Opportunities

Wow. I can’t begin to understand how someone’s interest in financial gain could so completely outweight their interest in the human artistic record. I can’t imagine that there is a person so cold-hearted in the world as to actually buy this painting from the thieves who took it. I imagine it’s ransom they’re after. Shitheads. I hope they get cold sores.

the story

The Cheneys (he and she) have weighed in on John Kerrys recent remarks to a group of minority journalists that

“I believe I can fight a more effective, more thoughtful, more strategic, more proactive, more sensitive war on terror that reaches out to other nations and brings them to our side.”

She said it sounded foolish, and he said that “The men who beheaded Daniel Pearl and Paul Johnson will not be impressed by our sensitivity.”

With all due respect to the Vice-President (ah, who the fuck am I kidding, I’ve got no respect at all for that shit-head), Senator Kerry was not suggesting – as is patently obvious to anyone with half a brain reading the quote – that we behave toward al-Qaeda with more sensitivity. What Senator Kerry said – what his actual words said – was that if we act with more sensitivity toward the views and concerns of other potential allies (France and Germany leap to mind), then we will have a better understanding of the problem, a better understanding of how to deal with it, and some fucking friends left in the world no matter what happens. I mean just, duh.

Or as Kerry’s spokesman said:

“‘If you continue with a foreign policy when you’re arrogant, it makes it harder to hunt down terrorists,’ Singer said. ‘Arrogance leaves us isolated.'”

Can we just fast forward to November and vote these criminals out of office? Now?

This is what Retired Gen. Tommy Franks just said about Bush’s idiotic “Mission Accomplished” speech back in May of 2003.

“That’s my fault, that George W. Bush said what he said on the first of May of last year, just because I asked him to,” said Franks, former commander of forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Does that make any of you feel better? I know it does me. “Just because I asked him to,” he says. Brings something to mind about friends and jumping off bridges.

Bill Gates in an interview with The Associated Press on Aug. 6th regarding Windows XP Service Pack 2:
“If we weren’t viewing this as such a key priority, then we wouldn’t be giving it away as a free thing,”

I mean really. The punk has spent the last ten years or so beating the shit out of the entire concept of Open Source software (free), and this is what he says about the latest Windows update? What a shitbag.

It is not surprising that when Bill O’Reilly invited Jeremy Glick – who’s father was killed on 9-11 – to appear on his show, things got heated. Glick had signed an ad put out by “Not In Our Name,” opposing the US war in Iraq. He made his points quickly as O’Reilly beat him down and told him to “shut up.”

After continuing to lie and attack Glick over the next few months, Lawrence Lessig decided to write O’Reilly a letter. Check out Lessig’s blog, letter and excerpt from “Outfoxed,” which replays the encounter and details the situation.

Was it a totally unintentional coincidence (as I claimed) that I rented the movie “Babe” for the kids to watch last night? Was it simply because I love the movie? The sweet message of acceptance, love, and communication is easily reason enough for renting it, but was there more to it than just that? More than there has been in the past? Could it have had anything at all to do with today’s trip to Pennyslvania for Julie’s Uncle Tom’s annual pig roast? I’m sure that the thought never crossed my mind.

That’ll do pig. That’ll do.

Adjusting to life in Maryland is not the smoothest piece of work I’ve ever sunk myself in to. The issues with in-laws are sorting themselves out. I’ve had a few job interviews. Things are proceeding apace. Now, if only the Passat that we bought new 2 1/2 years ago – with the idea that we’d spend less in repairs if we had a new car – hadn’t just killed itself, we’d be sitting pretty.

Yeah, that’s right: Dead. Apparently it needs a new engine. Well fine then…I guess I’ll just take that $5000 we had saved away and…oh yeah, that’s right. We don’t HAVE $5000 dollars. Fucking fuck. Well, thank goodness the warranty is…hmmmm? Excuse me? Did you just say that the warrany is actually void becaussssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss…………….

{sound of white noise immediately preceeding my head exploding}

Across the U.S., awareness is rising about the dangers of paperless electronic voting and the need for election integrity. Rallies nationwide on July 13 will deliver petitions to top election officials in each state and ask state election officials to Sign a pledge.

Check out locations for your area.

Two jobs loom in my headlights. One that I’m really excited about, and another that I’ll tolerate. Actually, I’m sort of excited about both, but I’ve been told “I’ll call you early next week,” for over a month now and I’m just about done with it. Since all (none) of you who read this blog are surely on pins and needles about what I’m going to do, I’ll be sure to let you know what happens.

In other news, a life of leisure is dreamy, to be sure, but wasted when lived with the parents of one’s partner.

We’ve arrived at Julie’s folks house in Maryland. It sucks. I didn’t think it was going to suck this much – or in quite this way – but make no mistake: it sucks. What’s that sound you hear? That’ll be me drinking.

Well, at least it seems to suck for them too!