Monthly Archives: September 2004

About the Debate

Definitely no clear winner in the debate. To clarify: It ain’t gonna convince anyone who ain’t already convinced. They kept talking, and I kept forgetting what the damn question was. It’s similar to the feeling you get when you’re listening to the radio and there are so many commercials that you forget what you were listening to — only, these were self-commercials for the candidates.

Additionally, the candidates kept repeating the same things over and over, using the same buzzwords and catchphrases. It was a 90 minute debate over a few minutes worth of various soundbites. In fact, I’m sure Bush used the same exact rebuttal during the extensions for different questions.

A few good points for Kerry:

  • asserted his solidified position on Iraq
  • the “more of the same” line — that one hit hard

Also, I noticed one time Kerry saying that he was being consistent, and when Bush replied, Bush said nothing of substance, only repeating the rhetoric that Kerry was shifting his positions and sending mixed messages.

I felt as if Kerry missed a big opportunity to attack Bush during the discussion on Darfur, but I don’t remember exactly what. Note to self: Take notes during next debate.

I guess people were really hoping for one clear winner during this debate. Hardcore Republicans went in expecting Kerry to flip flop like no tomorrow. Hardcore Democrats went in expecting to see Bush be the bumbling idiot with no speaking skills whatsoever. Instead, all we got was more of the same. There were instances where there could be perceived Kerry flip flops, if you were searching really hard for them and expecting them, but I don’t think Kerry committed such gross atrocities as to lose the debate. I don’t believe there were any real flip flops during the debate, and at one point, you could really tell Kerry was frustrated, when he said, “that’s not the issue” and proceeded to say the president was wrong in his approach to Iraq.

Now, readers may come across this and think I’ve shifted my position to support Kerry (or have always supported him, which is not the case), but I must remind you that I said there was no clear winner. I just don’t see Kerry as the anti-Christ who will doom us all.

My position now? I don’t see Kerry as the anti-Christ, nor do I see him as a savior. Kerry insinuated that reelecting Bush would bring us four years of more of the same; with Kerry, we probably still won’t be getting much more of the different.

You Just Got Served… by the Math Club

I don’t know what the hell exactly I’m doing in the math club, but I joined, and today for the join a club thingy, Chris brought his turntables. Yes, turntables for math club. We totally drowned out any other sound. I don’t know what it had to do with math, but it attracted people to sign up, and that’s all that matters right?

Football…

Do you go to my high school, ******? If so, you should come to the football game this Friday. Why? See me Drum Major, conduct the national anthem. See Jazz Ensemble perform “The Jazz Police” at half-time. The pep band is going to be uber-cooler… we’re going to play “Yeah” and more pop songs as the season progresses. Leave suggestions for songs here.

Minesweeper Quest

Remember when I wanted to be Minesweeper King? Well, I finally found someone I know personally who has a better time than me. So, that quest has been reignited, the inner Minesweeper awoken, and you should expect a better time from me within two weeks.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Way back when, this last summer, I took a summer class. (I’ve referred to it before, if you keep up on this weblog thing.) About 10 days long. I had a great time: the people I met were just so awesome. Ah, the memories. And, I thought I would actually miss these people.

The truth is, I did, for a little bit. I was really sorry to see these people go. Watching them leave one by one, or by busload, made me sad. Catching one of the later buses made me endure good-bye after good-bye.

Then, before I knew it, I was on my own bus, pondering the disappearance of all these newfound friends. I got on the airplane, fell asleep, and was instantly plunged into a new vacation — this time, with my mom and sister.

I still missed those people for a while, longing for some wacky hijinks instead of the stagnant mood of the family vacation.

I thought I would keep in contact with them. I really thought I would try.

In fact, I had papers with contact information. I put all of them on my AOL Instant Messenger buddy list.

I chatted with a few people at intermittant times, but we had nothing to talk about. Nothing.

I even signed up for some MSN Group, and posted a few messages.

