Wolfowitz May Resign This Afternoon! - OR NOT?

So the long embarrassing saga of Paul Wolfowitz may finally be over. Sources at ABC News say he may resign his afternoon. Good riddance to bad rubbish, too bad it didn't happen before we lost all credibility in the World Bank and the world in general.

UPDATE:

Well, looks like ABC is now back peddling on that report. Wolfie is going to force the bank board to vote him out. Once again stubbornness on the part of a Bushie. No surprise there. Hope the World Bank has the cajones to fire the bum!

Gonzales Pressured DOJ To OK Domestic Spying

Now why the hell are our Congresspeople not drafting up impeachment proceedings right this moment. These guys in the Bush Administration are breaking the law over and over again and they must be stopped.

Wolfowitz Curses Up A Blue Streak

I guess I have been giving people too much credit. I figured Paul Wolfowitz would eventually realize his sad situation and resign, but apparently he is not only without shame, he is basically an evil unprincipled bastard. In a tirade of four letter words, Wolfowitz threatened retaliation on World Bank officials if the disputed his orders for pay raises for his girlfriend. Talk about power abuse!

One witness stated that Wolfowitz said regarding the dispute, "If they fuck with me or Shaha, I have enough on them to fuck them too."

Yes that's the kind of leadership the Bushies bring to the table. Sounds like a petulant child who needs a spanking. Pity it's coming from the President of the World Bank.

Former Justice Department Official Details Gonzales Dirty Tricks

If they were kids, the scenario would go like this:

Mom won’t give us what we want so we’ll ask dad, even though he is really busy right now, maybe he will let us do it because he is distracted.

Well it rarely works for kids and it didn’t work for the Bush Administration. Wanting to implement more illegal wiretaps and other sneaking stuff, Alberto Gonzales and Andrew Card try to get what they want by going to John Ashcroft when he was really busy…recovering from pancreatitis. It’s called an "End Run" and it’s the kind of thing the Bushies are expert at. Cant do something with the legal checks and balances, finagle a way around them and do it anyway.

Testimony by former Deputy Attorney General James Comey tells a tale of deceit and dirty tricks on a scale that was threatening to cause a mass resignation in the Justice Department. Eventually all those folks did resign and now we are left with Gonzo and his toadies.

The Washington Post has more of this sickening tale of our lawless President and his wrongdoings.

Jerry Falwell Dead At 73

The man who will long be remembered in the GBLT community as a voice of intolerance and hate has died. Rev. Jerry Falwell was found dead in his office in Lynchburg, VA. His group "The Moral Majority" has been noted as being the galvanizing force behind the election of Ronald Regan and his influence was still felt in Washington.

On a personal note, I am saddened to see this news. I had long hoped that Falwell would someday see the error of his mean spirited preaching and repent. Well, it was a nice dream anyway.

Wolfowitz Still Refuses To Quit - Stubborness, The New Bush Doctrine

I think the word stubborn would best describe the entire Bush legacy. His administration simply will not yield to suggestion, criticism or reality for that matter. Take the latest example, Paul Wolfowitz, beleaguered head of the World Bank. The board of the bank has found him guilty of breaking the rules, of corruption and of doling out favors to his ex-girlfriend. In most cases that would be enough to get a resignation.

People with at least a shred of decency will admit when they are wrong and take the moral high ground and leave the institution before harming it by their mere presence. Not a Bushie! Bushie’s are tenacious. Bushies are stubborn and once they set their mind on something, they will not be dissuaded from their course.

Bush himself displays this same stubbornness in his course in Iraq. Though it is clearly not working and has little chance of success, he insists on "staying the course" simply because if he didn’t he might look vulnerable. Above all, Bushies and Bush for that matter must look good. Performance has nothing to do with their jobs; it’s all about the "look" of success.

Alberto Gonzales, sitting stubbornly before the Senate and House committees steadfastly insisting he knew nothing is another example. A loyal and stubborn Bushie who may be a disastrous failure as an Attorney General, he still "looks good" in the eyes of the White House.

This fetishistic fascination with form over substance is the root problem with the GOP and the White House under Bush. As long as hey can look like they are leaders, that’s all that matters. Well the emperor has no clothes, and the naked incompetence of the Bush folks has started to show through to everyone except those blinded by ideology. Even the press, now merely a shadow of the institution it once was, has seen through the illusions of leadership and has begun exposing the reality of these people.

Now it’s time the American people stood up and demanded that they all just go away. They are bad actors playing roles that are ill suited to their talents. They have committed crimes and shown gross negligence in their duties. Impeachment and prosecution are the only avenues left.

Rejected by eHarmony - Still Gay!

Online dating service eHarmony.com won't help you find a mate if you're gay. The competition just heated up for gay dating business with this ad from Chemistry.com. Check it out.

Deputy Attorney General Resigns, Is Gonzales Next?

Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty will resign according to an AP report. As the second in command under Alberto Gonzales he is he highest ranking member of the Bush Administration to resign over the latest scandal.

It is becoming painfully obvious that Gonzales should follow suit but he has neither the ethical compass nor the courage to admit he is an albatross to the Bush Administration. I have already lost a bet that Gonzo would vacate in April, now money is riding on May.

Dallas Suburb Bans Illegal Aliens

Xenophobia is strong stuff. The fear of "others" apparently can really motivate voters in the Dallas Suburb of Farmers Branch. Saturday voters approved a measure to make renting to illegal aliens a crime. This means landlords are now effectively arms of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, without pay.

I am not surprised that this happened. After all suburbs like Farmers Branch and Plano and Richardson really got booming right after Brown vs Board of Education, in other words "White Flight". White Dallasites moved by the thousands to the homogeneous suburbs so their kids would be spared any diversity in the schools system. Now there is the "Brown Threat"!

Heaven forbid we should have to live in a city with people whose skin is even slightly darker than ours. Heck for that matter why not ban tanning beds, cause they really make it all so confusing?

This is racism plain and simple and though it is wrapped in the guise of solving the immigration "problem" it's really about bigotry. So let's call a spade a spade and just post a nice sign outside Farmers Branch like they used to have in Greenville Texas back in the 1930's "The Blackest Land, the Whitest People!"

Meanwhile, I am going down to the local Mercado and get some really authentic Pan de Dulce for my breakfast. Might even indulge in a good dinner of Sushi tonight. Let the folks in Farmers Branch eat white bread and mayonase sandwiches, I'll take diversity any day.

"Gay Voodoo Limbo Tango and Wango" - OK In Army Playbook

Getting what amounts to a slap on the wrist, former recruiter Marcia Ramode was reassigned after her Email tirade at prospective recruit Corey Andrew. The African-American gay man was contacted by Ramode through Monster.com. When she learned he was gay she began her fountain of invectives in subsequent emails.

Pam's House Blend has the whole nasty thing.

Former State Department Official Accuses Bush and Cheney of High Crimes.

A former aid to Secretary of State Colin Powell says the minor problems of Bill Clinton pale in comparison to the "high crimes and misdemeanors" of Bush and Cheney. Lawrence Wilkerson, former number 2 in the State Department made the statement on Thursday on the NPR program "On Point".

"This administration doesn't know how to effect accountability, in my opinion." Wilkerson said when asked about the possibilities of impeachment. Talking about a historical view of impeachment Wilkerson noted that the founding fathers would probably be surprised that more Presidents hadn’t been removed from office.

Gonzales Ducking and Weaving Again - "I Don't Recall"

Once again Gonzo is playing games with Congress. His answers are vague, with lots of "I don't recalls" peppering his responses. It is no surprise, since his tactic, like that of most Bushies is to never admit anything and keep talking until people get tired of you. And most importantly, never do the right thing and resign!

General Batiste: Bush Not Listening To Generals

This is a profound ad featuring retired General Batiste who quit the Army in protest of the failed policies of the Bush Administration. I only hope it has an effect. This war must end now!

Terrorist Plot Foiled - Bush Still Clueless

So Bush has used the really tired line of "we have to fight them over there so we don't have to fight them here" so many times I want to puke. If he forgot, we already did fight them here on 9/11. Additionally, the idiot masquerading as our President, told us if we leave Iraq, the "terrorists will follow us home."

Guess what? They aren't going to wait for us to leave, they are already here. Six Islamic terrorists were arrested yesterday while plotting a shootout at Fort Dix Army Base. They are here because we are there, not because we are going to leave.

