Vacation Blogging

Sad But True

"Our country is now geared to an arms economy which was bred in an artifically induced psychosis of war hysteria and nurtured upon an incessant propaganda of fear."

Douglas MacArthur (1952).

h/t antiwar.com

Jesus Christ (Revisited)

Here's a link to the wikipedia entry for Jesus Christ. There's a wealth of information about the birth and life of Jesus Christ. Obviously, it is best to simply read the Bible to learn about Jesus. I recommend starting with one of the synoptic gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Wikipedia has the text of each gospel with some commentary here.

Blueletterbible.org has a more sophisticated site that allows the reader to compare different versions of the Bible. I am somewhat of a traditionalist and like to read the King James version although I also read the New International Version. Many new readers may want to read The Message because it is in plain language and is very easy to read.

Spend a little time getting to know Jesus better. I promise that you will feel better.

Jesus

I thought I would tell the story of the birth of Jesus in very simple terms.

Original Intent

GWB's admission that he authorized the NSA to spy on U.S.citizens is so wrong on so many levels. The essence of our constitutional, republican form of democratic government is that we are a nation of laws and not men. The idea that the President is inherently endowed with the power to ignore a federal statute was expressly prohibited by the Framers. Even Scalia in the Hamdi case acknowledged that the President's powers are no limitless.

FISA was enacted to allow the government to engage in surveillance of U.S. citizens who may be engaged in terrorist activities. FISA allows the government to perform wiretaps without a warrant for up to 72 hours. Therefore, the only real purpose behind GWB's use of the NSA to perform warrantless surveillance of U.S. citizens is to avoid judicial review. This is all the more troubling when one considers, as has been so aptly pointed out by Josh Marshall at TPM, that the FISA court essentially acts as a rubber stamp for the government and that the FISA court rarely denies a request for a warrant. GWB doesn't want the FISA court/judge to know the target of his surveilance because, IMHO, he is unlawfully spying on citizens for political purposes. God only knows just how many innocent people who do not have ties to Al Qaeda have been subjected to these warrantless searches and other activities expressly forbidden by the Fourth Amendment.

We ought to be very concerned. And, if impeachment is appropriate for a President who lies about blowjobs, then it ought to be required for a President who admits that he has violated the constitutional rights of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of U.S. citizens.

I learned in freaking elementary school that Republicans and conservatives believe in limited government, in the notion that the President is not an all powerful Monarch. To read and hear so many self professed "conservatives" defend patently illegal and unconstitutional conduct by GWB is proof positive that the Repubublican party is power mad and anti-ideological. Theirs is an ideology of convenience. The ends justify the means.

Unlike Matthew Yglesias, I have no confidence whatsoever that GWB has not violated the rights of U.S. citizens. I do not trust this man with power to run a McDonalds let alone the most powerful military of the most powerful government on the planet. Can one seriously claim that the Republican leadership would not be in an effing full on tizzy if we had a Democrat President engaged in this activity during an undeclared war of choice?

We have all been had. There was a coup de etat in 11/00 and it was just confirmed on national television by our smirking chimpaholic. And, btw, why did GWB refuse to confirm the existence of the secret orders to Lehrer yesterday but go on national teevee during a Saturday radio address one day later and confirm it? Why did it risk national security to confirm it yesterday but be okay today? It's all campaign style pr with GWB.

I recall a couple of weeks ago that Kevin Drum had a post about "secret laws" and I thought, nah, can't be. Maybe Kevin was just paranoid. Now, GWB admits it all. Secret prisons, citizens held without due process, NSA engaging in warrantless searches. What's next, GWB decides he has the right in a time of war to suspend habeas corpus and declares martial law to protect us from a "potential" risk?

There has always been and always will be those who want to harm the United States. So what. Men of greater stature though have not felt it necessary to arrogate for themselves the omnipresent belief that they are annointed to destroy democracy to save us.

It may be time for a revolution. I suppose we should all assume we are being watched. I would also assume that all of the lefty blogosphere is being monitored for "subversive" elements. Act accordingly.

Manos a Traves a la Frontera

This is Francisco Robles. He teaches in a high school near his home in Jures, Mexico. Francisco stayed with us last week as part of an exchange program called Hands Across the Border. The program allows children from United States and Mexico to live with a family from another culture. Francisco was here to check out the homes the Mexico kids will stay in and to meet the parents in the program. Francisco spoke very little english and my spanish is not too good. But, somehow, we finally learned to talk with one another and determined we have much in common.

Francisco has a wife and two eight month old twins. He is the youngest of, I think, eight children who are spread around Sonora, Mexico and Baja. On Friday night we drank Coronas, ate and talked about kids and family. We really had a good time. I want to drive and visit him and his family this summer.

Estamos Hermanos y Amigos!

Nighttime in the desert on SR87. 

Christmas Trees

It is that time of the year again. We like to cut our own Christmas tree so we drove the Black Mesa Ranger Station near Heber to get our permit. We will drive back and cut the tree in two weeks. Hopefully there will be snow when we go.

Thanksgiving was wonderful. Lots of food and conversation with family.

Oh yeah, Happy Birthday to Scott. He's 38 now.

