Happy Birthday Duke Ellington

"Take the A Train", "Satin Doll", thank you Duke.

Here's some quotes.

"A man is a god in ruins."

"Art is dangerous. It is one of the attractions: when it ceases to be dangerous you don't want it."

"By and large, jazz has always been like the kind of a man you wouldn't want your daughter to associate with."

"Critics have their purposes, and they're supposed to do what they do, but sometimes they get a little carried away with what they think someone should have done, rather than concerning themselves with what they did."

"It's like an act or murder; you play with intent to commit something."

"I don’t believe in categories of any kind, and when you speak of problems between blacks and whites in the U.S.A. you are referring to categories again."

"I’m a telephone freak, the greatest invention since peanut brittle."

Its also my birthday but I'm not that important.

Dubya on TV today

Oh Lord, Mr. President is talking downstairs right now on the idiot box. Its called a "presidential news conference". From a news conference one would expect to be informed and educated on issues, this conference does not do that.

This is an obvious attempt to boost approval ratings in a time of increasing questioning of George and his party's recent actions, just a little reminder that the guy we picked is tough as nails and don't take shit. People respect a man who don't take shit right?

Every answer George gives the reporters is basically, "I'm not sure, but (insert something that sounds retarded)".

He's gone on about how Social Security isn't going to last, but hasn't explained how he wants to fix it. All he has said is that it needs to be fixed, and that it's not getting done because the parties aren't agreeing. WHOA, thanks for clearing that up for us.

All he's doing is giving his opinions about the issues and explaining the importance of the issue, not what he plans to do about it, so how can they call this a news conference?

The only thing I got out of watching the conference was an update that the man still has not learned how to pronounce the word "nuclear".

Horay for being informed!!!!!

Rights Group: Abu Ghraib Abuses 'Tip of Iceberg'

By Ian Simpson / Reuters, courtesy of this site

BAGHDAD - A rights watchdog said on Wednesday the abuses at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison were just the "tip of the iceberg" of U.S. mistreatment of Muslim prisoners.

The abuses at Abu Ghraib are part of a larger pattern of U.S. rights violations of detainees in Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere, New York-based Human Rights Watch said.
Its summary of accusations of abuses came on the eve of the first anniversary of publication of photos showing humiliation and mistreatment of prisoners at the Iraqi jail.

"Abu Ghraib was only the tip of the iceberg," Reed Brody, special counsel for Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.

"It's now clear that abuse of detainees has happened all over -- from Afghanistan to Guantanamo Bay to a lot of third-country dungeons where the United States has sent prisoners. And probably quite a few other places we don't even know about."

the rest

Yeah, we're definately fighting for freedom.

I hope my cousin's not one of the soldiers who pull that shit.

Tearing down Democracy

By Ralph Nader

You would think that Bush-Cheney would be sensitive to avoiding the weakening of democracy in our country while going around the world with Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, hectoring other countries about their anti-democratic practices.

After all, the moral authority to admonish comes from the power of example. Instead brazen hypocrisy prevails. Bush and Cheney inherited past democratic institutions and practices, which they are tearing down in many directions.

and

But let's look at what Bush-Cheney is doing to democracy in the USA. First, these two authoritarians have centralized more power in the White House-Executive Branch at the expense of Congress, the courts and the states than previous Republican leaders would ever have done. From the Patriot Act to pursuing tort deform, from federalizing many class actions in federal courts (usurping the role of state courts) to the pre-emptive banking laws and regulations to the "Leave No Child Behind" takeover, these two pro-Vietnam war draft dodgers have generated a cascade of powers into the Oval Office.

more

What could I possibly add? Ralph's got a brain.

Happy Earth Day

Trees are awesome.

Oxygen is awesome.

Water is awesome.

Ice caps are awesome.

I honestly wouldn't have known it was Earth Day if I didn't have my little calendar. I saw it and thought, "Hey, thats kinda liberal," so I had to call attention to it.

But seriously, screw Big Oil. Yay Ralph Nader.

Hear Ye, Media!

By Ralph Nader, from nader.org

Question ‚ have you ever heard of Maurice Hilleman? If your answer is No or Who?, join about 99 percent of the American people. He passed away this month in Philadelphia at the age of 85. Here is what the front page New York Times article said about his medical career:

Dr. Maurice R. Hilleman developed vaccines for mumps, measles, chickenpox, pneumonia, meningitis and other diseases, saving tens of millions of lives...

Much of modern preventive medicine is based on Dr. Hilleman's work, though he never received the public recognition of Salk, Sabin or Pasteur. He is credited with having developed more human and animal vaccines than any other scientist, helping to extend human life expectancy and improving the economies of many countries.

