Bulletin Board of Bad Behavior

Yesterday I watched as Bush gave a news conference on the White House lawn and couldn't believe how inarticulate he is. I mean a bumbling, stumbling, yeah, ah, ah, awe shucks it was good, I mean we talked and it was good, we had a good discussion, and what we talked about was positive and good, we gave good advice and had a good talk, and the meeting went well, the meeting was good, and I'm glad we did it because it was good.

And still, when I was in 5th grade I always got sent to the principles office for getting in trouble, I was a bit of a trouble maker, and I also almost always pissed my pants because the principle was this huge 7 foot 400 pound giant and I was only in fifth grade and this guy would yell at school assembly, "All I want to hear is the sound of cords touching as you walk" What a weird thing to say but he towered over us and I thought he was the most evil man in the world, especially after once being in his office and he slapped me across the face and gave me a bloody nose because I came to school without my math book. Hell, I was gonna be a writer what did I need a math book for? Anyway he still scared seven shades of shit out of me. And he was only a big bully who took it out on the students, because, well, because he could.

And Bush might be a bumbling, mumbling idiot but he still is the president of the United States of America and he is the most powerful man in the world.... Yeah, yeah I DO know how scary that is. On top of it he is a Born Again Christian. Can it get scarier? Anyway, where I'm going with this is that I'm sure glad I'm not in those soldiers' shoes that sexually molested the Iraqi prisoners. I mean watch out! Some of those Lesbos are going down. And why? From what I can gather they thought they were doing it for the CIA. Where is the intelligence in that? Central or otherwise it doesn't seem to be anywhere around.

President Bush said on Friday he was deeply disgusted by the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. troops and vowed that those responsible would be "taken care of, shot and killed after they were stripped naked and probed up the ass with cell phones" after photographs depicting the acts were published and broadcast around the world. The photos showed U.S. troops smiling, posing, laughing or giving the thumbs-up sign, as naked, male Iraqi prisoners were stacked in a pyramid or positioned to simulate sex acts with one another.

There is a lesson to be learned here, and I don't think it is: Make sure you don't invite the president to the next orgy you throw and leave the Polaroid at home.

The best way to read this post is listening to Funkadelica's album Uncle Jam Wants You. So go get that album, put it on and then read this post again!

Americans put on your sunglassses, shorts and t-shirts. We are all going to Hell.

Shanta's in town so I'm going to the bar, with my sunglasses on.

Honestly, I have very little tolerance for it anymore, and I hope Martino understands this is why I didn't respond to his Chomsky post.

I've been reading the newspaper every day fairly faithfully for the last couple of years but lately something has happened: I just shut down. I get to the end of whatever bit of the stories are on the front page and I don't feel the overwhelming urge to continue those stories on pages within.

Call me a lazy apathetic bastard if you like, I just can't deal anymore. I'm not interested in what horrible thing Bush and Co. are doing next. I don't want to know. 4 years is a long time to be in power. I personally was not responsible. Let me get this straight: I am not responsible for any of this smelly shit. I am now turning a blind eye.

Marky, I hate to tell you this, but you are personally responsible for this. Since you did nothing to stop him on Earth, Bush will be your Lord in Hell. Enjoy your weekend.

i was going to post a message titled "the war is a lost cause", but after two paragraphs it just got me down too much.

so marky, i can really understand what you are talking about.

what to do when depression looms? focus on positives. today the biggest club of which i am a member (so to speak) -- the european union -- grew but another 50-or-so million when another 10-or-so countries joined. i could concentrate on the cons but to be honest, i am really fucking glad about the pros!

this is not a polish joke: what i would like to do this summer is rent a mobile home, take my daughter with me and travel through slovenia, chechia, hungary, poland, and the baltics. the thought if it makes me happy. life can be good, you know...

Well, Sloth, you are right in a sense, I mean we all must take responsibility to act against him. For example, I just received a letter from Washington Democrats today asking me for money. I didn't give any, but perhaps I should. I also have quit reading the moveon.org emails I get from time to time. It's high time I felt guilt about this I guess.