Gradually, the memories faded, and I don’t miss these people. No life-long friendships forged with me. I don’t know if it’s just me, or was it the whole group, because the MSN Group totally died as well.

Part of it had to be me, though. Ever since I can remember, I haven’t really missed people. When I was in California, and my dad was in Colorado, I didn’t really miss him. My brother, my sister-in-law, and their two kids moved to Las Vegas. I don’t really miss them.

Maybe it’s because I knew I’d see them again sometime. Then again, my grandfather died recently. I don’t miss him.

It’s not that I don’t love these people (actually, I don’t like my grandfather and his death doesn’t change that), but I just don’t get that emotion of missing people.

Right now, I can tell you truthfully, I don’t miss any of the kids that were in my summer class, nor my teachers. I could strike up a conversation with them, if I were to meet them in person, probably, but that doesn’t mean I miss them.

My friends from Colorado… I don’t know when’s the last time I talked to any of them.

My middle school friends… I see them occasionally, but do I miss not having them in any of my classes. No, not really.

Do I occasionally think about any of those aforementioned? Of course, but I don’t miss them. Sometimes, I’ll say, I want to see that person, but do I really miss that person?

What is it about me?

Which brings me to my graduation, coming soon. Will I miss my fellow classmates and friends? Judging from the past: I’ll be sad for a little bit, and then they’ll fade away.

I also wonder what I’ll be thinking when someone close to me dies. I’ve dealt with not seeing people ever again… and to me right now, not having experienced anything like that, that’s the definition of dying for me. Someone gone who I’ll never see again, like my grandfather right now.

I know it’s a self-centered way to view things, but any of the people I’ve lost contact with could die, and what would be the difference to me?

I tell you this though, I don’t like that aspect of myself, but I don’t know what I could do to change it. Start getting closer to people? I really don’t know.

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God Vibes

I glossed over the detail of having Mass that day, and the fact that there’s a new bishop because I was trying to make a different point. This new bishop is crazy and I had trouble during Mass trying not to bust up laughing.

The way this guy opens up his speech is by mentioning a sports jersey. He says there’s a patch on it, which signifies that it’s the real deal, authenticated by the NBA. He compares himself to the patch.

Yes, children, get your True Christian patches, right here! A patch! Why didn’t anyone think of that before? Screw loving your enemies, I just want the “I Love My Enemies” patch!

He’s the patch that authenticates the ceremonies and makes sure they aren’t cheap knock-offs. There’s an unbroken chain from the Apostles copying the exact things Jesus did. He says they’re the exact ceremonies Jesus performed, and these things weren’t decided by a committee.

Hm… how about the Council of Nicaea where they decided what True Catholics did?

Another thing: How can people sound so arrogant when they call themselves “unworthy”? I don’t know how he did it, but that was another moment when I almost couldn’t contain my laughter.

This bishop was definitely giving off vibes that we’re all sinners and don’t love God enough. Yes, the humans are inherently evil deal.I didn’t like it one bit. I don’t remember exactly what he said, and I know he wasn’t this extreme, but I was instantly reminded of this: Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God by Jonathan Edwards.

I don’t know if this was the bishop’s idea, but we didn’t even get to sit down during communion. I suppose I could’ve sat down myself, but they told us to stay standing up. I don’t know what the norm is, but at our school, I never stood up the entire time during communion.

Completely catching me off guard, he breaks into song at one point during the part where he talks about the wine being Jesus’ blood and stuff. Anyone seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail? It was the tune those monks sing, only the words were in English, not Latin. However, I have no idea if it’s a direct translation (I doubt it). I contained my laughter, but Ian and Richard next to me didn’t. I also resisted the urge to pretend to slam something onto my forehead (while Richard didn’t).

One last gripe: He was miked the whole time, so his voice cut through while the choir was singing. Not that I like the choir (another story for another time), but his voice exacerbated the horribleness, there was some sort of time delay between their singing (probably his fault).