Were they caught with the new provisions in the Patriot Act? Nope, just an alert shopkeeper who saw a really disturbing DVD he was asked to copy for one of the plotters. Later an informant recorded a conversation with more evidence. No wiretaps, Internet snoop or other crap that the Homeland Security folks say is critical involved.

I am grateful that the Justice Department had enough non-political operatives left to catch these guys! Now, lets clean up Washington, DC by throwing the criminals in the White House
out and make America safer for everyone. Impeachment NOW!

World Bank Finds Wolfowitz Guilty - Now Will He Step Down?

Paul Wolfowitz, beleaguered World Bank President has been found guilty of conflict of interest by the bank's board according to the NY Times. Anyone with a shred of dignity and integrity would have stepped down long ago, but Wolfie keeps hanging on.

This seems to be a trend with Bushies, they just won't quit. Over and over they are found to be guilty of doing things that most in government would find so embarrassing they would resign, yet the Bushies just keep on faking it until they are dragged kicking and screaming from their posts.

Wonder if Paul will leave or will they have to take away his keys?

Here's the kicker. Because of Wolfowitz shenanigans and his stubbornness about fessing up to his crimes, the European members of the board are considering taking away the tradition of letting the US pick the next president. Another bold blunder by the Bush administration. Not only will we loose credibility with the World Bank, we will loose the tradition of picking the president. Heck of a job, Wolfie!

Kansas National Guard Unable To Respond To Tornado Due To Iraq War

As I have said previously, I chase storms sometimes. My partner is a dedicated Storm Chaser and I sometimes accompany him on his journeys.

Storm chasing is not anything like the movie version. There are few wild close calls and never any flying cows, but there are some very amazing sights of one of natures most frightening and beautiful phenomena, the tornado.

My partner was away on a chase last week when the town of Greensburg, KS was struck by a devastating EF5 (Enhanced Fujita Scale) Tornado. The storm swept the town away. The governor of Kansas called it one of the greatest disasters the state has ever faced.

Today FEMA is starting their work to send trailers to those who are now homeless, though the thought of living in a trailer in Kansas (part of tornado alley) seems less appealing. Normally the National Guard would be bringing in equipment and supplies to help mitigate the horrible aftermath of the storm, but they cannot. That equipment is in Iraq, fighting a war that has sapped our national will and our treasury.

Once again, America is less safe because of Bush and his insane war. This must stop now!

Grimpoteuthis - Pikachu Look Alike 3 Miles Underwater

Once and a while a science story comes along that is just too nifty to ignore. (Boston Globe Link) Enter Grimpoteuthis, a rare species related to the octopus that bears a striking resemblance to Pikachu. Life imitates art even in the natural world!

This creature was discovered and photographed with a robot camera in the depths of the ocean for a new book, "The Deep: The Extraordinary Creatures of the Abyss." Apparently some of the animals in the book have so little known about them that the picture is about all there is.

Pentagon Trys To Spin Combat Stress As Good News!

One of the things that comes with age is the ability to remember a little of the past. I lived through the Vietnam Era and all he crap that went with it. I remember very well hearing returning soldiers speak of the civilians of Vietnam as gooks and slopes. It was a symptom of the stress that they had been under and the awful conditions their commanders sent them into.

Vietnam was a war where you couldn't tell who was the enemy. It could be a woman or a kid who hid the next gun or explosive. Sound familiar?

Iraq is exactally the same today, except they have sand not jungle, and they are involved in not only a civil war but a holy war. In both Vietnam and Iraq, we were in the middle and we didn't belong there. In the case of Iraq, we started a vicious war that has turned into something the critics predicted, a bloody civil/holy war with no good outcome.

Into this mess put our young men and women and what you get is an abundance of stress and problems. It's not because they are weak, it's because they shouldn't be there in the first place. They see the futility of the war and the "no way out" scenario our alleged President has created. No wonder combat related psychological problems are high.

What is unconscionable is the Pentagon trying to spin these problems as positive. Lou Dobbs lays it out for you.

Mission Accomplished - Four Years Later

Tuesday marks the fourth anniversary of the infamous Mission Accomplished photo-op where the president gave the thumbs up to the troops he betrayed. The mission has lasted four more bloody years and after thousands of casualties is still dragging on. Now we find out that all the money spent rebuilding Iraq was wasted on substandard repairs and projects that are already falling apart.

Way to go Georgie!

More Bush Admnistration Names On DC Madam's Sex List

More names from the Bush administration are turning up on the DC Madam's phone records. Seems like a good number of high-profile people used her services, and again the path leads to the White House. Nothing like a good old fashioned sex scandal to bring down a corrupt regime!

Randall Tobias, the head of the US Agency for International Development, has already stepped down for "unspecified reasons" that inside sources say was his inclusion on the Madam's list.

ABC News and Raw Story have lots more.

From RushLimbaugh.com Hate And Racism

These alleged parodies are the kind of hate speech that got Don Imus thrown off the air. I only hope someone will take a closer look at Rush Limbaugh and do the same. His bigotry and racism are every bit as pronounced as Imus and maybe more.

Write his sponsors!

Rush Limbaugh Plays Racist Song

Rush Limbaugh has really done it this time with his playing of the racist "Barak the Magic Negro" song parody on his program. This guy is as bad as Imus and it's time for him to go as well. Not only are listeners angry, but black employees of his show are up in arms, too.

Open Letter To George Tenent

Former intelligence officers with the CIA have written an open letter to George Tenent asking him to donate half his royalties to wounded veterans and their families. Had he spoken up sooner he could have prevented the death and wounding of these fine men and women.

The letter begins:

We write to you on the occasion of the release of your book, At the Center
of the Storm. You are on the record complaining about the “damage to your
reputation”. In our view the damage to your reputation is inconsequential
compared to the harm your actions have caused for the U.S. soldiers engaged in
combat in Iraq and the national security of the United States. We believe you
have a moral obligation to return the Medal of Freedom you received from
President George Bush. We also call for you to dedicate a significant percentage
of the royalties from your book to the U.S. soldiers and their families who have
been killed and wounded in Iraq.

Full text is here.

Bandar "Bush" Playing Hard To Get

Looks like Dubbya's buddy Saudi Prince Bandar has taken Bush off the "A" list. He has been playing hard to get to in recent months and King Abdullah even called the US Invasion in Iraq, "an illegal foreign occupation".

Looks like even our buddies in Saudi Arabia are finding it hard to remain friends with the US under the Bush regime. Bandar's friendship with Bush may have played well here, but in Saudi Arabia it has flopped. Looks like there may be a new script, and it may not include a big friendship with the US.

Thanks President Bush! Now even the last few allies we have are jumping ship. Way to go Georgie!

DC Sex Scandal Leads To White House!

So ABC News just broke the story that the DC Madam who was so much in the news lately has released a list of clients that include…(drum roll please)….members of the White House staff and Pentagon officials!

Finally a sex scandal! Maybe now America will take notice of the rampant corruption of this administration and boot the criminals out of office? Who knows? Read more about it here.

Giuliani Now Opposes Gay Unions After Being For Them

"Whap, whap, whap!" Hear that sound? No that isn't the happy sound of a hot and consensual spanking, it's Rudy Giuliani flip-flopping. Rudy, America's Mayor a flip-flopper? When it comes to Gay Civil Unions he is!

Rudy lived with a gay couple after one of his divorces, and has publicly supported gay rights and civil unions. Now he has seen the light! The light at the end of the Republican presidential tunnel. He now is trying on homophobic views to pander to about the only base the Republicans have left, the Radical Religious Right.

Rudy, you look marvelous in a dress, but the makeup is all wrong!

Max Wells TV Spot - Oh My God It's Bad!

Whoever directed this spot must really hate Max Wells. He looks positively bizarre. The flat lighting and way to close-up shooting style makes him look like an aging Michael Jackson impersonator. His message is lost in the creepy visual and whoever his consultants are, they should be fired.

Of course I am biased. My favorite candidate is Ed Oakley. He's experienced and a progressive politically. I also know the guy, so I guess that influences me too.

Vote in this election, it's important.

Bush Approval Ratings Lowest Ever - 28%

Bush now has the distinction of having the lowest approval ratings of his entire presidency now. A recent Harris poll shows a meager 28% of Americans approve of the job he's doing as president. Heck of a job, Georgie!

Chocolate Being Redefined By FDA

Maybe someday it will be retitled "Willy Wonka & The Trans-Fat/Sugar Substitute Factory"?
If Hersheys and some other big candy companies pull the fast one they are trying with the Republican gutted FDA it might. They are trying to get the FDA to approve a new definition of "chocolate". It will basically cover a reformulated chocolate tasting substance they have developed that is , needless to say, cheaper to produce.

