Wednesday back again. Endless cycle of in and out. I am debating trying to get Wednesday taken out of my week. Six days seem so much better. Hump day just means I still have three days of work left. It is not even my middle.

I listened mostly to rock and roll radio today. I tried to stay away from talk. I am simply very tired of having to defend myself and my view points to people. You would think, based on people’s reactions, that I am some sort of frontal lobe troglodyte or some mental midget. That I am a cave man with long, greasy, brown hair dragging women into a cave to force into their reproductive role all while killing any one who is different. Other than barbecue that is just not true. Everyone has their own take on reality. This depends on where they come from, what they have done, what has been done to them, where they get their information, what they are willing to believe, what their interests are and so on and so on and so on. Why does everyone want to simplify it down. Why does everyone have to have everything and anything as easy as possible.

There is an auction going on in New York from May 19th - 20th . Many of Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio’s personal items will be on the bidding block. I am NOT a big baseball fan. The closest I get to liking baseball are drunk afternoons at Fenway Park and chuckling over the frozen head of Ted Williams. I have a lot of respect for DiMaggio though. Right in the middle of not only his fabulous baseball career but also WWII he enlisted in the Army. They are auctioning off his dog tags. They are from either 1943 or 1944 and the starting bid is $5,000. He wasn’t drafted. He enlisted. There is something to be said about a man in a successful career that probably could have avoided the war entirely who chooses to defend his country. Was it Vietnam that ruined that? Or was it the easy way out apathy that is propagated ad infinitum with generation after generation. We have become a pathetic nation of selfish beasts. My hat is tipped to any man in the service. Contact me and I will buy you a drink. I have more respect for one man in the services than I do a whole planet of Cindy Sheehans. By the way she is too busy to buy her son a gravestone. She is too busy hob knobbing with politicians and buying her new car. She is an ungrateful BITCH! Just ask her ex-husband, I am sure he will agree.

I am just picking stuff out of Time magazine (the magazine I have subscribed to since 1997, that I read cover to cover) as I haven’t done that in awhile. Someone recently accused me of not reading it at all even though about once a month I do one of these “Time” essays.

Something else of interest that was on the Notebook page along with the DiMaggio snippet was a brief mention of the cannabis rally on April 20th University of Colorado. Campus security, under the guise of trespassing laws, took photographs of students attending the rally. They then posted the photos on line and offered a fifty dollar reward for their identities. To think that people are bitching and complaining more about a data bank of numbers that has been blown out of proportion as opposed to this. We collectively have our heads so far up our asses that we are choking on our pompadours.

Time did ten questions with Mary Cheney and it was done SOOOOO much better than the asinine Primetime interview with Diane “I’m An Idiot” Sawyer. I think she sums up the bigger person point of view with the statement, “It’s not a political tool. It’s my life.” I watched all of the Presidential debates in 2004. I was appalled by the jabs by Kerry and Edwards in regards to Mary’s lifestyle and sexual orientation. It was the last straw in my mind. Due to the “Big Dig” in Boston (a brain child project of Kerry’s) I had not intended to vote for them anyhow, never mind my political affiliation (I think out my voting decisions), but the Cheney digs sealed the deal.

One of my bosses today realized that I not only voted for Bush but that I am also a registered Republican. She was not happy. I was not happy that it came up. I try to keep my politics to myself these days beyond this blog. Again, it is just to hard to argue and debate how and why I think what I do. I normally get sick and end up in bed for days after I am forced to volley ideas back and forth. I am stubborn and adamant. No one thinks they are wrong. I listen and try but it takes too much energy. I rather have the energy for other interests. Yes, I have other interests.

There was a letter sent into Time by a German man named Don Kang. He pretty much offers up the opinion that if Islamic fundamentalists focused as much anger, time, and energy on changing the injustice within their social communities that they did in regards to the Mohammed cartoons that they would be a people that were much better off. I couldn’t agree with him more.

There are other great stories in this week’s Time (May 22nd, 2006). The Big Auto demise. The letter from Iran. Lives of Iraqis. The “secret” spy net. I will leave those for another post. There are two other stories within it’s pages that I would like to take the time to address now though.

