USMil INVOLVED IN ARISTIDE'S DEPARTURE?

It seems that once again the USMil is being used to change a country's government. The only difference between Iraq and this situation is that there are no embedded reporters that covered it when USMil soldiers ushered the (at least in theory) properly elected Jean Bertrand Aristide from his home at 2 in the morning.

Oh and I have a feeling that the UN didn't approve of this little mission, either.

Also, this is how it is being reported by News.Com.Au, down in Austrailia:

US troops 'made Aristide leave'

From correspondents in Paris
March 1, 2004

HAITIAN leader Jean Bertrand Aristide was taken away from his home by US soldiers, it was claimed today.

A man who said he was a caretaker for the now exiled president told France's RTL radio station the troops forced Aristide out.

"The American army came to take him away at two in the morning," the man said.

"The Americans forced him out with weapons.

"It was American soldiers. They came with a helicopter and they took the security guards.

"(Aristide) was not happy. He did not want to be taken away. He did not want to leave. He was not able to fight against the Americans."

The RTL journalist who carried out the interview described the man as a "frightened old man, crouched in a corner" who said he was the "caretaker of the residence".

Aristide fled Haiti today in the face of an armed revolt. The United States has ordered Marines to the Caribbean state to help restore order.

Agence France-Presse

That's it. That's the whole article. Hopefully more news on this will be forthcoming. Somehow I doubt this, though...

Read the article at the News.Com.Au website for yourself.

THE "PASSION" REVIEW THAT SAYS IT ALL

One of the most frustrating things being a movie fan is sitting through Mel's The Passion of the Christ and then hearing all of these people either think it's a fine film or bag on it for it's anti-semitism. But no one seems to be talking about how it's a crappy film. It doesn't establish the world Jesus lives in. It doesn't establish character. It doesn't establish the rules that govern Jewish behavior of the time. It's irrelevant as to whether or not Mel's intention was to present these elements or not. If a gun is manufactured without the chamber in it, it is a bad gun even if it was intentionally made without a chamber. The same goes here, Mel has said he stuck to the last 12 hours and that was it. But that doesn't mean he isn't responsible for creating more than just a chain of events with little real justification for that chain not busting apart.

The other thing that is annoying the crap out of me is this odd belief that this film is somehow about love. Just showing a mom and a girlfriend crying about Jesus being crucified does not make this film about love. Showing one or 2 lines of dialogue where Jesus says "love each other" does not make this movie about love.

Finally, I found a critic that addresses these issues and feels the same way I do. Here's an excerpt from Gene Seymour's review from New York Newsday:

Where, one wonders throughout, is the "tolerance, love and forgiveness" that Gibson has promised his audience? Where, beyond some furtive snatches of backstory, is the buoyant embrace of life and hope that Christ's message represents to millions? This movie is little else besides a depiction of punishment so ruthless and unyielding that watching it unfold feels like punishment. (And what, one wonders, did we do to deserve such punishment?) It's this dour, castigating tone that, by itself, may have aroused much of the clamor preceding "Passion's" release.

The rest is along those lines. It's a very good review because it looks at the movie as just that - a movie and not some divinely created new gospel to be added to every Bible.

It's a MOVIE and it's FLAWED just like those people who created it!! Like it or not it has these flaws as a movie. Even if they're intentional, that's NO EXCUSE. I've seen a LOT of crappy films that were made crappy on purpose - THEY'RE STILL CRAPPY!

Ugh... maybe I should reinstitute the Bitch Page, after all...

Read Seymour's complete review.

GREENDALE (2003)

Entertaining? Yes, but it helps if you like Neil Young's music. It's not a bad first film, but it's not a great film, in general, sadly...
Technically any good? Very stylistic, but the extreme graininess of the film is hard to sit through. Kind of looks like it was shot on a webcam. It's also slow and it was annoying watching the actors just sitting there until the lyrics continued.
How did I feel as the credits rolled? Reasonably statisfied. It could have been much better but was interesting regardless. It's considered a musical, but really it's a string of music videos tied together with a story. He made some nice points and the story was followable, but the plot was a little thin.
Final Rating? SIYL (An interesting experiment, but really only worth it if you're a Neil Young fan or a fan of interesting experiments.)

BIN LADEN (NOT) CAPTURED?

Big surprise - as the months count down to November's presidential election in the US, there is talk that the USMil has captured Osama bin Laden and is holding him in secret until we're a little closer to the election in November. There were rumors about this kind of thing with Sadam's capture, as well. Many pointed to the fact that he was hiding in a hole that wasn't tall enough to stand in - what former leader of a nation would submit himself to that, unless he was at gunpoint?

Anyway, so after 'net rumors had suggested bin Laden was cornered several days ago, it only makes sense that similar rumors would now suggest he had been captured. Of course, the USMil and USGov is mum on the whole thing, saying that they have no information on it.