Genuine chocolate companies are fight this, like See's Candies, but since they back doored the measure the public comment time is up today. Let's just hope someone on the Senate or House has a sweet tooth and can fight this because the FDA won't.

Representative Kucinich Calls For Impeachment Of Dick Cheney

Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) Took the floor in the House of Representatives today and spoke the following words:

"Whenever any government official becomes destructive of the founding purposes, that official must be held accountable..."

And with that he introduced Articles of Impeachment for Vice-President Dick Cheney. When asked by a reporter why he is starting with Cheney and not Bush, Kucinich replied, "There is a very practical reason – each and every charge relates to Vice President Cheney's conduct or misconduct in office. It is very important that we start with Mr. Cheney because if we were to start with the President, Mr. Cheney would then become president."

This is, in my opinion a long overdue action and I hope he will receive support for Impeachment in the House.

Reuters Picks Up Cathedral Of Hope Story

It's always nice to see something positive written in the press about he gay and lesbian community, especially when it is about people I know. My church, the Cathedral of Hope in Dallas, Texas was featured last month in a Texas Monthly article. Apparently Reuters news service saw it and did their own follow-up, giving our church international exposure.

Since I have rarely written about my church, I though today might be a good day for it. Like many churches we focused on Earth Day today. Our church already recycles, uses energy saving compact florescent and other takes green measures. The congregation has made a commitment to be good stewards of the planet. In my case, or at least that of my partner, it meant buying a hybrid car and using only green energy. We get our power from a company that uses only solar and wind generators.

Aside from that, our congregation has a strong commitment to doing work in the local community. We help clean up the neighborhood around the church, we have health fairs to get free health care and health screenings to low income residents. We do lots of activities that benefit the community at large, as well as the GLBT community.

Oh yea, and we are the largest predominately lesbian and gay congregation in the world. For a church smack dab in the middle of the bible belt that is a pretty good thing. we are currently building a new Interfaith Peace Chapel designed by renowned architect Philip Johnson prior to his death. It will eventually be part of a massive new cathedral building he designed. Not surprisingly, the new building will be "green" and meet the energy saving standards of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design of the US Green Building Council.

As a member of the United Church of Christ, we are a liberal Christian congregation and welcome people from all walks of life to our services. If you are ever in Dallas, let me know and drop by for a visit.

Contaminated Beef Recalled - 5 States Involved

Normally, I feel pretty safe eating food her in the US, but lately I am really beginning to wonder. There is a recall just issued for frozen beef patties that are contaminated with e-coli. The disease has made children sick in Napa County, California. The problem is that happened two weeks ago and the recall just went out today! The meat was produced in 2006, so this stuff was obviously not carefully inspected. This is another example of the private sector doing a better job than the government. NOT! The FDA has been steadily gutted by the Bushies, allowing the private sector to self-inspect in many cases.

Now if you are concerned about profits, you want as little interference from things like health inspections as possible; slows things down! So, you skimp and you vacillate and people get sick and the gutted Centers For Disease Control take weeks to get the warning out and the FDA waits a week to issue a recall and voila! Sick kids, possible complications in others who have eaten this contaminated meat and all in the name of the bottom line.

Makes me want to grow my own food.

Listen To The Real Veterans - Our People In Iraq

This is one of a series of informational videos featuring real Iraq War Vets. Listen closely to what they have to say. It isn't pretty, and it is very telling about the lack of a real plan for this immoral war.

New Taliban Beheading Video & More Executions In Texas

Another grisly video has surfaced in Afghanistan. This one my be the most graphic yet, showing a 12 year old boy beheading an accused “spy”. The video making the rounds in Pakistan shows a captured Pakistani militant making what appears to be a forced confession. Then he is blindfolded and held down while a boy who appears to be no older than 12 screams about vengeance and hacks through his neck with a knife.

The whole thing is awful, and it is made worse by that call for vengeance. It seems that the remnants of the Taliban, who perpetrated this crime, base their justice system on revenge. Funny thing, so do we. Our system of justice is more sanitized, but no less horrible. No we don’t behead our victims; we kill them nicely with drugs. Here in Texas we kill lots of them, 12 in the first part of this year!

Are we preventing crime? If we are, then Texas should be crime free by now. We execute more people than any other state, so if execution works as a crime prevention method where are the results?

The truth is that execution in Texas is just simple revenge. The old “eye for an eye” thing is big here in the Lone Star State. The problem is that often the people executed are actually innocent, or more often just had really bad lawyers. This makes the execution even worse. What capital punishment has become in Texas is a method of killing the poor and uneducated. This state-sanctioned killing may look more civilized than the brutal stuff in the latest Taliban video, but don’t be fooled. The victims are just as dead.

Jon Stewart Roasts Gonzo

Gonzales Lies, Yet Bush Still Has Full Confidence In Him

After Alberto Gonzales embarrassing testimony yesterday when he uttered the phrase "I don;t recall that" over 50 times, the President announces he has full confidence in the Attorney General. That is a pretty telling statement in my book. Sounds like Bush is either completely clueless or relieved that Gonzales continued his stonewalling and kept his mouth shut.

The most disturbing fact is that by all testimony, Gonzales has repeatedly lied to Congress and yet Bush still "has confidence" in him. I have to wonder what he is protecting? Sounds a lot like Bush has something to hide and Gonzales is complicit in helping him do it.

Personally, I would be much happier if Gonzales did the ethical thing and resigned. Of course ethics are in very short supply in the Bush administration, so I won't get my hopes up.

Chuck Schumer Clubs Gonzales "Like A Baby Seal"

Gonzo isn't doing well at the hearing. A Republican source told a CNN reporter he was being beat "like clubbing a baby seal". This exchange with Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) shows just how poorly Attorney General Gonzales is doing and it isn't good.

Raw Story has a video clip that is painful to watch, especially considering that the Attorney General of the US is supposed to uphold the law. The lies and obfuscation is sickening.

Gonzales Getting Grilled In Senate Hearings

Watching CSPAN today and the testimony of Alberto Gonzales before the Senate Judiciary Committee was like watching a past-his-prime prize fighter get pummeled in the ring. Sometimes they have the stamana to keep standing but they don’t have the sense to just fall down.

Gonzales is being beat up by Republicans and Democrats alike. Neither side seems to believe him and Republican Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma even called for him to resign. Gonzo just won’t give up. Some might find that heroic, but in reality it’s just pathetic. He has no credibility left and yet he refuses to resign from an office where credibility is key.

Whatever happens as a result of these hearings, it is painfully obvious that Gonzales has no friends left in the Senate. More importantly, these hearings give a good idea of just how popular the entire Bush administration is becoming in Congress. When will Bush realize he has become a liability to the Republican party and a disaster for the country.

Rumors Say Dennis Kucinich Will Introduce Articles Of Impeachment

Latest rumor via www.rawsory.com says Dennis Kucinich will introduce articles of impeachment against Dick Cheney next week. Couldn't come soon enough as far as I'm concerned.

Abstinence Only Sex Education Doesn't Work - Anybody Surprised At That?

The idea that you can teach young people to "just say no" to sex before marriage is not only wrongheaded, its ineffective. That is the conclusion of a study of the governments "abstinence only" education programs.It seems that students who had the "no sex" solution fared the same as students who did not attend classes. In other words these government-sponsored programs have the same effect as no program at all!

So what does the Family Research Council think we should do? Well more of the same that’s what. As a member of a 12-step program I was taught that doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results was a good definition of insanity. I think it’s time the folks over at FRC had an intervention. The abstinence only program is a failure, just like most sane people said it would be. Now after spending $176 million a year on this tripe, it’s time to give our young people the real sex education they need and want.

Justice Department Fails To Meet Subpoena Deadline

The showdown has begin. The Department of Justice missed their 2:00pm deadline to turn over documents to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee. Congress has promised to take all legal actions to get the DOJ to comply with the subpoena.

More soon.

Bush Speech - More Lies About 9/11 And Iraq!

Bush is really desperate. He referred again and again to 9/11 in his speech about Iraq today. He keeps trying to keep the lie alive that Saddam was behind 9/11 or that there were ties to Al Qaeda. Both those lies have been debunked by Bush administration investigators as well as independent sources. Why does he keep lying?

I suspect Bush is incapable of telling the truth about anything. He has to keep the terror level high so people will at least listen to him. Otherwise, we'd all just laugh at him to his face.

