to the "center of the universe" is hype for my hometown, which is the center of the universe.
Russia lends India some Nuclear bombers


Um. . . yeah.... it's always wise to lend nuclear bombers to a country that wants to do this to its neighbor.


Nothing to see here, move along now.

*edited slightly
Things that Bother Me

1. Conservatives arguing that the Republican Party is the party of Civil Rights.

This bothers me because it ignores parts of history. The Democratic Party used to be a really racist party, yes. The South was full of them. But I must ask, when Reconstruction ended, it was a Republican administration (Rutherford B. Hayes) that pulled the Federal troops out of the South. Where were they, then, when the South imposed poll taxes and Jim Crow. And where were they when thousands of blacks were lynched? It was a common tactic among some Southerners to send the pictures of the lynchings back up North to newspapers. Sickening. So it's not like they didn't know.

The truth as I see it is that both parties are guilty of racism. It just so happens that one party didn't want to be associated with it. So they stopped and reformed.

2. Democrats pandering to their "base."

I've asked this many many times. If you want our vote, why don't you ask us what we want? Noone has yet answered me. And then, when we vote you in, why don't you give us what we want?

3. Protests against anti-war protests, and Anti war protests themselves

Some of them are pretty lame. And it really sucks that a socialist organization has taken reign of a legitimate movement. Many Americans don't want this war that's coming, I among them. But I, and probably the majority of the anti-war movement, don't want to be considered apart of their organization. I hope a more, American (yeah, we'll say that) Peace organization takes the reigns from those nutty nutty ANSWER people. That's all I'm going to say about ANSWER.

I'm anti-war because war conflicts with my religious beliefs. I've become informed enough to know it's not just about oil, it's not just about imperialism, and it's just not about asserting our power. Saddam is a malevolent individual- his whole Baath party is- and the things he's done to people are horrific. I guess I should want those people to be free of him, and don't get me wrong, I do. I just wish there was another way.

I think I'm done ranting for now.
Tomorrow night, I would urge everyone who lives in a state that has Public Television to view Two Towns of Jasper. Check your local listings.

and if you missed The Murder of Emmitt Till, shame on you.

And the next person who uses the term "lynching" out of the context that it really can only be used in (the torture, mutilation, and murder of a usually innocent black man) might not like what I have to say.
This is an incredibly noble campaign.

Philly has been bleeding its population all over the suburbs for the last 50 years. The Philadelphia Daily News has decided that this must stop.

I mean, Philly is the center of modern democracy. People should be climbing over each other to live here!
Edward G. Rendell is now officially Governor of Pennsylvania!


Yay!


Now I hope that he can address these issues:

*the Rainy Day fund (Deficit...1.7 billion I heard.)
*the economy (which sucks)
*Inequity in schools
*young people continuing to leave the state (locally known as the "Brain Drain")
*Overtaxed health-care system, driven largely by aging populations and stagnant growth.
Liberals, rightly so, are pissed off about the "Ghetto Party" held at Texas A&M.


This actually happened at Millersville. The culprits, one of the Greek organizations, were fined. Not to mention the embarrassment they faced.


So when anyone says "Oh, there's no racism," just remind them of dumb ass bullsh*t like this.
Liberal humor can be so strange.


I don't know whether to laugh or to get uppity.

Chuckle.



Snicker.

Tbogg hypes California.


The Storm is glad he lives in a state where he doesn't have to worry about these.


All in good fun though, all in good fun.

Sunday, January 19, 2003

No Posts till Tuesday

In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I will not be posting until Tuesday.

Do some good Monday.
Without Further Ado: Martin Luther King, Junior's I Have A Dream speech.

I'm posting this because I think we all need a little reminding. A reminding of how far we've come, and how much further we need to go.


************************************************


Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity.

But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize an appalling condition.

In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check -- a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

---I have a Dream
by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Delivered on the steps at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963

******************************************************************************
xenophobia

It's not what you may think. But give it a look. I dig the template, though. . .
If anyone was at all curious about the Society of Friends, this site is an excellent resource.

