the next constitutional amendment?

the gospel of Matthew, chapter 19 verse 24, quotes Jesus as saying, in an incredibly direct manner:

"And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." (King James Version)

very few of Jesus' edicts are as plainly spoken as that. why, then, isn't being rich illegal in our country? are we careening down a path toward pure evil? Jesus never issued any such straightforward edicts against practicing gay sex, for example. i propose that in order to fully accept the true spirit of the gospels, and to return our morals to god's and nature's true way, we must concentrate on getting this amendment into every state constitution, as well as the federal one.

once we try to embrace Jesus’ true spirit in our constitutions by making it illegal to have material possessions, only then should we turn our attentions to the issues of the obvious evils of shared human love and compassion.

wishlist

(not to be confused with that great song from Yield)

as i watch my dreams of an x-mas in sunny (or at least summery) BsAs slowly fade into a dark, gray blustery Chicago reality, i can't help but think of all the places i'd like to go. (and i somehow remember a greenish purplish orangish monster thingy promising me a future filled with diverse locales in poetry with fake words that rhyme with other fake words.)

so, in the spirit of that "poetry," here is a current expression of places i wish i were, (or will soon be, real or imagined):

be it Paris or London or ancient Rome,
the Sahara or Gobi or the Kara Kum,
i'd like to go there, i don't really care where;

by the Yangtze or Nile or piranha-filled Amazon,
i can't think of the soil that my feet fear to tread-upon,
i'd like to go there, i don't really care where:

India, Pakistan, Armenia, Georgia,
Uzbekistan, Khazhakstan, Turkmenistan, Torja,
Peru and Nepal, Liechtenstein,and Latvia,
Scotland and Whales and Ireland and Hot-n-totvia.

no continent, kingdom or city or hill,
can escape my desires or my travelling will,
i'd like to go there, i don't really care where.

up a snow white mountain into cavern deep as night,
if i only think hard enough i can muster my might;

through rivers and oceans and brooks in a fen,
i'll go there and love it, just tell me where and when.

yes, i'd like to go there, i don't really care where.

poor gay James Buchanan

. . .just read an article by Richard Reeves that summarized a poll taken of American Historians about where Bush II would rank among our presidents. Previously, the rumored-to-be-gay and only bachelor president ever, James Buchanan, had been ranked as our worst, because of things like his unintentional contributions to the start of the Civil War, for instance.

but, it seems, the historians feel that Bush II may surpass Mr. Buchanan in this dubious distinction, and be remembered as our worst president yet. (at least Buchanan had only one term.)

the highlights:

"This is what those historians said -- and it should be noted that some of the criticism about deficit spending and misuse of the military came from self-identified conservatives -- about the Bush record:

He has taken the country into an unwinnable war and alienated friend and foe alike in the process;

He is bankrupting the country with a combination of aggressive military spending and reduced taxation of the rich;

He has deliberately and dangerously attacked separation of church and state;

He has repeatedly "misled," to use a kind word, the American people on affairs domestic and foreign;

He has proved to be incompetent in affairs domestic (New Orleans) and foreign (Iraq and the battle against al-Qaida);

He has sacrificed American employment (including the toleration of pension and benefit elimination) to increase overall productivity;

He is ignorantly hostile to science and technological progress;

He has tolerated or ignored one of the republic's oldest problems, corporate cheating in supplying the military in wartime."



At least now there's hope that it won't be the poor gay president that gets the worst rap. . .

faded and grainy but still smiling

the older i get, the more this is true.

i do have so much to smile about: a good family (both chosen and given), a good job, a good bill of health, a warm place to stay.

sometimes, though, i'm blinded by the light of life, barely able to see the importance of anything. it's tough to filter it out, but i'll keep working at it.

now, back to work.

sigh

frozen yellow bud
doomed by the cruel fall winds
never had a chance

then and now

maybe it has to do with the recent releases of Sid & Marty Krofft's H.R. Pufnstuf DVD's, but i've had that infamous Barbara Mandrell song stuck in my head for days now. you know, "sleepin' single in a double bed, oooh - oooh."