His latest crap sounds like the script from the Haunted Mansion in Disney World. "Careful or a ghost will follow you home." Just switch the word ghost for terrorist and that's his pitch. Fight them there so we don;t have to fight them here.

Well just in case anyone is listening to him, we already have fought them here...remember 9/11? And the people we are fighting there are not the same terrorists, they are just combatants in a sectarian civil war. Enough lies Mr. Bush!

Gays Being Executed In Baghdad - Sexual Cleansing

We are allegedly fighting in Iraq to secure the freedom and safety of the Iraqi people. I guess that does not include gay Iraqis? Seems the lovely folks there have been doing a little "Sexual Cleansing" to rid Iraq of gays. Over the past three months over 30 gay men have been found executed in Baghdad.

How do we know it was a gay hate crime? Well they left convenient notes with the bodies warning others of the same fate if they strayed from Islam. Great! Let's defend the rights of Iraqi's to murder gays just like the hate mongers in the US do. Now that's freedom on the fucking march!

Bill Maher On Regent University & DOJ

Bill Maher of HBO's Real Time skewers Bush, Monica Goodling and Pat Robertson in his monologue last week. Watch it here from CrooksandLiars.com.

Karl Rove Looses 4 Years of Email - And The Dog Ate His Homework!

Why am I not surprised when I hear that the White House says it can’t find the last four years of Karl Rove’s email? Of course they can’t find it, it’s full of incriminating evidence and it has conveniently been purged! How much more are we going to put up with? It’s time to give these criminals the boot.

Congress is going to continue the investigation into the firing of the US Attorneys and eventually they will turn up a whole bunch more wrongdoings by the Bush administration. These guys are the worst in history.

Kucinich And Me - Late Pic From Las Vegas

Just so my friends really believe me when I tell them I met Dennis Kucinich and his lovely wife, here is proof. Thanks to Jessie Garcia of Stonewall Democrats of Dallas for the photo! This was in Las Vegas at the Stonewall Training Sessions I attended last month.

Burbujas Resurfaces In Mexico City

Yesterday I was talking with an associate about my checkered past. When I spoke of the year I spent in Mexico working as a producer for Publicidad Metropolitana and Televisa, their ears perked up. They asked what programs I worked on and when I told them Burbujas, they smiled in recognition. I am always surprised when someone here knows about that program. Burbujas was the brain child of Sylvia Roche, a very talented and wise writer who used some wonderful characters to teach children about everything from geography to ecology.

I worked with Sylvia and the group who produced the show and also wrote music for the production. They had recorded two albums of music with Juan Garcia Esquivel, a man they called the Liberace of Mexico. The music was fun and the production values were pretty good. Sylvia asked me to write some songs for an upcoming show about the circus. I composed about 8 songs for her lyrics and recorded the tracks here in Dallas. Later, I went to Mexico where the performers on the show recorded the vocals. Two additional tracks were created by Esquivel to complete the album.

Since it was a work for hire, I was not credited with the composition, but as a producer. Esquivel was credited as author. I didn’t mind much since I did get paid and had so much fun doing the recording. The show was a hit and we even created a live version that toured Mexico in a tent for a while.

All this leads to my conversation. While we chatted my friend Googled the show’s title and came up with a surprise. It turns out that "Vamos al Circo" (Let’s Go to the Circus) was playing as a live show at the Sheraton Hotel in Mexico City! Amazing that a production I was part of almost 22 years ago is making a comeback as a nostalgia piece for families.

Iacocca Calls Bush Administration "Gang Of Clueless Bozos"

Lee Iacocca, former Chrysler CEO, has a lot to say about Bush in his new book. His words echo mine when he says, "where the hell is our outrage?" Truer words have rarely been spoken. Maybe some more conservative types will listen to Lee since he was once the head of a really big company, and that seems to be their real religion, Corporatology! Well, the former Pope of that religion has spoken and he gives the Bush administration an "F" for their entire run.

Bomb Explodes In Iraqi Parliment - Surge Working?

It is a real pleasure to see President Bush’s "surge" working so well.. It has made it possible for American Senators to casually stroll through Baghdad’s marketplaces with only a 200 soldier escort and Kevlar body armor. What a change from what things were like before the war. As another example of how well it’s working , a bomb went off in the Iraqi Parliament building killing one lawmaker and injuring dozens. Another shining example of the success of Bush’s plan!

A bomb went off in Parliament! For God’s sake that’s in the middle of the alleged Green Zone and if we can’t keep that safe what the heck are we there for? Why could this happen? Well I am no defense analyst, but I do know human nature. The Iraqi security forces are corrupt. They take bribes and do their job only when American’s are watching them. Listening to a story on NPR from a soldier in Iraq working with these forces, he said that they did a passable job when prodded by the US observers, but as soon as those observers turned their backs, they did little if anything to keep the peace.

Time to pull out and let them settle this civil war themselves. Unfortunately, we will always be remembered for starting it. That will be Bush’s legacy. There is no way we can stop it, and to stay will only serve to inflame passions on both sides of the conflict and get many more people killed.

Kurt Vonnegut Dies At 84

The man whose books were always a source for me of endless moral and philosophical discussions died last night. Kurt Vonnegut, author of "Slaughterhouse Five" and most recently "Man Without A Country", was 84 years old. His books conveyed a comedic look at very serious questions and his wit was always tempered by a serious desire to make America a better place.

His interview on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart is classic Vonnegut. He skewers Bush with a compliment, "He’s not the dumbest man in our government." It is a must see.

George & Laura Divorce Saga Continued - Still Just A Rumor

It's the rumor that won't go away, George and Laura and the alleged divorce. I noticed a big surge of hits on my site all coming from Google and searching for the terms Bush, Laura, Divorce. These are from Europe so I guess the story that has been in the Globe Magazine for the past few weeks has hit European gossip rags as well.

Last rumor I heard was that Laura is staying at the Mayflower hotel rather than the White House. Something about George being mean and drunk all the time. With all the pressure on the White House right now that sounds plausible, but I have no confirmed sources on it, just the usual suspects. More later.

Texas Religious Expression Bill Filled With Loopholes

Whenever the Texas Legislature passes a bill with a name like the "Texas Religious Expression Bill" you can bet there is a subtext somewhere that will push a specific religion, namely Christianity. As a Christian you’d think I’d be happy about this, but for some reason I suspect the brand of Christianity they will push won’t make me happy.

This bill, backed by Republican lawmakers is supposed to make it clear what religious speech is allowed in Texas schools, thus preventing the alleged Secular War on Christmas and other travesties. I will be very interested the first time a student tries to express their belief in Islam, Buddhism or any other non-western religion. I suspect the freedoms allowed will also allow either other students to shout them down or worse.

Am I a skeptic about the things the Texas Legislature does? You’re darn tootin’ I am. I only wish Molley Ivins was still around to get her take on this one. The devil is in the details. When you read the bill carefully there is a provision for a Student Forum of authorized speakers top speak at school events, football games etc. These are designated as supposedly chosen by a neutral means. Think again, when is the last time a homecoming Queen or King was chosen by neutral means? They will be part of the same cliques that dominate and oppress less popular students and thus able to impose their religious stamp on the introductions of the events.

Same old thing, the majority "rules over" the minority. Gotta love Texas!

50 Years Ago - Dallas Digs Out Of Tornado Damage

Since I have already outed myself as a storm chaser, I though some people might be interested in this clip of a program produced back in 1957 by WFAA TV on the April 2 Dallas Tornado hat destroyed big parts of the city. I still remember it vividly as I watched it from our yard with my mother.

Link to the video is here.

Save The Texas State Railroad!

OK, I know most folks have no idea what a railroad is except that there are 4 of them on a Monopoly board, but they play a big part in every American's life. In the past they played an even bigger part. Before the dominance of air travel, going by rail was the standard. I have fond memories of TV spots in the 1950's and 60's for the Santa Fe Railroad Super Chief service to the west coast. "Santa Fe, All the way", sand the animated character of a native American who represented the railroads best known train.

Well, Texas is blessed with one of the remaining steam railroads in the country. Steam trains are truly dinosaurs but they are awesome beasts! The Texas State Railroad is really a rolling museum down in the Piney Woods of Palestine, Texas. This historic steam power railroad takes visitors through some of the most beautiful landscapes in East Texas and it is a treasure.

I understand in Texas anything over 30 years old is usually scheduled for demolition, but it's kind of nice to have a little history around. Especially if it is as rare and wonderful as the Texas State Railroad. Why the rant? Well the Texas Legislature is debating whether or not to continue funding this state park feature.