But even if Mr. Not-My-Best-Idea-of-A-Presidential-Candidate Kerry wins, are we going to be able to mop up the damage done? Public opinion is not something you can just throw money at and fix. It takes time, rebuilding trust.
Okay okay, look. I'll just quit now. I'm not trying to be on a downer I'm just taking a break from it all right now. As the election gets closer, I resolve to continue the fight. It's a little hard for me to understand right now how money has to come out of my limited wallet simply because I live in a country with an overwhelming majority of very very stupid people.

Martino, I was reading in the paper today about the EU accepting poorer countries in. It was a big article about immigration fears. I'm interested to hear what the positives are, as I don't really understand the situation very well. Care to inform me?

I love it how rich countries always ramble on about 'immigration fears'. First of all, who hates their country so much so much they want to leave forever? Besides me, I don't know too many people like that. Second, immigrants only get the low paying / low intellect jobs. We are talking kabob stands, not doctors here. Sure, some people will lose their jobs. What is really cause for fear over here in America is 'offshoring' where call centers, programming, and manufacturing is all going to third world countries like India, Central America, and China. This is what, in my opinion is a leading cause of the lack of new jobs in America.

marky -- nice question.

like sloth, i'm not worried about immigration. people coming in invigorate the economy and create additional demand. every economic paper about the subject worth its salt that i know of says that immigration is good, all in all.

i think the main disadvantage of immigration is that it robs third-world countries of qualified people. but they go back home when their prospects improve, as it is in ireland or china.

as in any situation in politics, there are not only winners but losers too. the weak, the unqualified, the old: they suffer from immigration. that is why i am all for a strong and generous social state, to help against hardships.

about yesterday's EU expansion: what's there not to like? the new countries are benevolent (don't buy the old-europe / new-europe horseshit), and the people are interesting and educated, young and often sexy. sure, cyprus swindled itself into the EU and polish politics are a farmer-oriented nationalist joke. the weather in the new countries is often bad and the food is worse. ask mccutcheon about this and he will tell you the beer is super, though.

but in the great sum of things, i think it is wonderful. just imagine how it would be if the USA decided to let central america and south america join the union. lotsa problems, lotsa great opportunities.

Martino: "that is why i am all for a strong and generous social state, to help against hardships."

Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!! In my drunken agitated state about the state of this country and the world, I can only repeat those words of yours in an incredulous falsetto of disbelief and anguish. "Social State"?? But he is from GERMANY! What the hell would he know about a country in which a social state is not even politically or philosophically possible!
Of course, I'm with you, make no mistake, but this is nowhere near reality here. There was an article in the paper today about how we are the only nation in the industrialized world not to have a national day care system, that it is harder here than anywhere else in the industrialized world to be a mother, just as an EXAMPLE, mind you, no mention of health care or the rest. Anyway, I digress. I mean no insult to you at all, Martino, I love your views, but from here, it looks like an impossible dream even the slightest decency you seem to take for granted.

I did want to convey to this paxacidan group that as soon as one of the pictures from the...abused prisoners appeared on the front page of the paper this week, I lost my bent toward ignorance very quickly. Torture or ill-treatment of human beings in prisons has long been one of my most hot-button issues. I gave to Amnesty International in the past...I even think there's a chance in a past life I was...in prison myself...whatever the reason, this is an issue that just pushes my buttons right away, has been for years, more than the environment even, or a lot of other things.

I took action with Moveon.org about this, and am considering volunteering for a register to vote drive in South Seattle where the votes are most needed anyway...let's get real. That's where we need votes. Washington is actually one of the states that matters this election, and there aren't too many.

NEVER has it sunk so low. To get to prisoners being abused. NEVER.

I had the satisfaction today of reading an editorial by a usually very annoying right-wing bitch columnist, who yet called for Bush to give an apology to the American people. What took her and her ilk so freaking long???? I don't believe in God, but hey, let's pray, shall we?

Also, not as if anyone cares, but I've been getting back to reading Nietzsche on the bus, and I love it love it love it. Yes he said some really stupid things, particularly about women, but then...he moves on to more interesting perspectives. In any case, he never wrote anything as bad about women as Schopenhauer, as far as I can tell, even though he studied him.

marky, in my book you are one of the coolest guys around

If your mother was a Nazi and your sister was the only girl you ever slept with, you might say some weird things about women too.