every sperm is sacred . . .

wow!!! this was just the sort of humor that i was looking for– everything is so serious lately– just makes you wonder why these guys don’t lighten up with a good sense of humor– lester obviously has one– from 012406 white house press briefing

Q Scott, a two-part. With regard to reports of the President meeting with Secretary Rumsfeld, considering the just concluded fast of an Episcopal Navy chaplain, why hasn’t the President, as Commander-in-Chief, ordered the United States Navy to stop any action whatsoever against Christian chaplains who mention Christ, Jewish chaplains who mention God, and Muslim chaplains who mention Mohammed?

MR. McCLELLAN: I don’t know that I agree with your characterization. I think you ought to look at what the Department has said about this very issue.

Q I have looked.

MR. McCLELLAN: And look at what I said about this just a couple — I think two or three weeks ago. We strongly support the ability of our men and women in uniform to worship as they choose. And we support military chaplains; they provide a lot of important contributions to our men and women in uniform, and those are important contributions.

Q Yesterday, the President, in his phone call to the March for Life, said this, and this is a quote: “These principles call us to defend the sick and dying, persons with disabilities and birth defects, all who are weak and vulnerable, especially unborn children” — which category means, of course, from conception, when they’re invisible. And my question: Does this statement mean that the President also believes that unconceived, as well as unborn children, consisting of living, moving human sperm and egg, also deserve the right to life, rather than being killed by contraception?

MR. McCLELLAN: I think the President has made his views very clear when it comes to the issues of life. This President has worked to build a culture of life in America. He will continue working to build upon those efforts. And that’s the way I would describe it.

Q How does he feel on contraception? Is he opposed to contraception, or not?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, the position he has taken is that when it comes to educational programs for teens, we ought to be spending at least as much as we do on teen contraception programs on abstinence programs. And that’s what we have worked to do.

Q But he does believe in birth control, right?

MR. McCLELLAN: That’s what the President has talked about and said.

george, where’s osama???

and to think i had been in such a peaceful mood– this idiot is just busting ass, isn’t he– almost makes you think we should bomb a couple more countries, huh??? boy, another terrorist attack would sure boost george’s poll ratings! sometimes i think he and george are sitting in a back room polishing the bottles and playing checkers– i wonder if they have searched the white house for this fool yet?

probably will piss some off for posting this, but reading it pissed me off enough to post it–

george, where’s osama???

Jan 19, 5:00 PM (ET)
By The Associated Press

The following is the full text of a new audiotape from al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. Parts of the tape were aired on Al-Jazeera television, which published the entire version on its Web site. The text was translated from the Arabic by The Associated Press.

Bin Laden appears to be addressing the American people:
My message to you is about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and how to end them. I did not intend to speak to you about this because this issue has already been decided. Only metal breaks metal, and our situation, thank God, is only getting better and better, while your situation is the opposite of that.

But I plan to speak about the repeated errors your President Bush has committed in comments on the results of your polls that show an overwhelming majority of you want the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. But he (Bush) has opposed this wish and said that withdrawing troops sends the wrong message to opponents, that it is better to fight them (bin Laden’s followers) on their land than their fighting us (Americans) on our land.

I can reply to these errors by saying that war in Iraq is raging with no let-up, and operations in Afghanistan are escalating in our favor, thank God, and Pentagon figures show the number of your dead and wounded is increasing not to mention the massive material losses, the destruction of the soldiers’ morale there and the rise in cases of suicide among them. So you can imagine the state of psychological breakdown that afflicts a soldier as he gathers the remains of his colleagues after they stepped on land mines that tore them apart. After this situation the soldier is caught between two hard options. He either refuses to leave his military camp on patrols and is therefore dogged by ruthless punishments enacted by the Vietnam Butcher (U.S. army) or he gets destroyed by the mines. This puts him under psychological pressure, fear and humiliation while his nation is ignorant of that (what is going on). The soldier has no solution except to commit suicide. That is a strong message to you, written by his soul, blood and pain, to save what can be saved from this hell. The solution is in your hands if you care about them (the soldiers).

The news of our brother mujahideen (holy warriors) is different from what the Pentagon publishes. They (the news of mujahideen) and what the media report is the truth of what is happening on the ground. And what deepens the doubt over the White House’s information is the fact that it targets the media reporting the truth from the ground. And it has appeared lately, supported by documents, that the butcher of freedom in the world (Bush) had decided to bomb the headquarters of the Al-Jazeera in Qatar after bombing its offices in Kabul and Baghdad.

On another issue, jihad (holy war) is ongoing, thank God, despite all the oppressive measures adopted by the U.S Army and its agents (which is) to a point where there is no difference between this criminality and Saddam’s criminality, as it has reached the degree of raping women and taking them as hostages instead of their husbands.

