The shoe on the other foot

Walk with me down this street. It’s my street. It’s a cul-de-sac that has sixteen houses on it. Each house was once worth over $300,000. The houses are wood framed, with stucco walls, and red tile roofs. My street is part of a neighborhood which includes several hundred houses, a couple of schools, pools, and tennis courts. It’s a typical middle class neighborhood, much like yours I'm sure.

But today my street is in ruins, the result of three months of constant bombing of this country by the “bad guys.” (BG’s) Today the ground has stopped shaking and the smoke has cleared and we find that our once great country is now being occupied by the BG’s. My part of the state has been bombed heavily because it is on the west coast and houses several major airports, a major seaport, and several military bases. Several military contractors once called this part of the state home.

My neighborhood has no running water, natural gas, or sewage system to speak of. My neighborhood has electricity for 2-4 hours a day, 2-3 days of the week. I have several large holes in my roof from bomb fragments and the retaining wall from the freeway has collapsed into my yard. I dug a cave into the base of the freeway to create a bomb shelter for my family. There is no gasoline to run my cars, so I walk to a nearby shopping center to stand in line for water and food rations. Cell phones, televisions, and the internet are all memories of the past.

My family is in tatters. I no longer have my pension coming in and my wife has no job since the schools were shut down. I’ve had no contact with my two sons in months, as both left to fight in the resistance.

The BG’s have been dropping leaflets in our neighborhood telling us they are here to bring freedom to our country. Armed soldiers patrol the area, searching for those who resist, kicking down doors and taking away people they call terrorists never to be seen again. I fear they will come for me one day, as I have been trying to do my part by going out at night to snipe at their patrols and plant IED’s. I understand we have lost thousands of troops and civilian men, women, and children have been slaughtered in the millions.

I pray each day that the BG’s would just leave and let us run our country the way we see fit. Why do they have to push their form of government on us? Many believe that it’s not our freedom the BG’s are interested in but our natural recourses. Will this planet ever know peace? When is enough, enough?

UCLA going to final four!!!

The UCLA men's basketball team is heading to the final four in the NCAA tournament in San Antonio, Tx. UCLA beat Xavier today 76-57 to move on. UCLA was led by Kevin Love's 19 points and 10 rebounds, with another 19 points from Darren Collison. UCLA led at the half 33-24, but came out in the second half and outscored Xavier 14-0 to take a commanding lead. Kevin Love was named the "Most Outstanding Player" of the west regional tournament. Congrats to UCLA!!!

Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Iran

By Margaret Kimberley

March 27, 2008

It is happening. The plans for the Bush administration to begin mass murder of the Iranian people have been put in motion. The plot was stalled temporarily by the National Intelligence Estimate report released last fall, a report which said that Iran did not have a nuclear weapons program. Bush and Cheney were thrown off their game, but not by much and not for long. They were inconvenienced but ultimately took the small set back in stride because they both knew they had nothing to worry about.

The attack on Iran is an open secret, but Americans, like a wronged spouse, are the last to know. Dick Cheney must have told the Saudi princes of his intended evil doing because Saudi Arabia is planning for "the probabilities of leaking nuclear and radiation hazards in case of any unexpected nuclear attacks in Iran. . . " Saudis know the deal, while John and Jane Q. Public are still in the dark.

“Ultimately, the parasitic class can only maintain its rule by force. Manufacturing nothing, creating no value except on paper, they must finally call upon the Armed Forces to impose their unearned advantage on the planet. Such was the logic of March, 2003. The Great Offensive failed, but the contradictions that compelled the captains of finance capital to order their political servants to wage war, remain - and are in fact more acute than four years ago. They must wage war, again, to fight their way out of the box.”

In the space of just five years, our nation will be waging another war of aggression and we will all be accessories after the fact. Our country may have also entered into a depression, so we will be poor criminals too. To use an expression coined by Poppy Bush, we will be in deep doo doo. Cheer up though. We won’t be in as much trouble as Iranians. Many of them will soon be dead.