What's the deal? Well some in the legislature want to "privatize" the railroad, in other words pay a private company to run it instead of the state park folks. Does someone smell a payoff here? I do. They want to spend $12 million to hire a private company to run it and then later sell the equipment off to that company. Supporters of the railroad say the state can spend only $7.5 million and continue to run it under the state control.

If you want to keep this historic part of Texas history, write your state representative and tell him or her what you think. This little engine carries 65,000 tourists a year, so someone likes it and personally I would hate to see it go the way of the Brontosaurus.

Gonzales Gets Served - First Of Many Subpoenas

You've been served, Gonzo! House Judiciary Committee issues it's first subpoena to Attorney General Roberto Gonzales today. This is a first for them. House and Senate committees have previously authorized subpoenas in the U.S. attorney investigation but this is the first one they have actually issued.

Things must be getting a little tense around the White House today. It couldn't happen to more deserving people either!

Bush Spokesperson Keeps Lying Over And Over Again

Apparently, the Bush administration believes that when you are on the ropes, you just keep slugging with the same technique that got you in trouble. They would make pretty poor boxers just as they make a poor government.

Today in a news conference, Dana Perino, White House spokesperson, said that the escalation in Iraq is to keep the terrorists from finding safe haven and if we left they would find another country like Afghanistan. When pressed by Helen Thomas about how the administration knows this, she replied with the standard "rope-a-dope" of September 11. Thomas to her credit chimed in with the fact that September 11 had nothing to do with Iraq.

The Bush folks just can't give that up. Even though commissions and investigations and the top Bush intelligence people say there was no connection between Iraq and 9/11, Bush keeps repeating the lie. If you tell a lie enough times it becomes true? That must be their strategy, because if it isn't it just means that they are stupid, and I don't know which is scarier.

Storm Chasing In The Texas Panhandle

Well last week my partner and I went storm chasing on Thursday, March 28. We ended up in the Texas panhandle just a few miles from Palo Duro Canyon, and basically out in the middle of nowhere. Thanks to my partners forecasting skills, we were at the right spot at the right time and nature put on a great show. We say 4 tornadoes and a half dozen more wall clouds hat never quite reached critical mass.

The pictures below were taken just before sunset looking west toward Cap Rock Canyon. We couldn't get closer because there aren't any roads that went where we needed. He also got HD video of this storm and on the big screen it was stunning!

Hope you enjoy these shots, sorry it took so long to post them.

Bush Dodges Opening Day Pitch - Strikes Out Anyway

Funny how George W. Bush would never miss an opening day when he was part owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team, yet opening day for the Washington Nationals, and he declined to show and throw. His decision to decline the invitation to throw out the opening pitch of the season for America’s National Pastime says a lot about the man and his plummeting popularity.

Though the White House will not admit it, he fears hearing the boos that would have been inevitable had he shown up. Approval ratings in the 30’s and a gaggle of scandals hanging over the White House have sent Bush into the bunker. His recent Rose Garden press conference without microphones for the press to ask questions is a case in point. This is the sign that he will not listen to criticism and wants no questions asked. Like a fallen leader, holed up in a bunker, Bush and his battle worn staff are still living in the imaginary world they created. He and his hand picked "loyal Bushies" are living in denial. The truth is that his presidency has failed and he will probably be remembered as one of the worst in history. Hardly the stuff of home runs!

Rats Leaving Sinking Ship - Gonzales Counsel Monica Goodling Resigns

Lawyer overboard! Looks like Monica Goodling, the liaison to the White House for the Justice Department has submitted her resignation. No explanation was given, but she was scheduled to testify before Congress in the recent US Attorney scandal. She may be trying to shake off requests for her testimony in the firing of 8 US Attorneys by Gonzales to be replaced by political appointees. Apparently Congress is still interested in her as well as the Justice Department's Office of Inspector General and Office of Professional Responsibility.

Seems that jumping ship is not the answer. It looks more and more like Gonzales is going to have to answer for his lies to Congress soon.

South Park Skewers The Easter Bunny

Watching South Park can rot your brain, but you can have a whole lot of fun while it does. The creators of the show have always had a take no prisoners attitude toward organized religion, and especially religious creeds that are rife with hypocrisy. The have skewered Scientology, Mormons and Catholics more than once. Their start in the business came from a poignant and irreverent animated duel between Jesus and Santa Claus over whom embodied the real spirit of Christmas. Jesus won!

Even though their antics are a bit over done sometimes, Matt Stone and Trey Parker really do make some good points as far as social commentary in their series. Last night as they roasted the tradition of the Easter Bunny, they scored another hit for common sense and sound morals. How? Well it seems that the whole bunny thing is because Jesus intended for Peter…rabbit to be the pillar of his church. The Popes hat, with its high crown was designed to fit over rabbit ears…. You get the idea.

They skillfully mixed the Da Vinci code with a plot hatched by Bill Donohue, president of the conservative Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights and ended with Jesus neatly slicing Bill in half with a Ninja blade and reinstalling a rabbit as the head of the church. (Funny how Donohue bears a striking resemblance to Karl Rove.) Why a rabbit? Because the rabbit makes no pronouncements as to God’s judgements for mankind. He just sits there silent, watching and lets God speak for Himself.

Heady stuff, and it is the kind of plot that has kept South Park fresh and avoided "jumping the shark".

Fred Phelps "God Hates Fags" Family Exposed On BBC

These guys have been spewing hate for years and now finally someone exposes the truth about them. The BBC did a documentary on this alleged church. The congregation is really almost completely the Phelps family. It's a storefront operation and perhaps the most odd bunch of twisted bigots ever born. Watch and cringe.

Bush Criticises Pelosi While GOP Lawmakers Meet With President Of Syria

So Bush is outraged that Pelosi met with the president of Syria. He says it sends the wrong signal. What about the Republican U.S. House members that were meeting with President Bashar Assad on Sunday? I heard not a single word about that from Bush and more disturbingly from the media reporting Bush’s statements about Pelosi. Only NPR let it slip that GOP officials had similar meetings the following day.

Is the Bush administration cornering the market on hypocrisy? Can there be a more duplicitous administration than this one? I seriously doubt it. Veiled in secrecy, they don’t even provide microphones for the press conference in the Rose Garden of the White House yesterday for reporter’s questions. That way Bush can "hear" only those he wants to hear.

Come on folks, this crap has to stop. Does nobody in the press see that they are giving Bush another free pass? Do your research and ask some real questions. Your readers deserve that at least.

Where Is The Outrage At Iranian Hostages?

The British sailors being held captive by the Iranians has sparked outrage in the UK, and the British government has protested loudly in the press and through diplomatic channels. Where are the US cries of outrage? Where is the demand from our government?

Well, funny thing. We used to be able to take the moral high ground on these kinds of issues. We stood firmly against torture, and taking hostages. We abhorred human rights abuses and deplored parading prisoners before TV cameras where they gave forced confessions.

Today, we can’t do that anymore. Why? Because we use torture to get confessions from hostages, or as we like to call the "detainees". We parade them in front of TV cameras to show our determination to win the "War on Terror" and we have become serial human-rights abusers. We have no moral high ground left to stand on.

Now we have taken a page from the playbook of the same nations we once railed against and now we must remain relatively silent or risk exposing our hypocrisy to the world. Well here’s the big news. We already look like hypocrites to the world and he America I grew up with is a pale shell of the country I once knew. We must reclaim our heritage and constitution and cease the kind of immoral behavior the Bush administration is awash in. There is a solution and it is in the hands of every registered voter. We must take back America at the ballot box!

Bush And Laura Divorce Rumors Again In The Globe

As the continued war between Bush and the Congress heats up, the domestic dispute between him and his wife seems to be taking front burner again. According to the Globe, Bush has been throwing tantrums and driving Laura crazy. No surprise there. Though the Globe is hardly a reliable source of information it still provides good fodder for the rumor mills.

More importantly it again shows that the country now finds George and Laura less than scared figures. When the supermarket tabloids begin attacking you, you know your popularity rating is in the dumpster.

I was going to do an April Fools blog on the subject of their impending divorce, however I suspect it might not be all rumors. Any divorce arrangement would only take place after Bush leaves office in order to keep from further deteriorating his standing with the public and more specifically the Christian Right. Marital woes would not play well with the evangelical voters.