This picture was taken on the dock at Woods Canyon Lake east of Payson.

chimpeachment continued

Compliments of Tbogg.

Filed Under Republican Unamerican Outrage of the Week

On Thursday Rep. Murtha from Pennsylvania called for a Congressional Resolution seeking the immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq. Rep. Murtha was a 37 year combat veteran Marine. Rep. Murtha swerved this country honorably in Vietnam.

On Friday the Republican leadership got a little too cute and asked for debate and a Resolution they offerred demanding the immediate withdrawal of troops. The matter came up for debate and the most junior Representative in the, Jean Schmidt (R) from Ohio (she beat Iraq veteran Paul Hackett in a recent election) and called Rep. Murtha a coward. Watch the video for yourself.


Rep. Schmidt's comments are an abomination. I am so sick of how Bush has destroyed so much of what is great about America. He is the antithesis of a patriot and his actions have only created a situation where people like Rep. Schmidt become "leaders" in this country.

Who cares if there was no WMD?

Lost amid all of the rancor about Bush's argument that Democrats should have known better than to believe Bush about WMD and the need to go to war in Iraq is the implicit admission by Bush that he would have gone to war even if he knew there was no WMD because he believed it was the right thing to do.

In the end, isn't that really what matters - that Bush simply does not possess the judgment and discretion necessary to serve as the Commander in Chief. I mean, even if it is true that Clinton also believed that Iraq had WMD prior to the war, Clinton never asked for authorization to use force to disarm Iraq and he never suggested we put 150,000 soldiers at risk and spend $300 billion to promote democracy or whatever other excuse Bush now has.

preznit is back on the booze

Crooks and liars has video of Preznit's drunken revelry at Kilgore's campaign rally. Preznit is like that obnoxious drunk friend you had in high school that never shuts up and is constantly acting out like a spoiled child. Anyways, watch him grope Laura as she tries to keep him from falling out of Marine 1.

drunkard 

late at night

It's late and I am up trying to get a head start on the week. Of course, I am way behind before it will even start. need sleep

Christ did not die so you could hate. 

And you call yourself a Christian...

The Most Reverend Holy Highdeehoo Pat Robertson is back on the LSD

You gotta love Rush. They are the best. 

Rocky Point, Mexico 

Taylor T5

I won one of these on ebay. It is a Taylor T5 and is a cross between an electric and acoustic guitar. I got one with a Tobacco Sunburst finish. My wife says I am like a little kid now because I can't stop buying new guitars and other toys. I am just happy that I am now at a place in my life where I can afford to spend a few bucks every now and then to buy things that make our lives easier and more interesting. I like to be inspired and creative - playing guitar does that for me.

moodshifter

chimpeachment

It's time to stark thinking seriously about the commencement of impeachment proceedings. The American public is waking from its slumber and is finally discovering what so many progressives have been saying - that Bush is an incompetent leader and a pathological liar.

This is short because I don't know what to write. I lost my password for awhile but somehow remembered it. I got a new laptop, a Toshiba Satellite M45-S359. It is badass. My wife is the best because it was her idea to get me this new toy.

moodshifter

DID I DO THIS THE RIGHT WAY?

Neverland

Bush is a spoiled child with a very short attention span. He was told he wanted to invade Iraq, he did it and now that it turns out to be, in his words, "hard work" that forces him to "think about Iraq everyday" he is bored - he just wants to play on his make believe ranch. He really is a lot like Michael Jackson in that he has his very own Neverland Ranch in Crawford, TX.
Bush's problem is much more fundamental than simply not being able to communicate his strategy effectively - it is that there is no strategy to communicate. If Bush were truthful, honest, honorable, dare I say, Christian, he would have owned up to his mistakes long ago. But, Bush is immature and not sure of himself enough to admit error. In that sense, he is like a child who believes that admitting mistakes will make people like you less. Bush is an insecure sycophant who would rather destroy this nation's goodwill than admit error and give us an effective strategy to correct the error and get us the hell out of Iraq.
Oh, but he is too tired and needs a vacation so he can get on with his life. What vanity. And, he has the nerve to talk about honoring those who lost their lives in his war. If he wanted to honor their sacrifice he would be visibly devoting every second of the remainder of his time as POTUS to correcting his mistakes. But, alas, he won't. There is too much brush to clear in Neverland

moodshifter

moodshifter

Hemingway

Hemingway
Originally uploaded by H. Michael karshis.

A portrait of a young artist as a man

christ.jpg

christ.jpg
Originally uploaded by mshew9.

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Go read Billmon

Billmon explains why things are the way they are...

the terror alert level

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

what the fuck

Welcome to the Brave New World. If you are not with us you are against us. What will we tell the children when they ask where America went.

Wolcott

Wolcott's got the goods on Shrub and Blair's plans to invade Iraq WMD or no WMD

The Culture of Life

Et tu brute?

someone needs to ask tom delay what we should do.

what goes up must come down

Tom Delay is finally being destroyed by his own comrades within the kremlin...
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/4/5/232011/3363

http://www.brainyquote.com/link/quotebr.rss

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good morning

it raining. kind of. not sure what to do today.

welcome to moodshifter

this is my first shot at blogging. I am not sure where this is going or what will be published. time will tell.