drip...drip...drip...
I suppose it must be a bit like Chinese Water Torture for the White House...drip drip drip...
drip...the polls indicate more and more people who are against the war in Iraq and don't
trust the White House, hence leaving
George to argue, "hey...it could be worse..."
drip...the Daily Show editing team-I so need to send them a basket of muffins-caught this soundbite from the Bush press conference earlier this week:
Reporter: "So what does Iraq have to do with September 11th?"
Bush: "Nuthin'!"
drip...there was a withdrawal starting up, but not anymore...particularly when it's getting harder to replace the soldiers already in Iraq so the Marines are using that "
involuntary recall" part of a soldier's contract. Many of these soldiers have already done two tours in Iraq
drip...two
FOX News guys were captured in Gaza and a new terrorist group not previously heard of claimed responsibility (yeah..that's "progress"...)
drip...the GOP are getting
crankier with the White House and while they believe that Iran's nuclear ambitions are more...shall we say,
ambitious, than they let on, Rep. Peter Hoekstra of MI put it best when he said that "We want to avoid another 'slam dunk'"...
drip...It's been one year since Hurricane Katrina and the debacle that followed...and
continuesdrip...further proof that the housing boom is near
bust...
drip...The FDA finally crawled out from under the influence of the White House and said "YES, you CAN get
'Plan B' over the counter!" About damn time...
drip...and last but not least....Astromoners at a conference declared today that
Pluto is no longer a planet. as a scorpio with pluto as my ruling "planet" (now merely ruling "ice ball") this is so gonna mess with my horoscope..gah!
drip...drip...drip...drip...drip...drip...drip...drip...drip...
...can ya hear Dick Cheney grumbling? *grrrrrrrrrr...*
Keep the flow going and KEEP E-MAILING!!! Email, call, fax, write, your friends and family, the press and your Congressfolk and let them know that you are PAYING ATTENTION! and as always, pass it on, pass it on, pass it on...
Peace --Alex
wow, he's getting testy...
and George actually said that the war in Iraq is a "strain on the psyche" of the American people.
No George, YOU are a strain on the American psyche on a daily basis...good lord...
He's tryin'...but still can't imagine us leaving and doesn't seem to get that the terrorists in Iraq are there cause WE are.
I just love...
that this headline is out there...
"Bush Said to Be Frustrated by Level of Public Support in Iraq"
yep, according to the NY Times (yes that evil liberal paper that's messing with the freedom and security of America),
"President Bush made clear in a private meeting this week that he was concerned about the lack of progress in Iraq and frustrated that the new Iraqi government — and the Iraqi people — had not shown greater public support for the American mission, participants in the meeting said Tuesday."
I can just see Bush, curling up on the couch in the Oval, his head in Condi's lap "I don't get it Cookie-I can call ya that, can't I? do you like that name? it's cause you're so sweet, heh heh heh...even when you're kinda hard, like with the whole Lebanon thing. I may have disagreed with ya but, what can I say but 'mee-ow'-okay, so here we are, trying to spread freedom to these people and nobody gets it. What is so wrong with freedom? Freedom's hard work, it's hard work, Cookie, but I don't see why the Iraqis are so upset. I mean we're trying to, you know, democratizate everything and free the poor ignorant bastards..."
But George isn't just losing the Iraqis, he's losing the "security moms", the hardline GOP, the generals and even Thomas Friedman of the New York Times who has given "critical support" of the war says that we are "babysitting a civil war".
George...dude...bummer..
HA!
like a big game of telephone...
A Vermont woman's claustrophobic freak-out on a flight from London to DC went from just that to "SHE HAS A SCREWDRIVER AND VASELINE!"
And it's still a bit sketchy from her trying to get notes to the cockpit to her walking up and down the aisles muttering "Pakistan" over and over.
What was scary though, was that a woman on that flight, and Australian citizen, was caught speaking Arabic on a phone call and hence was taken off the plane and questioned. She apparently was just freaking about the Vermont woman but it shows what we've come to as a nation with the practice of FEAR!!! being produced by the White House and CNN (see last night's-in particular though they've mentioned this before about CNN-Daily Show). CNN actually had the nerve to have a full day of stories called "TARGET: USA" yet with the "FEAR MUSIC" had a tagline of "Just the facts. Not fear" Oh they are just on crack thinking that that isn't raising the blood pressure and anxiety of all their viewers.
WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!!! but...not really..it's cool...
