In recent months, I've spent a great deal of time reading post after post, and article after article voicing dissent, anger and frustration about the myriad of mishandled issues of this administration. Most of the vigorous debate (and even the debate about the debate) has circled around the war. Some have suggested such debate is improper in a time such as this. So above all things, about this, let's be clear. It is in fact a right of the people to voice these criticisms without fear of retribution or harm. I believe the only way any democracy can function is to have these voices be heard and answered by the elected leadership.
Now, if said leaders are only willing to repeat falsehoods and offer nothing new to the exchange (such as the timeless "Stay the course" message of the recently released 35 page "National Strategy for Victory in Iraq") then it is, in my opinion, the duty of the dissenters to offer the alternate strategy that the people require to make an informed choice.
My point is this. If all the folks in D.C. who have cold feet about the war that they voted for want to simply criticize, fine. But where's the alternate plan? While I think it is important to debate and investigate the justifications of our entering into this quagmire, it's not the end of the debate by any means. We need informed solutions, real alternatives. I am no longer willing to take the advice of four-star generals who are too politically fearful to publicly disagree with the civilian leaders who keep throwing their subordinates in harms way just to keep from looking like they screwed up from the outset.
So, this is what I'm asking for: Give us ("us" being whosoever dares disagree with the status quo) access to the on the ground military leadership. Let us talk with them. Let them give us what they see as options (considering they're there everyday). We need someone to do the heavy lifting now. To hear the good and the bad. We need to make informed decision based on fact and reality, not behind the scenes gripes and ass-covering. That's how we got here.
No one, and I mean on one, made a truly informed decision to take us into war. No one had the same access to materials and personnel to do so. Apart from the argument that this was done because of some nefarious pre-formed plan or whether everyone was just truly misinformed, it matters not. There were only a select group of ears that heard the unfiltered advice and counsel of those that were proved to be wrong. You can't tell me that if some good old fashioned dissent was thrown into the mix back then, that we'd be in the same place now.
No three people should ever decide to take us into war. We should all bear the terrible burden of that weight. It keeps us from from having motive to prove that the few were right or wrong. It keeps us focused on our goals. There can be no singular finger pointing when we are all equally informed.
I feel that this is the only way to get us out of this mess that we are very much in. It's time to share everything. It's time to put it all on the table. Let's finally have knowledge behind us when deciding to risk our lives and the lives of our fellow man.
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
IRS doesn't like God's involvement in politics
I read this today in the Sacramento Bee.
The Internal Revenue Service has warned the All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, California, that it may be losing its tax exemption, citing a sermon by the Rev. George F. Regas, on Oct. 31, 2004...According to the story, he did not take sides or tell parishioners who to vote for, but he did criticize the war in Iraq, stating that Jesus would have called Bush's pre-emptive war "a failed doctrine," and that "Forcibly changing the regime of an enemy that posed no imminent threat has led to disaster."
Finx, do you think this has any bearing on the Republican's Justice Sunday?
UPDATE (11/8/05 9:38 am PST) by FINX:
Well, if yer askin'. I'm not sure how this all gets decided, but I'd bet dollars to donuts someone's playing fast and loose with the rules yet again. For example, how is it that the James Dobsons of the world can claim to be "men of God" and yet cheat the American tax code by using their spiritual institutions to do the bidding of politicians? His Focus on the Family group was at one time part of a powerful far-right lobbying group called The Family Research Council (FRC). This relationship was troubling to folks in D.C. because the ties were a little too close for comfort, so the IRS applied pressure and the FRC severed it's "official" ties to Dobson's group in 1992 (by the way, this was the second time they had to do this). However, Dobson stayed on the board long after the official split and claimed the two organizations were "spiritually one".
So, it would seems that the rules are being selectively applied in this instance to send a message. Is that really any surpise to anyone in these days of the Christian-Right/Republican mafia tactics we see being employed day in and day out. Just ask Republican uber-lobbyists Jack Abramoff and Michael Scanlon about the rules of the game:
To me, the most appalling things about all of these people is that they act as though they own God. The "Family Research Council" is a corporation after all. One who's work is dedicated to such noble causes as the quest to eliminate hate crime legislation. God knows Jesus would be out there beating the shit of gay men every chance he could, right?