'tho' the connection be thin, the Krofft brothers also produced another one of my favorite shows as a child: the Mandrell sisters variety show. these three sisters danced, they played many musical instruments, they wore sparkly clothes, they sang, they did skits, they wore sparkly clothes, and a whole bunch of other sparkly things. enough to make any red-blooded American kid sit up and pay attention for hours upon sparkly hours. (well it seemed red-blooded and American enough to a somewhat "shy" boy of 6 at the time, anyway. . .)

then it hit me: my current unhealthy and uncharacteristic obsession with the Dixie Chicks has a strong country-glam root, pounded into me chord after sparkly chord by those early 80s sisters.
i never had a chance.

but, at least there's been some improvement in 25 years or so, right?

the devil you know. . .

it seems that a strange coalition of democrats with spines and right-wing nutjobs have forced Ms. Meirs out of a Supreme Court position. the inevitable question: what awaits us in her wake?

the sound of silence

i agree with Tim Grieve on the impending silence from Ms. Miers in her Senate Hearings. why does this woman scare me so very much?

"Senators won't be able to ask Miers questions based on her prior judicial decisions or her scholarly writings on the constitution because no such things exist. They won't be able to ask her questions based on the written advice she has given the president because he won't turn over such documents. They can ask Miers about discussions she's had with the president, but she'll almost certainly invoke either executive privilege or the attorney-client privilege. They can ask about her views on issues that matter to a lot of Americans -- abortion, gay rights, the war on terrorism -- but she'll almost certainly refuse to answer on the ground that such issues might come before the court. And they can ask about the role her religious faith may play in the judicial decision she might make, but some of their colleagues may shout them down -- as they have before -- with charges of religious bias."

(from October 5, 2005 "War Room" post at Salon.com, Tim Grieve.)

now the world can see why i'm so fabulous. it's always strange to see your parents when they were so young and in love. 

the hand

My usual route from the gym to the office in the morning includes passing by union station, navigating around and through the suburban throngs pouring into my dear city. This route has its share of entertainment, though. From white-sneakered ladies with 2-hour coifs and navy skirt-suits and i-can't-see-or-hear-you headphones to the homeless beggars to the Peruvian pan-flute bands hocking their CDs on the sidewalk, my walk gives me the zen, urban, so-noisy-it's-quiet, constitutional my mind craves every day before yet again remembering my career and all that goes with it.

almost without exception, this daily route will also include some form of handout, flyer, or "freebie" foisted on me and my fellow walkers by the hired-hands of corporate america. from yogurt in a tube (remember that?) to m&m "amazing" candies to the big gorilla man handing out gym fliers to ads for the new "i-dog" to 5x8 glossies of an enhanced photo of an 8-week old fetus, looking at me with all the wisdom of Yoda and all the sadness of Eeyore, saying to me: "why do you want to kill me. . . ?" everyone's trying to sell me something, and that process makes me feel like, yes, this IS america, and yes, even I can make a difference, however small, by buying into someone else's dream of the world. (as long as i have space left on my card or in my conscience.)

BUT, the other day i was confronted my a man in an orange jumper who shoved the following words in my face: "ARE YOU ALERT?" double-take, look at the flyer again. WHAT? what's he trying to sell? what does he want from me? then 5 questions meant as an "alertness" quiz: do you often feel fatigued? are you sometimes too tired to enjoy going out with friends? do you have trouble paying attention or staying focused? etc. etc.

of course i answered YES to all the questions, but does that mean i'm not "alert"? and if so, then what? so a quick trip to their website: "http://www.alertnessmatters.com/" after taking the online quiz, i realized that i was being tricked into submitting personal contact info for some sort of cruise-package giveaway. they just wanted my e-mail and phone number for FSM-knows what reason. NO THANKS -- i'll deal with my tired, lazy old self without your help.

however, my faith in the american system of high-pressure, devious sales and marketing had been restored. i have been shaken out of my unalert state by the bitch-slapping invisible hand of Adam Smith. *whew*

the truth is out there?