Homeland Security Wants Full Control Of The Internet

So the Department of Homeland Security wants the keys to the DNS servers. What does it mean? It means they want the control of the entire Internet. The Domain Name Servers are the way everything on the Internet gets routed to where it needs to be. With this in hand DHS can snoop on everything, even change sites at will. It will mean an end to any privacy on the web.

Why is nobody reporting this? Most of the world is in an uproar over it but the US media has remained silent. Maybe because they are afraid that they will be the next target. This government is determined to control all information and bend it to their will. This isn’t about security; it’s about control. Don’t let this happen. Write your congressperson NOW!

Pictures From Stonewall Democrats In Las Vegas

Though I would post a couple of snaps from the Stonewall Democrats Trainng session in Las Vegas this past weekend. Bill Richardson (Govenor of New Mexico) was a featured speaker. Sorry for the fuzzy pics from my cellphone. Dennis Kucinich showed up as a surprise speaker, he was in town for the Democratic Health Care forum at UNLV.

Gays And Lesbians In The Armed Forces Face Institutional Hatred

I just walked in and had to write this about my trip back from Las Vegas. On the plane I sat next to two female soldiers who had obviously been returning from a deployment. They were both very tan and wearing those gray camouflage that blends in urban fighting. Both could not have been over 20and they were dog-tired.

I tried not to disturb them as they slept, but I wondered how their superiors would have reacted to their intimate sleeping arrangements. They lay in their seats, heads resting on each others shoulders, a lot like my partner and I do when we fly. I didn’t ask them, but I strongly suspect they were lovers, and that made me even more sympathetic to them. I felt proud that they were serving our country, yet sad that they were so young and if they were gay, that they were on such shaky ground.

Don’t ask, don’t tell may be the official policy on the Armed Forces, but it sucks as both a practical and moral regulation. In recent polls of the military the majority of soldiers have no problem with having gay or lesbians serving in their ranks. So much for the bullshit argument about gays causing problems with unit cohesion.

Beyond that, it forces young men and women who already have enough to worry about in a combat situation to have yet another concern. Staying in the closet is tricky and dangerous both to their career and to personal sanity. Funny how the Spartans, (the real ones not the ones in the movie) were often lovers fighting side by side. They considered lovers the best fighters because they would fight fiercer for each others safety. Pity the Army can’t study history any better.

As I sat down to write I saw this story that emphasized the whole insanity of this policy. A recruiter, upon learning that a potential recruit was gay is quoted as saying in an official email:

"GO BACK TO AFRICA AND DO YOUR GAY VOODOO LIMBO TANGO AND WANGO DANCE AND JUMP AROUND AND PRANCE AND RUN ALL OVER THE PLACE HALF-NAKED THERE."-- U.S. Army recruiter Sgt. Marcia Ramode

Looks like Peter Pace’s policies and attitudes are paying off with big dividends. Just what our government needs, more hate and prejudice!

Blogging From Las Vegas - Back To Big D Tomorrow!

Heading back to Big D tomorrow morning EARLY! Gee, I wish air travel was fun like it used to be, no arrive at the airport an hour early so you can undress and be screened. No crowded tiny seats with no food or refreshments. Ah the good old days.

You can really tell how old I am by that rant.

Well, the Stonewall Democrats training session was great! Looks like the DNC has finally figures out that it’s not about the next heroic candidate to magically fix the party, it’s about the party! We are really trying to build an effective infrastructure and that’s what we need to do.

As for Vegas, well there was fun to be had. Friday night we all attended a party at La Cage here in the Riviera Hotel. Frank Marino and a gaggle of fabulous drag queens. Even though I am so over drag, it was big fun.

Last night I went out on my own and saw Steve Wyrick’s Real Magic at the Aladdin Hotel, (soon to be Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino and no they are not blowing it up, just refacing the whole building!) The show was fast paced and very clever. Steve is a Garland, TX boy who made good, and his act is one of the best magic reviews in Vegas. He starts by appearing onstage magically along with a full sized helicopter. Later he jumps through the spinning fan blades of a jet engine!

And my luck, he ended up pulling me onstage for a card trick and ended up stealing my watch! Of course he gave it back much to my embarrassment. All in all a fun night. My complaint was the audience. They seemed dead. They were smiling and enjoyed it but they wouldn’t clap. What is that? I can only guess it is from too much TV watching and they don’t know how to react to a real live performance.

Overall, Las Vegas is Las Vegas, and I am ready for Dallas again.

Blogging From Las Vegas - Bill Richardson & Dennis Kucinich Speak At Stonewall Democrats Luncheon

The day is not yet half over and I am already spinning with new information. I am attending the National Stonewall Democrats Western Training Session in Las Vegas this weekend and it has been very informative.

This morning I had to decide between going to the Health Care form sponsored by the Center for American Progress and the training sessions. I opted for the sessions and it was a good choice. Many members of the DNC are present and very active here. The session I sat in on this morning was on becoming a presidential delegate to the Democratic Convention. There is so much more involved that I would have ever thought. Seems every state is different in the selection process and navigating that maze was most of the session.

For lunch we had the traditional rubber chicken, (except here in Vegas it’s really good, kudos to the Riviera Hotel catering staff on that), and lots of speeches. Notably Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexica, a presidential candidate. Gov. Richardson sat at the table right next to me, so I had a chance to at least see and chat with him. Additionally the mayor of Las Vegas was on hand and left everyone with a favorable expression.

The surprise was Dennis Kucinich who showed up unexpectedly and made an impromptu speech. He unabashedly stated that he supports Gay Marriage and left everyone to a standing ovation. I got a picture with him that I will post once I get home.

This afternoon it is more workshops and maybe a few minutes to rest and schmooze with fellow gay democrats.

Blogging From Las Vegas - National Stonewall Democrats

Well I have been in Las Vegas a day now and it seems like a week already. This is the city that never sleeps!

I am here for the National Stonewall Democrats Training Sessions. These are a series of workshops to help budding queer activists have a real impact on the party and the campaigns, as well as little tips on raising funds, etc. The other big draw here is Vegas is the Health Care Roundtable being hosted at UNLV and attended by most of the Presidential Candidates (all Democrats by the way). Seems Republicans don;t want to talk about the health care crisis almost as much as they loath talking about global warming.

Last night I took time off to attend a show. The Fashionistas. John Stagliano, famed porn director tried his hand at an adult Vegas show and he hit a home run. It's filled with fetish wear, beautiful women and hunky bare chested guys. Needless to say, I loved it. Lots of leather and bondage and all set to a rock beat. It is a dance extravaganza, with amazing performers and even a couple of aerialists thrown in above the audience. Very kinky, but not as much skin as you might expect. Seems since they are not in a major hotel, their venue has restrictions as to the amount of nudity allowed. Still plenty of bare butts and lots of manflesh.

I met John and his wife Karen a couple of years ago at the AVN awards. A couple of films I photographed got nominations for awards and I attended. Though you might not like some of his stuff, all that gonzo video, he has successfully been able to create some truly erotic visions both on the stage and in his film, The Fashionistas. See it if you can in Vegas.

Bye for now, we are off to a party at Le Cage at the Riviera Hotel, drag of course!

White House Secrecy Wall Is Cracking

The latest scandal involving Alberto Gonzales is just a distraction.. Face it, Gonzo is going to be another fall guy just like Scooter and Kyle Sampson. The recently released emails fron the White House show that the real brains behind this an pretty much every underhanded political scheme at the White House comes from Karl Rove, Bush and Cheney. This axis of deceit lays the blame on their loyal underlings and still manages to get away with their activity.

No surprise that Sidney Blumenthal lays out the "crime family" scenario in his latest piece for Salon.com. The surprise is that more American’s haven’t figured this out sooner. As the White House twists and spins to avoid Karl Rove and Harriet Myers from testifying under oath before Congress, it is painfully obvious that they are hiding something. To turn the line used by the Bush administration around when they began illegal wiretapping, "if you aren’t guilty, then you have nothing to worry about."

The real truth is that they have a lot to hide, and their guilt wreaks like a rotten stew of deception and lies. Bush and his cronies are expert at lying and getting away with it, until now and it’s time they were brought to justice.

Senator Inhofe - A Prick & A Fool?

Senator Inhofe comes from a state that is feeling the direct consequences of Global Warming. Drought, and higher temperatures have hurt crops and cattle in Oklahoma, not to mention the possibility that future warming might even spawn more sever weather which lays waste to the Sooner State each year. It is amazing that he refuses to understand or even listen to testimony given by Al Gore in Washington this week.

Inhofe interrupted, bullied and tried to prevent any answers from the former Vice President to the point that Barbara Boxer had to remind him that the GOP was not making the rules anymore. She enforced the time limits and let Gore speak.