The appointment of Michael Hayden to the top CIA seat. The big hubub from what I can tell is that he is military. Ok. The CIA should be led by a career military man. The whole purpose and function of the CIA is a military one. Who do they want to head it up? An ILLEGAL immigrant? A Burger King manager? How about Rosie O’Donnel? Or even better, how about Grimace? I think that big purple witch-a-ma-call-it should run the CIA. Then we will know where the Hamburlger and the Fry Guys are at all times. That is more important than global intelligence. I am going to write a letter to the White House and suggest it. Maybe the cabinet can be replaced by the Muppets while we are at it. I think those guys from up in the balcony could do a great job advising the President. The Swedish Chef could be our new Secretary of State. One big, happy, and furry administration. While I am at it can I recommend that any new Supreme Court nominees be chosen from the Smurfs. I think that would be smurfy!

The other article worth mentioning at this time, without making me exhausted and nasty, is the article about the crime wave that has been going on in New Orleans for years. Murder, murder, murder, kill, kill, kill, take nuts and bolts out Ferris wheels (Ferris - iron - FE; thank you chart of elements!). I guess it is ok to commit felonies in New Orleans because you don’t do time. I wonder how my little legal wrangling would have played out if I had been living there? FBI agent Jim Bernazzani was deployed there a mere four months before Katrina. He stayed in his office as two thirds of the roof was blown away. He is still there. He is quoted in the article as saying, “When a community feels the judicial system has failed, a second system kicks in, and killings beget killings beget killings”. Gangs with catchy names like the Dooney Boys and the even better 3 ‘n’ G run the whole damn city. Gangstas with even catchier names like B-Stupid (that is real! his name is Ivory Harris, he is 21) and Caveman (Jonathan Williams) rule the streets with their AK-47’s and their 9mm’s. I guess if you are a witness or offer testimony in their trials you or your family are blown to smithereens. How pleasant. New Orleans has become the ol’ west. Law and Justice handed down by the juvenilely ignorant criminals. So in and out they go and never serve any time. The FBI, the ATF (jeesh, I don’t like them) and the local police, under the guidance of Bernazzani , are now sharing information and trying to get things under control by eliminating the “baddest bad guys”. BRAVO Bernazzani, BRAVO! I guess it isn’t Katrina killing everyone in New Orleans, it is gang member murderers with hokey monikers.

I am befuddled about the DaVinci code success. I am even more confused as to why Albinos are up in arms over the film, along with the Catholics. I guess the villain is an albino and that pisses off the pigmently impaired. Everyone has to bitch. It is easier to bitch then to just let some things go. The one good thing I was taught growing up was that you have to pick your battles. I guess they didn’t get that memo from my Mother.

Speaking of advice, I would like to offer John McCain a bit. DROP DEAD! He is a weasel with his little ferret eyes and his pasty bloated face. Tuck in that fourth chin Senator, you are making me sick. If he runs for President in 2008 I will vote for anyone else and that includes Snydly Whiplash! McCain says it isn’t amnesty but you can call it what you want. He says we can even call it a banana if we want. A banana? Is he smoking banana peels? What the hell is he talking about. I am calling Delmonte, I am sure Bobby Banana would like to know about this slanderous attack. What do you call McCain and Kennedy at the bottom of the ocean? A good start.

By the way you can send Senator McCain a banana if you would like. Just go to the John and Ken Show website (http://www.johnandkenshow.com/). They are against banamnesty as I have mentioned before.

On the subject of “smoking banana peels” I would like to mention a group of four men from Philadelphia known as The Dead Milkmen (http://www.deadmilkmen.com/). There is a song on their Beelzebubba album called “Smoking Banana Peels” along with other great hits like “Punk Rock Girl”, “Sri Lanka Sex Hotel” and “Stewart”. If you have never heard of the group or their music go buy any of the albums up to and including “Metaphysical Graphiti” they are all well worth the moohlah and pertain to everything in today’s society just as much as they did upon their release dates. Jumpin’ Jesus on a pogo stick, why do you think they call it a burrow owl?

Frustrated, angry, upset. I have too many people that I know that are eating me alive. I am whittling out these soul cannibals and hoping that at the end of the day it is my lady and my daughter with me in the sun, with no humidity of course.

Want a cup of coffee? I’m buying.