The Internal Revenue Service has warned the All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, California, that it may be losing its tax exemption, citing a sermon by the Rev. George F. Regas, on Oct. 31, 2004...According to the story, he did not take sides or tell parishioners who to vote for, but he did criticize the war in Iraq, stating that Jesus would have called Bush's pre-emptive war "a failed doctrine," and that "Forcibly changing the regime of an enemy that posed no imminent threat has led to disaster."
Finx, do you think this has any bearing on the Republican's Justice Sunday?
UPDATE (11/8/05 9:38 am PST) by FINX:
Well, if yer askin'. I'm not sure how this all gets decided, but I'd bet dollars to donuts someone's playing fast and loose with the rules yet again. For example, how is it that the James Dobsons of the world can claim to be "men of God" and yet cheat the American tax code by using their spiritual institutions to do the bidding of politicians? His Focus on the Family group was at one time part of a powerful far-right lobbying group called The Family Research Council (FRC). This relationship was troubling to folks in D.C. because the ties were a little too close for comfort, so the IRS applied pressure and the FRC severed it's "official" ties to Dobson's group in 1992 (by the way, this was the second time they had to do this). However, Dobson stayed on the board long after the official split and claimed the two organizations were "spiritually one".
So, it would seems that the rules are being selectively applied in this instance to send a message. Is that really any surpise to anyone in these days of the Christian-Right/Republican mafia tactics we see being employed day in and day out. Just ask Republican uber-lobbyists Jack Abramoff and Michael Scanlon about the rules of the game:
"The wackos get their information through the Christian right, Christian radio, mail, the internet and telephone trees," Scanlon wrote in the memo, which was read into the public record at a hearing of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. "Simply put, we want to bring out the wackos to vote against something and make sure the rest of the public lets the whole thing slip past them."Awesome.
To me, the most appalling things about all of these people is that they act as though they own God. The "Family Research Council" is a corporation after all. One who's work is dedicated to such noble causes as the quest to eliminate hate crime legislation. God knows Jesus would be out there beating the shit of gay men every chance he could, right?
Friday, October 28, 2005
A Victory? - A Finx Rant
Well, hello again my friends. I feel like I should start by saying how sorry I am that I haven't kept up my end of the blogging bargain here at the Dispatch, but I think that I've come back just at the right time. As I'm sure you all know by now, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's Chief of Staff, has been indicted by a Federal grand jury on five separate counts and has subsequently resigned. Yahoo! It's Miller Time!... Or is it?
You see, this is the least possible damage the White House could sustain considering both Karl Rove and Dick Cheney have had their grubby little fingerprints discovered all over this whole affair. I mean, who's ever really heard about this "Scooter" fellow anyway? Well, maybe most of the people reading this, but certainly not millions of other Americans who've allowed far bigger crooks to be re-elected year after year. No, I'm afraid what has happened here is that the sloppiest of the criminals in this administration have been nabbed, but by no means the worst.
There is still hope given the open-endedness of Fitzgerald's investigation, but I fear unless Scooter rolls on some of the most powerful and vicious people in the world, this thing is a dead duck that lays solely on Libby's doorstep. The real crime of pre-war deception can only be found and prosecuted by the people via it's Congress. God and the blogosphere knows if these were the days of Clinton... well, you know where I'm going with that one, heads on pikes, etc. etc.
It would seem the Teflon Don's of the White House have gotten themselves pretty well insulated... for now. After all, there is this little nagging question of what might happen in '06. It seems a foregone conclusion that the Senate would get involved in some serious digging if the Democrats found their way into the majority position again. But they will truly have to fight for it because these Reds are a formidable foe. "Time to take the gloves off", as the minions of their torture squads say. It seems a good time to expose the real motives of these people. A time to really speak to the subtext of all of the political wrangling. What if something like this (link) ran as a campaign ad? Would people see it as too much? Leftist propaganda?
The only thing a could ask in responce is, why? Why is it too hard to imagine that these people really don't care about you? Just look at what they did to Joe and Valerie Wilson and tell me that they care. Look at how they knowingly lied to us and tell me that they really considered breaching your trust. They didn't. We mean nothing to these people. None of this is about us. It's about profit taking and exploitation. It's about saying and doing whatever it takes to keep from getting caught in their lies. Even if it means throwing your friend on a grenade.