The Clothes Totally Make the Man

Note: I decided to split up the originally planned giganterrific entry into at least two parts. Here’s number one.

I love dressing up. I always look so much damn nicer and fashionable. The other day, for Mass (I go to a Catholic school), it was a mandatory dress-up day. Why? New bishop in town. I don’t like them telling us it’s mandatory, but hey, I bought a nice suit, and I’m going to get my money’s worth.

I wore my tannish shirt, which looks almost gray in the right lighting with my blue tie. Suit jacket. Suit pants.

Oh yeah, and the blue tie: silk and striped. It is a sexy tie. I should take a picture of it.

To excentuate the look of the awesome business man, I stuck a dollar bill in my front coat pocket (normally where maybe a handkerchief would go). “Here’s a dollar, go buy yourself a life,” I said. I knew I looked slick, and I got some compliments, even from the principal.

Usually, when I’m up presenting for class, I’m rather nervous. Or, I can be nervous. My leg will shake if I’m not careful. I try to be calm inside, and usually I am, but my damn body won’t let me be 100 percent calm. No problems in the suit during the latest presentation. And I realize, the clothes do make the man.

I also must say: the dollar bill is the best suit accessory ever. Just make sure no one takes it, or that you’re so rich it doesn’t matter.

angry etc hw

I had something I wanted to write but I doubt I’ll get to it because I need to make time for homework before making time for a giganterrific weblog entry and also let this emotion called anger dissipate (not angry at homework).

CBS Duped

Duped CBS regrets airing disputed Bush memos. Very interesting wording in this article, “duped” especially standing out right away. See also: “chorus of experts and so-called bloggers.”

And now you know CBS’s trusted source they had to keep anonymous… yeah, the same guy who “misled” them.

When the errors were pointed out so quickly online, you have to wonder how much they really looked into the authenticity of these documents…

No, it’s not drafty in here at all

Received this variant of the draft e-mail today:

“Well I just found out about this bit of bullshit. Read and pass along.
That is, unless you WANT to get shot full of holes in Iraq.

Mandatory draft for boys and girls (ages
18-26)starting June 15, 2005, is something that
everyone should know about. This literally effects
everyone since we all have or know children that will
have to go if this bill passes.

There is pending legislation in the house and senate
(companion bills: S89 and HR 163) which will time the
program’s initiation so the draft can begin as early
as spring, 2005, just after the 2004 presidential
election. The administration is quietly trying to get
these bills passed now, while the public’s attention
is on the elections, so our action on this is needed
immediately. Details and links follow. This plan,
among other things, eliminates higher education as a
shelter and includes women in the draft Also, crossing
into Canada has already been made very difficult.

Action you can take:
Please send this on to all the parents and teachers
you
know, and all the aunts and uncles, grandparents,
godparents. . . And let your children know – – it’s
their future, and they can be a powerful voice for
change! This legislation is called HR 163 and can be
found in detail at this website:
http://thomas.loc.gov/
Just enter in “HR 163” and click search and will bring
up the bill for you to read. It is less than two pages
long.

If this bill passes, it will include all men and ALL
WOMEN from ages 18 – 26 in a draft for military
action. In addition, college will no longer be an
option for avoiding the draft and they will be signing
an agreement with Canada which will no longer permit
anyone attempting to dodge the draft to stay within
it’s borders. This bill also includes the extension of
military service for all those that are currently
active. If you go to the select service web site and
read their 2004 FYI Goals you will see that the
reasoning for this is to increase the size of the
military in case of terrorism. This is a critical
piece of legislation, this will effect our
undergraduates, our children and our grandchildren.
Please take the time to write your congressman and let
them know how you feel about this
legislation.
www.house.gov www.senate.gov
Please also write to your representatives and ask them
why they aren’t telling their constituents about these
bills and write to newspapers and other media outlets
to ask them why they’re not covering this important
story. $28 million has been added to the 2004
selective service system budget to prepare for a
military draft that could start as early as June 15,
2005. Selective service must report to Bush on March
31, 2005 that the system, which has lain dormant for
decades, is ready for activation.

