You Will Go To The Moon

Breaking The Rules of Blogging

2006-11-21T10:17:00.000-08:00

I know there's one or two of you out there, I've seen your footprints. So...to you, gentle reader, I address myself. Perhaps you've even read my other entries, then this one may make sense.

One of the first rules of blogging (almost universally ignored) is to not blog while angry, I'm breaking that rule.

I live upstairs from a tweaker. To those of you not 'hip,' in the parlance of our time, a tweeker is somebody who does a lot of speed. He's got tweaker friends who live here in the complex with him. Including one woman in her forties who I consider abusive from what I hear over here across the complex, who baby sits other people's children, and another woman, who I believe is her minor daughter.

Law enforcement, wanna know their addresses? gimmie a jingle.

When I moved in here, there was a Lex Luthor looking guy next door. He took a disliking to me. I can't say why (though the walls are paper thin, everybody hears everything...exercise for the class: when everybody hears everything, how do adults act?). He spent months tormenting me through the most twisted, obsessive, cr-a-a-azy behaviors he could manage. Got him kicked out, after fearing for my life for months, and repeatedly threatening to sue.

Unfortunately, when he was moving out, I wrote a note to my neighbors to tell them my side of the story and I tell them I was sure things would calm down now that he'd gone (& yes, it was more paranoid than that, I can't fight paranoia for months without being infected somewhat--by far the worst taint I've acquired in this adventure). In the note, I described some of the things he'd been doing.

My brand new downstairs neighbor has gotten more & more into tweak since he moved in, and the more he's got into it, the more he can't stand me sitting up here being really quiet & ignoring him.

Several weeks ago he started tormenting me: following me from room to room, tapping on my floor, going into the kitchen at 11:00 at night and slamming pots and pans together, blasting music, tapping on the walls, banging on the walls, and my favorite, putting (I'm guessing) the flat of his foot against the wall & pushing rhythmically--shaking the whole building--making me feel like I was gonna fall outta bed. I got ear plugs--this frustrated the hell outta him for a couple of weeks--he was doing all this stuff to get my goat, but I wouldn't even wake up, very frustrating for him.

But then he figured out the whole rock the building back and forth thing--he did it all night last night. All night.

I called the cops three times. To quote Spalding Gray: "They come, she turns it down, the leave she turns it up." Three times.

I love it. It's 2006. Law Enforcement has a million tools at their command, and a law for every possible offense, and they can't stop a full grown man from doing to me what some asshole used to do to my desk when we were friggin' eight.

Just dandy. They sure know how to use tasers though. Boy howdy.

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On a different note, why does the blogger spell check not know the word "blog" or "blogger" and why can't it learn when I press "Learn"? Just asking.

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End result, I'm movin out, I gotta get some sleep & I can't with these crazy mo-fos around, & so... hiatus.

Begging The Question

2006-11-20T10:35:00.000-08:00

Here. Tony Blair tells us that in order to fight an insurgency, in order to combat terrorism, it is important to use a whole tool box, and not just the hammer: you need police work, and you need to capture "hearts & minds"--and you do that by making life better for disenfranchised people--you give them economic opportunities, political opportunities--if you can get them to buy into the process, they lose their incentive to toss in sabots.

Now, let me be clear about this: Tony Blair knows this perfectly well, and he's known it for decades--as has anyone with a mildly deep understanding of economics, politics, or counter insurgency. The US Military knows this. The state department knows this. Hell, Donald Rumsfeld & Dick Chaney know this--it just wasn't relevant to their plans.

Now, did George Bush know this? No. Doubt he had any idea. Maybe that can be his excuse...it worked for Ronald Reagan didn't it? We all love RR now...cause he gave good speeches & he meant well & he didn't know...

Of course GWB doesn't have any of those things going for him.

& here's a story about the army using this fantastic new drug that is saving all kinds of lives on the battlefield...after which many of them are being evacuated to Germany to suddenly die of heart attacks, strokes, and embolisms. This classic George Bush/current "Best Practice" for many big businesses, as they are run today--as long as the numbers look good for the quarter, who cares what happens in a year?

I do assholes, and so do the wives and kids of those soldiers you're using as guinea pigs, and who are told that their loved one is OK, only to have them to die of a heart attack a few hours later...at age 23. I am also not real happy with the 60-70% of middle managers in corporate America (sorry, I've lost the link...feel free to provide) who said in an anonymous survey that they would do whatever was needed to improve quarterly results, even if it caused harm to their company in the long term--because they are not held accountable for the long term, and they get bonuses on the quarter. Why does big business hate America?

& lastly, and you'll hear this again, because I live in a cheap apartment: tweakers suck. What impresses me most about them are all the clever plans they come up with, all of which rely on the assumption that meth makes them both smarter & more motivated. Bunch a rocket scientists, really.