Poor Scooter. Let's hope he does us all a service and returns the favor to his "friends".
Otherwise, it'll be up to the Democratic Congress in the winter of '06 to sort this all out. Sleep tight Karl. Sweet dreams Dick. Man this stuff gets me goin'!
You see, this is the least possible damage the White House could sustain considering both Karl Rove and Dick Cheney have had their grubby little fingerprints discovered all over this whole affair. I mean, who's ever really heard about this "Scooter" fellow anyway? Well, maybe most of the people reading this, but certainly not millions of other Americans who've allowed far bigger crooks to be re-elected year after year. No, I'm afraid what has happened here is that the sloppiest of the criminals in this administration have been nabbed, but by no means the worst.
There is still hope given the open-endedness of Fitzgerald's investigation, but I fear unless Scooter rolls on some of the most powerful and vicious people in the world, this thing is a dead duck that lays solely on Libby's doorstep. The real crime of pre-war deception can only be found and prosecuted by the people via it's Congress. God and the blogosphere knows if these were the days of Clinton... well, you know where I'm going with that one, heads on pikes, etc. etc.
It would seem the Teflon Don's of the White House have gotten themselves pretty well insulated... for now. After all, there is this little nagging question of what might happen in '06. It seems a foregone conclusion that the Senate would get involved in some serious digging if the Democrats found their way into the majority position again. But they will truly have to fight for it because these Reds are a formidable foe. "Time to take the gloves off", as the minions of their torture squads say. It seems a good time to expose the real motives of these people. A time to really speak to the subtext of all of the political wrangling. What if something like this (link) ran as a campaign ad? Would people see it as too much? Leftist propaganda?
The only thing a could ask in responce is, why? Why is it too hard to imagine that these people really don't care about you? Just look at what they did to Joe and Valerie Wilson and tell me that they care. Look at how they knowingly lied to us and tell me that they really considered breaching your trust. They didn't. We mean nothing to these people. None of this is about us. It's about profit taking and exploitation. It's about saying and doing whatever it takes to keep from getting caught in their lies. Even if it means throwing your friend on a grenade.
Poor Scooter. Let's hope he does us all a service and returns the favor to his "friends".
Otherwise, it'll be up to the Democratic Congress in the winter of '06 to sort this all out. Sleep tight Karl. Sweet dreams Dick. Man this stuff gets me goin'!
Thursday, October 27, 2005
Bike Commuting - Corporate Style
There was a good article in the Sacramento Bee last week about bike commuting and how companies support such activities.
Off to the Bay area for the weekend and Veloswap on Saturday. An orgy of bike parts and bike people, i'm psyched!
Off to the Bay area for the weekend and Veloswap on Saturday. An orgy of bike parts and bike people, i'm psyched!
Friday, October 14, 2005
Oregon Pics
Finx, you add some text, eh? I'm tired of these things not being posted.
Finx: Okay sparky, keep your pants on! Funny, I feel like I had to say that a lot while sharing a tent with vudu, hmm.
I've added some more text, since Finx wasn't present for many of the miles we rode. He was there in spirit though, we cursed him often.
Notice that vudu's calves are the same size.
Left to right: vuduvgn, finx, Troy, Eddie, Adam. We are about to start our 7 hour drive to Roseburg, Oregon. We only started 2 hours late. We got to a camping spot just outside Roseburg about 3 am, got up at 8 and then rode the North Umpqua Trail.
Finx on a very nice section of the N. Umpqua Trail.
Finx telling vudu he's number one.
Note: This is Finx's fourth time on a bike in many, many months.
It was at this point that Finx barfed at the mere thought of this trail.
The rest of us, also including Debra and Amy, who had joined us that morning, rode the lower 16 miles of the N. Umpqua Trail. It was smart for Finx to avoid this section. Much love to him, but we doubt he would have survived it.
Debra descending a very nice piece of loamy and lush singletrack.
A very Tim Burtony moment.
Adam climbing up to Bob's Butte, I was pushing this long, switchback loaded section. Note to others: singlespeeds are not the ideal trail bike.
Sorry about the blurry pic. This is me on a log at the very end of the trail.
This is the start of one of the longest singletrack decents I've ever had the pleasure of riding.