So, watch for bin Laden to be captured the next time Bush 43 really needs a distraction, or right before the election. Back on December 13, 2003, when Sadam was captured, Bush was pushing through some stealth legislation that contained pieces of the former Domestic Security Enhancement Act, aka Patriot Act 2.

Read more about these rumors at MyWay News.

Ahoy! Fill 'er Up with Unleaded!

Here's a neat pic from the news. It's a pic of some Cubans trying to escape to America in a boat they built from a car.



I didn't keep the link to the original article, but I think they got turned away by the US Coast Guard. Man, if I were them I'd have "driven" to Mexico and then snuck across the border that way. Seems like it's easier to go from Mexico to the US as opposed to going from Cuba to the US. Not that I've ever tried it, of course...

Can a Movie be Blamed for Murder?

OK, so it's not "murder" in a strict sense - more accidental death or manslaughter. But it is true - this woman in Kansas had a heart attack during a 9:30am screening of "The Passion of the Christ." She was rushed to the hospital and died.

Jeez, as an atheist, I'm not against believing in that sort of thing - but I think believing in anything THAT much is just, well, unhealthy. I mean, OBVIOUSLY, it's unhealthy!! She's dead!

What ever happened to "all things in moderation?"

Oh wait, that's the Protestants, isn't it?

Aw, hell, what do I know? I'm an atheist!!

Still, I hope Mel pays for the funeral.

WARNING: MEL'S MOVIE KILLS!

From DrudgeReport.Com:

HEART ATTACK DURING 'PASSION OF CHRIST'; WOMAN PRONOUNCED DEAD AFTER VIEWING FILM IN KANSAS

Wed Feb 25 2004 16:09:33 ET

KAKE TV in Wichita, Kansas set to report a woman, in her 50s, suffered a heart attack during a morning screening of Mel Gibson's controversial film PASSION OF THE CHRIST.

"She later died at the hospital," a station source tells the DRUDGE REPORT.

Scheduled to be lead story on the station's 5 PM news. "She went into seizure during one of the film's most dramatic moments," a station source explains.

The woman attended a 9:30am screening, first public viewing at Warren East Theaters in Wichita...

Developing...

Read more about this at the KAKE news website.

PASSION OF THE CHRIST (2004)

Entertaining? Yes.
Technically any good? This is a tough one. Fans of good movies who either aren't religious or who can separate their beliefs in Christianity from their beliefs in what makes a good movie, will probably dislike this film. It assumes the average person is well versed with the specific details of the story of the Crucifiction and fails to fill us in on anything a story is traditionally required to fill us in on. I'm fine with most of it, but there wasn't much more than the basic stuff everybody knows.How did I feel as the credits rolled? Disappointed, I was hoping to see something new and maybe even see something that made me take a second look at Christianity instead of making me thinking twice about Mel Gibson's abilities as a filmmaker. As an athiest, I have nothing against Christianity or it's stories, I just wish Mel had made a better movie.
Final Rating? SIYL (If you're a believer, you'll most likely be moved by it.)

I AM A PUBLISHER!!!

I just registered as a publisher and bought my first ten ISBNs!!! I FEEL SO OFFICIAL!!

And it only cost me $240!! :crazy:

Well, watch for a new section of ThePete.Com - ThePete.Com/Press! I'm going to be publishing my novels, short stories and comics. Woohoo!! With a little luck and a lot of effort, they'll all be available at Amazon... :laugh:

Now I just have to wait 10 days for them to give me my numbers. Then I decide precisely what projects I'm going to publish first and then RUN FOR IT!!

Like I said, I feel so official! And strangely, I feel like dancing a jig!

Sorry for the Lack of Posts!

Ugh, wow - that was odd - yesterday I ran in to some trouble with my server, but all is good now and it was really no one's fault. Basically, my file limit had been reached but I got it doubled, so all is good. I also migrated to a new version of Grey Matter - the blogging software I use. I MUST say, GM ROCKS. The migration was SO easy and the new features are very cool. I'll be posting an archive page soon and maybe old versions of my main page. Since I tweaked my site YET again, today - I thought it would be cool to look back at the old versions of my site.

Anyway, please forgive any weirdness that's may be lingering while I tweak things. Everything should be stable now, but pretty much perfect in the next day or so. Please post comments if you spot something that's not working. Thanks! :D

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE FOLKS THAT RUN NADER'S WEBSITE

Here's an email I just sent Ralph Nader's website:

On your "votenader.org" website, you have listed a FAQ that is full of holes. Please, read the following and think about my comments. They are in uppercase only to differentiate them from the text from your site. I'm not trying to yell. Honestly.

Thank you for taking the time to read the following.

----

Did Ralph cost Al Gore the election in 2000?

No.

OH REALLY?

Al Gore won the election in 2000.