Update, 12:40: OJ's Book canceled, publisher decides giving someone 3.5 mil for getting away with cold blooded murder might set bad precedent (really, it was starting to look like it would hurt the bottom line...social consequences...pshaw). Yes, he was framed. He was also guilty. I used to be willing to allow a certain feeling ambiguity about OJ, who was, after all, a hero to a lot of people. Now, if I saw him, I'd spit on him...at best. & then run, of course.

the Lesson From Vietnam: Stay The Course

2006-11-17T11:31:00.000-08:00

I know this is old news, & I know it pales in comparison to a false flag cassius belli, hundreds of thousands dead, hundreds of billions squandered & the good will of almost every nation on earth flushed down the drain--but what's that phrase again? Oh yeah, "High crimes and misdemeanors." Good enough for me.

We won't even mention the...um...dereliction of duty...or would that be desertion?

Don't even get me started on the cost. Keep your eyes open for another $124 billion coming down the pike so that your grandkids can do their patriotic duty lining the coffers of Blackwater International & protecting the Green Zone. Who needs soldiers when we can have mercenaries?

& so...?

2006-11-16T14:19:00.000-08:00

"Bush warns N. Korea on nuclear transfers"

The problem with this is that it's an empty threat...and everybody knows it.

He has no troops to commit. There is very little in terms of goods or services they want that hasn't already been cut off. It is the most isolated country in the world already.

Yes, he can launch an airstrike, but we don't know what to hit, and I suspect such an attack would trigger a response, aimed directly at Seoul, and made up of tens of thousands of ranged & aimed rockets & conventional artillery pieces. Maybe a nuke too. Won't that be fun?

He's got nothing. It's empty bluster--cheerleading. Just the same as the last six years.

*sigh*
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2:45, update: When I was little, my mom told me if I was ever in trouble or lost, I should find a cop, and they'd help me. The first time I had occasion to need the cops, when I was fifteen or so, they sided with the guy robbing my neighbors house rather than me...the half dozen times I've called 'em since have been less satisfying. Here, here, is some fine, fine police work.

Battle Not With Monsters...

2006-11-15T12:18:00.000-08:00

So...what's the logical thing to do about Iran given what's happened in the last six years?

Bomb it, of course.

I have been doing my best to ignore this whole discussion (admittedly, my best is pretty mediocre)...but once Eric Alterman comes out and says it, I think you can bet money. He discusses it (and provides several well supported links) here.

& here, Anne Applebaum uses a discussion of former East German spy master Markus Wolf to explain (in mostly small words if what's left of the ruling junta is reading) why when one battles with monsters, one should proceed cautiously.

When you're older, you're going to be blinded by an industrial accident. This will be a terrible tragedy. Luckily for you, they will have artificial eyes by then--and cheap ones too, Net Zero will be involved. Unlucky for you, there will be a constant crawl of ads across the bottom of your field of vision. For now, is it enough you can see Colonel Sanders from space?

From Godlike Productions (via Wonkette), this bit from yesterday is the funniest thing I've seen in weeks. First of all - "EVERYBODY HATES YOU."

Random Stupidity & Inevitable Tit for Tat

2006-11-10T08:19:00.000-08:00

So, these jerks wouldn't have acted like jerks if A) they hadn't been drinking & B) they hadn't been egged on by someone. Clearly, they aren't actually sexist, racist dicks, they just said that stuff to fit in with the funny little foreign man. What comes around goes around joiners.

& let's hope this rocket scientist managed to sterilize himself at least--that would be best for the species.

Big Oil and the Current Occupant to brown people everywhere: "Screw you."

& given the current situation this might even be a good idea in the long run, and it will happen if I want it to or not--but get ready for $150 oil & another ratcheting up of the number of people who hate us. Mostly, my feeling is if we hadn't spent the last four years battling straw men, we might have been addressing a variety of problems in some kind of reality based way--and maybe KJI wouldn't have the bomb & maybe we'd have enough of our military in a state of readiness to be able to present a credible threat to the Iranians that they might believe.

That's not how it went down though.

Might as well say this today, I need to get it said fairly soon: Worst. President. Ever.

11:15 AM, Update: Back when I was in bidness, we had a term for this kind of thing: clusterf**k. We fired people for it. Perhaps there is a profitable analogy there somewhere.

1:10 PM, second update: So...while this seems like fantastic news, until I actually see it in practice...let's just say...when pigs fly.

The Party of Chafee?

2006-11-09T19:47:00.000-08:00

Lincoln Chafee: Loses because he's a Republican. Only one to vote against the war. WH renominated Bolton (Same day they were crowing about bi-partisanship), Chafee said, "no." Said the people had made the decision. Here's the fun part: He says he might leave the republican party--he's not switching sides to maintain his power--he lost, he's just flippin' 'em the bird on the way out. Nice. I'd be ticked too.