Please see
www.sss.gov/perfplan_fy2004.html
to view the Selective Service System annual
performance plan, fiscal year 2004. The pentagon has
quietly begun a public campaign to fill all 10,350
draft board positions and 11,070 appeals board slots
nationwide. Though this is an unpopular election year
topic, military experts and influential members of
congress are suggesting that if Rumsfeld’s prediction
of a “long, hard slog” in Iraq and Afghanistan (and
permanent state of war on terrorism) proves accurate,
the U.S. may have no choice but to draft.

www.hslda.org/legislation/national/2003/s89/default.asp

entitled the Universal National service Act of 2003,
“to provide for the common defense by requiring that
all young persons (age 18-26) in the United States,
including women, perform a period of military service
or a period of civilian service in furtherance of the
national defense and homeland security, and for other
purposes.” These active bills currently sit in the
committee on armed services. Dodging the draft will
be more difficult than those from the Vietnam era.
College and Canada will not be options. In December,
2001, Canada and the U.S. signed a “smart border
declaration,” which could be used to keep would-be
draft dodgers in. Signed by Canada’s minister of
foreign affairs, John Manley, and U.S. Homeland
Security director, Tom Ridge, the declaration involves
a 30 point plan which implements, among other things,
a “pre-clearance agreement” of people entering and
departing each country. Reforms aimed at making the
draft more equitable along gender and class lines also
eliminates higher education as a shelter.
Underclassmen would only be able to postpone service
until the end
of their current semester. Seniors would have until
the end of the academic year.

What to do:
Tell your friends, Contact your legislators and ask
them to oppose these bill. Just type “congress” into
the aol search engine and input your zip code. A list
of your reps will pop up with a way to email them
directly. We can’t just sit and pretend that by
ignoring it, it will go away. We must voice our
concerns and create the world we want to live in for
our children and grandchildren.”

It’s false. Draft Fears Fueled by Inaccurate E-mails.

This isn’t a meme; it’s a virus! There should be a word for it, like a malicious meme… malmeme? v-meme? Haha. I am too tired right now. Anyway, I don’t like how lies propagate so quickly.

Sony MGM, the G stands for Giganterrific!

Sony is buying MGM. I didn’t realize Sony was that giganterrific.

There’s an MGM Grand hotel in Las Vegas. The MGM Mirage Resorts also includes the Mirage, Bellagio, Treasure Island (or TI, if you’re in the in-crowd), and New York-New York.

That’s how far-reaching these companies are. Everyone’s talking about the movies, but did you know that Sony will now own these 5 hotels? Yes, the same company that made your Walkman and PlayStation 2 will shortly own 5 hotels. What a fun world we live in.

Johnny-Come-Lately Attack Politics

Or…

“You’re stupid.”

“Yeah, well you’re stupider!” (high-fives all around)

I question the so-called Texans for Truth, as much as I question the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. Personally, I don’t think it’s a very slick tactic. “I’ll show you, I’ll stoop lower than your level!” isn’t very impressive. In fact, it seems more like, “Ah crap, they got us good, let’s try the same exact thing!”

That’s not the only reason I don’t think this latest batch of attacks on Bush’s time in the Texas Air National Guard is going to work: This story broke months ago. It’s old news to the American public. The Democrats made a mistake with that. They should’ve sat on the story until now (or a little bit before the whole Swift Boat deal); it would’ve had a bigger impact, instead of fading into the dust so quickly.

Bush is handling the attacks better than Kerry, I think. Honorably discharged, end of story, they say. It kind of does it for me. Besides, I don’t think spending 4 months in a war you didn’t believe in makes you qualified to be president (not that dodging the war does). What I’m trying to say is: More issues, less mud.

I’m reserving judgment on the memos. I wasn’t alive in the 1970s, and have almost zero experience with a typewritier. However, this article brings up some guy who was already discharged by the time the memos mention him. Plus, the person who wrote the memos supposedly had very crappy typing skills. Anyway, where are the originals?

