11/21/2003:   Massachusetts Court Strikes Down Anti-Gay Marriage Law. Seems a judge in MA ruled that a law making same-sex marriage illegal violated that state's Constitution. Some folks are up in arms about it, saying that the court can't do that. Well, folks, I'm here to say, yes, they absolutely can. The judge didn't legalize anything. He didn't pass any laws. That judge simply ruled on whether the law held up against the passage in the state's Constitution that said no law can be passed that discriminates against anyone. Period. End of story.

So the lawmakers, who probably knew that that would happen and passed the law just to get their mugs on TV, have now said that they will push for an amendment to the MA Constitution stating that marriage is between a man and woman. Now, folks, these people are bullies. Let's think about it: they're picking on a group that doesn't have as much political clout as most, and they're picking on them because they're different. And that's just wrong. Shame on those people. Let families where the parents are gay enjoy the same protections as others. Quit bullying them around.

Michael Jackson Michael Jackson has been booked for "lewd and lascivious acts" with a minor and released on $3 million bail. Michael turned himself into a sideshow freak with his plastic surgery, his interview with Martin Basheer (sp?) brought out some eccentric behaviours and views, specifically about sleeping with children, and his antics with his kids reveal some deep-seated issues about his own childhood, I'm sure. But until he has had his day in court, it would sure be nice if the media would simply report the facts rather than giving air time to frothing-at-the-mouth attention addicts with spur-of-the-moment wild-assed opinions. I would love for this to be just another gold-digger looking for a pay-off. I kind of like a world where someone was patently weird as Michael Jackson can exist.

On the other hand, if Michael is guilty....

Short men tend to be Republican. This according to a CNN survey. Yeah, and guys that buy Hummers are trying to make up for sexual deficiency. Hmmmm.....

Babysitting moms in Florida penalized for not having child care licenses. This is just stupid, if not fascist. You have three moms, friends for years, that take turns watching each other's children. The county they live in has stepped in and said that, because they are not licensed child care providers, that they can't do that, and the county is fining them. What crap. I hope the county supervisors are recalled and someone's put in place that cares more about real life than myopic opinion and uninformed theory.

Donkey Bombs in Iraq. Having run out of rebuilt, factory reject Hyundais to load home-made explosives in, the Iraqi insurgents have taken to loading up carts with remote control wired, Russian-made rockets, using a donkey to pull the cart, tying them up in front of the target, running away, then using a garage door opener to set off the bomb. It's pathetic people. The poor donkey is singed and freaked out from rockets shooting off from somewhere in the region of its butt, people are dead or horribly wounded, stability is threatened, it's just horrible. And y'know what the really shocking thing is? No one, and I mean no one, is dancing in the streets and praising Donald Rumsfeld and George Bush for "liberating" them. Ain't it awful?

In other news, no WMDs have been found. Yawn. No kidding.

Y'know, when that bad, bad man, Saddam Hussein was in power, you didn't see many Donkey Bombs, y'know? I get the impression that, as bad as things were when he was in power, they must not have been that bad in the eyes of the average Iraqi citizen. But now we're there, and they've come up with Donkey Bombs. Who do you think they hate more? Do you *really* think that we're accomplishing *anything* by being there? We've got a job to finish, no doubt, and it will unfortunately take about twice the troops we have there now to put a lid on this situation until it's done, but did we really need to be there in the first place? Hell no.

Bush's Energy Bill D.O.A. Bush's energy bill has been shot down. Seems there's a rider on the bill that protects companies that make and distribute MTBE from prosecution. For those that don't know, MTBE is an additive that was supposed to reduce car exhaust emissions. Turns out it doesn't, and when it gets into the environment, it spreads quickly, doesn't break down, and causes cancer and genetic defects. And the companies charged with manufacturing it and testing it knew this before it went out. These same companies are Bush's big oil buddies. Surprise.

Energy Committee Chairman Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) said that the bill's opponents have made future blackouts, like the kind the Northeast suffered over the summer, more likely. "The blackouts in America will remain alive and possible because we will have thrown out the window the reliability standards that are in this bill because some want to make the case on an issue like MTBE or the like," said Domenici. "If you like blackouts, then you vote to kill this bill."