WELL, WE AGREE ON SOMETHING!

George W. Bush cost Al Gore the election.

ACTUALLY, IT WAS THE SUPREME COURT AND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE'S LACK OF INTEREST IN CONTESTING/PROTESTING THE COURT'S DECISION.

No one is entitled to votes, they must be earned.

EARNED, SURE. BUT WITHOUT YOUR CANDIDATE RUNNING, THOSE VOTES NADER WOULD HAVE "EARNED" WOULD ACTUALLY DO SOME GOOD VOTING FOR A DEMOCRAT.

To say someone is a "spoiler" is to relegate all third-party and independent candidates to second class citizenship.

THEY ARE SECOND CLASS - GET REAL - IT WILL BE MANY YEARS BEFORE A THIRD PARTY CANDIDATE CAN BUILD ENOUGH MOMENTUM TO WIN THE PRESIDENCY. AND THIS IS *NOT* THE YEAR TO TRY TO BUILD TO THAT MOMENTUM.

American does not belong to two parties.

ARE YOU BLIND? DO YOU *LIVE* IN AMERICA? WHEN BUSH DELIVERS HIS WEEKLY RADIO ADDRESS, HOW MANY RESPONSES ARE THERE? JUST ONE: FROM THE DEMOCRATS.

The Constitution does not mention parties.

IT ALSO DOESN'T MENTION GAY MARRIAGES, SO WHAT?

This country had a rich history of third parties.

THAT'S GREAT, WERE ANY SUCCESSFUL AT REACHING THE WHITE HOUSE IN THIS CENTURY? WHAT ABOUT THE LAST CENTURY? (THEY DON'T COUNT IF WE'VE NEVER HEARD OF THEM.)

George W. Bush’s recount strategy in Florida cost Gore the election.

DIDN'T WE ALREADY GO OVER THIS?

The deceptive butterfly ballot, which Democratic officials approved, cost Al Gore the election.

NO. IF NADER HADN'T BEEN RUNNING THE VOTES HE "EARNED" WOULD HAVE MOST LIKELY GONE TO GORE, HELPING HIM WIN. IF NADER VOTERS DON'T HAVE NADER TO VOTE FOR, ODDS ARE, THEY WON'T ABSTAIN, RIGHT? OR ARE NADER VOTERS FAIR-WEATHER FRIENDS TO DEMOCRACY?

Katherine Harris-style purging of tens of thousands of non ex-felons from the voter roles cost the election.

THAT CERTAINLY DID HELP, BUT IF NADER HADN'T RUN, IT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN AN ISSUE. THE PURGING OF THE ROLES WOULD HAVE BEEN SEEN BY THE REPUBLICANS AS INEFFECTIVE AND PROBABLY WOULDN'T DO IT AGAIN.

A 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court stop of the recount cost Gore the election. (See Jeffrey Toobin’s book Too Close to Call).

WOW, YOU'RE SOUNDING PRETTY DEFENSIVE. MAYBE THERE'S SOMETHING TO ALL THE ACCUSATIONS THAT NADER LOST THE ELECTION FOR GORE.

Playing the "what if" game, Gore cost Gore the election in Tennessee, Arkansas, and each of the presidential debates.

WHAT "WHAT IF" GAME? (THIS IS RHETORICAL - YOU SHOULD EXPLAIN WHAT YOU MEAN BY THIS FOR PEOPLE WHO MIGHT NOT KNOW.)

Buchanan cost Bush four states (Oregon, Iowa, Wisconsin, and New Mexico).

SO, WHAT? WHAT DOES BUCHANAN HAVE TO DO WITH NADER? HE SHOULDN'T HAVE RUN EITHER - IT MIGHT HAVE HELPED BUSH LEND LEGITIMACY TO HIS "PRESIDENCY" ACTUALLY HAVING WON THE ELECTION.

Except for brief, progressive moments, such as at the convention, which helped his polls, Gore ran the usual, lackluster corporate Democratic campaign.

THAT MAY BE, BUT NADER NOT RUNNING WOULD HAVE HELPED GORE.

And they did.

AND THEY DID WHAT? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT HERE?

They voted for Bush, including more than 250,000 self-identified Democrats in Florida.

THAT'S NICE, BUT WHAT ABOUT THE PEOPLE THAT VOTED FOR NADER?

Moreover, a Democratic exit poll showed that Ralph’s votes came 25% from Republicans, 38% from Democrats, and the rest were nonvoters who would have only voted for Ralph.

SO, "THE REST" WERE PEOPLE WHO'D RATHER NOT TAKE PART IN DEMOCRACY, WASTING THEIR VOTE, JUST BECAUSE THEIR BELOVED NADER ISN'T RUNNING? DO I WANT TO TOSS IN MY VOTE WITH THESE GUYS? I DON'T THINK SO. AS FOR THE 25% OF NADER VOTERS WHO ARE REPUBLICANS, HOW DO YOU KNOW THEY WOULDN'T HAVE SWITCHED SIDES LIKE THOSE DEMOCRATS (above) DID? (CLEARLY, THEY WEREN'T GOING TO VOTE FOR BUSH.)

