February 2004
February 2004
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2/27/2004: Yesterday, Rosie O'Donnell got married. Afterward, She and her partner, Kelly Carpenter, strolled down the steps inside City Hall in San Francisco and met with the press and supporters. Apparently part of their motivation to join the ranks of those flocking to get married in San Fran was provided by "the sitting President," when he, "said the vile, and vicious, and hateful things he said..." Rosie ended off with the words, "...With justice, and liberty, ...FOR... ALL." It was inspiring. This morning, Michael Savage remarked on Wolf Blitzer's show that watching Rosie get married made him "want to puke." What a dick. Nuff said. 2/26/2004: Today I found a web site called www.dearmary.com. On that site, it explains that Dick Cheney's daughter is an openly lesbian woman in a committed relationship, that she often has been seen wearing a wedding band, and that she has had absolutely nothing to say in response to her father's support of Bush's effort to discriminate against homosexuals, taking away rights that heterosexuals take for granted. And this is the letter I wrote to her, courtesy of that site: I'm a straight man, married, and I have 3 young daughters. I live in a small, highly conservative community where churches outnumber fast food restaurants about 3 to 1. I have watched with some interest the battle of homosexuals to gain and protect civil liberties and rights that heterosexuals routinely enjoy. Ms. Cheney, I can't tell you how surprised I was to hear that you were Dick Cheney's daughter. How is it possible that your father has taken a stand supporting federally institutionalized bigotry and yet, not only have I not seen you speak out to balance against such misplaced support, but I actually had no idea you even existed. How do you look at those of your friends and neighbors that are gay without feeling the heat of shame? Ms. Cheney, your inaction is every bit as telling a decision as your father's action. Please do not pretend that no one notices the effect the opportunity and, yes, duty that you are ignoring will have. In the pages of history, your name will be remembered not for the good you may have done, but for the good you could have done and decided against. 2/24/2004: Britney Spears is a greater threat to the institution of marriage than same-sex marriages. 2/24/2004: After using his recess powers to appoint an ultra conservative to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, Bush has now come out and stated that the nation must "prevent the meaning of marriage from being changed forever," by ratifying an amendment to the Constitution that bans same-sex marriage. Why? Why *must* such a discriminatory act occur? The meaning of marriage doesn't change because two homosexuals decide to join their lives. Now divorce, on the other hand.... Bush said, "After more than two centuries of American jurisprudence and millennia of human experience, a few judges and local authorities are presuming to change the most fundamental institution of civilization." First off, I don't think Bush could spell jurisprudence on a dare... ok, that was a cheap shot.... But he's an ass, and deserves every cheap shot he gets. Secondly, humans have worshipped everything from trees to mud sculptures, and until recently we still believed in witchcraft. In fact, if we're going to protect millenia-old practices, then let's get to it, shall we? Here's my list of things I'd like to see protected based solely on the fact that humans have been doing them for millenia:
But it gets better. He also said, "Ages of experience have taught humanity that the commitment of a husband and wife to love and to serve one another promotes the welfare of children and the stability of society." Homosexual marriage will not destabilize society. And any two people committed to a loving relationship will promote the welfare of their children. "Government, by recognizing and protecting marriage, serves the interests of all." Again, I point to divorce then as the primary threat to marriage. "In all that lies ahead, let us match strong convictions with kindness and good will and decency." George, the moment you opened your mouth, you left kindness, good will, and decency behind. 2/24/2004: In the game of Monopoly, the rule for the "Free Parking" space goes as follows, "A player landing on this place does not receive any money, property or reward of any kind. This is just a 'free' resting place. Don't ask. 2/23/2004: Dang it. The Republicans wrote a bigger check to Nader than the Democrats did, and now he's running interference for his Corporate Masters. And I use "Corporate Masters" deliberately because, for those that were either born with a rare condition that prevents them from registering sound and light from electronic devices or who live in Texas and listen only to state-run Bush Radio, Nader likes to refer to everyone that's against him as "an evil corporation." For example, he stated today, and I quote, "Bush is an giant corporation in the White House masquerading as a human being." He called the Democrats, "a corporate paymaster minion," whatever that's supposed to mean. Do you get the feeling he was a consumer advocate for far too long before deciding to try to take over the world? And this next Naderism is just precious: "When they say 'do not run,' they're not just challenging and rebutting; they're crossing that line into censorship, which is completely unacceptable." No, Ralph, what we're saying is, don't be a jackass. If you really want to help the nation, if you really believe that Bush is bad for our country -- and God knows, he is -- then don't be schmuck. Get out of the way, stop syphoning off votes from the Democratic Party, and let someone who actually has a chance at this take the lead. You're not a candidate, you idiot, you're an anchor tied to Kerry's speedboat.