IN THE MEANTIME...the GOP puts its foot in its mouth AGAIN. Or at least Republican Senator George Allen did...and it's on
YouTube...and www.colorchange.org has a little more on the senator's history and appreciation of the Confederate flag. Yep, these are the boneheads leading our country folks...feel free to send him a little
note, eh?
AND AND AND...this just in! Did ya hear Dick Cheney grumbling? it's not just about "al Quaeda candidates"...it's the judge that said "Yeah, that warrantless surveillance program IS
unconstitutional and messes with the seperation of powers" They didn't dig unlawful eavesdropping the first time you worked at the White House, Dick...
and of course the Justice Dept (under the fist of Dick Cheney) is appealing the ruling...
In happier news, last check, the Yankees were down 12-2 against the Orioles this afternoon. woo hoo! :)
Peace --Alex
further proof...
that we are the most hated nation in the world...
and that airport security can never really be fully up to snuff...
A woman in London got on a plane bound for DC. Close enough to Boston to call out the fighter jet escort, she had a freak out (due apparently to claustrophobia) and pulled out a
screwdriver, Vaseline, a bottle of water she'd bought at the airport, and apparently a note referencing Al Quaeda.
And the guy who let her through at security at Heathrow has been fired...*have just heard while typing that there was no "indication of terrorism"...I'm sure you'll hear more about this as the day wears on...*
and apparently some twelve year old managed to get on a plane in LA yesterday with no passport or even a ticket.
The Republicans want to blame the people who voted against Lieberman for the terrorists...I personally blame our president and the lac of funds going to proper border, cargo, and airport security, thank you very much.
says
Bill Clinton, never mentioning Bush by name...but so wanting to...:
"They seem to be anxious to tie it to Al Qaeda," he said. "If that's true, how come we've got seven times as many troops in Iraq as in Afghanistan? Why have we imperiled President [Hamid] Karzai's rule and allowed the Taliban to come back into the southern part of Afghanistan?"
He also said the administration and GOP leaders in Congress had opposed tighter security on cargo containers at ports and airports.This might be a time to write a little note to your
Congressfolk, particularly if they are Republican, and let them know that you do know that they are politicizing the London Bomb plot, that we wouldn't have this mess were we not in Iraq and actually in Afghanistan and going after Bin Laden (who? who is that?), but perhaps that's just me...and Bill Clinton.
Peace --Alex
and could the Red Sox WIN a game please before they play the Yanks this weekend? My friend Maryanne and her husband are bringing their not wuite a month old daughter Melody to her first Fenway game this weekend and it would be best for her to experience a win (she will feel the vibes of her gleeful mom)...while it's good to know the power of the suffering early, it's a bit too early don't ya think? We're thinking positively...
AND if you find yourself in Tamworth, NH, head on over to the Barnstormers theatre where you can see my friend Amanda as 'Claire' in their production of
Proof. Woo Hoo! And tell her I say "hey!"
back to the politics for a minute...My mom was watching the Lehrer report last night and mentioned a comment about the British investigation intot eh bomb plot. From what she told me, the reporter asked a consultant/pundit who has worked for Scotland Yard about the different techniques used in the investigation over there-such as the ability to hold random people for 28 days before charging them-and the guy, a Mr. Parker commented "Well, this goes back to King George and the American Revolution. See, we have a Bill of Rights. And they don't..."
and again...
I am away from a computer when I got something to say...GAH! but anyway, I am back in touch with internet access and here we go...
First, you may notice that the blog's got a new name. Well, I figure, 1) it'll be easier to find and 2) as it is a project that I will continuously be working on I figure I can best plug any of its-and my-progress right here. As I got the last rejection letter for the last set of grants I applied for *sigh*, I am preparing to try again, with help and hopefully some decent letters of recommendation. I also will be setting up a couple of good interviews soon AND I am looking at finally getting a digital recorder and setting up the "What Are You?" umbrella at Burning Man :) Woo Hoo! I also just added a new monologue after hearing a great conversation on the A train the other day. I didn't get the guy's side, but his female friend said what she had to say loud and clear and I got the majority of it down :)
In the meantime, if I hear Bush and his people say one more time that we are "safer but still not safe," I will scream at the top of my lungs in the middle of 56th Street. We are NOT safer thanks to this administration's cruel farce of a war in Iraq and the inability to focus on 1) catching Osama Bin Laden, 2) actually making an attempt to discuss PEACE between Israel and Arab nations and 3) spending on actual security like the ports, cargo, airports, trains, buses and the borders rather than staying in Iraq and pretty much telling Israel to go ahead and shoot up Lebanon, hence inspiring a burgeoning new crop of terrorists ready to fight for Hezbollah and other extreme groups (which happen to have been voted democratically into governments as the people see them as the ones helping them out...yet our guys appear surprised and cranky when that happens...)