In other words, more than sixty percent of Ralph’s voters would NOT have voted for Gore.

40% WOULD HAVE STILL MADE A DIFFERENCE. SORRY! (WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT HERE - 100% OF NADER VOTERS WON'T GET *NADER* ELECTED, SO WHY IS HE RUNNING?)

In New Hampshire, exit polls showed that Ralph "took more votes" from Republicans than Democrats, by a 2 to 1 margin.

HOW MANY VOTES TO GORE END UP LOSING FLORIDA TO BUSH BY? A FEW HUNDRED?

CNN’s polling data said that if neither Nader nor Buchanan had run, Bush would have beat Gore 48 to 47 percent, with 4 percent who voted not voting.

AH, YES - TV NEWS POLLS - BASTIONS OF TRUTH AND REALITY EXPOSURE. DO YOU REALLY WANT TO QUOTE A TV NEWS POLL? AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN YOU SAY PEOPLE "VOTED NOT VOTING?"

------------

Don't be a child. Nader won't win. He CAN'T win! Don't let Nader be like Arnold in California and distract from the important issue. George W Bush is a liar, a warmonger and worse, a war profiteer. He is a danger to the world and Nader deflecting even a few hundred votes from a democratic contender could make a HUGE difference - as we all saw in 2000.

*All it takes is a few hundred votes!*

Please don't do this!!

-(registered) Independent Voter
(I don't like either side, but I don't want to risk another four years with Bush over taking a chance on a third party candidate.)

Comments?

OK, TERRORISTS! YOU WIN!

That's right, they do win. By King George's own judgement, they have won. Here's a quote from a Feb 21, 2004 article at the New York Times website:

An antiaircraft missile, ready for use, sits atop a federal office building near the White House. Devices that test the air for chemical and biological substances are positioned throughout the city. Subway stations are now equipped with "bomb containment" trash bins. A major highway that runs by the Pentagon is being rerouted several hundred yards away. A security wall is going up around the Washington Monument.

Day by day, the nation's capital is becoming a fortress, turning a city known for graceful beauty into a virtual armed camp. In response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, federal security agents along with their counterparts in the Washington, Maryland and Virginia governments began a huge effort to build permanent safeguards for the capital area's most important buildings and monuments.

Didn't the Bush 43 Admin tell us to go about our lives like normal? That if suddenly, we started living in fear we'd be letting the terrorists win?

Well, guess what America's capital city is doing. Living in fear.

The capital city of the strongest nation in the world is scared of terrorists.

Can you hear that rumbling? It's the sound of the founding fathers spinning madly in their graves...

Read all about El Presidente Arbusto's "ARBUSTO DEL CAMPO" at the New York Times website.

Moving in to TheKey: Book 2!

Welp, three days ago I finished up editing TheKey Book 1. I need to double space it and send it to the proofreader/editor for some merciless cutting (maybe). While that's happening, I need to work on the cover with my buddy Stew, or I might just do it myself. I have NO ideas for it beyond the original logo I made shortly after I started writing the first draft. Take a look and tell me if you think it looks like a good cover for a novel. Really, novel covers suck, anyway, so, maybe it is cool. I'd also like to do what I did for Save and have a cover that would look good as a full-size poster.

Anyway, so I've already started work on Book 2. I'm even on page 53 of roughly 250-something. I don't expect this one to get longer, since a lot of the character dynamics that I needed to better flush out in the first book don't need to be done here. There is character stuff, so the book can stand on it's own, but obviously isn't supposed to be a stand alone book. Anyway, so, it's coming along. It's after midnight as I write this on Friday night, so I'm thinking about heading home from Boba Loca. Or I might stay and write in my latest screenplay or in the short story I started last week...

There's always something for me to write.... damn it!

ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES: BET YOU DIDN'T KNOW

Hey, did you know that America waged a war against the people of the Philippines? I had heard that we had, but I knew nothing about it until I read an article by Renato Redentor Constantino, over at CommonDreams.Org. He compares the situation in Iraq to a nearly identical situation in both the Philippines and Vietnam. It's a very interesting read and even if you have heard of the war against the Philippines, you should still check it out.

In a nutshell, in 1899, through a scam with our former enemies the Spanish, we got a hold of the Philippines in the interest to secure cheap sugar for the then HUGE sugar industry. (It's still massive, it's just that other industries are bigger.) Of course, the people of the Philippines had just kicked Spain's imperial asses out and had become a democracy and didn't appreciate their new American overlords and began to fight back. The USMil came in and wiped out hundreds of thousands of people - military and civilians.