The pot will be a’ brewing on Friday night. Hopefully I will be in a much better mood. Hopefully the world will just settle down …

I just finished watching the Presidential Address. Did any of you watch? I almost wish I hadn't. I had a long weekend of computer problems and house cleaning and to end up my glorious two day hiatus from the work force with some Presidential quasi-infomercial was, well, um, disapointing to say the least.

I sat down with my legal pad and my bright red ball point to jot down some of the spouting as I figured it would end up being the subject of my Monday ranting and raving. Two and a half pages of notes and margin reference and just over sixteen minutes of time spent and the talking head/spokeshole/pundits began their yapping. I am starting to compare the jibber jabbers to the Knights Who Say Nicht from Monty Python's Holy Grail film. Ouch! Holy Grail! I watched too much of that crappola (notice I didn't use shit? Ooopps! Damn it!) last night and I am convinced that Monty Python probably has the most realistic take on it all.

One quick side note before the notes of our President's ballet act. I recently received a gift from my Father. I am not sure if I have mentioned it here before but I am mostly Scottish. Just four generations before me my family lived on an Island named Mugdrum Island and we were quite the clan of proud Scots. My Father's gift was mailed out in a box and wrapped in news print. I opened it up to find my Great Grand Father's Fez. He was an esteemed Shriner and Free Mason and there it was, my own little piece of histroy. It was folded up into it's original felt pouch with gold tassle draw string. A Free Mason's seal of arms and some latin around it, it is a pretty awe inspiring relic. My Bumper Jackson was quite an amazing man. He served in WWI. He lost his leg and had a wooden peg leg much like a pirate and with this leg he hiked half way up Mt. Everest. He died the first year that I was on this fabulous planet. I mention it becasue one of the grail documentaries I watched last night mention the theory of the Free Masons being actually formed by a few surviving Knights Templar that had sought out refuge in Scotland and with them came the grail. Anyone who could lead me to some "GOOD" sites about the Free Masons it would be greatly appreciated.

Back to the tip toe ballet pirouette act through the tulips known as ILLEGAL immigration ...

The President opened the hallucination with asking "for a minute of our time". Right off the bat the man is coming off like a telemarketer selling me time shares at Hacienda ILLEGAL. Come on. Isn't there a better way to start out. Who wrote this little intro anyhow? It seemed as though the whole sixteen plus minutes went on with this very informal vibe that I thought made the issue seem impotent and the President very lackadaisical.

He made a reference in the following minute of how ILLEGALS are living in "the shadows of our society". Must have been no sun out during those trillion man marches and demonstrations on May Day. Shadows my ass! Oopps, there I go again with my potty mouth.

He then states that we are a "Nation of immigrants" (notice he did not say ILLEGAL immigrants) and that we need to "enforce our laws". Immediately after saying that he proclaims that this is not a contradiction. I scratched my head and wondered if Jerry Garcia, Wavy Gravy, Ken Kesey, and Shel Silverstein were under the desk intravenously giving him numerous micro grams of LSD. My mind shot out to the anecdotes of when the Dead appeared on the Playboy Penthouse show with Hugh Heffner back in the day and how Hugh's coke was served to him in a sealed, guarded, and unopened can due to his fear of psychedelics. Hey, President Bush - It Was and Is a Contradiction!

He then started down the many paths of his "five objectives". Jeesh! Another outline. What happened to well written discourse that made a point not this grocery list abbreviated rubbish that passes as communication these days?

"Objective One" is to secure the borders. Amen! He claims that he will be adding another 6,000 Border Patrol agents by 2008 bringing the grand total tally to 18,000. Until then he will implement an emergency request effort and offer up 6,000 National Guard soldiers until the new Border Agents can be trained and the funding can be cleared. He claims that the National Guard will be there in an "assist" role and also help build fences while the Border Patrol will be the real enforcers. Ok. As long as the National Guard gets phased out and the Border Patrol (the one's who should be doing the job, not the National Guard) become THE ones protecting and guarding the border. He also claims that Mexico is our friend and that they will be enforcing from the other side. That is the most rancid shit sandwich of fantasy that I have ever been told to take a bite out of! I KNOW that El Presidente Fox is NOT going to do jack shit. It is much too beneficial for him to have things just the way they are. Again, what drugs is Bush on? He ended this objective on a good note though. He claims that the OTM (other than Mexicans) that are captured and released will now be sent back to their countries of origin as opposed to being released on the terms of showing up for a court date in the future that none of them actually report for. The trouble about his statements on this point is that he said "some countries". MMMMMM. I want a list of what countries we are sending people back to and what countries fleeing little interlopers get to participate in the catch and release program. Fire up the skillet, I'm frying 'em all. Nothing is getting released from my boat, not even the little ones!

