Sgt. Pepper's Turns 40

Oh my God I am getting OLD! Seems like just a few years ago when I bought an album that changed music history. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is 40 today.

The enigmatic cover once featured Hitler and Jesus, but they were removed before production.

This and more trivia in the BBC story about the album. I'm just glad I am here for the anniversary!

Clip Art Causes Terror Alert!

Be careful what clip art you use in the next flyer you make, you could be a terrorist. In this world of paranoia we live in seems a flyer with a clip art picture of a bomb set off alarms at a bank. The bank in Ashland, Mass. got part of the fax showing their logo, a bomb and a countdown clock. The remaining part hat did not come through explained the bank promotion it was publicizing.

Seems like anything and everything causes people to assure it's a terrorist threat. Even a cartoon clip art bomb. The terrorists have already won!

Tornado Chasing In The Texas Panhandle

Just got in from two days of chasing in the panhandle of Texas and Oklahoma. Other than spending the night in Liberal, KS, just because the name was so oxymoronic, we spent the time driving. My partner and I managed to cover about 1500 miles in two days, and did see a couple of tornadoes.

The first one was in the Oklahoma panhandle near Guymon, OK. Not much to see and I only got a couple of photos that I will post later. Pretty small funnel and almost transparent with a small dust swirl at the base.

The second one was more dramatic. We were on a storm that formed in west Texas and was moving towards Childress. We followed it south for a while, trying to get a good view and also find a place where we could have good north south road access. Well in that part of Texas roads are in short supply, so we did the best we could. Finally we ended up being chased by the storm and as we drove south from Childress to get out of the rain, a brief funnel formed on the road only 300 yards ahead of us. We watched it continue East across the road and into unpopulated area where it got better organized.

Should have pictures of this soon as well, but I have to get them from our HD Camera since I was driving at the time.

More later.

Impeach Gonzales, What Is The Congress Waiting For?

This new clip from Brave New Films makes a really good case for kicking Gonzo out now!

Glenn Beck Ratings Falling

Glenn Beck, the homophobic hate monger who pollutes CNN on weeknights is pretty much a failure for the cable news network. His ratings are dismal and lower than when he started a year ago. Let's hope CNN decides to cut their losses and dump this bigot.

Cheney Breaks The Law Again!

Dick Cheney is up to his old tricks. This time it's destroying records of who visits him. This is a clear violation of the law and it's time to throw this criminal in jail.

Seems his lawyer visited with the Secret Service back in September and instructed them to stop retaining records of who visits him at his residence. Why? Well so he can do the back room deals without official oversight. He must be stopped. Demand impeachment now!

Tainted Stuffing Fills Cuddly Toys From China

Aw, what a cute little fluffy bear! Well don't get too close to it, seems some stuffed toys from China may contain industrial waste and bacteria or viruses. They are using trash to stuff them with instead of new materials. Additionally, baby clothes may contain toxic chemicals that are not supposed to be there.

Just another testament to low low prices! Guess we get what we pay for? First it was tainted pet food, now it's stuffed toys. What's next? How long will it take our cuckolded government to start cracking down on imports that do not meet safety standards? As long as Bush is in the White House you can bet that won't happen, unless he gets sick from tainted products from China. Here's hoping that will not happen, and our country will come to it's senses before it's too late.

Cindy Sheehan Calls It Quits - Shame On Congress!

Though I do not completely agree with Cindy on this one, I understand her frustration. I personally think trying to create another 3rd party is absurd and will only serve to help the GOP. However, her dissappointment with the Dempocratic majority in Congress is dead on.

Here is Cindy's open letter to Congress:

Dear Democratic Congress,

Hello, my name is Cindy Sheehan and my son Casey Sheehan was killed on April 04, 2004 in Sadr City, Baghdad, Iraq. He was killed when theRepublicans still were in control of Congress. Naively, I set off on my tireless campaign calling on Congress to rescind George's authority towage his war of terror while asking him "for what noble cause" did Casey and thousands of other have to die. Now, with Democrats in control of Congress, I have lost my optimistic naiveté and have become cynically pessimistic as I see you all caving into as one Daily Kos poster called: "Mr. 28%"

There is absolutely no sane or defensible reason for you to hand Bloody King George more money to condemn more of our brave, tired, and damagedsoldiers and the people of Iraq to more death and carnage. You think giving him more money is politically expedient, but it is a moral abomination and every second the occupation of Iraq endures, you all have more blood on your hands.