Constantino goes on to point out the absurdity of people who ask the question "Why does the world hate us so?"

Read the whole piece for yourself and learn about a 10 year war that most of us were never told about in history class.

Here's a nice Pic of the Moment for ya...

Okay, as opposed to just the goofy or sarcastic pics I usually post, here's a nice one I got from a friend of mine. I don't know where the pic was taken, but it's so cool, I'm posting it anyway. Enjoy...
{{popup balonsol.JPG balonsol 1024x768}}
Hot! Hot! Hot!!
(click to make it bigger)

If anyone knows the back story of the pic, please comment! I've got some more nice pics on the way, too...

GO, BRITT!!

Hey everybody, just wanted to make a big deal about my buddy Britt winning this bad-ass writer's fellowship. In a nutshell, they liked him and his idea so much they are flying him to New Zealand for 6 weeks! Go here to find out more:

http://fromtheheartproductions.com/writing.html

NEW ZEALAND!! WHAT A BASTARD!!

Well, we can't all be talented, handsome AND going to New Zealand!

BUSH-CHENEY: THE BAD NEWS

The below image comes to us courtesy of OnLisaReinsRadar.Com and the NBC show Meet the Press:


'Nuff Said.

Offspring of a Mean Mom

Man that kid needs to clean his room!
His toys are EVERYWHERE!

GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING (2003)

Entertaining? Yes - but it's slow.
Technically any good? The editing was a little clumsy, the music was out of place, but the cinemotography, and the acting was superb.
How did I feel as the credits rolled? Good - this was a good old fashioned good movie. No explosions, no car chases (not even a horse chase) just interesting stuff going on.
Final Rating? SIYL (This is a movie for adults.)

PAYCHECK (2003)

Entertaining? It's John Woo, so, sure. But the more American films he makes the less entertaining they get.
Technically any good? Filmmaking-wise, sure - the effects were good, editing, etc... I liked the music but not in this movie. And of course, Ben Affleck can't act without Kevin Smith in the room.
How did I feel as the credits rolled? It was fine. Not good, but not terrible. Nothing to write home about, basically...
Final Rating? DNS (nothing memorable about it)

Good News RE: Tammy's Mom

Well, as you hopefully remember from this post and this post, the mother of one of my closest friends in the world went in for brain surgery and the good news is, she's doing well. Unfortunately, she's got some sort of sinus problem which is making her recovery come slowly, but nonetheless, it is coming.

Just thought people might want to know.

DONE WITH BOOK 1 - well, almost...

OK, I finished the 2nd draft of TheKey Book 1. However, I still need to write the forward, which should only be a page or two long. I hope to do this later today. Then, it goes off to the proofreader, who is being kind enough to loo at my book for free. I have no idea how long she'll need, but when she's done with it, hopefully it won't require too many tweaks and then it'll be publishing time.

Then, it's on to book 2!! YIPPEEEEE!

Uh, yeah, anyway, started a new short story late last week and hope to add it to two other short stories, and one other I have yet to write, for a compilation of time travel-related short stories. So, that will be fun. I still need to find time to scan and edit all of my comic art and strips for publishing as well. As usual...

...so much to do!

OK, Why Do People Waste Their Time?

Well, some dickweed at 24.170.22.221 insists on posting some sort of PHP gibberish to my comments which cause my main page to malfunction completely. I don't understand why this is happening. I mean, is this guy so useless to society that he has nothing better to do than try to post crap to my site? Sites are so cheap these days, there's no need to post anything on my site when you should go get your own. I don't have time to watch dog my site every second of the day, so this is not only a waste of his time, but a waste of mine.

I've put the above IP on my list of banned IPs, so hopefully this problem will be over. Unfortunately, if this guy persists, I'll have to turn off the comments entirely, which I don't want to have to do. I think that will make this site much less fun.

I just don't get it. If I were some wickedly influential site that commanded the attention of world leaders or even TV show hosts, I could maybe understand someone wanting to mess with me.

But give me a break. I'm just trying to make the world a better place in a tiny, virtually insignificant way. Thanks for making even that difficult.

When in Westwood Visit BOBA LOCA

One of the places TheFiancee and I hang out the most at is a boba house called Boba Loca. It's a chain in LA, but the one we hang out at is the best of the bunch, for sure. Mainly because it's big, but not too big and has free wifi. It's right in the heart of Westwood Village, across from Mann's Bruin and Village theaters. It's a great, sit down and hang for a while kind of place.

So, bring your appetite for smoothies, frapps, coffees, slushes, bring your laptop but bring freshly charged batteries for your laptop because there are never enough outlets. But everything else about this place is very nearly perfect. So, when in Westwood, visit Boba Loca!

Read more about boba drinks and houses here. (You can also read some quotes from John Kim, the guy who owns/runs the place.)