We've come a long way

A home computer circa 1989. Note: monitor and mouse not included!!

Happy Birthday Reba

Happy Birthday wishes go out to Reba McEntire who turns 53 today. Reba was born in McAlester, Oklahoma, and lived on a 7,000 acre ranch most of her young life. Her father was a three-time world champion steer roper and Reba is an accomplished rider herself.

Reba, known as "The Queen of Country Music", has made 31 albums and sold more than 55 million records. She has performed on Broadway in "Annie Get Your Gun" as well as writen and produced her own music. She is the star of the sitcom "Reba" and visits my house most everyday on "Reba." Reba is married, has one son, and lives in Nashville, Tn. Happy Birthday Reba!!!

60,000 American Prisoners of War!!!

According to a story on alternet.org, entitled "Pentagon Holds Thousands of Americans 'Prisoners of War'" its believed that there are over 60,000 American servicemen and women who are being held in the service against their will by a program called "stop-loss."

It seems the president has the power to extend the contracts of enlistees to "six months after the war ends" in a time of war. President Bush has chosen to utilize this device on over 60,000 of our troops under the guise of the "war on terror." American soldiers are effectively signing away their freedom indefinitely when they join the military.

According to the article it wasn't uncommon for soldiers to be within days of coming home when they were extended for 18 months because of President Bush's "Iraqi surge." President Bush has reportedly sent soldiers back to Iraq as many as five times in five years.

In discussing this blog entry with my son Josh, he told me that there is a movie just released entitled "Stop Loss" about this very issue. I'll be seeing this movie this week.

I can find nothing positive about this war!! We need to get out now!!

Ouch!!!

Senator Obama: "Senator McCain is actually running for President Bush's third term."

CNN - The Situation Room March 27, 2008

Hmmm???

"You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war."

--Albert Einstein

Astrology anyone???

I picked up a new book the other day (who would a thought!!) at Barnes & Noble (again - who would a thought!!) entitled "The complete Idiot's Guide to Astrology" by Madeline Gerwick-Brodeur and Lisa Lenard. I had always been a little curious about astrology and read my horoscope in the papers in the morning.

Then I went on astrology.com and printed out my astrological chart, sometimes called a natal chart or birth chart, based on the time, date, and location where I was born. The photo is an example of an astrological chart. So I found out that my sun sign is Aquarius, my moon sign is Gemini, I have Taurus rising and my moon is in my 3rd house.

Now I have no idea what any of that means!! Sounds like the song "Aquarius" by the 5th Dimension!! I will let you know when I find out more. (I'm only half-way through the book)

I became interested in astrology because many of the spiritualism books I have read refer to the science of astrology as being the very first science probed by man.

Happy Birthday to the "other" Fergie

Happy Birthday wishes go out to Fergie who turns 33 years old today. Fergie, AKA Stacy Ann Ferguson, was born and raised in Hacienda Heights, California, and attended Wilson High School. She's a local!! Who knew!! She is the lead singer for the group "Black Eyed Peas" and also has a solo career. So, Happy Birthday Fergie!!

My sentiments exactly!!!

I'm sure everyone has had this fantasy at least once in their career!!!

Chuckle for the day

Thanks Jan

Bill and Sam, two elderly friends, met in the park every day to feed the pigeons, watch the squirrels, and discuss world problems. One day Bill didn't show up. Sam didn't think much about it and figured maybe he had a cold or something. But after Bill hadn't shown up for aweek or so, Sam really got worried. However, since the only time they ever got together was at the park, Sam didn't know where Bill lived, so he was unable to find out what had happened to him.

A month had passed, and Sam figured he had seen the last of Bill, but one day, Sam approached the park and -- lo and behold-----there sat Bill! Sam was very excited and happy to see him and told him so.

Then he said,"For crying out loud Bill, what in the world happened to you?"

Bill replied, "I have been in jail."