ANYWAY...just so annoyed by the president right now, I'm somethin; close to speechless.
Here's to a Democratic/Independent Congress in November *clink*
Peace --Alex
And okay, can the Sox beat Detroit now. Detroit took out their 5 game losing streak on the Red Sox last night and while the Sox were able to sweep Balitmore, we couldn't take the Tigers...and of course the Yanks came flying back last night and ended up winning so we are back to 2 games behind. Say all the prayers, hum the good karma and just think POSITIVELY for the Sox tonight.
so glad we got Saddam....
cause you know...that's kept the
terrorists away...
And, of course, Michael Chertoff's been making it sound like the US were involved in the capture of these guys when I believe our government found out about this British investigation and plot thwarting, like what? yesterday?
And can I help it if that little inner conspiracy theorist inside me was goin' "Lieberman loses, the GOP could lose votes from those who don't support the war...but LOOK! TERRORISTS!!! They are STILL out there!"
And do ya know WHY they are still out there? Because of US going into a country we didn't need to go into AND for not catching the actual guy who attacked us. I'm just sayin'...
And honestly, my first thought when I saw this business on the news this morning was "Thank God [my boyfriend's younger brother] went home YESTERDAY..." Particularly, after just getting his hair cut and not being able to bring hair gel on to the plane.
And here I am with orange nails and now I'm going to have to upgrade them to high alert red (are sparkles okay?).
That's all for now...
Peace --Alex
all right...
some GOOD news for now while the world is exploding. At least it is good for
me...
First, I am indeed directing for the Estrogenius Festival at Manhattan Theatre Source. I'm directing the just damn funny Julie Perkin's play Percentages, about a brother and sister and who gets to come out at Hannukah (or Christmas) first...if they are indeed gay. We've still got some casting to do but we HOPEFULLY will be done by Wednesday :)
Second. It's official. I am going to BURNING MAN. I have been wanting to check out this festival for YEARS and thanks to the boyfriend, we are heading out this year. Woo hoo! Soooooo excited...and even more so due to the fact that my friend Sonia from the "posse of 9" with whom I marched in the March For Women's Lives in 2004, will also be there. YEA!
And speaking of reasons to shout YEA! My friends Kelly and Markus just got engaged! So happy for them and so glad I can spread the love :)
I hope all y'all got some good news to keep ya going at such a time.
IN THE MEANTIME...Joe Liberman could lose the CT election (you know I gotta throw some politics in here!) and all the Sunday morning talk shows and the news this morning talked about how if he does indeed go down, then so goes the GOP. If that's what it's gotta take...
Peace --Alex
Democratic Domino Theory
Apparently, this term was coined back during the Vietnam era when the US tried "democratization by destabilazation". It didn't work then and if you keep watching and listening to the news reports about Lebanon and Israel, it certainly is not working now.
New York Magazine has a great article in this week's issue called "George W. and the Dominoes" about how the adminsitration's idea that once democracy hit Iraq, every other Arab nation would fall into democratic place, has utterly failed...and the situation is worsening (um DUH!). You gotta love it when a general who used to run the NSA during the Regan and Bush 41 years is asked "What do you we do now? responds "Get out, now. We need to eat some crow" and that essentially, what's going on in Iraq and Lebanon, Iran, Syria, etc is all our fault:
"The U.S. Forces in Iraq opened the country to Al Quaeda cadres, and democratic elections have cleared the way for radical rulers. The longer the U.S. forces stay, the more likely it is that their radicalizing impact will reach beyond Iraq to Egypt and Saudi Arabia-and perhaps to Pakistan...and] the more likely a full scale war between Israel and it's neighbors {like oh...now}. It's America's departure that could prevent [all this]..."
*According to New York magazine, the full essay by General William Odom, former NSA director, can be found in the magazine
Neiman Watchdog.
There is too much to say and no words at all for what is happening over in Lebanon and Haifa at this time other than it needs to stop. Since our people won't speak up, at least the UN is trying to so SOMETHING, but ideally, it should be Israel or Hezbollah that needs to step up and say STOP and work something out. But as they've been fighting so long that they don't know any better, one just can't see that happening.