I will very rarely blog about religion, because even though I believe in God, and my beliefs lie closest with the Society of Friends, religion does confuse me, and it scares me when I see what others do in its name. So this is a rare post on this subject.
I'd like to remind everyone that the Supreme Court will also be hearing arguments on Miranda Rights and Privacy Rights in the Bedroom.

I can't wait to see if Bush sticks his nose in any of these cases.

I blogged about this months ago. You can read my argument here.

Also, a revisit to the past: My first, angry tirade about the Affirmative Action case now before the SCOTUS. I do declare, I can be downright uppity at times.

Lastly, Sean-Paul posted this a while back in the comments, but I think it needs a good airing out.

Princeton: 12.4%; 11.6% (different years)
Yale: 13.4%
U. of Penn.: 10%
Brown: 7%; "about 10%" (different years)
Columbia: 6%
Cornell: 13%
U. of Chicago: "just over 5 percent"
Bucknell: 5.6%
Boston College: 12.1%
Holy Cross: 10.7%
Wake Forest: "about 8%"
Johns Hopkins: 12.4%
Notre Dame: 23%; 22% (different years)
Ithaca College: 1.8%
U. of Virginia: 12.6%
U. of Rochester: 5.4%
Amherst: 10%
Middlebury: 5%
Colby: 4%
Villanova: 7%

I wonder how Michigan fares?

Saturday, January 18, 2003

U.S. Considers Citing Saudi Arabia for Intolerance


Not too much commentary here, except this: IT'S ABOUT FREAKING TIME!

Thank you,

and goodnight.
David Niewart posts on Pickering, and actually does clear some things up for me.

Do I like Pickering? No. But I'm starting to think he's just a judge with really poor judgement, and not a racist.
Bush Tax Plan could Cost States 4 Billion

I'm no economist, so I'll let Sean-Paul and Dima explain this one But something just doesn't quite add up as to why this is acceptable.

I think someone really needs to address the huge shortfall that the states are having (with California's, you can buy yourself 5 whole Canadian defense budgets!). You know what will suffer when states have to cut spending: Education, Health Care, Public Services. . .

all those good things, you know?
Florida Still Can't Keep Track of Kids

You can read about it here: Girl Still Missing; Little has Changed.



Note to self: Remind Floridian relatives to continue to be nice to their kids.

Second note to self: Don't move to Florida.
Silly gooses

In Missouri today, protesters picketed against the removal of a symbol of their heritage. That symbol: The Confederate Flag.

I could be an uppity Northern negro and be snide and indignant about this, but I'll leave that to everyone else.
I'm bored. . .

Someone sent this to me so I'm gonna pass it on to my loyal readers.

25 Things That Show You Are From Philadelphia

25. First of all, you call it Philly, not Philadelphia.

24. You hate Dallas.
...damn them Cowboys to heck and back!

23. You realize that your favorite dessert is "wooder ice".

22. You find yourself using "yo" and "youse guys" when talking long-distance to family members.

21. You stand 'in line' vs 'on line' when waiting for tickets.

20. You know how to spell Schuylkill.

19. You pronounce ACME "ACK-A-ME".

18. You think that $2,500 a year for insurance on a 1977 Toyota Corolla is a bargain.

17. You find yourself at a nice restaurant thinking "I wonder if they have cheese steaks?"

16. You sleep soundly through gunfire and ambulance sirens.

15. You visit New York and are impressed by how clean it is.

14. You believe the car on your left (with turn signal flashing and the driver pointing at your lane) wants you to close the gap with the car in front of you.

13. You can't eat french fries without Cheese Whiz or a cheese steak with ketchup.

12. You call sprinkles on top of your ice cream cone "jimmies".

11. You call it a hoagie, not a sub or hero sandwich.
What the hell is a hero?

10. You don't think Wawa sounds funny.

9. You snub a cheese steak that isn't on an Amoroso roll.

8. Your parents, brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles all live on the same block.
I'm so breaking this trend.