it's amazing how a TRUTH so obvious could've gone hidden from me for so long. . . it seems that there is a reason that my bio-chem carreer in undergrad was doomed from the start: the SCIENCE was all based on LIES.

a man named Bobby Henderson has enlightened me to HIS EVERSAUCY HOLINESS: The Flying Spaghetti Monster.

i now know that FSM has created all things in his ever-loving kindness, and that all so-called study of biology, physics, chemistry, and math is a sham. i know now that in order not to incur His vengeful wrath, we must not rest until His TRUE SCIENCE of the universe is taught in all our schools. Bobby the Prophet has said it best:

"Let us remember that there are multiple theories of Intelligent Design. I and many others around the world are of the strong belief that the universe was created by a Flying Spaghetti Monster. It was He who created all that we see and all that we feel. We feel strongly that the overwhelming scientific evidence pointing towards evolutionary processes is nothing but a coincidence, put in place by Him."

now that i have seen the TRUTH, my life will never be the same, and i cannot stop riding the scent of his garlicky goodness to eternal SALVATION.

you can also become enlightened at: Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

and remember: don't rest until we reach the time "when these three theories are given equal time in our science classrooms across the country, and eventually the world; One third time for Intelligent Design, one third time for Flying Spaghetti Monsterism, and one third time for logical conjecture based on overwhelming observable evidence."

let's hear it for the second amendment

item 1: walmart in new orleans area looted: all guns and ammo reported stolen. . .

item 2: from A.P. this morning

Superdome Evacuation Halted Amid Gunfire

The evacuation of the Superdome was suspended Thursday after shots were reported fired at a military helicopter and arson fires broke out outside the arena. No immediate injuries were reported.

The scene at the Superdome became increasingly chaotic, with thousands of people rushing from nearby hotels and other buildings, hoping to climb onto the buses taking evacuees from the arena, officials said. Paramedics became increasingly alarmed by the sight of people with guns.
Richard Zeuschlag, chief of the ambulance service that was handling the evacuation of sick and injured people from the Superdome, said it was suspending operations "until they gain control of the Superdome."

He said shots were fired at a military helicopter over the Superdome before daybreak.

He said the National Guard told him that it was sending 100 military police officers to restore order.

"That's not enough," Zeuschlag said. "We need a thousand."

Lt. Col. Pete Schneider of the Louisiana National Guard said the military — which was handling the evacuation of the able-bodied from the Superdome — had suspended operations, too, because fires set outside the arena were preventing buses from getting close enough to pick up people.

He said tens thousands of people started rushing out of other buildings when they saw buses pulling up and hoped to get on. But the immediate focus was on evacuating people from the Superdome, and the other refugees were left to mill around.

Zeuschlag said paramedics were calling him and crying for help because they were so scared of people with guns at the Superdome. He also said that during the night, when a medical evacuation helicopter tried to land at a hospital in the outlying town of Kenner, the pilot reported 100 people were on the landing pad, some with guns.

"He was frightened and would not land," Zeuschlag.

yet another chicago triathlon.

. . . getting marginally better:

Start of Swim:
00:00:00
End of Swim:
00:27:04

Total Swim:
00:27:04

Transition:
00:02:34

Start of Bike:
00:29:38
End of Bike:
01:37:35

Total Bike:
01:07:57

Transition:
00:02:46

Start of Run:
01:40:21
End of Run:
02:29:34

Total Run:
00:49:13

Total Time:
02:29:34

if you pray hard enough, you'll get an A in science

http://www.markfiore.com/animation/super.html

it's good to know that i haven't changed in 23 years. 

media and adoption?

part of the application: "what adoption images from the media (news/books/television) contribute to your views on adoption, and how" (or something to that effect). minds go blank, powers of deduction are crippled. here are the first thoughts:

(1) annie (of course my first thought)
(2) diff'rent strokes (child of the eighties)
(3) jungle book (okay, i'm not sure if being adopted by a pack of wolves counts, but. . .)
(4) augustus ceasar and octavius (had to be a little bit UofC)

and i can't seem to think of more. . . it seems i'm only remembering stories where the adoptee is better off with the adopted parents. where the child obtains wealth, prowess, and power upon being adopted.