Inhofe tried to bully Gore into signing a vague energy use statement that totally ignores the use of solar or wind and other green energy sources which Gore and my family use. Overall, Inhofe is a prick, and he apparently is in the pocket of Big Oil, since he tried desperately to skew any testimony or just prevent it.

He surely cannot believe that global warming is a myth. If he does, he is not just a prick; he’s a fool.

18 Days Of E-mails Missing From White House Evidence

I woke up this morning and saw the ghost of Rosemary Woods standing in my room. She kept saying the number 18 over and over again. Then I sign onto my computer and see that FireDogLake.com is reporting that there seem to by 18 days of emails missing from the document dump the White House laid on congress yesterday. Hummm? 18 Days, and Rosemary woods accidentally erased 18 minutes of tape for Nixon?

I wonder if it is an omen?

North Carolina Castrators Get Convicted

I have had a lot of people ask me if I hurt people for fun. I usually reply with a quip, "Only if they ask politely". In reality, SM is something much more difficult to describe. We participate in activities most people would consider as painful, and yet we find enjoyment in them. We do lots of things that would shock most "vanilla" folk, but still we have a code of behavior that keeps us safe. We often speak of "safe, sane and consensual" as our bywords. These were invented years ago as a way to explain what we do, not so much as rules. That being said, they are not bad bywords and in fact make pretty good rules.

The safe part is quantifiable. Any activity which causes life threatening harm or irreversible damage is probably not safe. Consensual is an easy definition as well, but the "sane" thing is a gray area. What would constitute "insane behavior"? We as the judge said about pornography, "I can’t describe it, but I know it when I see it." In other words it’s a little subjective.

Well the news story that came out a while back about the three guys in North Carolina that were doing backyard castrations and calling it SM, really looked insane to me. After reading more about their activities, I believe that it still qualifies as insane. More to the point, it is a case of people with a real pathological problem finding a willing practitioner to harm them. These guys had people flying in from other countries to have their balls cut off. They are not surgeons and the operation is about as irreversible as it gets. For me that is very hard to understand.

I have thought long and hard about this and still come to the same conclusion. They either were just plain crazy bubbas who wanted to cut guys balls off and post them on the internet (which they did). Or they were people dabbling in SM who got caught up in the role-play and just went too far. Either way what they were doing was not safe or sane though it may have been consensual.

They were convicted of felony castration and maiming. That charge carries some jail time but I think they need something more than that. They need a little real education in SM and some serious counseling to find out what the hell they were thinking! People like these guys make it harder on all the rest of us who are sincere about our BDSM and wish to continue to enjoy ourselves and our partners in safe sane and consensual play.

Time To Talk Seriously About Impeachmet

Dennis Kucinich is urging a genuine conversation about impeachment. It is about time!

Dallas Looses Two Famous Rays - Ray Nasher & "Crazy Ray"

Two Rays passed away this weekend in Dallas. I was lucky enough to know them both, at least for a short time.

I had a chance to interview Ray Nasher several years ago as part of an industrial film for a PR group working for The Limited. That retailer was getting ready to open their new Northpark store and Ray was delighted. The interview ranged widely from the original topic and much of it was about Mr. Nasher’s views on not only retail but also civic responsibility and politics.

Nasher was an unapologetic liberal. The liberal part of his politics was seen in the way he ran his business. Anyone who has ever been to Northpark Center in Dallas, knows what I mean. The mall, one of the first and best malls in the country is beautiful. It is not overblown and showy, but built with persistent cream colored brick and an uncluttered design that gives the stores the featured attention, not the mall’s architecture. The other thing that makes Northpark so great is the abundance of public art. Drawn from Nasher’s personal collection walking through the mall, you are exposed to modern sculpture from Alberto Giacometti to Frank Stella. Round one corner and you see a huge steel piece by Mark Di Suvero soaring into the atrium before the food court. Sit and relax by in the courtyard outside and you can see a giant safety pin by Claus Oldenburg. Make a trip to Neiman-Marcus and you pass a giant mechanical sculpture by Jonathan Borofsky.

Nasher believed in sharing his art with everyone. He believed it was a joy to posses a world class collection of modern sculpture, but more of a joy to bring it to the citizens of Dallas to enjoy. The museum that bears his name, The Nasher Sculpture Center is one of the finest museums of it’s kind in the world and will be a lasting legacy to the man for whom it is named.

The other Ray who died was a man known to millions of Dallas Cowboy’s fans as Crazy Ray. Wilford "Crazy Ray" Jones was a local celebrity since my childhood. I first met him at a little shop in downtown Dallas called Magicland. It was the only magic shop in the area, and as a budding amateur magician, it was my favorite hangout.

Ray, though when I first met him he was shining shoes, was a magician, too. He wasn’t the kind of magician who needed expensive props and lots of assistants. Ray did magic with the kind of things you could find in your pockets or even on the street. His favorite trick involved a cheep noisemaker hat he bought by the dozens at Magicland. It was simply a metal crescent with a piece of waxed paper attached. When held in the mouth, it was invisible and with practice, a skilled operator could make it emit the sounds of everything from birds to small dogs. Ray’s favorite trick was to carry a paper bag around and make the sounds of a whining puppy. He would flick the bag with his finger; hidden inside to make it twitch and it was so convincing that once he got on a bus with the bag. A passenger told him he couldn’t ride the bus with a dog in that bag, so he threw the bag out the window to the horror of the passenger.

Ray was an illusionist of the first class. He once taught me a trick where he borrowed a dollar bill. Tearing a corner off, he gave it to me for safekeeping, and then he lit the dollar on fire and proceeded to use it to light a cigarette. As the last of the bill turned to ashes, Ray watched my surprise. He simply sad, " now don’t you worry. Gimme some of that soda you are drinking."

I handed him the bottle of Dr Pepper and he took the cigarette and laid it on his outstretched palm. Pouring the soda over the cigarette to extinguish it, he plopped the soaked cigarette into my hand and told me to roll it between my palms. As I did the wet cigarette began turning green, and soon it was a soaked dollar bill between my hands. Of course there was a corner missing. The one I had saved from the bill in the first place!

David Blaine could learn volumes from Ray.

He later became the unofficial mascot of the Dallas Cowboys and was seen at almost every home game. His antics and magic brought smiles to millions of people and he was a Dallas icon. He selflessly shared his humor and talent with anyone who would stop and watch and like Ray Nasher, he gave a lot to the citizens of Dallas. I will miss them both.

Bush Still Not Explaining His Plan For Iraq

Bush and company are hoping people will forget about the fourth anniversary of the war, but we won’t. Bush’s mother Barbara won’t even watch the TV News about the war, especially any coverage of how many Americans have died. I guess her cold imperiousness has been passed down to her arrogant son?

Today Bush will spend 5 minutes on the war in a press conference with no questions allowed. He will present no new ideas, no success examples and no recipe for success in Iraq. He is out of ideas and imagination and his policies are a disaster. His administration is cracking at the seams and it looks like Alberto Gonzales will not last the week.

What does it all mean? It means that Bush & Co. are teetering like Enron on a tower of lies and deceit and someone needs to push them over. Time for Congress to stand up and make Bush take responsibility for his crimes and mistakes. Impeachment is the solution.

More Bush Lies - No Probe Launched As Promised Of Plame Leak

I get really tired of writing about Bush’s lies, but he just can’t stop lying. After the Valerie Plame scandal, he swore he would launch a full investigation of who leaked her name as a covert CIA agent to the press. Guess what? He LIED!


In testimony before the house oversight committee, James Knodell, Director of the Office of Security at the White House, stated that the Bush administration never launched an internal probe to find the source for the leak in 2003. Why is no one screaming for Bush’s resignation for being a lying dirtbag?


Clinton lied about getting a blow job and it’s impeachment time! Bush lies about treasonable acts committed by his staff and it’s business as usual. What the fuck is wrong here?


What is wrong is that for too long the GOP controlled Congress has been complicit in the crimes of the White House. It is now the day of reckoning.

Christians March On White House To Protest The War In Iraq

It warms my heart to see people who call themselves Christians actually doing something Jesus would be proud of. Last night thousands of protesters met at the National Cathedral to pray for peace and then marched to the White House, where many were arrested when the stopped and stood silent witness to the immoral war President Bush is conducting.