7. You know who Jim O'Brien is and how he died.

6. You can't imagine lunch without a Tastycake.
I can't imagine life without Tastycakes.

5. You're still not sure about Jerry Penacolli.

4. A vacation down at the Jersey shore (pronounced "shoore") is better than going to an island (there's more stuff to do, plus you know everybody.)

3. You know where to find the Rocky statue.

2. You know that only tourists go to Geno's, Pat's and Jim's for authentic cheese steaks. You only go if you're drunk and it's 3:00am.

AND THE NUMBER ONE SIGN YOU KNOW YOU'RE FROM PHILADELPHIA...

1. You buy a soft pretzel at a traffic light without wondering where the guy goes to wash his hands. And you know what? You don't even care!
This one is the absolute truth. Seriously.


Of course most of you aren't even from Philly, so you'll probably wonder why I couldn't find anything better to talk about. Heh.

go Eagles.
We're having lovely weather here in Pennsylvania! Come visit!

It's so refreshing! And it's perfect weather for an Eagles-Bucs football playoff matchup!

Atrios notes the beautiful weather. As does TRR.

Friday, January 17, 2003

Kos is right on the money tonight. Baghdad nightmare for US Forces.

I will say one thing: when we fight this war, I pray that it will be fought with minimal deaths on both sides. And I also pray that the outcome the conservatives think will happen, actually occurs, although I keep having visions that it won't.


I apologize for being instalinker tonight. I'll post with more substance tomorrow.



Oh yeah, before I forget: I decided that I need a project this winter, so I'll be tracking how private meteorologists and government meteorologists pan out. This winter promises to be nastier than the last two, so I should have a good time. Results won't be posted until April, and I'm only covering the Northeastern states.



and go eagles.
I'm still flabbergasted that women, who have gained much through affrimative action, are now opposing it at the University of Michigan. I really, really don't get it.
Legacies


I'll have to be honest and say that my dad went to the University of Pennsylvania.

I didn't apply. I had no interest in a stuffy, overpriced Ivy-league school. Plus it's just 5 minutes from my hometown, by mass transit.

Darn, I could have been a legacy admit. Just like the President. And just like one of those Bush twins. Darn, darn, darn, darn, darn!
MR. FLEISCHER: The heart of the matter, in the President's opinion, is how to lift our society up and help it evolve in a way that focuses on the importance of diversity as a goal. The exact manner in which to deal with it, the President did not want to constitutionally prescribe one way or another, except for the fact that it cannot and should not, in the President's judgment, be done through the use of quotas.


I really, really hate Ari Fleischer.


via Eschaton
Oh deary me, where is my spirit?



E-A-G-L-E-S! EAGLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Game time temp is supposed to be 28 degrees. Windchill: single digits.

Thats 12 degrees colder than what Tampa likes. I suppose they'll be going home LOSERS on Sunday.
In an effort to help out my fellow Pennsylvanians, The Storm will be covering the upcoming 2003 PA Primaries and general elections.

The biggest race in the state: Control of the state's largest city, and 5th largest city in America.

This will likely be a Democratic win, given the city's population is nearly 60% minority.

Philadelphia politics can get ugly.

I can't wait.
Question: When are we going to start hearing from the Kean Commission?

I will be asking this question every so often as I surf the net for news.
Tbogg makes fun of the snowy north.


Well at least the ground doesn't move here, neener neener neener!

All in good fun though, all in good fun!

Here's a blog that points out the obvious: CNN LIES

And to think that at one time I wanted to work for them.
I think I'm calmed down now, but I'm still right, and there still is a punch reserved.


Ooops, I'm mad again. I just found out that the people opposing University of Michigan's admissions policy are women.

Now, doesn't Affirmative Action benefit women too? Or am I just a moron for believing that.


My heart bleeds for all the white kids who have been disadvantaged by 40-years of social policy designed to right historical wrongs. Really, it does. I'm crying a freakin' river here.