As for torturing men, they have used burning chemical acids and drills on their joints. And when they give up on (interrogating) them, they sometimes use the drills on their heads until they die. Read, if you will, the reports of the horrors in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo prisons.

And I say that, despite all the barbaric methods, they have not broken the fierceness of the resistance. The mujahideen, thank God, are increasing in number and strength – so much so that reports point to the ultimate failure and defeat of the unlucky quartet of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz. Declaring this defeat is just a matter of time, depending partly on how much the American people know of the size of this tragedy. The sensible people realize that Bush does not have a plan to make his alleged victory in Iraq come true.

And if you compare the small number of dead on the day that Bush announced the end of major operations in that fake, ridiculous show aboard the aircraft carrier with the tenfold number of dead and wounded who were killed in the smaller operations, you would know the truth of what I say. This is that Bush and his administration do not have the will or the ability to get out of Iraq for their own private, suspect reasons.

And so to return to the issue, I say that results of polls please those who are sensible, and Bush’s opposition to them is a mistake. The reality shows that the war against America and its allies has not been limited to Iraq as he (Bush) claims. Iraq has become a point of attraction and restorer of (our) energies. At the same time, the mujahideen (holy warriors), with God’s grace, have managed repeatedly to penetrate all security measures adopted by the unjust allied countries. The proof of that is the explosions you have seen in the capitals of the European nations who are in this aggressive coalition. The delay in similar operations happening in America has not been because of failure to break through your security measures. The operations are under preparation and you will see them in your homes the minute they are through (with preparations), with God’s permission.

Based on what has been said, this shows the errors of Bush’s statement – the one that slipped from him – which is at the heart of polls calling for withdrawing the troops. It is better that we (Americans) don’t fight Muslims on their lands and that they don’t fight us on ours.

We don’t mind offering you a long-term truce on fair conditions that we adhere to. We are a nation that God has forbidden to lie and cheat. So both sides can enjoy security and stability under this truce so we can build Iraq and Afghanistan, which have been destroyed in this war. There is no shame in this solution, which prevents the wasting of billions of dollars that have gone to those with influence and merchants of war in America who have supported Bush’s election campaign with billions of dollars – which lets us understand the insistence by Bush and his gang to carry on with war.

f you (Americans) are sincere in your desire for peace and security, we have answered you. And if Bush decides to carry on with his lies and oppression, then it would be useful for you to read the book “Rogue State,” which states in its introduction: “If I were president, I would stop the attacks on the United States: First I would give an apology to all the widows and orphans and those who were tortured. Then I would announce that American interference in the nations of the world has ended once and for all.”

Finally, I say that war will go either in our favor or yours. If it is the former, it means your loss and your shame forever, and it is headed in this course. If it is the latter, read history! We are people who do not stand for injustice and we will seek revenge all our lives. The nights and days will not pass without us taking vengeance like on Sept. 11, God permitting. Your minds will be troubled and your lives embittered. As for us, we have nothing to lose. A swimmer in the ocean does not fear the rain. You have occupied our lands, offended our honor and dignity and let out our blood and stolen our money and destroyed our houses and played with our security and we will give you the same treatment.

You have tried to prevent us from leading a dignified life, but you will not be able to prevent us from a dignified death. Failing to carry out jihad, which is called for in our religion, is a sin. The best death to us is under the shadows of swords. Don’t let your strength and modern arms fool you. They win a few battles but lose the war. Patience and steadfastness are much better. We were patient in fighting the Soviet Union with simple weapons for 10 years and we bled their economy and now they are nothing.

In that there is a lesson for you.

martin . . . .

if man hasn’t discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.

06/23/63
MLKjr

i had been wanting to put up a note on monday to honor martin luther king jr. but one thing led to another and i just didn’t get around to it– i’m sure martin would have understood–

however, i have to state that martin luther king jr day left me feeling as a spectator looking at a baseball game through the crack of a clap-board fence– emotions for me on that day were primarily frustration, sadness and despair–

don’t misunderstand me, i believe martin luther king jr was a great man– he was a man following the christian god with his heart and his soul– he selflessly gave of himself to millions and paid the ultimate sacrifice– yet, i found it unbelievably ironic that so many people across the country, were celebrating martin luther king jr and talking about the strides and achievements that had been made by the black race in our country, while at the same time, our government is in the process of considering eminent domain in some of the sections of new orleans that were devastated by hurricane katrina–

the whole katrina catastrophe and the abyss between the races, which was exposed in a way that no one should ever deny, continues to make a joke of what martin luther king jr strove for all his life– in thirty-eight years we should have come so much further than where we are today– our country has ignored the continued segregation which goes on within our cities and allowed the barriers of presumed class to divide us even further—