Ms. Pelosi, Speaker of the House, said after George signed the new weak as a newborn baby funding authorization bill: "Now, I think thepresident's policy will begin to unravel." Begin to unravel? How many more of our children will have to be killed and how much more of Iraq will have to be demolished before you all think enough unraveling has occurred? How many more crimes will BushCo be allowed to commit whiletheir poll numbers are crumbling before you all gain the political "courage" to hold them accountable. If Iraq hasn't unraveled in Ms.Pelosi's mind, what will it take? With almost 700,000 Iraqis dead and four million refugees (which the US refuses to admit) how could it get worse? Well, it is getting worse and it can get much worse thanks to your complicity.

Being cynically pessimistic, it seems to me that this new vote to extend the war until the end of September, (and let's face it, on October 1st, you will give him more money after some more theatrics, which you think are fooling the anti-war faction of your party) will feed right into the presidential primary season and you believe that if you just hang on until then, the Democrats will be able to re-take the White House. Didn't you see how "well" that worked for John Kerry in 2004 when he played the politics of careful fence sitting and pandering? The American electorate are getting disgusted with weaklings who blow where the wind takes them while frittering away our precious lifeblood and borrowing money from our new owners, the Chinese. I knew having a Democratic Congress would make no difference in grassroots action. That's why we went to DC when you all were sworn in to tell you that we wanted the troops back from Iraq and BushCo heldaccountable while you pushed for ethics reform which is quite a hoot.dn't' you think? We all know that it is affordable for you all to play this game of political mayhem because you have no children in harm's way.let me tell you what it is like:

You watch your reluctant soldier march off to a war that neither you nor he
agrees with. Once your soldier leaves the country all you can do iworry. You lie
awake at night staring at the moon wondering if today will be the day that you
get that dreaded knock on your door. You can'tconcentrate, you can't eat, and
your entire life becomes consumed with apprehension while you are waiting for
the other shoe to drop. Then, when your worst fears are realized, you begin a
life of constant pain, regret, and longing. Everyday is hard, but then you come
up on "special" days.like upcoming Memorial Day. Memorial Day holds double pain
for me because, not only are we supposed to honor our fallen troops, but Casey
was born on Memorial Day in 1979. It used to be a day of celebration for us and
now it is a day of despair. Our needlessly killed soldiers of this war and the
past conflict in Vietnam have all left an unnecessary trail of sorrow and deep
holes of absence that will never be filled.

So, Democratic Congress, with the current daily death toll of 3.72 troops per day, you have condemned 473 more to these early graves. 473 more lives wasted for your political greed: Thousands of broken hearts because of your cowardice and avarice. How can you even go to sleep at night or look at yourselves in a mirror? How do you put behind you the screaming mothers on both sides of the conflict? How does the agony you have created escape you? It will never escape me.I can't run far enough or hide well enough to get away from it.

By the end of September, we will be about 80 troops short of another bloody milestone: 4000, and MoveOn.org will hold nationwide candlelight vigils and you all will be busy passing legislation that will snuff the lights out of thousands more human beings. Congratulations Congress, you have bought yourself a few more months of an illegal and immoral bloodbath. And you know you mean to continue it indefinitely so "other presidents" can solve the horrid problem BushCo forced our world into.

It used to be George Bush's war. You could have ended it honorably. Now it is yours and you all will descend into calumnious history withBushCo.

The Camp Casey Peace Institute is calling all citizens who are as disgusted as we are with you all to join us in Philadelphia on July 4th to try and figure a way out of this "two" party system that is bought and paid for by the war machine which has a stranglehold on every aspect of our lives. As for myself, I am leaving the Democratic Party. You have completely failed those who put you in power to change the direction our country is heading. We did not elect you to help sink our ship of state but to guide it to safe harbor. We do not condone our government's violent meddling in sovereign countries and we condemn the continued murderous occupation of Iraq.

We gave you a chance, you betrayed us.

Sincerely,
Cindy Sheehan
Founder and President ofGold Star Families for Peace.
Founder and Director ofThe Camp Casey Peace Institute
Eternally grieving mother of Casey Sheehan

Polack Joke? They Still Think Tinky Wink Is Gay.

OK, since I have Polish ancestry in me, I can tell polack jokes. If you don't like it, you can suck my kielbasa!

So the polacks are investigating whether Tinky Wink is gay! Pretty funny joke huh? It's not a joke. According to the Washington Post:

"Ewa Sowinska, government-appointed children rights watchdog, told a local magazine published on Monday she was concerned the popular BBC children's show promoted homosexuality."

Just when you thought Jerry Falwell was really dead his specter rises in the Eastern European backwaters and whoopee, the gay witch hunt is on again!