2/23/2004:
"He needs to go out and spend at least a couple of days in the real world." "I think that George Bush has a proven that this is not a time for inexperience in the White House." -- John Kerry "He is not telling Americans the truth." -- John Kerry
2/22/2004: Ralph Nader announces Presidential candidacy: Crap. That's just great. I think that old fart does this kind of thing on purpose. Either he's a closet Republican or he's been bought by the Republican party. In fact, I'll go with the latter, simply because he abandoned the Green Party to run. Perhaps his conscience was bothering him? NBC's "The Apprentice": My favorite show, period, bar none. I wait all week, then I don't pop popcorn because I wouldn't want to miss a single word because of a mistimed crunch. I take notes. And I just want to say one thing, and it's this: Omarosa is OBNOXIOUS! Sam was the worst, but Omarosa is a close second. She just bugs the crap out of me. But she carries herself well during the board meetings, and that's her talent -- bullshitting the management. When it comes to actually doing her job without screwing anyone else in the process, she falls down hard, but she can really snow the high mucky-mucks. Trump was right when he said he's been duped, cause she dupes him every time she's on the spot. Troy, on the other hand, is one smart cracker, in spite of Katrina's whining. Hey Babe! He beat you! If all you can do is bitch, then you better get used to getting beaten! Tammy just wasn't a good fit, and Nick is an ass. Kwame fades into the background and Heidi is nice, but I don't think she'll hang in there much longer. Something will tick her off and she'll be gone. I also don't think Ereka will make it. She's too emotional and not professional enough. Ahnold: Mr. Schwarzengroper actually said in the same conversation that he thinks that immigrants should be eligible to run for President and he hasn't really given any thought to running for President. Yawn. He also said the President Bush would do a lot for California, and he was sure Bush would get reelected. Where did they get this guy? Lou Ferrigno wasn't available? Bush and Iraq: The MFFB defended his war on Iraq by pointing to the efforts by an al Qaeda operative to foment civil war there. So let me get this straight: we invaded Iraq not because Saddam was in bed with bin Laden, but because he stood in the way of bin Laden? Does that make sense to you? My guess is that Spot, The First Dog, died of embarrassment... Bush and 9/11: It occurs to me that, during the military effort to oust the Taliban and chase down the al Qaeda that we effectively had a bobble-head doll for a President. You know that Bush didn't direct the armed forces. Instead, his generals would tell him what they were going to do next, and he would nod in head in agreement during the entire meeting. Yes folks, a plastic, sun damaged, glued to the dash bobble head doll could have run the country during that period, because God knows Bush didn't do any better job than a bobble head doll would have. Bush, Abortion, Gay Marriage: During the current recess of Congress, Bush used his recess appointment powers to put Bill Pryor, the former attorney general of Alabama, on the bench of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. Pryor, a self-professed conservative Christian, has been critical in the past of Roe v. Wade, and you can guess what his take on a "protection of marriage" Constitutional Amendment would be. 2/21/2004: In 2000, Al Gore won the popular vote and the MFFB, with the help of the corrupt Governor in Florida who -- can you believe it?! -- just happened to be GeeDub's brother, took the electoral vote. All that is water under the bridge at this point, but there's one very important lesson we learned from that election, and it had nothing to do with hanging, pregnant, or erectilly dysfunctional chads, and it was this: Ralph Nader has clout. Oh, make no mistake, Ralph's Green Party isn't going to take this year's election -- or any election in the next 20 years -- by any stretch of the imagination, even if the polar caps finish melting, sea levels rise to until the Empire State Building disappears beneath the waves, the last Redwood is converted into toilet paper, and GeeDub's newly legalized mercury levels reduce our progeny to butt scratching apes. No, I like Ralph, but his real clout comes from the fact that a decent portion of the Democrats in this nation wanted to send a message to the White House, but couldn't bring themselves to vote for someone who didn't know that New Mexico wasn't a European country. So they voted for Ralph, feeling that, on a moral level, they had chosen to do The Right Thing. They had sided with the good guys for once, rather than the usual guys, one of whom worked with someone with zipper control issues. Guilt by association can really suck, especially when it comes to zipper control issues, y'know? But I digress... This season, it seems to me to be imperative to keep old Ralph on the sidelines, and the Democratic Party feels the same. They have been putting in regular calls to Ralph's office begging him not to throw his hat in the ring. You can bet that the Republicans are calling with exactly the opposite message. Have incentives been offered from both sides? Do bears defecate in the forest? Most of us will