There is an area of the sidewalk in front of the White House where you cannot stop, and that is where they stopped and waited to be arrested. It reminds me of the 1970’s and the protests of the Vietnam War. I participated in those, though not in Washington, and I am delighted to see that kind of action again. It is about time someone did this. Tomorrow I am participating in a similar march here in Dallas.

Iraq Veterans Memorial- Sgt. Sherwood Baker

Finally a use for YouTube that is a good thing. There are more at www.iraqmemorial.org.

Gonzales Scandal Has Roots In The White House - But Bush Can't Remember It!

It is amazing how bad memories are in Washington, specifically in the Bush administration. The latest firestorm involving Alberto Gonzales has ties leading directly into the White House, and now as usual, the folks at the top have had a memory lapse.

Tony Snow today said regarding Harriet Myers involvement, "At this juncture, people have hazy memories." Asked if Bush himself might have suggested the firings, Snow said, "Anything’s possible … but I don’t think so." He said Bush "certainly has no recollection of any such thing. I can’t speak for the attorney general. I want you to be clear here: don’t be dropping it at the president’s door,"

It makes you wonder how these people remember to tie their shoes in the morning. More importantly, it makes you wonder why they are still in office.

Kucinich Shows Some Balls - Uses The "I" Word

Finally a Democrat with BALLS! Dennis Kucinich has used the "I" word on the floor of the House. It's about time someone stood up and said that the Emperor has no clothes!

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's Confession Under Torture Is Useless

Finally a news story I can speak to with some authority. Let’s talk about torture. Now the kind I am familiar with is a kind of "play" torture. It is consensual, and for the most part safe. I have done interrogation "scenes" quite often, and though the people I am interrogating are not terrorists or criminals, they do their best to avoid giving me the information I want. That is they way we play our game.

They know that if they tell me what I want to know, the torture will stop. Usually, we have prearranged some bit of information that is the goal, but sometimes they may not realize I planted that information until the scene begins. For example, one person who wanted to do this kind of scene met me for dinner one night. I began talking about the events of WWII and specifically the research being done by German physicist Werner Heisenberg. They seemed interested and I gave them lots of details about his work in quantum physics as well as a possible conversation he may have had with Niels Bohr on a visit to Denmark during the war.

My friends know I have a variety of interests but I suspect this conversation seemed a little out of place, so it stuck with them. When we did the interrogation scene a few days later, I assumed the persona of a Nazi and the whole scene was done in a combination of German and English. What I wanted to know was whom Heisenburg had spoken to when he visited Denmark.

OK, so we had a little theatrical role-play going on, but the interrogation session was far from theatrical. I used real posture techniques and very painful torture in my questioning. The partner who I was playing with was very stubborn and the game was to see if they would break and tell me the info. After several hours which included such activities as electrical shocks with a cattle prod, rough body play including slaps to the face and punches to the body, and a variety of other nasty and painful techniques, they broke.

I got not only Neils Bohr’s name but they agreed they were part of the conversation and knew details they could never have known. Later, after we had a chance to decompress and come down from the scene, my friend told me they didn’t even know what they were saying. They were just agreeing to anything to make the pain stop.

For those of you who may be already questioning the sanity of this kind of play, I can assure you that both my partner and I had a great time. We were both very exhausted but happy afterward, and agreed to do it again sometime, albeit in a different kind of arrangement.

The point of this story is to let you know that even the kind of torture dished out in a consensual SM scene, which is mild compared to "water-boarding" and other CIA nastiness can elicit a confession that is completely false. Granted what we were doing was a "scene" but while it was going on, the body’s fight or flight mechanisms were working at full capacity and the reactions were identical to someone in a real torture situation.

CIA operatives who have been through torture situations to understand what they might be up against usually break in a few minutes. That word "break" is key. A person being tortured enough will confess to kidnapping the Lindbergh baby if put under enough stress. After a while, your mind screams, "tell them whatever they want you to say to get them to stop!"

That said, the confessions of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed are pretty much useless. He was tortured and we will never know how much since the government has redacted the details. Confessions made under torture are useless, and every military expert knows it. That is why the recent announcement that Mohammed has admitted to everything from 9/11 to plots to blow up the Sears Tower is not only useless, but also way too convenient. This comes as the Bush administration is beginning to undergo the scrutiny it deserves for its dirty dealing involving the use of torture and various misdeeds including scrutiny of Alberto Gonzales. This is another example of the Bush tactic of "look over there". It’s misdirection from the real story and should be treated as such until all the facts come out, if they ever do.

Presidential Records Bill Will Prevent Rewriting Of History

There is an old saw that says, "history is written by the winners". Today that might be better stated that "history is re-written by he President". Ever since the Presidential decree by President George W. Bush that gave current and former presidents and vice presidents broad authority to withhold presidential records or delay their release indefinitely, historians have been denied access to the documents that were generated during a presidency.

Traditionally, presidential papers were put in the archives of Presidential libraries for historians to access. This made the legacy of each president public record, as it should be. Bush changed all that and his forst act was making his father’s papers secret. This denies scholars any access to an important period of American history. It also keeps any wrong doings secret and protects the legacy of George H. W. Bush.

No doubt the proposed George W. Bush library at SMU will contain lots of sealed rooms of secret documents. This will keep historians, and lawyers from looking at what really is going on in the administration behind closed doors. Before Bush, presidents papers were used to study how history was made. After Bush historians will have to guess and take the administrations spin on events.

That is why Henry Waxman (D-CA) is co-sponsoring the Presidential Records Act Amendments of 2007. This act will open all the records and keep history in the hands of scholars and the public, instead of holding our heritage hostage to the whims of spin-masters. History belongs to us, the American people, that way we are all the winners.

Republicans Break Ranks And Call For Gonzales Resignation

Raw Story is reporting that in a recent interview John Sununu (R-NH) has stated that Bush should fire Alberto Gonzales. I am hoping that more Republicans will break ranks and act as boldly as Sununu. He is stating the obvious. Gonzales has been a disgrace as Attorney General and now looks like he is directly involved in the questionable Justice Department firings.

As the momentum builds it will be harder and harder for Bush to avoid this move, as will the effort to block Karl Rove from testifying before Congress.

Senator Tim Johnson Continues His Recovery

Most people in this 30 minute-attention-span country have forgotten Tim Johnson, the Democratic Senator from South Dakota who had a brain hemorrhage. His condition was subject of speculation for weeks from the right-wing about shifting the balance of power back to the GOP.

He has made his first public statement on his web site and I will include it in its entirety below.

"I want to thank the people of South Dakota and all of our dear friends for their support and prayers. This has been an unexpected journey and there is a long road in front of me. I am determined and focused on my recovery, and I look forward to returning to the Senate on behalf of South Dakota," said Senator Johnson.

The medical staff at the rehabilitation center has informed the Johnsons that the Senator continues to progress as expected. The attending physician states, "Senator Johnson is making significant and regular gains. He is doing very well cognitively. We are focusing on standing and balance training as the foundation upon which to base
the course of his ongoing physical recovery."

Our prayers and wishes for speedy recovery go out to Senator Johnson.

Justice Department Scandal Widens

So it looks like the White House urged Alberto Gonzales to fire several attorneys on political grounds. Not that this should come as a surprise, but considering that the administration first claimed that was not the case, this is more newsworthy. Gonzales now is taking responsibility for the firings yet he has refused to resign, as did his assistant Kyle Sampson.

Responsibility to these guys means saying yes we did it now let’s have a lengthy investigation until the public forgets. That is the problem. America has a collective attention span of about 30 minutes and because of that the Bush administration has been getting away with murder. People forget Bush has lied dozens of times in everything from press conferences to State of the Union speeches. Somebody has to wake America up and remind them that we have criminals at the helm of the Ship of State.

Poll Shows GOP Voters Dissatisfied With Choices For 2008

Why is this news? The GOP has long ago sold its soul to the neocons and now they are wondering why the party faithful are dissatisfied with the presidential candidates for 2008. It’s not rocket science. The GOP has strayed from its principals to court a new "base" of far right fundamentalists and neocon business types. The party of Lincoln is long dead and yet people still wonder where it went?

When Regan entered the White House the change started. The GOP became a party of more and more extreme right-wing ideologues. By pandering to the Christian fundamentalists and focusing solely on God Guns and Gays, they left their principals behind in favor of expedient political alignments. The days of fiscally conservative Republicans ended with the election of George W. Bush. Spending has exploded and it’s all going into the pockets of the businesses that got him elected. From the party of cautious fiscal policy the GOP has become the party of big pork and corruption. No wonder GOP voters feel they have no choices, they don’t!