I'M SO FRIGGIN' BORED!!

I've been writing about dentistry for the PAST TWO WEEKS!!! I'm SO BORED OF IT!!

AAAAARG!!

Sorry, had to vent. Don't like it? Get your own damn blog!!

TheKey, Moving Along - Title Change?

Hey there folks! Just quick update on TheKey book 1. It's coming along as usual. I'm on page 172 of 242, so as you can tell, it keeps getting longer and longer. Why it may look like I've got only 70 more pages left, don't bet on it. I still have a few more things to add. That's not to say it'll be that much longer. From where I am it's pretty stable. There isn't much I think I'll need to change. Then again, famous last words. Those of you who read the fight in the mall when TheKey was originally posted on this site have a few surprises in the final draft. So, we'll see what happens.

I'm also thinking about changing the title from "TheKey" to simply "Key". I sort of have a theme of simplistic titles of one word or less... heh, okay, one word. :D Does anyone have an opinion on which they like better? TheKey? Or just Key? I know which I prefer. Anyway, let me know...

Okay, I've got to go reply to some emails and then probably write some more junk... yippee!!

Really, I much more exited than I sound.

BUSH 43 LOVES/HATES HIS COMMISSIONS

Finally, Bush 43 has agreed to give his 911 Commission more time to hand in their report on the 911 attacks. However, he and his staff are giving that same commission reason to think that the extra two months he gave them still may not be enough time to get to the bottom of things. This is because of 360 PDBs, or "Presidential Daily Briefs" are being kept from the commission. Logically, the commission MUST see these reports to know precisely what Bush 43 knew about Al Qaeda. But the Bush 43 Admin is treating them like the formula for Coca-Cola. The catch here is, those PDBs could do a helluva lot more than just quench our thirst for the truth. They could incriminate him as either being shortsighted or completely ignorant.

If the CIA did brief Bush 43 on just how nasty Al Qaeda was and that they could try something "big" like an airplane crashing into a building, then obviously, Bush would be viewed as negligent in not doing something about this possibility. If the CIA said nothing about planes, this will look bad, as well, since the Philippine government passed on intelligence that said Al Qaeda was planning to do just that. If it says nothing at all about Al Qaeda, then CIA director George Tenet needs to be fired.

So, in the end, it's a lose-lose deal for the Bush 43 Admin. Or a lose-lose-lose deal if you think about that fun little "election" coming up in November.

Of course, this isn't the only commission Bush 43 has been treating poorly. The commission he's just appointed to investigate Iraq intelligence failings is already getting "Dicked" and "Georged" around. First off, they're modelling this panel after the Warren Commission - as Jon Stewart noted on the Daily Show last week, this is hardly a good sign, since the Warren Commission did SUCH a good job of resolving the JFK assassination. Bush 43 has also said that this commission should concentrate on the flawed prewar intelligence, this is clearly a bid to keep them from investigating he and Cheney for what they did to that intelligence.

If Bush 43 was innocent of any wrongdoing and truly wanted the facts he would put few or no specific requirements on his commission aside from one: "Tell me why I thought Saddam had WMD."

Of course, we know why he thought Saddam had WMD. He's just like Fox Mulder on The X-Files - He wanted to believe.

Of course, Fox Mulder is a fictional character.

In a side note, apparently, Rumsfeld said last week to the Senate that while he did say in reference to Iraqi WMD "We know where they are" he didn't mean the weapons themselves but in fact just the weapons sites...

Read MSNBC's coverage of the 911 Commission getting "George and Dicked" around.

Read the Chicago Tribune's coverage of the the Iraqi Intelligence Commission.

BUSH 43 LOVES/HATES HIS COMMISSIONS

Finally, Bush 43 has agreed to give his 911 Commission more time to hand in their report on the 911 attacks. However, he and his staff are giving that same commission reason to think that the extra two months he gave them still may not be enough time to get to the bottom of things. This is because of 360 PDBs, or "Presidential Daily Briefs" are being kept from the commission. Logically, the commission MUST see these reports to know precisely what Bush 43 knew about Al Qaeda. But the Bush 43 Admin is treating them like the formula for Coca-Cola. The catch here is, those PDBs could do a helluva lot more than just quench our thirst for the truth. They could incriminate him as either being shortsighted or completely ignorant.

If the CIA did brief Bush 43 on just how nasty Al Qaeda was and that they could try something "big" like an airplane crashing into a building, then obviously, Bush would be viewed as negligent in not doing something about this possibility. If the CIA said nothing about planes, this will look bad, as well, since the Philippine government passed on intelligence that said Al Qaeda was planning to do just that. If it says nothing at all about Al Qaeda, then CIA director George Tenet needs to be fired.

So, in the end, it's a lose-lose deal for the Bush 43 Admin. Or a lose-lose-lose deal if you think about that fun little "election" coming up in November.