While we’re on the topic of attacks: I bet most of you’ve heard the latest Cheney quote, that says if we elect Kerry, we’ll be “hit hard”, but did you know the Cheney quote was taken out of context?

Moments of Levity Before Plunging Back into Politics

Good news: Opus is once again a full half page on the San Jose Mercury News. I never sent anything off to them, but I wonder if anyone else did (not anyone who reads this, of course, but just Opus fans in general). Actually, way back when, Clear Blue Water was the some syndicate’s “featured” comic, so maybe it’s not so featured anymore. Anyway, Opus back to regular size, good.

The moment of levity that makes the title plural: I made a tie out of duct tape. Well, not completely, there’s an actual old tie on the inside. So, I wore it on Friday, and it didn’t receive bad reviews. I’m not going to wear it again on Monday, but I probably will sometime this week. [picture to be added later today if I manage to finish my homework early]

I will be plunging back into politics tomorrow, mostly commenting on the latest negative press on the Bush administration.

Gun Ban Opportunity

Congressional Republicans Say Gun Ban to Expire.

First: “‘I think the will of the American people is consistent with letting it expire, and so it will expire,’ Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican, told reporters.”

Then: “Asked why Congress wanted to legalize the military-style weapons again when public opinion polls found broad public support for keeping them illegal, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a Texas Republican said, ‘We don’t do things by polls.'”

I’m thinking maybe the will of the American people is to continue the ban on assault weapons. At least, that’s my will.

So, opportunity for Mr. Kerry. Only, don’t say it’s because of the polls, play into the “will of the American people” line.

And I guess Bush could also use it with his “passionate conservative” deal.

Shifting CW

It’s very very interesting how the Conventional Wisdom shifts so suddenly. Before, it was Kerry’s race to lose. Now, Kerry has to switch to talking only on domestic issues to beat the Bush post-convention bounce (saw this on The O’Reilly Factor too!). Correspondingly, Bush is now supposedly invincible on Iraq and security.

There’s a few factors they’re missing.

1) At least before the Republican convention, Kerry was beating Bush on the issues, but not overall. Kerry is a bad candidate!

2) Bush is not invincible on the war in Iraq. One thousand soldiers dead. Shouldn’t that count for something? Maybe if Kerry actually took a real stance, he could do substantial damage. I will flesh out my latest ideas about Iraq in later entries.

2) b) In fact! I predict that if Kerry only focuses on domestic issues, he WILL LOSE! I am 100% sure he will if that becomes his course of action. The American people want to vote for the president who they will feel safer with. Which president will make America safer, will make them safer? A presidential candidate who ignores the issue of terrorism will not make Americans feel safer.

One more thing about this race: The American People! I want more talk about what the candidates are going to do for us.

NOTE: Will provide more links later.

Poem MADNESS!

I’ve decided to write fifty poems by October 15th. I’m continuing my search for the truth. I’m sorry to say I will not be posting them on this weblog because I want to submit them to various contests.

Really tired of BS

I can’t get used to school. Especially the work. Because, in order to complete the work, I have to go back into BS mode. I have to re-learn how to BS to finish all the dumb assignments.

One tiny problem: I’m tired of BS. I don’t want to do it anymore. It’s destroying my soul.

So, I’ve been going on a poetry writing craze, searching for the truth. It sounds weird, but that’s what I’ve been doing. It’s to keep my soul clean, so to speak.

Is Kerry Finished?

Bush now has a double-digit lead, according to the latest TIME poll.

[Tracing this link: I got it from kausfiles, which got it from blissful knowledge.]

Seems like the early primary isn’t helping the Democrats. Sure, the candidate came through the primary primarily unscathed, but the candidate wasn’t tested enough to know if he could have run a good campaign.