No, Pete, we're against people poisoning us. You're a dork, Pete. Try standing up for what's right. If you need to pass a bill to protect us from blackouts, do it without also forcing us to accept being poisoned without recourse.

Pete Domenici needs to be recalled.

Think I'm being partisan? John McCain, a died-in-the-wool Republican, said, "You can't claim to be a fiscal conservative and support the profligate spending and corporate welfare in this bill." He also called the bill a "twelve hundred page monstrosity chock full of special interest giveaways."

No kidding?! Bush pushing a bill that siphons billions of tax dollars into big oil pockets? The Shock! The Awe!

Where's the bill to redirect some money back into the pockets of our soldiers, whose pay and benefits have been cut, and who, even as I type this, are being shot at in Iraq? Priorities, anyone?

11/15/2003:   Jose Padilla, a U.S. citizen, was arrested shortly after 9/11/2001 as he got off an airplane. He was put in jail, according to Alice Fisher of the Department of Justice, on suspicion of contacting operatives of the al Qaeda and plotting a "dirty-bomb" attack. The court appointed an attorney to represent him, Mrs. Donna Newman.

Ok so far? Seems pretty simple, right? This guy is suspected of having made contact with the bad guys, so we throw him into jail until we can sort it out, and in the mean time we get him legal counsel. Safe move. No problems so far.

Then, just as Mrs. Newman was arranging to see her client, Mr. Bush declared Mr Padilla an "enemy combatant."

Since then, Mrs. Newman has not seen her client. He has not been charged with a crime, he has not had contact with his attorney, he has not spoken to his family, and he's being held indefinitely.

Let's stop there for a minute to remember that, according to the Constitution, you cannot be held for more than 72 hours without being formally charged with a crime, and you must have access to legal counsel. Period. No exceptions.

The Constitution of the United States of America did not say, "until such time as we get sucker-punched by a bunch of religious fanatics." It says, no one will be incarcerated for more than 72 hours without being formally charged, and anyone incarcerated will be provided legal counsel. That's it, folks.

But Mr. Padilla is in a naval brigg in South Carolina right now and has been for TWO YEARS without ever having even been charged with a crime!!

It has been recognized that the imprisonment of U.S. citizens of Japanese descent during WWII was unnecessary and wrong, and those people have been compensated for their losses during that time. And now Bush has decided that the Constitution be hanged, he'll do what he darned well pleases with the little guy.

Mrs. Newman said, "It is such a violation of our Constitution, it is egregious." Mrs. Newman has a flair for understatement.

While several apellate courts have said that Bush has the right to declare U.S. citizens as enemy combatants, none of them ruled on the fact that Mr. Padilla was never on a battlefield, and one judge ruled that he does still have a right to have access to a lawyer. And yet he still doesn't.

The so-called "Patriot Act" was bad enough. This is just outrageous. At what point will Mr. Monkey-Face-Frat-Boy Bush decide to turn his regular abuse of power on someone like myself just because I'm telling the truth on him? Or on you for looking Arab? Or not voting Republican? Or supporting the rejection of his judicial nominees? All he's got to do is drum up some crap about any one of us being an "enemy combatant" and you're in jail indefinitely without benefit of legal counsel or trial, jury or otherwise.

Once again, Bush has shown why he is not competent to hold the office of President of the United States, if for no other reason than for his complete and utter disregard for that document he swore to uphold, the Constitution of the United States of America.

11/12/2003:   I wrote a retraction a while back in regards to something I'd written about Scott Peterson at a point in time when he was not officially considered a suspect. Seems someone had told me that he had a girlfriend and that he was the number one suspect in the disappearance and murder of his wife. At the time, the news about Amber Frey had not hit the airwaves and wouldn't for another month. But now we know that, at the time, Amber Frey had already gone to the police. Seems that little rumor was true.

Now we know that Mr. Peterson *did* have a girlfriend, and we also now know that he told her that he was a widower -- before his wife disappeared.

And now it has come out that Mr. Peterson gave Mrs. Frey jewelry that belonged to his wife, jewelry that he had told the police his wife had been wearing when she disappeared. And he was so desperate to get rid of the jewelry that, when Miss Frey couldn't meet him to accept it, he left it under a bush for her to pick up later.