"Jail?" cried Sam. "What in the world for?"

"Well," Bill said, "you know Sue, that cute little blonde waitress at the coffee shop where I sometime go?"

"Yeah," said Sam, "I remember her. What about her?"

"Well, one day she filed rape charges against me; and, at 89 years old, I was so proud that when I got into court, I pled 'guilty'and the judge gave me 30 days for perjury."

You go girl!!

Campaigning in Indianapolis for her mother, Chelsea Clinton had a quick retort when asked a question she had never had before. When a male student asked her if her mother's credibility had been hurt during the Monica Lewinsky scandal, Clinton quickly responded. "Wow, you're the first person actually that's ever asked me that question, in the, maybe 70 college campuses that I've been to," Clinton bitterly said at Butler University. "And I don't think that's any of your business."

Later when asked about the question, the curious student (aka dumb shit) said he asked the question to give Chelsea an opportunity to show how strong her mother is. Duh!!!

Question?? If we voted for Chelsea instead, would Bill and Hillary move into the white house as the first parents???

Elton John turns 61

Happy Birthday wishes go out to Elton John who turns 61 years old today. Elton John was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in London, England. Elton began to play the piano at the age of 3. Elton John has won several awards including a Grammy and an Oscar for "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" from the movie "Lion King." Elton John was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II on February 24, 1998. Happy Birthday Elton John.

Fish story

My good friend Jack went fishing at the Colorado River last week and based on this photo was quite successful. Although I suppose this could be the result of photo shop. :-0 Don't ask me what kind of fish it is, cause I have no idea. But it's sure a pretty one!!! Good job Jack!!!

Comprehensive sex ed may cut teen birth rate

Study: Birth control education helps reduce pregnancies in high school kids
Monday, March 24, 2008

NEW YORK - Comprehensive sex education that includes discussion of birth control may help reduce teen pregnancies, while abstinence-only programs seem to fall short, the results of a U.S. survey suggest.

Using data from a 2002 national survey, researchers found that among more than 1,700 unmarried, heterosexual teens between 15 and 19 years old, those who'd received comprehensive sex ed in school were 60 percent less likely to have been pregnant or gotten someone pregnant than teens who'd had no formal sex education.

Meanwhile, there was no clear benefit from abstinence-only education in preventing pregnancy or delaying sexual intercourse, the researchers report in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

"The bottom line is that there is strong evidence that comprehensive sex education is more effective than abstinence-only education at preventing teen pregnancies," said lead researcher Pamela K. Kohler, of the Center for AIDS and STD at the University of Washington in Seattle.

She told Reuters Health the study "also solidly debunks the myth that teens who learn about birth control are more likely to have sex."

To read the entire article, go to http://www.msnbc.msn.com/. I don't know why we need surveys to tell us these things. Today's teens are smart and need up to date information to make informed decisions.

Me? Just laying around, collecting my P.E.R.S.

The death toll of American troops in the Iraq occupation now stands at 4000!!! When will enough be enough!!!

Last Tangle in Persia

Last Tangle in Persia
Allan Uthman

A lot of people dismiss out of hand the idea that Bush will do something as dumb as invade Iran in the remaining few months of his seemingly interminable reign. It would, after all, be a colossally stupid move, indicating that the administration has learned nothing from the disaster in Iraq—which Cheney just now called a “success.” That word is all you need to hear to understand just how little they’ve learned.

They will attack Iran, and leave it to the next president to handle the aftermath. Anyone who thinks they’re too election-conscious to do it isn’t seeing the situation clearly. Being thrust into a new frightening international conflict during the election doesn’t help the Democrats; it helps McCain. If people are afraid—and an aggrieved Iran, unlike Iraq, is actually something to be afraid of—they will vote for the war hero in droves. If nothing else, attacking Iran is a great election strategy for the GOP. Sure, when the dust has settled and, once again, it slowly dawns on Americans that they’ve been conned, just like they were so many times before, there’ll be the usual “hell” to pay—vaguely critical punditry, low approval ratings, the occasional lecture from Henry Waxman—but it will be the Republicans in power yet again, planning the next invasion, but waiting to debut the PR campaign in the fall, when the public is most receptive.