(Sarcasm mine.)
UGH!

I've decided that the next middle-class white boy from the suburbs that tries to argue that he's been discriminated against due to affirmative action gets a nice hard punch in the nose. And I'm a fairly devout Quaker, so you know I must be steamed.

You wanna talk discrimination? Step into MY world.

This whole affirmative action debate has me steamed and pissed off. It's none of the President's buisness. And the insult of making his fucking announcement on Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday. The Supreme Court would have struck down U. of Michigan's admissions policy anyway. And Michigan would have made up another one to help the disadvantaged of the US get a chance.

These, of course, are the same people who oppose hate crimes laws because they oppress free-speech.

I'm going to take a one day cooling off hiatus, and return refreshed.

Thursday, January 16, 2003

Bill Clinton's Cock





I'm trying to increase my hits. I need my own resident Freeper like all the other lefty sites. I feel left out.
Genius

Natrually, the left of the blogosphere is rolling on the floor laughing their asses off with tears running down their faces due to Ted Barlow's genius commentary on the lightbulb

Check it out, it's pure genius.

Another site of pure genius: Snotglass Speaks. It's proof that satire is lost on some people, Left and Right. But mostly Right.

Speaking of satire: How come I have yet to find a right-wing sister to The Onion? Do conservatives not like satire? I think a right-wing version of the Onion would be hysterical. Don't you?
And someone explain this affirmative access thing to me. . . everytime I hear it it makes less and less sense.

And someone living in Florida, California, and Texas give me the lowdown on how your states have done without affirmative action in education. I know Florida and Texas have the "10%" rule. How's that working out for you? What are they doing in California as an alternative?

I ask this because a similar rule was proposed in Pennsylvania a few years back. It never got anywhere, and it won't because education in Pennsylvania is lopsided to benefit richer school districts, which ironically is in violation of PA's constitution. Pennsylvania's constitution requires that the state provide free and equal education. But because property taxes fund districts, and not the state, richer towns have better schools and poorer towns have crappy ass schools.
Muse

I wonder if Bush will then strike down race-based admissions policies at these schools, once he's done with Michigan :


Howard University
Lincoln University
Spelman College
Morehouse College
Cheney University of Pennsylvania
and many more. . .


You know, places where whites benefit from affirmative action in higher education.

(Three of those are private. . . two are public)

Oh yeah. . . what about those legacies?


Wednesday, January 15, 2003

Affirmative Action, again . . .

Bush says no to race-based affirmative action.


This is the same GOPer who says his party is all-inclusive? Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.

And didn't Bush get to use affirmative action for legacies to get into Yale? And on that same grain of Affirmative Action for Legacies, doesn't one of the Bush twins go to Yale?

Doesn't the GOP want black people to like them?

And doesn't Ari Fleisher make you want to scream?

And why hasn't anyone addressed that racism is alive and well in this country, as evidenced by what I posted yesterday, Trent Lott, and CalPundit's reporting of the same subject?

Tuesday, January 14, 2003

Um. . . duh?


So LaToya, ShaQuanda, Malik, and Jamal don't get the jobs while Kyle, Brittney, Ashleigh, and Brad do.

Black people have know this for decades. Duh. It's just getting reported now?


I dare anyone who opposes affirmative action to justify this. Just by this study, which bascially confirms what the black community has known for decades, I see a further need for it.


UPDATE at 11PM: I was at first distressed to see that noone else had blogged about this. Then I remembered: CalPundit blogged about this weeks ago! And the NY Times reported on this weeks ago too!
So Joey, you've decided to run . . .


the stoRm gives this a big, exasperated sigh of utter disgust.

In 2000, the first Presidential election I was eligible to vote for, I very nearly didn't. I had a dull contempt for G.W. Bush (I thought he was a moron), and I wasn't going to vote for him because of what his team did to McCain, who I liked despite his conservative record. I didn't like Al Gore because he was uptight, and that whole "lockbox" spiel cemented my dislike for him. I considered Nader to be a vote for Bush, because he bascially took votes from the Democrats. America is a two-party system. . . been that way since Hamilton and Jefferson started it.