"Objective Two" is all about the temporary worker program blah, blah, blah. Do you have a few months for me to rattle on about this one? This is the first time though that I began to think his proposal made sense, I'll give him that. Well, until Objective Four, then my gag reflex began to do back flips.

"Objective Three" is the holding employers accountable objective. This one makes sense on the surface. Documentation needs to be checked so an unforgeable digital fingerprint ID card will be set up for employers to legitimatize the presence of their work force. Then I started to think about blue cards and gold cards and green cards and all of the other rainbow brite/skittles creations that Senators on the State and Federal level have come up with. GAG! Somersaults before the back flips.

"Objective Four" is the what the hell do we do with everyone already here objective. He starts out by saying that letting everyone here already just become citizens "is amnesty and I oppose it." He says that deportation is not the answer either and that we need a "middle ground". He declares that all currently ILLEGAL immigrants who show that they have significant time and roots here will have to pay a penalty, pay their back and current taxes, and learn English in order to be up for citizenship. They will also be required to go to the back of the citizen to be line but be allowed to remain here while they go through the process and settle up with the other three requirements. This again is, I guess, the compromise solution but it still requires alot of financial effort on our government's part (i.e. tax dollars, your tax dollars) in order to determine and collect fines, determine and collect taxes, and teach English as well as administer the testing. All of these things already have over burdened bureacracies that will require huge funding for new employees and departments. In addition to that we will need to verify the vague requirement of established presence and "roots". I want to hear more about this. By the way two days spent in front of the DMV in Santa Ana, CA and a couple hundred bucks gets ANYONE a license and a new identity. How hard will it be for people, who already depend greatly on forged documents and paperwork, to obtain proof of being here for x, y, or z amount of years? Pretty damned easy! The back flips ensue!

"Objective Five" is the Melting Pot Objective. YAY! We are "one nation of many peoples". We ALL need to "respect the flag" and "read and write English". I am sick of this argument that we all just need to get along and take in everyone from everywhere under any circumstance. For all of you that disagree with me I will offer you some fuel to discredit me with: On the album "New York" by Lou Reed (who I really, really do love and enjoy - solo stuff, none of that Velvet Underground garbage, especially with Niko - UUGGGHHH!) he sings the ultra fab liberal lyrics, "Give us your poor, your tired, your hungry, we'll piss on 'em; that's what the statue of bigotry says" I'll give Lou a break as this album had a lot of focus on the death of Warhol. Plus, "Romeo had Julliette" and "Xmas in February" are PHENOMENAL songs.

Bush concluded with directly addressing both the House and the Senate. He urged them to have a "reasoned and respectful tone". He reiterated that we need a "comprehensive bill". He then went on to tell the story of Master Gunnery Sergeant Guadalupe (sorry I have no idea how to spell this man's last name), a twenty five year plus career Marine who was injured quite substantially in Iraq. MSG Guadalupe's two wishes upon meeting the President in the infirmary were to have the Corporal who saved him be promoted and to finally become a citizen. MMMMM. Is anyone else scratching their head. I thought the French Foreign Legion was the only knuckle head organization to accept foreigners into it's ranks. I need to look more into this policy as I don't think it a good idea to have foreign nationals in our armed services. What did our President do? He stood "proudly" by his side as he was finally sworn in as a citizen. Jeesh Louise! (Notice I am doing my best to "keep it clean" ?)

His final three statements were: that we are "One Nation under God. Thank You and Goodnight." How many liberals are going to attack the God thing on this one since he offers up a pretty non conservative/very moderate plan to fix ILLEGAL immigration?

By the way what was he looking up and to his right at the whole time? It made me think of a dirty joke with a Jim Morrison reference to recording studio fun but that is for another post.