My Note: These are excerpts from the article. The entire article can be found at www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/13612. I downloaded the above cartoon months ago hoping I would never have to use it.

The War in Iraq - Five Year Later

There is a nice article in this week's People Magazine featuring families who have lost loved ones in the war in Iraq. One woman lost two sons to the war. If you need to put some faces to this war to take it more seriously or make it personal, pick up this week's People Magazine.

UCLA Bruins move on to "Sweet 16"

The UCLA Bruins men's basketball team beat the Texas Aggies 53 - 49 to move on to the "Sweet 16" tournament in Phoenix. Trailing by as many as ten points mid-way through the second half, the Bruins charged back to go ahead by two with nine seconds left. The Aggies drove the lane with time running out only to have their last second shot blocked to mid-court where a Bruin picked it up and scored as time ran out. It was a very exciting game with a even greater ending. Congrats to the Bruins!!!

Jamie Lee Curtis - Topless for AARP

Actress Jamie Lee Curtis has once again decided to bare her soul – and body – to convince women that they will be their most beautiful if they take care of their bodies and age naturally.

The star, whose curves turned heads in such early films as Trading Places and Perfect, will help celebrate her 50th birthday in November by posing gray-haired and topless on the cover of the May-June issue of AARP The Magazine, available March 24.

She made a similar splash in More Magazine in 2002 when she appeared makeup-free and unretouched in a sports bra and briefs, drawing attention at the time to her "fatty little tummy" and other flaws. The point, Curtis tells PEOPLE, is that glam isn't real, but good health is.

Baby boomer humor

I received this from my good friend Jan. Thanks Jan!!

Some of the artists of the 60's are revising their hits with new lyrics to accommodate aging baby boomers. They include:

Herman's Hermits --- Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Walker.

Ringo Starr --- I Get By With a Little Help From Depends.

The Bee Gees --- How Can You Mend a Broken Hip.

Bobby Darin --- Splish, Splash, I Was Havin' a Flash.

Roberta Flack--- The First Time Ever I Forgot Your Face.

Johnny Nash --- I Can't See Clearly Now.

Paul Simon--- Fifty Ways to Lose Your Liver (gall bladder??)

The Commodores --- Once, Twice, Three Times to the Bathroom.

Marvin Gaye --- Heard It Through the Grape Nuts.

Procol Harem--- A Whiter Shade of Hair.

Leo Sayer --- You Make Me Feel Like Napping.

The Temptations --- Papa's Got a Kidney Stone.

Abba--- Denture Queen.

Tony Orlando --- Knock 3 Times On The Ceiling If You Hear Me Fall.

Helen Reddy --- I Am Woman, Hear Me Snore.

Leslie Gore--- It's My Procedure, and I'll Cry If I Want To.

Willie Nelson --- On the Commode Again

My note: I think the Rolling Stones "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" fits in nicely without any changes!!

Love American Style

Love American Style
David Michael Green

Americans love to think that we’re a peaceful people, and that we fight wars only when we must. Unfortunately, you can count in nanoseconds how long those assertions hold up when exposed to such insidious commie dirty tricks as the application of logic or the examination of empirical history.

Sure, any war can be spun as some necessity against some "Very Bad Person," preferably of brown skin, slanted eyes and/or differing deity. Not only can any war be so spun, probably every war there ever was has been, at least since the days when governments had to start offering some justification or another for their little foreign adventures.

But pick your barometer – any one will work – and you’ll quickly see who are the militant folks on the planet. For America, it turns out – gulp – to be that bloated, frightened meth-addict staring back at us in the mirror, not some overseas evil emperor du jour.