I voted for Gore, because I felt he was the "lesser of two evils."

If Lieberman gets the DNC nomination, I'm really going to have to dig down deep. I will not vote for Bush in the next election. . . the last two years of his presidency have turned that dull contempt into something bordering on rage. I believe, with all my heart and soul, that he is leading America on a path to endless war and terror with his misguided and heavy-handed foreign policy while the economy at home sputters and dies. The poor in America continue to be ignored, and they continue to get poorer.

I don't know if I could vote for Lieberman. Too often he's bent over for the opposition, too often we've had to put up with his whiny concessions, and too often he's told his own party that they are wrong, even when they aren't. I find him spineless, sniveling, and utterly annoying.

I also don't know if I could vote for a Green. They barely get 5% of the vote. Our current political system doesn't really allow for more than two parties, and more often then not I don't agree with the Green's liberal politics.

I don't know what I'm going to do. A Bush-Lieberman matchup may make me stay home in November 2004. And I predict that if that matchup occurs, the 2004 election may have voter turnout that barely cracks 45%.

Sunday, January 12, 2003

A Saying

My mom says:

"God protects Fools and Babies."

America ain't no baby.

I offer this saying in the context of a looming war with Iraq.
War for Oil? Maybe. . .

I thought I would weigh in on a topic that has been going on off and on throughout the blogosphere.

It's an excellent article from today's Philadelphia Inquirer by Trudy Rubin (excellent newspaper, by the way), which bascially says the talk about the theft of Iraq's oil is just that, talk.

It's a line of thinking that I hadn't even thought about.

Let's think about this for a second, and do some postulating.

All oil fields in the Gulf region are nationalized. Therefore, all companies wanting to suck up all that oil basically can't. Anything they want, they have to go through the government of that country.

Now, lets examine the War for Oil argument.

Iraq has been at war for as long as I've been alive. Their oil fields are in disarray from war and sanctions. Trudy Rubin writes that it would take 3-4 years to repair the damage and bring the fields up to present-day level. Probably more if Saddam does his scorched earth strategy. Any benifits for us and all that juicy Iraqi oil would have to wait till at least 2006.

Also, Iraq may elect a democratic legislature (when we're done blowing the place up, of course) that doesn't want US help in developing their oil fields. They may turn to our friends, the Russians, or the French. That's of course, assuming that democracy takes hold in a country that has never seen it. Kuwait did just that after the Gulf War. The Kuwaiti royals wanted the US to develop the oil fields, and we did offer, but Kuwait's legislature said "Hell no!" Well, they didn't say "Hell no," I just added that for my own emphasis.

I fully expect Iraq to remain apart of OPEC as well. It's part of their history. Iraq did help found OPEC.

Last nights post was pure cynical sarcasm. . . but someone who emailed me didn't see that. Hmmmmm...why didn't they use the comments section. Oh well.

Nerkle concluded that I was much too young to run anyway, and that my duty was to scratch the itchy spot behind her left ear. Which I did. And now she's glad.

I'll be back later. I need to find something to blog about this week.

Oh yeah, God IS punishing the Democrats. I heard Lieberman is throwing his name into the hat. Note to Joey. . . the hat is full.
I have a Fun Idea

Let's ALL run for the Democratic nomination for the Presidential race of 2004!

I'm now forming an exploratory committee comprised of me, my cat Nerkle, and our rubber tree plant named Maurice.
This is just to let y'all know that I'm not dead. If my parents would just fund a laptop, I wouldn't have these problems. . . heh heh heh.

And the Eagles won. It was a little too chilly for those Southern Atlanta Falcons.


More sometime later, I need to catch up.

Sunday, January 5, 2003

Gephart and Sharpton are Running for President


Question: Is God punishing the Democrats?