never actually witness it, but that's the way to bet. Yes, King Ralph is surely getting some real nice treatment about now. And yes, it's good to be King. Mr. Nader, If you're reading this, and I hope you are, I would like to ask you to kindly take the incentives, all of them for all I care, and make the decision to stay out of the race. Don't confuse it for the only two parties that have a chance to actually compete. George W. Bush is a greedy, murdering, self-interested liar, and he is a vivid threat to the security of this nation in a way that no President before him has been. His actions in rushing this nation into the Iraq war border on treasonous, and this nation needs to replace him quickly so the process of healing can begin. Most Republicans, interested only in seeing "their team" win, will blindly vote for him while studiously ignoring his domestic, international, ecological, and economic crimes against this nation, but I believe that, if you do not run, there will be a large enough contingent of rational, thinking people to sway the vote in favor of change. I am begging you, sir, to stay out of the race. I would also urge you to publicly state your support for John Kerry in his bid for the office of President. While there are issues that Mr. Kerry and I don't fully agree on, it's clear to me that his positions on the major issues will begin the process of restoring this nation to greatness. Thank you, and regards, Todd D. Grigsby |
2/21/2004: I've wanted so bad to comment on all this but haven't had the time... until now... The Good: Mayor Gavin of San Francisco ordered that city's clerk to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The Bad: Conservative (hatemongering) groups have filed suits requesting immediate injunctions to stop the city from issuing marriage licenses to same sex couples, stating that it violates a state law that a marriage must be defined as an arrangement between a man and a woman. The Good II: Both requests for injunctions have been denied by two separate judges since the groups failed to prove that anyone was being harmed. The Good III: The City of San Francisco has filed suit against the state of California citing that the law referenced by the hate... erm... conservative groups violated the state constitution's antidiscrimination clauses. That suit has been combined with the hate groups' (oh, let's just call them what they are, shall we?) suits, and in so doing, has legally allowed the city to continue issuing said licenses. The Ugly: Arnold Schwarzenricherthanyou has taken the safe road of not saying anything about gay marriage, but at the same time pandering to the hate groups by issuing a warning to the City of San Francisco to observe and respect the law, regardless of its constitutionality. The Truth: Folks, gays and lesbians are people, too. I know, to some of you out there, that's an outrageous shock, and you will be outraged and shocked by it. And if you are, grow the f*** up. These folks often get married in the religious, social sense anyway. What they want from a marriage license is the legal protections for their children and spouses. They are going to get together, they are going to have families, they are going to function in society. They could care less about tearing down family and religious values. In fact, by getting married, they are embracing family and religious values. The people that distort family values are those that rush too quickly to get married, then rush too quickly to divorce, tearing up each other's lives, tearing up their children's lives, often intruding and interfering in other married couples' lives, setting bad examples for their children to follow later in life, etc. Don't tell me that you think marriage as in institution is threatened by people who wish to join it. That's like believing the country clubs would crumble if they had to admit women or Blacks. 2/13/2004: Heard today at the White House: "Alright, fine! FINE! Here're the papers documenting my service in the Air National Guard! See? I was there!" Rustling papers... "Um. Mr. President? There's nothing here about the period between May 1972 and May 1973." "What?" "Sir, that's the period during which it's been suggested you were AWOL." "It is?" Uncomfortable silence. "Well. Yes, Mr. President." A longer pause. "Um, Mr. President? Do you have those papers? "My dog ate them..." 2/12/2004: Today, someone managed to locate records that show that Bush had some dental work done on base while stationed in Alabama as a member of the National Guard. Now, I can hear what you're saying to yourself. You're saying, "Todd...," which is a strange thing to say to yourself unless your name is, in fact, Todd, but I digress... You're saying, "I thought George was AWOL?" And right about now you're starting to get upset. No, that doesn't describe it correctly; you're getting downright riled. George's teeth showed up for duty, but the rest of him didn't. I know! I feel your pain! I too am both mystified and irritated. Ok, seriously, until they find proof that he did more than visit the base to use the services, I'm going to believe his commanding officers, none of whom ever saw him on the base and on duty. 2/10/2004: George W. Bush Jr., The Monkey Faced Frat Boy, in response to allegations -- which have been on the 'net for years -- that he