Just for the record, anything up until now in this piece that appears in quotations with the exceptions of: GOOD (paragraph 3), the Lou Reed album and song references (paragraph 13), and keep it clean (paragraph 14); are direct quotes from the President during this address. I sat and took notes, remember?

I have been drinking alot, I mean ALOT, of coffee these days and I am a bit more feisty but with a smidge more restrain. I guess I am a contradiction too.

I think I am going to forget about the whole ILLEGAL issue. Instead I am going to don Great Bumper Jackson's Fez and go grail hunting. Yeah, that's the ticket!

Until Wednesday when maybe, just maybe I'll write something worthy of reading beyond the four walls of my "office with a Fez" ...

Today was another fabulous day spent missing work and participating in the legal system.

Today, with all of the ILLEGAL immigration talk and the upcoming Bush speech coming on Monday (you know that Monday will be HOT here on young, broke, and republican) I opt to wait for the beginning of the week. Nothing will change over the weekend.

So much, so much. Should I buy a brick? No. I rather just not shop at or dine at business that support the cause and write my essays and send letters to our representatives as well as the White House.

I could get knee deep into the almighty ramble of the phone number collection algorithm or matrix being created. I could argue around the merry go round regarding wiretaps. All I know is that if all of these public cell phone jibber jabbers are worried about privacy then they should shut up while interfering with my public!

If you don't get that joke, don't bother arguing with me about it. It was wasted humor, as it is with some in any case.

I personally experienced the perpetuation of the ponzi scheme known as "social services". It would appear to me that court mandated programs to benefit the accused of "disease" crimes are really there as a form of job security for LCSW's (Licensed Clinical Social Workers). I could go in so many different directions on this: all of you will think I am nuts if I go off on this one, so, well, um, mums the word.

All I do know is that once you are in the system you are in for life. It is easier for the social service departments to justify the catch 22 of "in and out" as nothing more than the lack of dedication to improvement of some and the ineptitude of others. They should actually look at how much restriction and persecution spit out like alien acid upon the detoriorating faces of men and women that just want their pasts rectified and to be able to move on. Espeacially when trials go on and on and on. Next thing you know, as an accused citizen, you are at least a year out from your actual date of criminal action; and that is if you are VERY, VERY LUCKY!

All of us see homeless people hung about the street corners like forgotten Christmas tree decorations or a child's toy flung under the couch for another day.

There are two types of homeless:

There are those that just don't give a shit. YES, they are out there and they make up half the population of homeless. These are the really free homeless, who could shower up and get a few garments and make it happen even if it means rolling burritos with Paco at the Taco Bell or graveyard floor buffing in a supermarket with Evan from Sao Paulo. I have no sympathy for this variety.

Type two is what the LCSW's and the greedy ass corrupt justice system in this country would love to perpetuate. They are the ones forced into programs and rehabilitation and formal probation based on the fear mongering propaganda that brands into our cerebral cortex that Jail or Prison is nothing more than a rape den and violence cube worthy of Sadaam Hussein's Iraq. Most prisons are not cut of this cloth. Some are that type and are much worse but it is much more financially beneficial to the social services and justice departments in fees and court costs and over all grab and run from the tax payers social understanding and compassion money to scare people into believing that, so they participate in these asinine programs. This makes no one's lives better sans the social worker and their paycheck.

Hype, hype and brouhaha, right? WRONG!

How is one man doing well supposed to participate in a program that limits him to one day of work per week. Does this make one confident, full of pride, and motivated enough to be productive in society? NO!

It slaps them into a place of return and capture. It makes them infantile and futile thus letting them wallow and seethe in a din of disrespect and finger pointing of accomplishments lacking.

I am all for programs. Self help. Guidance. Division of responsibilty for another man's actions in order to understand how we all interact and coincide with each others fates. I get "ONE". Do you?

I am no salmon. I need not be returned. I have eliminated evil from my life. I struggle, as we all do, to get from A to B. I do not need to relive past horrors in order to perpetuate gossip agendas and accomplish false goals. I do not need a pity party. By the way AA meetings are an hour and a half not just an hour anymore. Go to one. I think we all should before we weigh in on addiction, group mentality, cults, or structured resilience.

As I have said time and time again, LIFE IS NOT EASY. If it were than we would not experience pain which in turn would not generate growth and there would be no change and we would all be nothing more than soup in a puddle.