For example, suppose you wanted to measure comparative national war-like tendencies by simply counting wars. Since World War II, the US has messed around, in ways big and small, in Korea, Vietnam, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Afghanistan, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, Lebanon, Granada, Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo, Haiti, Somalia, Afghanistan again, and Iraq again. No country in the world can begin to match this record in the last half-century. And I’m not even listing here the covert operations (almost everywhere), including the ones that toppled democratically elected governments (Iran, Guatemala, Chile, etc.), the long-term occupations of Latin American countries by the US military, the gunboat diplomacy of the American Navy around the world, the aiding and abetting of other killers (Saddam invading Iran, for example, apartheid South Africa or the Israeli occupation of Palestine), the militarization of the oceans and of space, or the myriad other ways in which the US leads the planet in aggressive tendencies. (For a whole century’s worth of overseas fun – not even counting the big stuff – Stephen Kinzer’s Overthrow is highly recommended reading.)

For the rest of this article refer to www.regressiveantidote.net/articles

Spring training baseball - day two

Today we took in an afternoon game between the Kansas City Royals and the Seattle Mariners at the Peoria Stadium. Kansas City won the game, but Seattle tried to rally in the ninth to make in exciting. We had outfield bleacher seats down the left field line so we were able to sun burn the other side of our faces today.

We are home now and a great time was had by all.

Spring has sprung!!!!

The Rite of Spring
Vernal equinox occurs on March 20, 2008
by Ann-Marie Imbornoni and Elissa Haney

March 20, 2008, is a date that most of us recognize as symbolic of changing seasons. As we welcome spring, people south of the equator are actually gearing up for the cooler temperatures of autumn.

What Happens at the Equinox?

Far from being an arbitrary indicator of the changing seasons, March 20 (March 21 in some years) is significant for astronomical reasons. On March 20, 2008, at precisely 1:48 A.M. EDT (March 20, 05:48 Universal time), the Sun will cross directly over the Earth's equator. This moment is known as the vernal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. For the Southern Hemisphere, this is the moment of the autumnal equinox.

Equinox Means "Equal Night"

Translated literally, equinox means "equal night." Because the sun is positioned above the equator, day and night are about equal in length all over the world during the equinoxes. A second equinox occurs each year on September 22 or 23; in 2008, it will be on September 22 at 11:44 A.M. EDT (15:44 UT). This date will mark the autumnal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere and the vernal equinox in the Southern (vernal denotes "spring").

Reasons for the Seasons

These brief but monumental moments owe their significance to the 23.4 degree tilt of the Earth's axis. Because of the tilt, we receive the Sun's rays most directly in the summer. In the winter, when we are tilted away from the Sun, the rays pass through the atmosphere at a greater slant, bringing lower temperatures. If the Earth rotated on an axis perpendicular to the plane of the Earth's orbit around the Sun, there would be no variation in day lengths or temperatures throughout the year, and we would not have seasons.

Rituals and Traditions
Modern astronomy aside, people have recognized the vernal equinox for thousands of years. There is no shortage of rituals and traditions surrounding the coming of spring. Many early peoples celebrated for the basic reason that their food supplies would soon be restored. The date is significant in Christianity because Easter always falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. It is also probably no coincidence that early Egyptians built the Great Sphinx so that it points directly toward the rising Sun on the day of the vernal equinox.

The first day of spring also marks the beginning of Nowruz, the Persian New Year. The celebration lasts 13 days and is rooted in the 3,000-year-old tradition of Zorastrianism.

Obtained from infoplease.com

Spring Training Baseball in Phoenix, Az.

My good friend Jim and I are in Phoenix, Az. today taking in a couple of spring training baseball games. The first game we saw was the Angels and the Giants. The Angels won handily 13-1 or something like that. We got an usher to take a photo of us before the game. The second game started at 6:05 PM so we had to hustle across town to a different stadium. This second game was between the Kansas City Royals and the Milwaukee Brewers. Kansas City won that game handily as well. We had seats in the outfield for the Angels and seats behind home plate for Kansas City. Tomorrow we will see a game between Kansas City and Seattle and then head home.