You'll notice that Finx is in none of these group shots because he was busy gasping for air miles behind. Boy that was a fun day!
The group ended up ascending the 7000 feet and 22 +/- miles of fire road in about five hours.
Waiting to see if Finx is still alive. Then they got bored and left.
It's true. We did leave some arrows and notes in the road out of cedar bark though. We hoped the best for him.
Willammette valley beyond. Left to right: Jesse, Troy, vuduvgn, Adam, Amy, Eddie.
Down down down...
Singletrack heaven.
This was up on Saddle Blanket Mountain. This was an addition to the Alpine loop.
Adam leaving Sourgrass Mountain.
Debra descending the Alpine trail. It is rare that you wonder if the descent is going to end, then you ask yourself the same question in another 15 minutes, and again in another 15 minutes, and again...
Fun with anaphylactic shock! Okay, now notice how vudu's legs don't quite match.
Bees suck.
Finx and vudu's bikes are tree-huggers, like their owners.
Adam battles beer-breath.
Adam drank alot the previous night, it was his birthday. I knocked his beer over and failed to rinse out the dirt and rocks before I filled it back up. Adam is a forgiving fella.
All tuckered out after 100+ miles and several 1000 feet of climbing!
We are clean for the drive back. The day we left is the only day we showered :o
Monday, October 10, 2005
Friday, October 07, 2005
One rung at a time
I had my three month review and pay negotiation yesterday. It went better than I had feared, so that is good. I got me some benefits now!
I have a meeting with a client this morning at 7:30 am. Another meeting over a 40k change order on the job i'm working on at 8:30 am. That 8:30 meeting, I have a feeling, will be rather contentious. Gotta make sure i'm nice and caffeinated.
I see that New York is under high alert, supposed to be a terrorist attack. Wonder what Bush Co. did to need such a large distraction...
Rode alot this week. Finally mostly over my cold and am putting in the miles. Finally dragging my friends up the hill instead of them waiting for me. Feels good. I'm hoping to do a high sierra ride this Sunday with Bradley from Organic Athlete.
I have a meeting with a client this morning at 7:30 am. Another meeting over a 40k change order on the job i'm working on at 8:30 am. That 8:30 meeting, I have a feeling, will be rather contentious. Gotta make sure i'm nice and caffeinated.
I see that New York is under high alert, supposed to be a terrorist attack. Wonder what Bush Co. did to need such a large distraction...
Rode alot this week. Finally mostly over my cold and am putting in the miles. Finally dragging my friends up the hill instead of them waiting for me. Feels good. I'm hoping to do a high sierra ride this Sunday with Bradley from Organic Athlete.
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Two steps forward...
Hmm. Well this old laptop just ate the post I had started, the one I had promised FINX about 6 months ago. Mmmmm, technology, such a demon. Funny thing about motivation and inspiration, it can so easily be squashed.
Some good news this week, some bad. I would have to put Delay's indictment and Frist's investigation by the SEC into the good category. I doubt it is more of the sea change that some believe Cindy Sheehan started, but it would be good to take down these hypocritical oafs. Of the bad, I see two big ones this week. One would be the hemorrhoid of a man by the name of Pombo. Republican congressman Pombo from Tracy, California has proposed a very large revamp to the Endangered Species Act. A biological deficit to be paid off by future generations, much like the national debt created by GW. Based on what I've recently learned of this man he is a huge ass wound that, well, must be removed. The second bad is the confirmation of Roberts today. It's not the nomination that is necessarily so bad, he was smart enough to not divulge any information that could lead anyone to form an opinion. The bad thing here is the failure of the Democrats to find any sort of alliance. The Democrats continue to fail, to work alone and continue to be weak.
Upside? Peace and happiness in one's own personal life. However, if you are connected to the outside world, give a damn about family, friends and other living beings, if you are a compassionate person, it is hard to not feel a certain amount of melancholy about all the bad that is done in the world by awful people in power.
Cycling is good because it allows me to think about myself and MY life. It gives me strength, takes weakness and lets me challenge myself. One more mountain bike race coming up in October and cyclocross season has started. I may have a taste of that...