a lot of the media have reacted strongly to mayor nagin’s comments about making new orleans a “chocolate” city again and although i don’t think the words were chosen carefully (and then again, maybe they were chosen very carefully), a white mayor wouldn’t have to refer to a city becoming a “vanilla” city/ most cities are already viewed in this way– “vanilla”/ “white” is everywhere– the problem is white eyes cannot see this, nor do white people understand the way that they push their whiteness upon all other races– new orleans had been thought of by the mayor and possibly by the residents of new orleans as a “chocolate” city and what he is really implying in his statement is that he wants the city to return to its original state before the hurricane– of course it remains to be seen whether or not this will actually be the case—

the media also were reacting to a statement made by senator clinton at a speech given in harlem– i had the unfortunate opportunity to hear the mike gallagher show this week (my wife, kathleen puts the radio on for background noise)– i changed the station to an fm classic rock but not before the damage had been done– mike kept repeating a quote of senator clinton’s– “when you look at the way the house of representatives has been run, it has been run like a plantation, and you know what i’m talking about,” and yet he also kept cutting the clip off so the listener didn’t hear the whole clip. in addition to cutting the quote short, mike also did not give any indication of the crowds reaction– the crowd assembled reacted very positively– to me attitudes like mike’s are only adding more friction to race relations that are already strained for nobody’s gain but his own– pathetic–

a solution? personally i see no solution to the race problem in our country at this time– as long as we live segregated in our own little “black” and “white” (chocolate and vanilla) communities, relations will be strained– i know the idea is repugnant to many from both races yet the only hope that i personally see for the future is the two races blending to eventually become one– perhaps then we will live in a strawberry world–

. . . as i walk through
this wicked world
searchin’ for light in the darkness of insanity.

i ask myself
is all hope lost?
is there only pain and hatred and misery?

and each time i feel like this inside,
there’s one thing i wanna know:
what’s so funny ’bout peace love & understanding? . . .

nick lowe

what’s important? peace and love

“god is a concept by which we measure our pain” john lennon

one good move recently had a video clip showing richard dawkins, a scientist (who happens to be an atheist) having a confrontation with ted haggard a pastor with the new life church in colorado springs, colorado— an excellent clip– an extended version can be found at tauquil.com. it appears that our good president regularly consults with this man– wow!!! that is scary. i think pat robertson is way out there but ted haggard definitely has pat beat– put it this way, pat is around saturn, ted . . . is in another galaxy—

i have always wondered that if two separate tests were given to american individuals, one on a 9th grade science level and one about religion, how the two tests would differ in results– i suspect that most individuals would do better on a test about religion having most likely been raised in a household where some form of christian religion was mentioned at least once a week–

i have never liked science and only managed to squeak through general biology in college– and . . . in contrast i have always found religion interesting, yet i have never wanted to get involved personally– like a lot of folks, the contradictions within and without the holy building were just a little too much for me— not to mention that the majority of people seem to miss the main point that jesus, mohammed, gotama buddha and not that he was holy, but john lennon also, were making—

if in fact most individuals are somewhat similar to me (scary thought for them), then could that explain a recent resurgence in christian fundamentalism? not to be cruel, but to put it simply, maybe evolution is just to much for most americans to grasp, yet the idea of a god performing invitro fertilization on the “virgin” mary is (zip zap just like taking a crap) no problem— not to be cruel, but to put it simply, maybe most americans would rather believe in blind faith over scientific facts– not to be cruel, but to put it simply, maybe most americans, like our fearless leader, are just plain stupid–

well let’s pray . . . . well, hope “that there’s intelligent life somewhere up in space, ‘cause there’s bugger all down here on earth” eric idle

what would maxwell smart say?

missed it by that much . . .

“’Zawahiri’ strike sparks protest

A missile strike apparently targeting al-Qaeda’s deputy leader in a village in Pakistan has prompted Islamabad to protest to its American allies.”

full story at bbc

category IV (less than zero?)