As a side note, look at that great full moon in the background. The Goddess was certainly smiling down on us tonight!!!

On the road again!!!

My friend Jim and I are off this morning to Tempe, Arizona, to take in a couple of spring training baseball games. I'm not sure if I will have time to post for the next two days. If not, Happy Easter to those who celebrate this day and if you're traveling, please be careful.

My first anti-war demonstration!!

Today I attended my first ever anti-war demonstration. It was held in Claremont, California, and drew about 150 people. I'm actually proud of myself for putting action to my words and making a public stand against the Iraqi war. You could say I put my money, in this case my time, where my mouth is. The intersection is heavily traveled during the afternoon rush hour and we seemed to draw a lot of support in the way of horns honking, waves, and peace signs, from the passing motorists. I'm sure word of our demonstration will reach the ear of President Bush and cause him to re-think his war strategy. Uh huh?? Oh well, wish you would have been there!!

Happy Birthday Operation Iraqi Freedom

Today is the fifth anniversary of the invasion of the sovereign country of Iraq, code named "Operation Iraqi Freedom", by the military forces of the United States of America. Since that day, the United States has lost 3,990 members of it's armed forces and had 29,314 more wounded. I thought about posting gruesome photos of the war to show what we as American citizens have authorized our troops to do through our system of representative government, but I didn't want to look at the photos either. But suffice to say, over 1 million Iraqi civilians have been killed, many women and children, and over 4 million more displaced. The country's infrastructure is in a shambles that will take years to repair and they are being occupied by a country they don't want there. Hint: "occupied" is not a positive term!!

Instead, I thought I would look ahead to March 19, 2009, to the sixth anniversary of the invasion. If things continue as they have in 2007, we will have lost another 900 more members of our armed forces and had another 6,000 more wounded. Simple math will tell you that our grand totals will then be 4,890 killed and 35,314 wounded. To many these are just numbers. I am the father of two sons ages 20 and 22 so I can very easily put representative faces to those numbers. These are young men and women in the prime of their lives. Men and women who have dreams for their future.

What makes me make this wild prediction? It's rather simple really. President Bush will be in office until the end of this year and nothing will change during his reign. (We can only hope he doesn't invade Iran, since Iraq has been such an astounding victory for democracy) Senator McCain has already said he won't bring the troops home, and neither Senator Clinton or Senator Obama will have done anything substantial by March of 2009. Add to that, our Congress seems to be in some sort of shell shock and frozen in place when it comes to arguing against the war.

As for me, I'm going to continue to be vocal against the war. I will be attending an anti-war demonstration this afternoon in Claremont at the intersection of Arrow Hwy, & Indian Hill blvd. Maybe I'll see ya there!!!

UCLA wins Pac 10 tournament

The UCLA men's basketball team beat Stanford 67/64 to win the Pac 10 tournament yesterday afternoon. Tied at 32 at the half, UCLA went on a 11-0 run mid-way through the second half to get a comfortable lead and then hung on at the end to pull it out. The win would have been much easier if UCLA had made even half of their free throws, but they were 9-23 from the free throw line. Congrats UCLA!!!

Happy Birthday Jerry Lewis

Happy Birthday wishes go out today to Jerry Lewis who turns 82 years old. Jerry Lewis, born Joseph Levitch, in Newark, New Jersey, now lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. I'm sure we all have our favorite Jerry Lewis movie. Happy Birthday Jerry Lewis.

Going to my first anti-war demonstration

Wednesday, March 19th is the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. Anti-war demonstrations are being planned all over the United States. Locally, there will be an anti-war demonstration in the city of Claremont, Ca. at the corner of Arrow Hwy. and Indian Hill Blvd. from 4:30 PM to 6 PM. Recommended dress: black. I plan on being there. Come and join me and encourage our government to bring our troops home.