&, and I hope I don't offend anyone by saying this, but I think volcanoes are cool. & pumice is pretty fascinating stuff, as well. These people have a boat or something, and they found a brand new island, you should go and look.

Iraq: The Musical

2006-11-06T18:14:00.000-08:00

OK, am trying hard not to think about this election. Am preparing for good news but not assuming it. & how good will it be really?

It will certainly be better if we can take back the house, and better still if democrats can take the senate too--that will allow us to start fixing things, and maybe to start throwing scumbags in jail. Do you think we could use military tribunals rather than real trials? I hear they're much quicker & more efficient & don't threaten national security as much as all those messy civilian details & evidence do.

A fella can dream can't he?

As i was saying, not sure how happy I'll be in the long run, but for now, screw that--throw the bums out.

Why am I unhappy about the long run? K Street shows every indication of buying the next congress just like the bought the last. A part of the B1 bomber is built in every one of the fifty states. United States of Halliburton, in Raytheon we trust.

&, I have two different tweaker neighbors who are pissing me the hell off & some other bullshit too, so it hasn't been a great day, but these two things both made me laugh with joy:

First, from Blog PI, not even content, just a tag, a tag I'd never seen before, that I'd never conceptualized quite this way--"Asymmetrical Media"--an excellent phrase. Causes all sorts of profitable roof brain chatter. Consider vis-a-vis classic counter-insurgency theory. Discuss.

& secondly, Mr. Sun seems to be channeling Ivan Stang. I have to steal his big list (below), it's too funny to ignore--but please, go check out his whole post so he doesn't get pissed at me--the other words in it are nearly as good as these:

Consider the questions below now so that you will be ready to post early Tuesday evening.

Who/what do you absolutely hate that really got their ass handed to them? Unload bigtime on them/it.

How does the election show that you were totally right? That others were totally wrong? Give plenty of examples.

How might you stretch "I told you so!" into many more dozens of paragraphs, including big words and citations to important-sounding things?

You have traditionally been viewed as isnignificant and powerless. Describe how this will all change now.

Those who supported losing candidates or issues will be feeling down due to good faith disagreements over complex issues. What's the best way to kick them?

Search for patterns in the election results that allow you to organize people into groups, label them, and declare them to be losers. Look beneath the surface to find hidden stereotypes.
"Loser" is a loaded word. What are some other good ones?

In what ways is it funny to you how stupid everyone else is? In what ways do you pity everyone else? Freely express your bemused detachment.

Some would call your pre-election analysis genius. Send those people an e-mail encouraging them to post that in the comments. If they do not respond, post it anonymously yourself since you know they would if they weren't busy.

The time after an election is often called the "honeymoon period" when many people vow to work together to achieve a common goal. Explore who died and made these people God.

& I'm out, on a high note.

Night of the Long Knives

2006-11-03T22:18:00.000-08:00

Birnham Wo od is come to castle Dunsinane...

Breaking News: Saddam Guilty

2006-11-01T12:43:00.000-08:00

OK, first a disclaimer--assuming that what I am told about Saddam is correct, I will be perfectly happy if he is thrown in jail forever or hung by the neck until dead.

Having said that, let me be the first to report (a full 48 hours before it's scheduled to happen!)--Saddam Hussein will be found guilty of war crimes on Sunday, November 5th, and, I suspect, sentenced to death. He does deserve it--but is another verdict possible? Want to bet me he'll be found innocent?--what kind of odds will you give me?

This verdict would be more satisfying, however, if this were not a hopelessly compromised show trial, proving something we already know, and conveniently omitting the fact that these war crimes were committed, at least, with our willingness to look the other way (particularly when he was committing them against Iran), and with WMD we ourselves had supplied.

But I digress.

Feel better now? Ready to vote Republican?

The Fourth Estate

2006-10-31T10:12:00.000-08:00

Let's be clear: I think a free press is critical. I also know that the print, audio, and video media in place today still reach many more people & still have a much bigger impact on them than the internets.* I'd also say that most of the big stories the blogsphere breaks would not exist without big media--even if they choose to ignore same stories--the blogsphere still gets much of it's material from someone who is getting paid by some 'big media' outlet somewhere. Internet versions of traditional media are thriving--but with low budgets & low revenues--and though this will change (and the death of 'old media' will help it along)--it will be a long time 'till reporters are livin' large off that internet money, if ever. I suspect, far in the future, that reporter, like musician, may become more of a part time job & a labor of love--and that might not be a bad thing.

but...the main stream press is irrelevant to me in the short term. Quite possibly it will remain that way forever.

Does anybody think, based on historic or economic trends that what is happening to newspaper circulation is going to reverse? Does anybody think in this time of 500 channels that any one network or cable news show (or even fake news show!) is ever going to dominate the ratings again? If you do, you're wrong.