Some good news this week, some bad. I would have to put Delay's indictment and Frist's investigation by the SEC into the good category. I doubt it is more of the sea change that some believe Cindy Sheehan started, but it would be good to take down these hypocritical oafs. Of the bad, I see two big ones this week. One would be the hemorrhoid of a man by the name of Pombo. Republican congressman Pombo from Tracy, California has proposed a very large revamp to the Endangered Species Act. A biological deficit to be paid off by future generations, much like the national debt created by GW. Based on what I've recently learned of this man he is a huge ass wound that, well, must be removed. The second bad is the confirmation of Roberts today. It's not the nomination that is necessarily so bad, he was smart enough to not divulge any information that could lead anyone to form an opinion. The bad thing here is the failure of the Democrats to find any sort of alliance. The Democrats continue to fail, to work alone and continue to be weak.
Upside? Peace and happiness in one's own personal life. However, if you are connected to the outside world, give a damn about family, friends and other living beings, if you are a compassionate person, it is hard to not feel a certain amount of melancholy about all the bad that is done in the world by awful people in power.
Cycling is good because it allows me to think about myself and MY life. It gives me strength, takes weakness and lets me challenge myself. One more mountain bike race coming up in October and cyclocross season has started. I may have a taste of that...
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Dust off those reading glasses of yours...
Like that Herpes of yours, i'm back. Lizzy and I located her long lost laptop and now we have innerweb access at home. I'll see if'n I can get this party started again. If I need another excuse I can tell myself it's cold outside and I'd rather be in here tapping on keys than tapping on the pedals to take me to the top of another steep hill. Finx and I went to Oregon to drink beer, we rode bikes some. Maybe we can find some pictures to post.
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Mountain Man (aka Unibomber)
So, it would seem gigi isn't the only one around here with a side project. It has come to my attention that we also have a wiener in our midst (spelling intentional). Apparently vuduvgn (man, I really want to capitalize their names, but they just won't let me... slackers) has been going around Northern California and cleaning up at a ton of mountain bike races. For all of the press coverage go here and here. Now mind you, these articles don't even included the one win I personally witnessed in Napa at the Napa Valley My Suspension Is More Expensive Than Yours Classic where after whippin' some yuppie (and rabid Christian) tail, vuduvgn sailed past the finish line, rode over to me for about a ten word exchange, and then b-lined straight to his truck to slam a frosty beer. Nothin' like having a solid post-race regime.
Now, the reason I'm bringing you this news and not vudu is because our resident champ has taken a new job where he has finally, and woefully realized that screwing around on the computer all day doesn't a good worker make. I have not learned this lesson as of yet so, I'll be the water-bearer for now.
Given all of the congratulatory verbiage above, I'd like to be clear that my celebration of vudu is not totally unselfish. In fact, my dream is to someday start the Deluded Destroyers, a team of devastatingly powerful uber-cyclists that will someday crush all others in small cycling competitions around the US and then use their spoils of victory to leverage my takeover of regional cycling competitions around the globe, and thereby become supreme overlord of the mountain biking universe! ...Oh yeah, AND THEN THE WORLD!! (Which we would promptly give back once all of the Reds were sent to live on the moon)
The biggest problem with that plan thus far is they usually only give away t-shirts and tires if you win. Can you take over the world with untold numbers of over-sized tees and ten tons of Panaracers? I honestly don't know, I'm asking?
Anyway, good job my friend. I hope our plans for world domination aren't thwarted by your lack of a new Giant Reign with 6" of front and rear travel, 'cause that would be a real shame. Think of the children E. Sorry, inside joke.
Now, the reason I'm bringing you this news and not vudu is because our resident champ has taken a new job where he has finally, and woefully realized that screwing around on the computer all day doesn't a good worker make. I have not learned this lesson as of yet so, I'll be the water-bearer for now.
Given all of the congratulatory verbiage above, I'd like to be clear that my celebration of vudu is not totally unselfish. In fact, my dream is to someday start the Deluded Destroyers, a team of devastatingly powerful uber-cyclists that will someday crush all others in small cycling competitions around the US and then use their spoils of victory to leverage my takeover of regional cycling competitions around the globe, and thereby become supreme overlord of the mountain biking universe! ...Oh yeah, AND THEN THE WORLD!! (Which we would promptly give back once all of the Reds were sent to live on the moon)
The biggest problem with that plan thus far is they usually only give away t-shirts and tires if you win. Can you take over the world with untold numbers of over-sized tees and ten tons of Panaracers? I honestly don't know, I'm asking?
