S&T 50th Post!

Wow! I think I posted more January than any other month. Not a bad start for 2006. I also started exercising like my wife every other day.
Well I've got a new addiction hanging out in Thom Hartmann's Chat-room. I've discovered some really good internet radio programs, it is like an entire underground of intelligent progressive analysis of current events. Be sure to check out Bruce Burch's program at All Things Reconsidered. I love it and have even called in last week. There is an Article on Sam Brownback the Senator from Kansas (the state famous for its War on Science and its serial killer). Brownback wants to be president and create a nice theocracy for the rest of us. You can read it in this months Rolling Stone.

Chris, Kasey, Ryan, and Jeremy. It was an awesome day yesterday, Anne, Sam and I had a great time. Sam looked for you guys when he woke up this morning.

Scientists Say It Is Possibly Too Late To Stop Global Warming

In Today's Washington Post. a very disturbing outlook on a very soon future. Visit New York City and Florida soon!

I am: 4% Republican.

"You're a complete liberal, utterly without a trace of Republicanism.  Your strength is as the strength of ten because your heart is pure.  (You hope.)"

Are You A Republican?

I took one of those online questionnaires. Keep in mind its not a scientific survey. I could be more Republican, who knows.

The Young Turks have been on the air for 27+ hours filibustering for a filibuster of Sam Alito confirmation. Unfortunately, I do not think they are going to be very successful. Sam Alito will be added to the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court will move further to the far right. While I am happy the Democrats have voted NO on Alito, again they fail to take a risk and filibuster. When is the right time to filibuster if not now? Never mind reproductive rights as they have already been eroded in most states, its Alito's support of the unitary executive theory. Please read linked article at Findlaw.com to learn more about this theory and its potential.

Here is an excerpt from the article, it is by Jennifer Van Bergen

"Thomas Paine wrote in Common Sense:

'In America, the law is king. For as in absolute governments the King is law, so in free countries the law ought to be king; and there ought to be no other.'

The unitary executive doctrine conflicts with Paine's principle - one that is fundamental to our constitutional system. If Bush can ignore or evade laws, then the law is no longer king. Americans need to decide whether we are still a country of laws - and if we are, we need to decide whether a President who has determined to ignore or evade the law has not acted in a manner contrary to his trust as President and subversive of constitutional government."

response to vintage_neo

I'm not as interested in the contradictions in the actual context of the Bible, but you can find a list here, Contradictions for I have never accepted a fundamentalist and literal interpretation of the scriptures.
I am more concerned about the contradictions between the teachings of Christ and the behavior and agenda of the Religious Right.
A good example, and a great article at democratic underground identifing some of these contradictions can be found here.
Biblical Manipulation

Thanks again for visiting my blog, please stop by anytime.

My wife made a delicious casserole tonight using leftover mexican food, probably the best casserole ever.
Moving along, I found a review of Steven King's new novel Cell at Aint it Cool News. I must say I was skeptical about the premiss but after reading the review I am excited to read it. It is King's attempt at a Zombie story. Since my friend Freddy Fan introduced me to Romero's classic Living Dead movies I've had an interest in this genre. I love the allegory much more than I like the gore. While I am a King fan I'm not a huge Horror enthusiast, and King is not your typical Horror writer, in my opinion his last true horror novel was ten years ago, Desperation. The books comes out this tuesday but I may have to wait for the paperback copy.
Which is alright because I have other books to finish. Today I did finish Sam Harris's End of Faith. I found it very abrasive and confrontational towards all religions, but the overall message can not be ignored or discarded. I agree with the author that religion (faith) should never trump reason, but Harris's suggestion that all faiths are antiquated superstitions and barriers to mankind's survival is a difficult argument to go along with. I highly recommend this book.

Sunday Morning Coming Down.

Today was good. Like some of my friends, we got outside and enjoyed the snow.

My Angry E-Mail To CNN

Dear CNN,
I'm troubled to see that the NSA Phone tapping scandal is not nearly getting the coverage that "Monica-Gate" did in the late 1990's. It has also come to my attention that Glen Beck may be getting a show on CNN. Please rethink any decision to associate with this person. CNN used to be my main source for news and information, but as of late CNN appears to be impersonating Fox News. While Fox may boast having higher ratings it truly is propaganda/infotainment for the majority of Americans who get headaches when the real news and events contradict their shallow world view. Please return to the more challenging and investigative reporting that made me proud to watch CNN.

Al Gore Speech

If you missed Al Gore's speech today, please give it a quick read. It does not matter your politics or what you think of Al Gore everyone should be very concerned about the power grab going on in Washington, and the further erosion of the separation of power.