The Times quotes Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health as saying: "The scientific quality and quantity of what he did was amazing...One can say without hyperbole that Maurice changed the world with his extraordinary contributions in so many disciplines: virology, epidemiology, immunology, cancer research and vaccinology."

(elipses)

There are many fascinating stories about this scientist. Yet almost no one knew about him, saw him on television, or read about him in newspapers or magazines. His anonymity, in comparison with Madonna, Michael Jackson, Jose Canseco, or an assortment of grade B actors, tells something about our society's and media's concepts of celebrity; much less of the heroic.

click here for all of it

(sorry I haven't posted in a while, my computer's been poop lately)
I learn more from Ralph Nader every time I read his stuff.

This is just one example of how knowledgeable Nader is.

Lets elect this guy next time, okay? He's been pretty doggon patient, lets give him a break in '08.

Protesters call for U.S. Pullout in Iraq

By TRACI CARL, Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Tens of thousands of supporters of a militant Shiite cleric filled central Baghdad's streets Saturday and demanded that American soldiers go home, marking the second anniversary of Baghdad's fall with shouts of "No, no to Satan!"

To the west of the capital, 5,000 protesters issue similar demands in the Sunni Triangle city of Ramadi, reflecting a growing impatience with the U.S.-led occupation and the slow pace of returning control to an infant Iraqi government.

The protest in Baghdad's famous Firdos Square was the largest anti-American demonstration since the U.S.-led invasion, but the turnout was far less than the 1 million called for by radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

"I do not accept having occupation forces in my country," said protester Ali Feleih Hassan, 35. "No one accepts this. I want them out. They have been here for two years, and now they have to set a timetable for their withdrawal."

President Bush has said he will not pull troops out of Iraq until the security situation has improved.

click here for all of it

Hey Mr. Bush, have you ever thought that maybe YOU'RE the security situation? Those protesters weren't insurgents, those were the same Iraqis that tore down that big statue of Saddam a few years ago; lets take a hint.

Give the Iraqis the freedom they desire and deserve. Lets bring our troops home, its getting worse by the minute.

Tucson's largest school district place restrictions on military recruiters

Associated Press, courtesy of this site

New restrictions have been placed on military recruiters by Tucson's largest school district.
Recently, the Tucson Unified School District adopted new rules that restrict visits by military recruiters to once a month per school.

The district adopted the rules after parents complained that their children felt pressured by military recruiters who were showing up four times a week at Tucson High Magnet School.

"There were some real discrepancies in how our schools were dealing with recruiters," said Ross Sheard, who supervises 36 TUSD principals and worked on the new directive. "We wanted to standardize it and have it the same at every school."

Under federal law, military recruiters must receive the same access to high-school students as job or college recruiters.

Schools are also required to provide military recruiters with names, addresses and phone numbers of students, unless parents object in writing.


At first I thought "Right on!", but I now that I think about it more, I realize that I, myself, don't feel pressure when I see the recruiters at my school. They don't talk to you unless you talk to them. Its not like they're saying "HEY YOU BEST SIGN UP!!!!" just by sitting at a table outside the cafeteria.

Maybe I just take it personally because my own brother came to our school a few months ago as a Navy recruiter, but I think it would be more of a statement to let the recruiters come whenever they want and let the news report about how no one wants to enlist.

But hey, what do I know?

grease monkey duo

zin sift alagorie
trigger shift momentum plain
vizzer von vee hydroxide
and plastic grass sugar strain

hover so for due to time
pattern repeat pattern repeat
rosin mast shadow grizee
and some kinda radio thing

pleasure shift
dull objects
motor vehicle survey
others relate

grease monkey duo

Poll: Most in U.S. Oppose Nuclear Weapons

By WILL LESTER, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Most Americans surveyed in a poll say they do not think any country, including the United States, should have nuclear weapons. That sentiment is at odds with current efforts by some nations that are trying to develop the weapons and by terrorists seeking to add them to their arsenal.

The only use of an atomic bomb — by the United States against Japan at the end of World War II — provokes sharply different reactions, depending on the age of those asked. Young adults tend to disapprove, while older Americans tend to approve, an AP-Ipsos poll found.
Albert Kauzmann, a 57-year-old resident of Norcross, Ga., said using the bomb in 1945 "was the best way they had of ending" World War II.

Six in 10 people age 65 and older approve of the use of the atomic bomb at the end of World War II; the same percentage of respondents 18 to 29 disapprove.

Even though the Soviet Union is gone, the nuclear fears that fueled the Cold War have not gone away. A majority of people believe it is likely that terrorists or a country will use the weapons within five years.