Anyway, good job my friend. I hope our plans for world domination aren't thwarted by your lack of a new Giant Reign with 6" of front and rear travel, 'cause that would be a real shame. Think of the children E. Sorry, inside joke.
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Steppin Out...
So, it would seem that our beloved gigi has decided to add to the most important blog on the internet again... her own. Yes, it's true, I have no sway with this one. Oh well.
It's always refreshing to hear someone's voice you know well, come from a safe place. Enjoy!
It's always refreshing to hear someone's voice you know well, come from a safe place. Enjoy!
Friday, July 15, 2005
Some Insight
I'd never come across this piece about Rove before, but it is one of the most compelling accounts of the way this man and the White House works. It's a bit long, but it's truly frightening and well worth the read. Here's a snippet to get you going:
This guy is so feared in Washington that few ever speak about him on the record. After reading this piece and seeing the current story developing I'm now convinced, this guy is mentally ill. God help us.
...Rove was talking to an aide about some political stratagem in some state that had gone awry and a political operative who had displeased him. I paid it no mind and reviewed a jotted list of questions I hoped to ask. But after a moment, it was like ignoring a tornado flinging parked cars. "We will fuck him. Do you hear me? We will fuck him. We will ruin him. Like no one has ever fucked him!" As a reporter, you get around-curse words, anger, passionate intensity are not notable events-but the ferocity, the bellicosity, the violent imputations were, well, shocking. This went on without a break for a minute or two.
This guy is so feared in Washington that few ever speak about him on the record. After reading this piece and seeing the current story developing I'm now convinced, this guy is mentally ill. God help us.
Thursday, July 14, 2005
We Got 'Em!... ?
Hello all! Sorry to let down our five readers out there by not posting for a while, but due to illness, work, and just plain distraction, I haven't been able to keep up my semi-regular job here. However, there's no better time to have a place to rant than now.
By now, I'm sure most of you have already heard of this whole Valerie Plame thing brewing in D.C.. If not there is plenty of stuff out there for you peruse to get you up to speed (like this Salon.com article, it's well worth sitting through the ad for a day pass for this one). The long story short is, Rove and Co. are screwed. Just how screwed you might ask? Well, being a visual guy, I always like to go right to the video tape... watch this first.
Now, as much fun as it is too see that chubby little weasel get pummeled by the press, it's even better when put in an historical context. You remember what he said, right? "Can't prejudice blah, blah, blah..." "Ongoing grand jury blah, blah...", right? Step into the time machine now for this video treasure (this one will take a while to load, be patient).
Holy smoke! That was awfully close wasn't it? Just get this fact neatly nestled in your brains folks, this is as big as Watergate. Don't let the Neo-Cons and Reds fool you. Avoid any and all media laziness. Stock up on the truth. Know the facts.
That is all-
By now, I'm sure most of you have already heard of this whole Valerie Plame thing brewing in D.C.. If not there is plenty of stuff out there for you peruse to get you up to speed (like this Salon.com article, it's well worth sitting through the ad for a day pass for this one). The long story short is, Rove and Co. are screwed. Just how screwed you might ask? Well, being a visual guy, I always like to go right to the video tape... watch this first.
Now, as much fun as it is too see that chubby little weasel get pummeled by the press, it's even better when put in an historical context. You remember what he said, right? "Can't prejudice blah, blah, blah..." "Ongoing grand jury blah, blah...", right? Step into the time machine now for this video treasure (this one will take a while to load, be patient).
Holy smoke! That was awfully close wasn't it? Just get this fact neatly nestled in your brains folks, this is as big as Watergate. Don't let the Neo-Cons and Reds fool you. Avoid any and all media laziness. Stock up on the truth. Know the facts.
That is all-
Friday, June 24, 2005
Good Quality Video
Follow this link for a good quality video of a whale being exploded in Lane County, Oregon, circa 1970. Warning: large file and lots of bloody whale fat flying through the sky.
White Custer
I have a new favorite thing.
I'm sure all of us have seen the yellow magnetic ribbons on trucks, SUV's and other vehicles around our towns. They started showing up a year or so ago, they pretty much replaced the American flag that was in the window and ended up on the freeway somewhere.