“calling mr. oswald with the swastika tattoo
there is a vacancy waiting . . .” elvis costello

an article by fred kaplan on slate showed the following anticipated information–

“Three months ago, I wrote that the war in Iraq was wrecking the U.S. Army, and since then the evidence has only mounted, steeply. Faced with repeated failures to meet its recruitment targets, the Army has had to lower its standards dramatically. First it relaxed restrictions against high-school drop-outs. Then it started letting in more applicants who score in the lowest third on the armed forces aptitude test—a group, known as Category IV recruits, who have been kept to exceedingly small numbers, as a matter of firm policy, for the past 20 years. (There is also a Category V—those who score in the lowest 10th percentile. They have always been ineligible for service in the armed forces and, presumably, always will be.)”

you know, if i could shave a couple of years off my age they might even take me now– i tried to get in the navy back in 1985 (be a man, see the world) but they dropped me back off at the check-in point with a folder that had odd letters stamped repeatedly on the cover– FUCKINGNUTS and ALTDL—

hey, if these guys and gals aren’t as good as the normal troops, do we have to supply them with body armor and do we have to support them too? maybe half a yellow ribbon will do?

the entire story can be found here

GI Schmo- How low can the Army go

new orleans k-y exposition continues

as i wrote on the 3oth of september, it now looks like the vultures have come to feed in new orleans– of course, i’m sure the government will do all in their power to help the good folks of new orleans return– right–

the following story “new orleans plan angers residents” is on the bbc

scotty really would make a good nazi–

i haven’t had a chance to get much up here lately– i have been fighting with the machine– but i just read this and can’t believe it– those damn democrats!!! don’t they know how to behave in public!!! perhaps scotty thinks they should all be exterminated–

Q Scott, in your statement yesterday, “It is unfortunate for the American people to see such an ugly side of Washington during the hearings for our nation’s highest court.” Which senator, if any, would you say was uglier than Senator Kennedy?

MR. McCLELLAN: Les, a couple of things, first of all. Judge Alito has shown over the course of the last week to the American people that he is a brilliant, honorable and decent, open-minded and fair jurist. He is someone who will represent the American people well on our nation’s highest court. He is someone we can all be proud of.
And I think the American people have come to see that, particularly over the course of the last week as he openly and straightforwardly answered numerous, hundreds of questions that came before him. And we urge the Senate to move — the committee to move forward quickly on voting on his confirmation, and then the full Senate to move forward quickly on getting him confirmed so that he can get in place. And we appreciate Senator Specter’s commitment to continue moving forward in a prompt manner.
And in terms of some of what occurred this week, I think that we have already talked about that. It’s unfortunate that the American people had to see those kind of personal attacks injected into our confirmation process for the Supreme Court. I think that the American people expect better from their elected leaders. It started off, largely, in a dignified way. And I think yesterday you saw that some of the senators probably that you’re referencing recognized that they probably had gone too far and they backed away from some of their behavior of the previous day.

Q In other words, you can’t think of anyone uglier, can you, than Kennedy? And I want to go to a second question. Given Vice President Cheney’s recent health problems, the President has given thought as to who should replace him should he become incapacitated, hasn’t he?

MR. McCLELLAN: The Vice President is doing a great job and the President looks forward to continuing to work with him for the next three years.

amazing turn of events!!! one anal orifice recognizes another!!!

i have always been wary of organized religion but during my forty-six years on this orbiting rock i have thrown wariness out the door and viewed televangelists with complete distrust and disgust. jim and tammy baker were probably the most sensational with their scandals, fraud (and make-up) and jimmy swaggart’s sexual diversions sure raised a few eyebrows, but when it comes to shear stupidity i do believe that pat robertson can very easily win the anal orifice award.

not only does this fool publicly weigh in on who he thinks should be assassinated, pat robertson now has stated that he believes that prime minister ariel sharons’ stroke was caused by divine intervention in reaction to the separation of land (the gaza strip) from the state of israel.

to further compound pat’s foolishness and apparent lack of a tenuous grip with modern thought, the bush administration has come out publicly stating that even they believe pat is inappropriate. imagine that. one anal orifice acknowledging another. there is obviously no need for debate on the matter.

pat, you are an anal orifice.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200601050004

david and o’lielly cont.

how can someone like bill o’reilly be so simplistic and not realize the hypocrisy that he embraces when our troops are referred to as noble and the “terrorists” are referred to as terrorists? to a lot of the iraqi people the terrorists probably are considered to be “freedom fighters” that are fighting an occupying force. we are probably considered by many iraqi people to be the invading country that is terrorizing them. it’s a war!!! just because we support our troops doesn’t mean that we should be naive about what is taking place in iraq.

remember the shock and awe??? remember how we watched the nightly news and remarked how it looked like the 4th of july fireworks? do you think maybe we blew up a couple of women and children? do you think maybe we have killed some iraqi people that were fleeing from the destruction which we caused? have you seen the pictures online of the iraqi people (men, women and children) that we have carelessly killed and maimed with white phosphorous and napalm?

people like bill o’reilly should realize that it is american to protest our actions in iraq and it is american to see the reality of the war. yes, we have to support our troops and pray for their safe and timely return but we should never fool ourselves with illusions of nobility and righteousness.