Ask Steven Hawking if he let any sort of pain or lack of ease keep him down.

You - can't - keep - me - down,  you can't keep me down! - Thank you ST! Mike Muir should be here to kick everyone's ass! He is a liberal democrat Latino gang member turned musician. Oh wait - I am supposed to be generalized and stereo typed! DAMN, I blew my cover!

I just don't understand how we, as a society that promotes our Judicial system and approves our Judicial leaders, can justify the reprimand of our fellow citizens in order to profit from shortcomings. I understand criminal acts, but to cast one into an downward spiral that spins faster than the one he is already in seems pretty futile and moot to me. I guess it does not to those with the most to gain: those in social services.

If you are released into a worse situation due to legal constraints and meant to achieve virtually un achievable levels unless you are on welfare or a state subsidized program than how are you meant to achieve greater heights than the ones you went in with? You can not. This, then, suffocates the light of hope and thus spins you about face into the den of evil and decadence, which puts you back in front of the judge that you initially appeared in front of who , based on his/her personal drunk/drug experience, leads you down a much darker road.  Again, someone explain to me how that is a benefit or an achievement beyond the paychecks received in/by rehab centers, LCSW's, or "counselor"s?

If you are homeless or own your own business of feebly functionality or are a celebrity/politician/mega conglomerate corporate advisor this works. For anyone else trying to carve out a thick rich slice of the American pie it does not work. You end up being nothing more than a soup kitchen gollum seeking out refuge in your free loading sober living house and hoping no one notices that you are a neighbor and getting by.

Quite screwed up , huh?

No, no, I am insane and hate addicts and the homeless and everyone else. I should care more once I begin to rot in Hell!

Too bad hell doesn't RSVP.

I'll be fine.

I treat people OK.

I smile and ask that of others. I listen.

I couldn't give a FUCK what the rest of my critics think.

Hell, has plenty of room.

Shalom in the home isn't a pervert renting out the garage.

We wonder why Hell is an antiquicated idea that we fear. I saw "Little Nicky."

Pineapples hurt when shoved through the maid skirt.

Til Monday, you all still have me and I am here damn it. We are ALL human beings! I mean no less than any of you ...

Arms outstretched. Hugs around. God grant you the serenity to accept the things you can not change, the courage to change the things you can, and the wisdom to know the difference. I can not change the world by myself. Most would prefer my participation in that change would be to shut up. I peacefully accept that, for I have the wisdom to see that.

Hands grasped tightly. Walk in a circle and sing. Ring around the rosie, pocket full of posie, ashes to ashes, we all fall down. Ashes are spread around. We wallow in a pile of ashes. Some of us accept that more than others.

We all want everyone to be treated humanely. We, however, are not all equal. Some are smarter or dumber than others. Some are stronger or weaker than others. Some favor logic. Some favor emotion. Diversity right? Being different. Then how can we all be equal? Again, we all want people to be treated with niceties and a level of basic human respect but beyond being human beings the similarities for most of us end. We are not all equal beyond our classification of species. Most of you, upon reading this paragraph, will be pissed off. Maybe even pulling out your hair. I am different. Does that make me any less human? Am I equal because I am different? No. I am just different. That is ok by me. Some of you, tauting equality as a guise, will disagree. How hypocritical and ironic! I have the serenity to accept that.

Today's news: uniquely BORING! I could write a personal piece but something tells me not to open up much more. I know who is reading. I know who isn't. I don't need to share that much about me. I am content relaying some news that caught my ear and giving a bit of opinion to accompany it. If you are Bobby Gorin then maybe you get me. Highly unlikely. Some times that dog won't hunt. Sometimes man doesn't want to hunt regardless of what the friggin' dog wants to do.