Did Mr. Peterson do it? It is my personal opinion that he did. The "Satanic Cult" theory is out the window. I have a hard time believing that any man could kill his wife when she's carrying his unborn son. I would have suspected that, worst case, it was an accident and that he panicked afterwards and attempted to get rid of the body, but with this latest news, I have come to suspect that Mr. Peterson is not only guilty as charged, but that he planned it on some level.

Either way, I keep looking at the pictures of that beautiful face, and I keep remembering the horrible video of her mother's pain and anger. If Scott's the killer, and he certainly appears to be, he needs to spend the rest of his days in prison. Period.

11/12/2003:   Christian Slater is a victim of domestic violence.

Seems his wife, Ryan Haddon, thought it was appropriate to fling a drinking glass at his head during an argument they had while staying in Las Vegas. I guess she thought that taking it to the next level, inflicting bodily injury, was ok. I would imagine she was under the impression that attacking someone with a glass object was a suitable response to whatever it was Mr. Slater said to her just prior to her attack.

Mrs. Haddon spent the next 24 hours in Clark County jail. Mr. Slater spent the night getting 20 stitches to his head and thinking through whether it was worth it.

Mr. Slater, it isn't worth it. And it won't get any better. Maybe she won't physically attack you again. But how do you know? Statistics say she will. A little tip: There *are* women in the world, equally as beautiful, intelligent, talented, etc., who won't put you in the hospital, and you're good looking enough, rich enough, young enough, and famous enough to find one of them.

'Nuff said.

11/10/2003:   I don't know that much about Democratic Presidential candidate Howard Dean, but Senator John Edwards, also a Presidential hopeful, keeps going on about a comment that Dean made about wanting to get white people with Confederate flags to return to the Democratic Party.

Dean was obviously trying to say that he wanted to get everyone in the country involved in taking a stand against Bush and for someone, anyone, who would steer this nation back to a strong peace and a strong economy. But Johnny is P.O.ed because he's losing in the polls, so he decided to take a possibly controversial comment and turn it into a mudball to be slung.

Johnny, take a stand on issues that everyone can get behind and stop trying to smear the guy. Look, if he's in the lead, it's because he appeals to a wider segment of the population than you do. And going on about the flag comment isn't going to help your sorry butt any. You definitely lost any chance you may have had of getting my vote. Quit being just a whiner and do some real work.

11/10/2003:   Numbers. I want to hear numbers, facts, and figures. Tell me how you'll get the economy going. Tell me how you'll get jobs back into the country and out of India. Tell me how you'll get us out of Afghanistan and Iraq while managing to finish the job the MFFB cut out for us. Tell me how you'll investigate the soon-to-be-former administration, what they knew and when they knew it and whether we went into the Iraq war fully informed or lied to. Tell me how you'll get military benefits and pay back up, how you'll get educational spending back where it should be, and how you'll reign in the so-called "Patriot Act." Tell me how you'll restore the world's faith in us while remaining strong and committed to thwarting terrorists. Tell me how you'll strive for peace while sending a strong message that you will be just as willing to wipe out terrorist organizations as Bush was. Tell me how you'll restore the peace treaties that Bush violated, how you'll kick big oil out of nature preserves, and how you'll put taxes back in place to pay for all this. Tell me how you'll resolve the situation with the prisoners in Guantanamo Bay. Tell me how you're resolved to finding Bin Laden, but without needlessly toppling governments that don't have any real connection with him. Tell me how you're going to give up finding Saddam because he's ineffectual anyway and always was.

But if you really want to win, tell the truth. Stand up there and say, "Bush is a liar and a cheat, and I'm not. Put me in office and we'll get the job done, but we'll do it honestly."

11/10/2003:   According to several analysts, 10% of all tech jobs are gone for good, transfered overseas to India. UC Berkeley was less optimistic, predicting that as much as 40% of all tech jobs would go overseas and stay there.

In other news, Bush took credit for the apparent upswing in economic indicators and promised North Carolinian auto workers that he would fight for "free and fair" trade with other countries.