Of course, this isn't the only commission Bush 43 has been treating poorly. The commission he's just appointed to investigate Iraq intelligence failings is already getting "Dicked" and "Georged" around. First off, they're modelling this panel after the Warren Commission - as Jon Stewart noted on the Daily Show last week, this is hardly a good sign, since the Warren Commission did SUCH a good job of resolving the JFK assassination. Bush 43 has also said that this commission should concentrate on the flawed prewar intelligence, this is clearly a bid to keep them from investigating he and Cheney for what they did to that intelligence.

If Bush 43 was innocent of any wrongdoing and truly wanted the facts he would put few or no specific requirements on his commission aside from one: "Tell me why I thought Saddam had WMD."

Of course, we know why he thought Saddam had WMD. He's just like Fox Mulder on The X-Files - He wanted to believe.

Of course, Fox Mulder is a fictional character.

I'M PUBLISHED! (well, technically...)

Well, lookie here, I done made myself a book! It's not a full-on NOVEL yet, but instead it's short story I wrote along with a screenplay I wrote based on the short story. So, you get a bit of prose and a screenplay for your hard earned cash.

Now, it's not on Amazon yet, but give me 2-4 weeks, I have to buy the ISBN, do a new cover (with the UPC code on it), do a bunch of "paper" work and kiss Amazon's ass a bit (probably) and then it will be listed there. BUT, in the meantime, if you want to show your TRUE love for me (or just support me a little), you can buy it directly from the printer for just $13!! Click on the pic to do it.

BE WARNED!! "SAVE" is a very disturbing and bloody story. If you have a vivid imagination and a weak stomach, you will probably be made sick by the descriptions. And there are also swear words or "strong language" that might turn people off, too. (This means you, Mom & Dad!) But the rest of you shouldn't be afraid of a little gore... (Actually, the screenplay is extremely grotesque. Of course, this is why I am publishing it because no Hollywood producer has the spine to produce it!)

Anyway, more to come on this front. I'm also working on some other publishing projects, not just TheKey, either. Incidentally, Book 1 is coming along slowly but surely. I'm coming up on page 160. The thing just keeps getting longer and longer! But I've got comics on the way and other prose projects as well. Watch this space for more info!

RUMSFELD SEZ WMD COULD STILL BE FOUND - BUT BY WHO?

In a February 4, 2004 article over at the Mercury News website, good old Donald "Yummy Rummy" Rumsfeld is quoted as saying that weapons inspectors need more time to find the WMD. If the obvious irony in that statement isn't enough for you, there's the added irony that according to a January 7, 2004 article at the New York Times website, the 400-strong military team that had been charged with finding the WMD has "quietly been withdrawn." Granted, there is still a team of 1400 in Iraq whose job it is to dispose of WMD, but they're not likely to have much work now that the 400 guys looking aren't even in the country any more.

Of course, any time Rummy tries to explain away concerns about how the USMil has yet to score any WMD, I am reminded of certain statements he had made concerning how easy it was supposed to be to find these WMD. The following is taken directly from a transcript available at the DoD. It's a transcript of an interview he gave to George Stephanopoulos. Check it out:

MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Finally, weapons of mass destruction. Key goal of the military campaign is finding those weapons of mass destruction. None have been found yet. There was a raid on the Answar Al-Islam Camp up in the north last night. A lot of people expected to find ricin there. None was found. How big of a problem is that? And is it curious to you that given how much control U.S. and coalition forces now have in the country, they haven't found any weapons of mass destruction?

SEC. RUMSFELD: Not at all. If you think -- let me take that, both pieces -- the area in the south and the west and the north that coalition forces control is substantial. It happens not to be the area where weapons of mass destruction were dispersed. We know where they are. They're in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat.

In fact, while I'm at it, while researching this post, I stumbled across a tidy list of Bush 43 Admin lies regarding the WMD in Iraq. Here are just the first ten:

Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction.

Dick Cheney
Speech to VFW National Convention
August 26, 2002


Right now, Iraq is expanding and improving facilities that were used for the production of biological weapons.

George W. Bush
Speech to UN General Assembly
September 12, 2002


If he declares he has none, then we will know that Saddam Hussein is once again misleading the world.

Ari Fleischer
Press Briefing
December 2, 2002


We know for a fact that there are weapons there.

Ari Fleischer
Press Briefing
January 9, 2003


Our intelligence officials estimate that Saddam Hussein had the materials to produce as much as 500 tons of sarin, mustard and VX nerve agent.

George W. Bush
State of the Union Address
January 28, 2003


We know that Saddam Hussein is determined to keep his weapons of mass destruction, is determined to make more.

Colin Powell
Remarks to UN Security Council
February 5, 2003


We have sources that tell us that Saddam Hussein recently authorized Iraqi field commanders to use chemical weapons -- the very weapons the dictator tells us he does not have.