The stories that did catch my eye and grab my ear were ones that I found funny and one that I found to be rather revealing. Did anyone catch the German cannibal update? I remembered the original story so well, that on the drive in to work I caught the "chewy" quote. I jinxed the radio host as he said it. My lady and I both laughed. If you are not familiar with the story I suggest you check it out (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,194789,00.html). I know it is kind of gruesome but it not only offers a bit of insight to the old addage (or song from the Breakfast Club) "We Are Not Alone.", but it also casts a bit of light on how different our justice system is from those in European countries. For one; double jeopardy laws are not used in Germany. Neither is the "Son of Sam" law, which prevents convicted felons from profiting from their crimes in any way. Makes sense since the barking dog was not pissing off Berkowitz in Hamburg. Also one clever legal note is that cannibalism is not illegal in Germany. That in addition to the repeated consent of the "victim" makes you wonder which of the two sentences was appropriate: 8 years or Life?

Life is a very funny thing. Sometimes it is of pants pissing stature. Do you understand manslaughter laws? Why does someone found innocent of an act in criminal court then get charged for the same act in civil court? Isn't that double jeopardy. "I'll take 'Pissing My Pants' for 500 Alex." Speak of the devil, as I typed that, a spam/virus sender named Alexa IM'd me. Is Mr. Trebec, Satan? Maybe not. Anyhow, the puzzling case of American legislation today that was splattered everywhere was that of Daniel Biechele (http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/05/10/night.clubfire.ap/index.html). He is getting four years of a possible 15 year sentence (the judge suspended 11 years of the sentence out of compassion). Mr. Biechele neglected to observe Rhode Island club codes regarding pyro technics. At a 2003 Great White show he set up the fireworks that sparked the sound proofing material that flamed to a murdering inferno and killed 100 people. The club owners are being held on manslaughter charges. Something reeks of limburger in this story. Then again it's Rhode Island. Once bitten, twice shy, babe!

Speaking of being bitten, here in California there is a Judge that is reviewing wether or not the "graduation test" is legitimate or not. Why would we want our children to actually grasp a grade level beyond 8th grade? I wrote about this once before offering up Mr. Meathead for sacrifice (http://richardknowlton.blogstream.com/v1/pid/58413.html#TP). I will tell you why you at least need math. The World Series of Poker, that's what! According to the Financial Times Arts & Weekend section (http://news.ft.com/artsandweekend) the upcoming kick ass in WSP is a mathematician who is a world renowned master of game theory. I am sure we will win bundles and the paper thinks so too! Good luck to men with math, they will always rule the world regardless who is in office. The only man to lose due to math was Theodore Kaczinski.

Who is in office might intrigue us all a bit more with Senator Clinton's comments recently while speaking at the National Archives. She is quoted as saying regarding President Bush, "He is someone who has a lot of charm and charisma, and I think in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, I was very grateful to him for his support for New York," and also, "He's been very willing to talk. He's been affable. He's been good company". Double take, my head flings so hard from side to side that I no longer can sing about my pockets of pus. Keep in mind this is not my slant. I am not taking anything out of context. These quotes are directly from an AP story  featured on the Huffington Report. Check out The Huffington Report if you would like (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/), there is a link towards the middle. In the cover story where they're calling out Mary Cheney and the homo-phobe administration should be enough to know that it is not overwhelmingly conservative.

Another great call out of how stereo type and media programming some times do not coincide is the NPR story (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5391395) talking about the 1965 immigration laws that passed during the Johnson administration and slid into the orifice of legislation by the hand of none other than Ted Kennedy. MMMMMMM. This immigration policy is considered in hindsight to be very, very racist as it sets immigration quotas per country of origin based on the proportion of people from those countries that were already here. This was not done in an Even-Steven way. It was VERY racist. It was VERY xenophobic. But who throws those words around now? Mr. Kennedy. MMMMMMMM, again! Hindsight is 20/20, isn't it? I wonder what our perfect vision of past actions recall will tell about now in forty years? I wonder what Hugh Downs would think?

By the way, the only other thing I think worth a brief mention is the new valet parking system at LAX. I have been flying in and out of LAX since 1988. With valet costing 38 dollars a day or 10 dollars an hour, needless to say, the creators of this idea at LAX are hoping this program will be a big hit. Again, you pay more for that automobile than just at the pump.

Speaking of pump, I have things to do. I am still tipping my hat to serenity, wisdom, and courage. I am still not giving two shits about what is said, who cares, or who agrees. I know the difference.

I write, write, write on. Can anyone stop me? Will all of you give up? I am, contrary to popular belief, up for debate and discussion.