didn't report for duty during his stint in the National Guard as part of the Viet Nam effort, has turned up copies of his payroll record that show he was paid during that period. And I for one am simply outraged! He got paid, and he didn't even show up? Well, that's what happens when your Dad is the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, I guess. Yes, during that time, Papa Bush was U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. I guess you can really pull some strings when you're an ambassador, eh? You see, strangely enough, no one has turned up that can remember serving with the MFFB. White House spokesman Scott McClellan said. "These documents make it very clear that the president of the United States fulfilled his duties," When you serve, you are paid for that service, and these documents outline the day he was paid." McClellan admitted, though, that the records do not specifically show that Bush reported for Guard duty, and in fact a May 1973 evaluation by Bush's commander stating that the then-first lieutenant had not been seen during the previous year. Let's review, shall we? He got paid, and there's proof of that, but no one, not even his boss, saw him during that time. Can you see why I'm even more irritated now? Oh, but wait! There's one more detail: he was honorably discharged. Can someone tell me why? I mean, besides the fact that his Daddy was Gee Bush, Sr., U.S. ambassador to the United Nations? 2/10/2004: Bush almost -- ALMOST -- had me there for a moment. He announced that he wanted NASA to begin focus its efforts and funds on a new mission to the Moon, with the desired result being a semi-permanent presence there. Man, I got goosebumps, I'll tell ya. And then it was announced by NASA that the Hubble would be allowed to deorbit and burn up due to lack of funds. Man's propensity for balancing the good things that happen in life with evil ones never ceases to stun me into a moment of disgusted silence. The Hubble cost us bajillions to launch and turn right around and fix. But now it's up there, and it's working so well it just takes your breath away (if you're prone to losing your breath over really awesome science type stuff). And now, even though there's nothing wrong with it and they keep getting Really Important Stuff out of it, we're going to toss it? Are you serious? We can detect planets in other star systems with this thing and we're decommissioning it? We do experiments with it that simply cannot be duplicated on Earth, and we're going to sh*t heap it like a '57 jalopy? Surely NASA is just pulling some political strings? Someone please tell me that Sean O'Keefe is playing the budget game. The Hubble is one of mankind's greatest achievements. We can't just let something that's still so incredibly advanced and useful just go to ash in our atmosphere? Well, there's an organization out there trying to express exactly that sentiment. Look it up at http://www.savethehubble.org. And sign the petition. Perhaps we can stop NASA from throwing out the Guhzillion Dollar Baby with the bath water... 2/10/2004: I want to preface this by saying that if the Democratic Party shaved a cross-eyed weasel with a nasty drooling problem, dressed it in a purple tutu, taught it to merinque, and it won the Democratic primaries, that title up there would read, "Weasel, Weasel, He's Our... um... y'know..." But fortunately the only shaved weasel is the one that ran in 2000 with Bush. I liked Dean on the issues, but geez, he's is just not Presidential material, is he? You gotta be statesmanlike, you gotta have some dignity, you gotta not get those little spit balls in the corners of your mouth as you rant about what states you're going to go to, and you certainly may not give a rebel yell. Sorry. I don't really care that much for Kerry. He waffled on the Iraq war, and that's bad. He should have had a spine back then. And he isn't completely against gay discrimination. But... He's against the Patriot Act, he's ok on the environment, he's wants to get back to fiscally responsible government by rolling back the tax cuts passed by Bush, he's against pre-emptive war, he'd rather focus on dismantling the al Qaeda, he'll rebuild our relationships with other nations, he'll work for U.N. consensus before committing troops, he supports women's rights, and he'll boost funding for education. But then again... He does not specifically state that he'll try to bring high tech jobs back to the U.S., though. He isn't really labor-friendly. He'd rather throw more funds and bodies at the war on drugs rather than reforming drug laws, sentencing, and rehab, and his military policy sounds too much like he wants to expand the military staff way beyond what is required to protect our interests. In other words, he sounds like a liberal Republican in conservative Democrat's clothing. Even so.... Even if he was a shaved weasel with a nasty drooling problem and zipper control issues... 2/10/2004: Wanna see a cool web site? Check this out: http://www.tgesoft.com/. It also goes by: http://www.behindthedesk.com/ and http://www.kixster.com/. Pretty cool, huh? Neat products, too... Wanna see another one? Here ya go: http://www.gavorastudio.com/. Love the high-bandwidth intro on that one. Yeah, I did them both. Geez, I'm good.... |
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