while i'm not sure we'll be able to offer any of these qualities, i'd like to think we'll be able to offer: food, care, thought, love, self-esteem, a biting sense of sarcasm, and a healthy distrust of authority.

back to reality, oops there goes gravity. . .

not that gravity works any different here in the northern hemisphere, but i am feeling it a bit more now that i'm back from beautiful BsAs. the reasons are many: (1) work load hits like an out-of-control locomotive bent on destruction of the very concept of peace; (2) 10 days of constant intake of extreme amounts of food and wine, coupled with decreased triathlon training, have literally made me more susceptible to the effects of the earth's gravitational pull; (3) 95 muggy and polluted degrees fahrenheit seem to weigh one down more than the crisp 10s (celsius) of a BsAs winter; (4) just having finished "oryx and crake" (m. atwood) on the plane ride home leaves me feeling extremely depressed about the future of humanity. . .

all in all, a slow, wet, hot, sad, dirty, heavy, and somehow still manic return to the quotidian.

death and taxis

after a death-defying trip to Recoleta, in a cab driven by a man who was obviously used to cheating death on a daily basis, a never-ending march through the narrow passages of the rather creepy necropolis. when i´m dead, i want a masoleum that is bigger than any house i ever had in life. it´s the after-life that seems to be important here in B.A. . . . live like death is just around the corner, and die like you´re a god. it´s what Evita would´ve wanted.

the southern hemisphere

first day here in argentina. . . B.A. is a real town, with an awesome atmoshpere. it feels strange to travel so far with no jet lag. i couldn´t have made it, though, without the wonder that is ambian. sleep on a plane has never been so easy.

god bless the CIA?

Testimony of James Marcinkowsky (a "former CIA case officer") from last week, which begins:

"I've wasted too many hours of my life going on talking head shoutfests with conservatives who pooh-pooh the Plame/CIA leak matter (now known as the Rove scandal), who claim there was little damage done, who say that Valerie Wilson was only a desk jockey and dismiss her undercover status as "light" or "flimsy," who argue that no crime was broken and no wrongdoing occurred, and who are lightning quick to depict the controversy as nothing but a game of politics. These folks are spinning to save Rove and to protect the White House, and they distort, disinform, and dissemble for the team."

worth the time for a full read: http://www.thenation.com/blogs/capitalgames?bid=3&pid=7948

call of the wild

in case you get the urge to eat chicken mcnuggets one evening in a rush, just don't do it. it always seems like a good idea before you eat, but then. . .

an obvious comment on an old song

they say that having a single tune running through your head constantly is an indication of excessive stress. . . well then, my whole life has been one long stressful episode (albeit with different tunes.) right now, i can't get RUFUS W. out of my head, with his crazy love of 'chocolate milk,' 'jelly beans,' and 'those other things, which for several reasons we won't mention.' he may be a 'little bit irish' and a 'little bit heiress,' but aren't we all?

morning comes with a cool humid breeze. sunday it will be 100? going to argentina (and winter) after this heat and drought will seem like paradise.

good ol' Sid (Blumenthal)

"'I was horrified by the president's last speech on the war on terror [on June 28] -- so much unsaid, so much disingenuous, so many half-truths,' James Dobbins told me. Dobbins was Bush's first envoy to Afghanistan and is now director of international programs at the Rand Corp., a defense think tank. Afghanistan is now the scene of a Taliban revival, chronic Pashtun violence, dominance by U.S.-supported warlords (who have become narco-lords, exploiting the exploding traffic in opium poppies), and a human rights black hole. "Afghanistan is going better than Iraq," Dobbins said. 'That's not much of a standard.'"

together 

Constant reminder

despite all the hubbub over John Roberts, we'd do well to be reminded of a few things: http://www.obleek.com/iraq/index.html

it begins?

we'll see how this turns out. . . perhaps better than a journal, as i am always at a computer these days. perhaps worse, due to the inevitable chilling of free expression that is an audience of any kind. . .

and so begins the blog of me. (take note, historians.)