I asked a fellow American today, that is of Iranian decent, how his Iranian homeland's democracy is going, as he just spent three months there. He laughed and spit on the ground. He was disgusted at the thought.

Makes you wonder how non cited information can be slung about like shit in a sceptic tank.

No shit here. Just a few news bites and a bit of color.

Do you care? I don't ...

 

The most significant movie to arrive on our visual spectrum in the last decade or so may just be "The Big Lebowski"  (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118715/). If you have not seen the film, I suggest you take a gander. I have two very dear friends that I associate with the role of "Dude" Lebowski and I have written about them before here on the Blogstream. One is Tim Dermody, who was a sports writer for the Chicago Sun Times and is now a crack head living in and out of county jail. He is the man in my piece, "Six Tin Soldiers Lined Up for the Death of Maiden's Breast: A Piece of Inffluential Hat Tipping"   (http://richardknowlton.blogstream.com/v1/pid/67462.html#TP). Another is the utmost and fabulously creative, expressive, and eloquent as well as knowledgable 610 Jones (who is also found in the above mentioned blog). The "Zone" is currently fatigued and almost bed ridden from a condition doctor's can not diagnose. It is either chronic fatigue (a derivitive of the Epstein Barr virus aka Mono) or some sort of rare MS. Both of these individuals show the varying extremes found in the personification of the "Dude".

The "Dude" is something that most of us never think about and the more hip and chic of our younger generations can attribute to the Scatterbrain song, "Don't Call Me Dude", (http://www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/scatterbrain/herecomestrouble.html#10). The personification of a word that has as many definitions and uses as the word "fuck" can only be questioned by the average man as, "How does that effect me?". Ahhhh , my dear sweat children it has many an implication on modern existance since the late 1960's and 70's. Well, let's start with the word itself.

Dude is defined as: (http://www.rhymezone.com/r/rhyme.cgi?Word=dude&typeofrhyme=def&org1=syl&org2=l) noun: a man who is much concerned with his dress and appearance. How did it get to the very basic: rancher, cowboy, surfer, skater, slacker verbiage used today? Is it a reference to duds? If concern of appearance is the issue than the last three on that question list do not apply!

Dude has become a lifestyle choice and one of less consequense and responsibility than most. We could go through the varying uses of it but do we really need to (adj., verb, noun, adv., and over all eclamation or interjection holding all of it's meanings within the tone of use)? The point is held within the film.

How can someone achieve enlightment via white russians, bowling, sandles, and a "what happens, happens" attitude? Simple: life is hard and sometimes not giving a shit can get one from A to B.

I could quote the movie on end. I could make references that most of you would not give any homage or time of thought to. This is just one of those great films.

I was going to leave today at my very serious post but after discussing the film with a friend realized that it crosses many barriers and makes it's point. With an ensamble cast of Jeff Bridges, Jon Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Julieanne Moore, Sam Elliot, Flea, John Torturo, Tara Reid, and Peter Stormare (of the new volkswagon commercial fame) it is well worth at least two watches. As a friend of mine on Staten Island proclaims, "You get more from it with every watch."

It is not a film to take lightly and laugh off, although I suggest you do the first time you see it. There is more to be taken from it as the Cohen Brothers weave their intense but gentle web of what the Dude is all about.

There is a little Dude in all of us. The more we recognize it the better off all of us will be.

"You are Lebowski, I am the Dude, Dudester, the Duder."

"I AM the Jesus"

"Hold the ringer Dude"

We should all take life in such a mellow manner as the Dude. How does everyone's uptight attitudes complicate your life and make you less of this rug seeking, white russian drinking man of calm?

One wonders how things would be if we all just mellowed out and took a bit out of life along the more mellow path. Something is to be said for men who float down bowling alleys and fly above L.A. in dream sequences - or were they?

I don't think they were. They were a pay off of transendental peace found by being yourself and trusting in what you create.

There is something, beyond alcoholism, that makes a man make a single white russian using only the non dairy creamer that is at his avail. "Relax and go with the flow", comes to mind.

In the words of Randy Newman, "I love L.A., I LOVE IT!"

Even though I don't really love what the song, at the time, conveys regarding what L.A. should be it makes us remember what it could have been.

The Dude does the same thing.

Shouldn't we all?

After writing this I would like some In and Out Burger. Anyone buying?