Have you noticed that many of these ribbons are no longer yellow? They have faded, faded to a very pale yellow, almost white. The blue text remains, but surrounded by a field of white. A white flag typically represents peace or surrender, right?
We have a few ways to interpret this.
1) People are tired of the war, our troops dying or becoming tragically injured and want peace.
2) They are terribly distraught by the war and want to just give up and have their loved ones home.
3) Finally, they never really gave a damn in the first place and can't pony up the few bucks it costs to buy a magnet made in Communist China.
I don't have any interest in judging people that have these white ribbons on their vehicles. It's just a thought that came to mind when the vehicles come pretty close to me when I'm riding my bike to and from work. It also appears that Bush's approval ratings have been dropping because of not only the Iraq war but also because of domestic issues.
Is there a relationship between the white ribbons and what Americans think of their President?
I'm sure all of us have seen the yellow magnetic ribbons on trucks, SUV's and other vehicles around our towns. They started showing up a year or so ago, they pretty much replaced the American flag that was in the window and ended up on the freeway somewhere.
Have you noticed that many of these ribbons are no longer yellow? They have faded, faded to a very pale yellow, almost white. The blue text remains, but surrounded by a field of white. A white flag typically represents peace or surrender, right?
We have a few ways to interpret this.
1) People are tired of the war, our troops dying or becoming tragically injured and want peace.
2) They are terribly distraught by the war and want to just give up and have their loved ones home.
3) Finally, they never really gave a damn in the first place and can't pony up the few bucks it costs to buy a magnet made in Communist China.
I don't have any interest in judging people that have these white ribbons on their vehicles. It's just a thought that came to mind when the vehicles come pretty close to me when I'm riding my bike to and from work. It also appears that Bush's approval ratings have been dropping because of not only the Iraq war but also because of domestic issues.
Is there a relationship between the white ribbons and what Americans think of their President?
Monday, June 20, 2005
Holy Holga!
I know I usually spend my time here railing against the "Reds" and the Man in general, but since I haven't been able to get a post out in a while (my last one was eaten by my unplugged computer dying of batteryitis) I figured I'd break form and show you something else.
With all of the Tech that swirls around my life, I've found a new love for all things simple and messy. With that in mind I share with you some photos I took with a camera I bought that can only be described as "cheap". Not cheap in the sense of "Oh, I could've gone for the leather interior, but opted for vinyl" type cheap. No, we're talkin "I coulda rode the bus, but opted to tie a rope to it's bumper and drag myself there instead". I bring you... the Holga. This thing looks like it came out of a crackerjack box. It's made of cheap plastic, it has light leaks like you wouldn't believe, and the shutter springs with the least satisfying noise I've ever heard from a camera... ever. I love it.
I love it because unlike digital photos, what comes out looks like nothing you could've seen with your naked eye. It's almost always half photochemistry and half magic (with some luck thrown in for good measure).
The Exploritorium in San Francisco is one of my all time favorite buildings.
The Holga is the best way to do weird double exposures.
So, for now I'm going to embrace my photographic imperfections. The rest of my imperfections will just have to wait.
With all of the Tech that swirls around my life, I've found a new love for all things simple and messy. With that in mind I share with you some photos I took with a camera I bought that can only be described as "cheap". Not cheap in the sense of "Oh, I could've gone for the leather interior, but opted for vinyl" type cheap. No, we're talkin "I coulda rode the bus, but opted to tie a rope to it's bumper and drag myself there instead". I bring you... the Holga. This thing looks like it came out of a crackerjack box. It's made of cheap plastic, it has light leaks like you wouldn't believe, and the shutter springs with the least satisfying noise I've ever heard from a camera... ever. I love it.
I love it because unlike digital photos, what comes out looks like nothing you could've seen with your naked eye. It's almost always half photochemistry and half magic (with some luck thrown in for good measure).
The Exploritorium in San Francisco is one of my all time favorite buildings.
The Holga is the best way to do weird double exposures.
So, for now I'm going to embrace my photographic imperfections. The rest of my imperfections will just have to wait.
Friday, June 17, 2005
Giro Crash
We were talking at work today about bike racing, crashing etc. I found this video clip from stage 4 of this years Giro D'Italia. Not to be missed.
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