If the Democrats had a stronger candidate, this would be a definitive victory for them. Instead, they have Kerry. I remember when I was in DC, and some girl asked me to contribute money to their Beat Bush something or another, she didn’t put up any disagreement when I mentioned that Kerry wasn’t a very good candidate. Yet, that’s just an anecdote; she doesn’t speak for everyone.

But it’s hard to tell — Kerry could still pull off a victory.

I wonder how much damage came from the so-called “Swift Boat Controversy.”

You hear about people who voted for Bush who aren’t voting for him this time, but I think the Republicans did a pretty good job picking some people to speak at their convention to combat this. They picked perceived moderates such as Schwarzenegger and McCain; they picked Democrats who had jumped ship.

I can’t watch conventions too long, though. I feel weird… like I’m watching part of a pro wrestling broadcast. However, I did manage to catch the tail end of Schwarzenegger’s speech, and I was impressed.

Terrorists Kill Over 200 at Russian School

That’s what my headline would read. Instead, first read Reuters’s “More Than 200 Killed in Russian School Shootout“.

I don’t like the way this news story starts out: “Russian troops stormed a school on Friday, blaming Chechen hostage-takers for a bloody battle in which more than 200 people — dozens of them children — were killed and hundreds were wounded.” The way it’s worded kind of makes you question who’s to blame, doesn’t it? Well, read on, my friend… “Russian authorities said they had been forced into an unplanned rescue operation when the hostage-takers opened fire on fleeing children.” Exactly the way it should have been reported first!

Even if the Russians had decided to storm the building first, let me tell you something… the blame still belongs to the terrorists.

The blame belongs to the terrorists!

THE BLAME BELONGS TO THE TERRORISTS!

You know why? Answer me this… Who decided to take school children hostage: The terrorists, or the Russians?

Murdering young children does not make you a freedom fighter! Murdering young children makes you a terrorist.

You can call them Chechen separatists, or whatever else the hell you want to call them, but, plain and simple, they are terrorists. And that’s all there is to it.

With people like this, I wonder if the Chechens deserve their own country.

I’m not done yet. Read this Russian Siege Sparks World Horror, Solidarity and then come back.

Ah yes, a much better beginning: “Tragic, despicable, inhumane, cowardly, barbaric, evil, and astonishing — the deaths of a hundred or more people including children in a siege in Russia sparked strong words for the hostage-takers from world leaders.”

I know news media supposedly should be unbiased, but I don’t feel as if the media has any responsibility to be unbiased against terrorists who murder school children. Just my two cents.

Though, I wonder what analyst Alex Standish thinks. This quote from him seems to paint a picture: “I suspect that Putin’s immediate concern will have been to be seen to be strong rather than be seen to be negotiating.” Wait! And let us not forget this quote either: “And if that means sacrificing civilians caught up in the middle, I don’t suspect that is the key issue as far as Putin is concerned.”

Hey, Mr. Standish, I wonder what the terrorists think about “sacrificing civilians caught up in the middle.” Hm?

Let’s get one more thing straight. These “civilians” were not “caught up in the middle;” they were deliberately taken hostage by terrorists.

That issue cleared, I must redirect you to the headline I would use: “Terrorists Kill Over 200 at Russian School.” If I wrote the news article, I wouldn’t wait to mention the 704 in the hospital until page two.

My heart goes out to the over 200 killed, the 704 in the hospital, the friends and family of those held hostage, and the Russian people in general.

“10 Arabs had been among the gunmen killed,” the news article also mentions. Hmmmm…

Finally, to anyone unconvinced, a picture is worth a thousand words… A volunteer carrying a small child.

Way Out Basie and Worksheet

Way Out Basie can go to hell and die. In that order.

My worksheet can follow it.

School is hurting me. Physically. Seriously. I just busted up my chops playing that song for a taped test, and I still have one more song to go.

My worksheet is just stupid. I refer you to this rule.

Yeah, I’m complaining, and this probably has no direct meaning to you. So what? There have been so many times I’ve wanted to complain lately, but I didn’t write it up. You’ll just have to put up with this rare occurance.