George W. Bush
Radio Address
February 8, 2003


If Iraq had disarmed itself, gotten rid of its weapons of mass destruction over the past 12 years, or over the last several months since (UN Resolution) 1441 was enacted, we would not be facing the crisis that we now have before us . . . But the suggestion that we are doing this because we want to go to every country in the Middle East and rearrange all of its pieces is not correct.

Colin Powell
Interview with Radio France International
February 28, 2003


So has the strategic decision been made to disarm Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction by the leadership in Baghdad? . . . I think our judgment has to be clearly not.

Colin Powell
Remarks to UN Security Council
March 7, 2003


Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised.

George W. Bush
Address to the Nation
March 17, 2003

Find the rest here - the list is pretty impressive.

Read the article in which Yummy Rummy Mummy tries to explain away the USMil's lack of WMD.

Read the New York Times article that reports on the 400 member WMD searcher team being "quietly" pulled out of Iraq.

Read the rest of Rummy's comments to George Stephanopoulos.

CYNICAL BUT PROBABLY ACCURATE: SENATOR SEZ: BIN LADEN CAUGHT IN TIME FOR ELECTION

Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is a Republican even I can get behind. In an article that tries it's best to hide Grassley's cynicism at The Hill website, Grassley says that not only does he expect to see the US capture bin Laden by the November 2, 2004 election, but he doesn't even bother with attending "secret" CIA intelligence briefings because they don't tell him anything he hasn't already read in the papers.

From the article:

Grassley, who’s an overwhelming favorite to win a fifth term in November, declined to say why he’s so confident that bin Laden will be brought to justice. But it certainly didn’t come from one of those secret CIA briefings.

“I think it’s legitimate for me to question all of our intelligence information because that I never learned anything from those briefings that I hadn’t learned in the newspapers. If they don’t know anything more than they’re telling us, what’s the use of having an intelligence agency, and why bother to brief us?”

Wow, this guy is so cool, I can't believe he's still a Repubilican. You'd think he'd go indy with Jefferds before continuing to be associated with a party that is as full of crap as he seems to think.

Read the full article at The Hill website.

Green Stuff on Mars???

Okay, I'm no scientist and I'm sure there's a logical, scientific explanation that explains this as anything but what it looks like to me, BUT:

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WTF??
Click on it to make it bigger

The above image is said to be a true color picture of the middle of the crater one of those NASA rovers landed in on Mars. The cross hairs are from the rover-thingy, I didn't put them in.

Like I said, I'm sure there's a logical explanation why something that looks a shitload like moss would be on Mars in a crater. If anyone knows what that explanation is, please let me know...

For more on this click here.

In the meantime... WTF!

PROOF OF ELECTRONIC VOTING HACKABILITY

Well, check this out: All these guys going on and on about how completely vulnerable the new electronic voting machines are have actually got proof to back up their concerns now. The following is from a January 31, 2004 article in the New York Times reproduced over at Cryptome.org:

When the State of Maryland hired a computer security firm to test its new machines, these paid hackers had little trouble casting multiple votes and taking over the machines' vote-recording mechanisms. The Maryland study shows convincingly that more security is needed for electronic voting, starting with voter-verified paper trails.

There's a lot more to read about it. But first off, you should hit BlackBoxVoting.Com for the latest on efforts in American to force voting to go digital. (That site is against it.) You might want to head over to Cryptome.Org's page on electronic voting - they've got a STACK of articles about this stuff and they're all from the NYT. Guess it must be true, huh?

Janet Jackson's Right Breast - The Least of Our Worries

When Bush took us to war and broke International Law, no one even mentioned it. When the news covered scenes of death and destruction in Iraq, the FCC didn't seem to mind. When it came out that intelligence that led to the Iraq Attack was wrong, there was discussion, but little else.

We've got much more important things to worry about than this:

No WMD, no Osama, blatant liar in the White House... yeah, let's worry about a breast during family hour. War is fine, but one SINGLE breast? You could barely even see the nipple...

BUT IT WAS PIERCED!!

Oh, shut up...

Another weekend gone, but...

Wow, I got a lot done this weekend! Yesterday, I did a bunch of stuff around the house and today I did a bunch of stuff on the site. I swapped the sidebar over to the left and added the new popover windows for my comics. I also changed the Media of the Moment to display just one item instead of three. This will mean more turnover. Oh and check out Chloe Annett from Red Dwarf in TheBeauty@ThePete.Com section! (The icon is in the upper right hand corner of the page!)

I also made a bunch of other random tweaks here and there. I hope you all like them and find them to be helpful in enjoying the site more. Please feel free to comment if there's anything you like/dislike or if you have any ideas for improvements.

Oh and here's a pic just so you don't have to stare at James Brown's UGLY MUG shot as much:


KITTY!

Ahhhh....