I mean, I'm sure this is all apart of the Universe's Master Plan, but some things just boggle the mind.
Fundamentalism

The computer is being taken to be fixed this week, so I am doing this now so I don't have to fight with the townspeople and librarians at the town library, which censors everything anyway.

I may have bit off more then I can chew. Fact-checking is welcomed.

A number of countries have elected fundamentalist or nationalist (both) parties over the last year or so. India, Pakistan, Turkey all come to mind. In the U.S., the Christian fundamentalists have made inroads into the Conservative party here, the Republicans.

India has its BJP. They won big in 2002 in the Western Indian state of Gujarat. That state has been wracked by Hindu-Muslim violence.

The mission statement of the Party didn't work, but from reading the various commentary on it I got the feeling that this was a nationalist fundamentalist party. It scared me, because this following statement is one of their tenets.


On the nuclear bomb issue, the party's stand has been consistent and clear. It has always maintained that India should have the bomb.


This party is in power in India now. Next door is nuclear, unstable Pakistan. Pro-Taliban parties rose to power in their parlimentary elections. These two countries really don't like each other.

In Turkey, a secluar Muslim state, a not-so-secular party is now in power.
Iran is well-known for its fundamentalist roots, along with Saudi Arabia.
We can't forget the riots in Nigeria which happen all the time it seems, and the stonings, and the sharia laws.

I suppose my point is fundamentalism is terrifying to me. I've got nothing wrong with religion, but when people get that fanatical gleam in their eye, I want to start running. In the U.S. and other nations where Christianity is dominant, the Christian fundamentalists burn childrens' books like Harry Potter because of their themes of witchcraft (and they ignore the history of witch burning and torture too). They protest the teaching of evolution even though many many Christian sects have endorsed the idea. Some states even have Creationism as their chief and official scientific stance (Kansas comes to mind. . . maybe a couple more Southern states too). Islamic fundamentalists torture women and deny them rights. The craziest of them blow themselves up in nightclubs, bars, restaurants, malls, etc. There's even Jewish fundamentalists. I believe it was a Jew who murdered Yizak (sp?) Rabin, and I feel he was the last, best hope for peace in that blood-soaked land. Now, those political parties will probably control Israel, meaning more death. And there's Hindu fundamentalists who have the bomb, and despise their Muslim neighbors.

These trends, if you can call them that, scare me just a tad.


Added to the blogroll

I kept forgetting to add The Pennsylvania Gazette to my list. It's been added now. Check it out.
The HORSE IS BACK!

Hurrah!!!!!!

MWO

Saturday, January 4, 2003

Fundamentalism

I've noted, over the last few months, a disturbing rise in religious fundamentalist parties coming to power. I'm going to do a little more research on it and blog about it this week sometime. Hopefully the computer will function. It'd better. . .
!

I'm starting to think Sean-Paul over at The Agonist is some kind of genius. Why is he not teaching?

Read this post about Korea and you'll see why.
??

Does anyone else find it mildly disturbing that The US wants to track its citizens overseas?

I think that mildly disturbing is putting it, well, mildly.
Books I've Read Over the Last Two Weeks

I have a really restless mind. And the lack of net access made it even more restless, so I read a lot. Here's what I read.

1. Lord of the Rings Series (It's not a trilogy, it's a three volume set containing 6 books)
2. The List by Robert Whitlow (it's a legal thriller with a Southern Baptist twist. . . my grandma gave it to me)
3. The Debt: What America Owes Its Blacks by Randall Robinson
4. Losing the Race: Self-Sabotage in Black America by James McWhorter
5. Blue Mars (third in a trilogy) by Kim Stanley Robinson
6. I re-read The Emergent Democratic Majority, I was depressed one day.
7. The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
8. 9/11 by Noam Chomsky (blah, why did I reread this? ugh. It was so whiny.)


So I have been busy. . . seriously. I swear!
ARGH!

I am still alive. But I am at home, and my parents' computer (partially of my own doing) doesn't function like it is supposed to. So I really have to apologize, until it gets fixed, light blogging.