The balkanization of news sources is the death knell (though it may take decades) for corporate news--the best strategy most of the surviving newspapers have today is 'shrink to profitability' which most, like, business types, will tell you doesn't happen...you just keep shrinking 'till there ain't nothing left.

As their budgets continue to shrink, they will continue to cut reporters, travel budgets, until all that is left is an 8 page half-sheet with a couple of stories from the AP and a bunch of coupons.

As the newspapers die, as network news becomes more and more a tiny demographic specialty show, the institutions that are rising now on the internet will take on more and more relevance, and I really think in twenty years or less, most people who care to get the news at all will get it on-line. My hope is that by then it will be a profitable enough business that some people can make a living at it--maybe a good many people. At the same time, I hope it doesn't make so much money that cash becomes it's raison d'etra--as I suspect those of you who are savvy realize what a corrupting influence cash has on the truth in any environment--no matter how ideologically pure.

& wouldn't it be nice in the meantime (here comes my vindictive socialist self--you won't see him much, pay attention) if the existing power structures in the fourth estate were shaken to their roots, that the fat cats, and power brokers, & the viagra loving pedophiliac drug-abusing pundits, and their equally slimy congresscritters found the whole business so unprofitable that they went and found another scam to run on us marks.

It would be nice, but it's not going to happen. The form of the republic is maintained, the better to lull us to sleep. Money drives all activity of relevance--follow the money and you will find who's in charge. It's not you & it's not me.

All is not lost--I think America as a concept can be rescued, and I think a vote for the Democrats next Tuesday can be a huge step toward reigning in the culture of greed currently informing the current occupant & his handlers. We might get to impeach the bastards--if the dems show a little backbone. We can throw out the worst of the worst--we can start repairing our reputation on the world stage & undoing our current lemming like rush towards extinction.

So, on Tuesday, go out and vote for the lesser of two evils (here's a small sample of the greater of two evils, if you need motivation)--but keep Wednesday open, that's when we have to start trying to repair the broken system that allows the kind of abuses we are suffering under.

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* In case you are not aware, the internets are a series of tubes.

The Chance For Peace

2006-10-30T15:06:00.000-08:00

Today I will let Eisenhower speak for me:

What can the world, or any nation in it, hope for if no turning is found on this dread road?

The worst to be feared and the best to be expected can be simply stated.

The worst is atomic war.

The best would be this: a life of perpetual fear and tension; a burden of arms draining the wealth and the labor of all peoples; a wasting of strength that defies the American system or the Soviet system or any system to achieve true abundance and happiness for the peoples of this earth.

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.

This world in arms is not spending money alone.

It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children.

The cost of one modern heavy bomber is this: a modern brick school in more than 30 cities.

It is two electric power plants, each serving a town of 60,000 population. It is two fine, fully equipped hospitals.

It is some fifty miles of concrete pavement.

We pay for a single fighter plane with a half million bushels of wheat.

We pay for a single destroyer with new homes that could have housed more than 8,000 people.

This is, I repeat, the best way of life to be found on the road the world has been taking.

This is not a way of life at all, in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron. These plain and cruel truths define the peril and point the hope that come with this spring of 1953.

Want to see the whole thing? Go here.

You might also try Googling "Military-Industrial-Congressional Complex" as that's what the speech said when he rehearsed it--but even Eisenhower, even in this speech that burns so many bridges, wasn't willing to go that far. But it is what he thought.

Like A Rolling Stone

2006-10-27T12:58:00.000-07:00

Alright, have you seen this?

It is a clip from the new Bob Dylan musical "The Times They Are A-changin'" and is perhaps the most god-awful piece of performance I've ever sat through.

Now...I'm having a hard time here. It is so reminiscent of "Spring Time For Hitler" or "Zoo Animals on Wheels" or something from Spinal Tap or Zoolander that I want to take it as a joke...but I don't see how that can be--that's not how these things work.

Please feel free to let me know that the choreographer was trying to be funny if you know she was...I would feel better.

Hello

2006-10-26T08:54:00.000-07:00

Alright. I've decided to put away childish things. I had a blog for a few months that didn't have my name on it. I did it so I could say what I thought and still have a chance of ever being hired again.

But I can't get taken seriously without my name on it--and I've got stuff to say.

This is not to say you folks will take me seriously now, but at least I've got a shot.

I fear for my country. Don’t you?

What do I mean by that? Let me put it this way: I am more likely to be struck by a meteorite* than I am to be killed in a terrorist attack & President Cheney & his pals have still managed to turn the clock on civil rights back 900 years.

I’m not joking. This is my serious face.

Unfortunately, I may have some small responsibility to stand behind what I say now. I have grown used to talking trash--this will be a challenge.

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*OK, OK, this is a slight exaggeration for dramatic effect. In reality, I’m just more likely to win the lottery than I am to be killed in a terrorist attack, but it doesn’t sound as good.