UPCOMING MOVIES FOR 2006


I'm looking forward to X3 and Clerks II, but I fear both sequels could be disasterously terrible. I think it's pretty bad that the most promising upcoming movies this year are sequels. If you don't believe me, check out my link to Dark Horizon's list of upcoming movies. 2006 may bear witness to the worst movie ever: "Snakes On A Plane" with Samuel L. Jackson. Below is a description:

From director David Ellis ("Final Destination 2," "Cellular"). Jackson plays an FBI agent who is escorting a witness on a flight from Hawaii to Los Angeles when an assassin releases hundreds of deadly snakes on a commercial airplane in order to eliminate the witness. The FBI agent, along with a rookie pilot, frightened crew and passengers must then band together in a desperate attempt to survive.

This movie sounds so bad, it may end up on the Agony Booth website (see link) which lists the worst movies ever, a la MST3K.

I finished the first season of Lost on DVD. My prediction is that the Island is a time machine or time vortex that is obviously being exploited by some very bad people. The show gets a little over-dramatic and at times is predictable but it is probably the best show on network television and a nice replacement for old X-Files fans. I have not watched any of season two, I don't have the time or patience to sit through all the commercials, I'll have to wait for the next DVD installment.
If you like Lost the now finished series from HBO, Carnivale, is another creepy supernatural tale. Mind you it is HBO, and the story is much darker and its themes are more disturbing. It takes place during the Depression, and the set and wardrobe appear very accurate. While Canivale has an unearthly villian, the real and much more frightening antagonist is the Depression itself, and what choices people are left with when resources are minimal and spiritual significance heightened.

Currently Listening To Ali Hassan Kuban- From Nubia to Cairo.

Ali Hassan Kuban, born in Nubia in 1929, is revered as a pioneer of musical innovation, adapting jazz-modes to the pentatonic rhythms and beat of traditional Nubian music. Pronounced the godfather of Nubian soul, his unique fusion adjusts the sounds of Western instruments so that they blend with Nubian folkloric culture.
Afropop calls Kuban, "A champion and re-inventor of Egypt's all-but-lost Nubian culture, a musical innovator who bridged rural and urban realities." He Died In June of 2001. (Information taken from Calabashmusic.com)

I discovered this artist on Sirius. This is the first Wold Music Album I have purchased. It is excellent and I recommend it for anyone who is interested in branching out into the music of other cultures and musical eras.

President Dwight Eisenhower, Republican, uttered these words on November 8, 1954:

"Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes that you can do these things. Among them are a few Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or businessman from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid."

In addition to being a war hero, a decent fellow, a moderate Republican before they began to go extinct, President Eisenhower apparently was also quite the prophet. Little George W. Bush was about 9 years old at the time...


(I found this at snopes.com I had heard about this quote on Thom Hartman, and have seen it around the web.)

I am currently reading "The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason", by Sam Harris -- a new book about how Christian (and other) fundamentalists are impeding the establishment of common ground and discourse among varying groups. Anne tells me that this lack of common ground and understanding goes back very distantly in human past -- she is reading the book we got for Christmas to read together..."Ideas: A History of Thought and Invention from Fire to Freud" by Peter Watson. I'll be reading it next.

This is a fake news item from the Onion. So many things happened during the Holiday Season that I did not get to talk about including the defeat of the Pennsylvania Dover School Board's dishonest attempt to force ID (Intelligent Design) into the public school science curriculum. No matter what you call Creationism it is not science. It is time to keep the debate in the 21st century and not in the 1st century.

Here is Sam from Christmas '05.

Photos of Sam and my Grandmother from Christmas of '04. My Brother took these and the ones above.

Happy Birth Day to My Brothers Martin (1/6/80) and Alex (1/4/84)! I'm still the oldest, they will never catch up.
I've added some links on the site lately. First my old room mate Jeremy at ohtwothirteennineteenseventysix. He was born two weeks before me, I've never trusted anyone from that generation, but he's cool.
I added a link to Al Jezeera to my News section, you know the Middle Eastern News Group, that our President wanted to bomb. I was thinking of adding the Ministry of Information (Fox News) to my site or The Missing Southern Natural Blond Channel (MSNBC).
The year's first Idiot Wind Blowing Quote goes to Pat Robertson. If you missed it I will sum it up for you. Apparently God is realy into realestate, He is very concerned about who is growing oragnes and where, so and you better not mess things up by being Prime Minister of Isreal and try to make peace with Palestinians. God Hates That!

My brother in law is coming over and we are going to watch MST3K.

I'll have to rant more latter.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Sam started 2006 with a nice winter ride in his new wagon. He also said a new word "apple".