Click here for the rest

Again, I say we should get rid of our supply of nukes. Having or not having them makes no difference anymore; lets do something different.

Marine Corps Mail

Yesterday I received a pamphlet in the mail from the Marine Corps. I threw it away, of course.

On the outside it said "Discover the person you're meant to become".

This made me laugh out loud. Last time I checked no one could tell me who I was meant to become. I remember being told that I could do whatever I set my mind to. The Marines think any random soon-to-be eighteen year old is just destined to become a Marine themselves.

This is why my band is called "The Drafted".

When the war was about to start, we knew there would be enormous pressure to join the military at some point, and that there may even be another draft, so we decided to have a political name and start writing political songs.

I know we, as middle class non-poor teenagers, will not have trouble getting into some form of college, and therefore would not be drafted; but the point is we, as young men, are seen as mere cannon fodder by the blood-thirsty Bush Administration, and we know it.

Also, with my brother in the Navy, a few people have already asked me "Are you going to join the service?". Some people have even asked WHEN I was joining the service! I always tell them I don't have plans for joining the military, and they just kind of brush it off, like, "Yeah, say that when you're a dirt poor twenty-something with a failed career attempt and a receding hairline still living with your parents who are about to retire."

I'll say this: I'm never going to join the military, no matter how poor, unsuccessful, heartbroken, or hopeless I am, because I know that every war since World War II has been, and will be, pointless and wrong.

I know good and well military musicians don't fight, and make very good money, but joining the military is like selling your soul. Its like getting married to someone who you KNOW is going to order you around, and you KNOW you have to obey them, or you'll get kicked out and won't be getting that fat check anymore.

In conclusion, screw you, Marine Corps.

Mitch Hedburg, R.I.P

From mitchhedberg.net

April 1, 2005
To All of Mitch’s Fans,
We are heartbroken to let you know that Mitch passed away on Wednesday, March 30, 2005. He dedicated his life to comedy and bringing joy to his fans. Mitch loved all of you.
We ask that you remember Mitch through his comedy - let him make you laugh, enjoy life and love one another.
The Hedberg Family

I don't understand why I heard about this first by word of mouth. If my friend Sam hadn't told me about it yesterday who knows when I would have found out.

I guess Mitch's career was just not long enough to be widely recognized as the brilliant comedian that he was.

If you've never heard Mitch's comedy, you really should. Mitch had a totally different style than any comedian I had ever heard before, its a shame he had to die so suddenly, after being in the business for only about four years.

Here's a bunch of Mitch jokes:

You know they call corn on the cob, corn on the cob, but that's how it comes out of the ground, man. They should call that corn, they should call every other version corn off the cob. It's not like if you cut off my arm you would call it Mitch. Then reattach it and call me Mitch-all-together...

I like swiss cheese. It's the only cheese you can draw with a pencil and identify.

I got an ant farm. Them fellas don't grow shit.

I went to the store to buy a candle-holder, but they were out. So I bought a cake.

I haven't slept for ten days, because that would be too long.

Last week I helped my friend stay put. It's a lot easier than helping someone move. I just went over to his house and made sure that he did not start to load shit into a truck.

I got my hair highlighted, because I felt some strands were more important than others.

I want to be a race car passenger: just a guy who bugs the driver. "Say man, can I turn on the radio? You should slow down. Why do we gotta keep going in circles? Can I put my feet out the window? Man, you really like Tide..."

I wrote a letter to my dad - I wrote, "I really enjoy being here," but I accidentally wrote rarely instead of really. But I still wanted to use it so I crossed it out and wrote, "I rarely drive steamboats, dad - there's a lot of shit you don't know about me. Quit trying to act like I'm a steamboat operator." This letter took a harsh turn right away...

...and then at the end of the letter I like to write "P.S. - this is what part of the alphabet would look like if Q and R were eliminated.

I got in an argument with a girlfriend inside of a tent. That's a bad place for an argument, because then I tried to walk out, and had to slam the flap. How are you supposed to express your anger in this situation? Zip it up real quick?

I type at 101 words a minute. But it's in my own language.

I think Bigfoot is blurry, that's the problem. It's not the photographer's fault. Bigfoot is blurry. And that's extra scary to me, because there's a large, out-of-focus monster roaming the countryside. Run. He's fuzzy. Get outta here.

I have an underwater camera just in case I crash my car into a river, and at the last minute I see a photo opportunity of a fish that I have never seen.

One time a guy handed me a picture of himself, and he said, "Here's a picture of me when I was younger." Every picture of you is of when you were younger. Here's a picture of me when I am older. You son of a bitch, how'd you pull that off? Let me see that camera...