Mr. Bush, rather than lie to the American public to get their votes so you can continue raping our country, why don't you do something to keep U.S. tech jobs in this country? And textile jobs, and manufacturing and fabrication jobs, etc.? Why don't you show us the beef -- to use an antiquated term -- and stop acting like such a moron. You cut public services, educational funding, and military benefits and paychecks, and then also cut the taxes on big businesses and the richest 1% of U.S. citizens.

Stop being a lame-ass and do something for all those folks who you ripped off when you stole the frikkin' election.

11/10/2003:   So there's this cartoonist (actually, political hack with a pencil) who drew a "cartoon" that I take grave issue with.

In the "cartoon", it likens Bush to Abraham Lincoln. Forgetting that Bush is about as literate as Lincoln's hat, and that the war that will follow Bush into the history pages was on the other side of the globe against a powerless dictator, The Monkey-Faced Frat Boy has none of the character, intelligence, or even the social skills of Abraham Lincoln. George Bush's idea of international policy is "Bring'Em On," and he's handing our resources to his big business buddies (Harkin Energy = Bush Pal #1) as fast as his thieving little hands can sneak them past Congress.

So Mr. Stantis, I sincerely hope you NEVER put such a gross misappropriation of one of our country's heroes into one of your "cartoons" ever again.

11/09/2003:   Today it was reported on CNN that 50% of American citizens would not re-elect Bush. 44% said they would, 6% undecided.

Yeah, no kidding. Over 50% didn't vote for him the first time. Why is this news?

51% don't like how he's handling Iraq. I can understand that, since we shouldn't be there in the first place. 42% were ok with how the U.S.'s involvement is playing out in Iraq, proving once again that the War on Drugs has failed and the money Bush has denied the education system needs to be put back in immediately.

11/06/2003:   The Republican Party leaked a Democratic staff memo to the press in which strategy is discussed for how to handle exposing the Bush Jr. administration's "misleading, if not flagrantly dishonest, methods and motives" when making its case for war to the American public and to the U.S. Congress. Apparently the memo was written by an as-yet unnamed member of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

The committee's ranking Democrat, Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, said that while the memo did not reflect official policy, "it clearly reflects staff frustration that the Senate Intelligence Committee's investigation has not tackled all of the tough issues."

So a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee is frustrated with that same committee's reluctance or inability to put a fine point on its investigative efforts, to turn the scalpel against the President even if he represents a greater threat to the nation, both in matters domestic and international, than any other President in history.

Well, I can certainly understand that.

But here's what gets me, that the Republicans are decrying this memo, accusing the Dems of "playing politics." White House press secretary Scott McClellan went so far as to say, "I certainly hope that people are not trying to use this issue, this important issue, for political gain."

So let me get this straight: the President either lied to Congress about the true scope of the threat that Saddam posed, or he simply ignored clear messages that the CIA "intelligence" he was given was tainted. That's a given, but we shouldn't politicize it. Instead the Democrats should wait until the President is "serviced" by an intern before using the scandal for political advantage.

Hmmm. (Weighing left hand) Putting hundreds of thousands of U.S. Servicemen in harms way, taking hundreds of casualties and killing thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians, all for no good damned reason.... (Weighing right hand) Getting caught having sex with an intern... (Comparing the two) Murder... Sex... Murder... Sex.... Hmmmmm.....

Mr. McClellan, here's a tissue. Now go cry to someone else, because your whiney-assed complaint holds no water here. I say put the MFFB on a frikkin' skewer and roast his political butt until it's a nice, crispy, golden brown. Then throw gasoline on it and let his career prospects BURN!!!

11/6/2003:   I got this resume in an email today. It's George Bush Jr.'s resume. It's an interesting read, sort of a compilation of everything I've been talking about, minus George's environmental record. The Alaskan drilling efforts and the firing of a cartographer who reported that the Alaskan drilling would directly disrupt endangered species. His refusal to sign the Kyoto on the basis of a paper written by a pseudo-scientist that refutes what every other scientist on the planet has been saying about global warming, thus making the U.S. look like a pack of education-starved idiots. But it's a good read. Highly recommended.