It's so beautiful out and I'm stuck inside, not even accomplishing anything. Today isn't a day to be productive. It should be spent laying in the grass. Alas...

I received this email from a former co-worker yesterday.

"Apparently there is only one company in the US that is certified to inspect
and approve electronic voting hardware (which is how >50 million people will
vote in November)."

The company is Wyle Labs, a subcontractor that my company has been forced to work with. They are the MOST INCOMPETENT people with whom I have ever interacted. They are responsible for providing us with data for some of our Navy projects, and have f**d it up every single time. Sometimes they give us the wrong data format (even though we've worked with them for 3 years), sometimes they give us data months late, and in one recent experience, the IT person could not understand how to place files on our ftp site.

For more info on electronic voting, check out this link

Silly stuff-
I had an argument with someone over art bombs. Maybe some of you can guess who it was. What is the problem??? How can you be anti art bomb? Why don't you argue with people about real bombs?

Political stuff-
What is the point of having a 9/11 commission interview without any kind of formal record? Enough said.

And finally-
I'm leaving for California today. I hope some of you will take care of my Desi for me while I'm gone.

Where do I start? Great wedding and reception at Fat Bob's. Crazy night with flacidness.

And then the party. Fireworks getting shot at cars and houses. Drunk girls falling all over the place.

Bring on the summer....

Check out this site about the rigged elections in Florida!




...my brother Jeff sent me the link to an interesting and provocative mosaic of Bush made up of images of all the American soldiers who have died in Iraq. ...you decide!



excerpts from posts at the site...

"...Since you bring up the Saddam’s chemical attack on his own people, as a way of deflecting criticism of our moronic President, let me pose some questions:

1) What did Ronald Reagan, as President in 1988, do following Saddam’s gas attack on Halabja? (Answer: He vetoed a bill (The Prevention of Genocide Act of 1988) to impose sanctions on Iraq for its use of chemical weapons.

2) What was Collin Powell (then National Security Adviser) and Dick Cheney (then a Republican congressmen’s reaction? (Answer: Secretary of State Colin Powell orchestrated Ronald Reagan’s decision to give Hussein a pass for gassing the Kurds. Dick Cheney could have helped push the sanctions legislation but did not.)

3) Did George H.W. Bush as Vice President, or as President cut support for Saddam after the chemical attack, and before Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990? (Answer: Classified documents obtained by The New York Times show a long-secret pattern of personal efforts by Bush to support and placate the Iraqi dictator. Repeatedly, when serious objections to helping Hussein arose within the government, Bush and aides following his directives intervened to suppress the resistance. [Frantz and Waas, “Bush Secret Effort Helped Iraq Build its War Machine,” Los Angeles Times, February 23, 1992] .

4) Where was the public outrage of George W. Bush (the current President) at that time (Answer: He wasn’t outraged, because Saddam was our ALLY at that time).

5) Why use these chemical attacks as a justification for war FIFTEEN YEARS AFTER IT OCCURRED? (Answer: because you need a rationalization to send hundreds of Americans to their deaths)

6) Where was George H.W. Bush’s outrage over the use of chemical weapons against Iranian forces during early 1986? (Answer: He wasn’t outraged).

7) Where was his son’s outrage? (Answer: See #6)

8) Why don’t you mention this in your excoriation of Saddam? (Answer: You probably weren’t even aware of it).

(see: )“


A response to a comment by Beau — Wednesday April 7, 2004 @ 5:09 pm I wonder if the same person who made this will do one of Saddam Hussein using the faces of all people of Halabja? On March 16th 1988 5,000 innocent civilians, 75% women and children perished in a Chemical attack ordered by Saddam.” Comment by Ben — Friday April 9, 2004 @ 4:03 pm

The next Green Party Meet-Up is scheduled for Tuesday May 4 at 7:00 pm. It looks like the potential venues are all in suburbia, but I can give people rides if they are interested.

There are currently 4 members, and we need at least 5 to have a meet-up. Join! Join! Join!

My roommate Desi returns from the Dominican Republic today. It will be good to have the wifey back.

I went to a certain restaurant on Transit for lunch yesterday. To my shock and dismay, the original text of the below lie-infested email was hanging up at the restaurant. I was so enraged that I googled "Bush Took Care Of It" to see if there was a site where I could post a response. Fortunately, on the first site I hit, I found several responses correcting this piece of trash. I've marked the respondent's comments with ****.

---

After the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, which killed six
and injured 1000; President Clinton promised that those
responsible would be hunted down and punished.

BUSH COVERED IT!

• Not true; Ramzi Yousef was arrested in Feb 1995 and his conspirators were convicted in Oct 95. Bush did not take office unitl Jan 01.****

After the 1995 bombing in Saudi Arabia, which killed five U.S. military personnel; Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted down and punished.

BUSH COVERED IT!

• Not true, Saudi Arabia beheaded the four planners in 1996****

After the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia, which killed 19 and injured 200 U.S. military personnel; Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted down and punished.

BUSH COVERED IT!

• Not completely true, in Jun 01, the DOJ did finally issue indictments against the bombers, but Saudi Arabia already executed four of them ****

After the 1998 bombing of U.S. embassies in Africa, which killed 224 and injured 5,000; Clinton promised that those responsible! would be hunted down and punished.

BUSH COVERED IT!

• Not True, 22 men have been indicted and 4 are spending life in prison, indicted in Sep 1998 and sentenced in May 01. Bin Laden is responsible, and Bush has not caught him either. ****

After the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, which killed 17 and injured 39 U.S. sailors; Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted down and punished.

BUSH COVERED IT!

• Mostly True, the navy reported wasn't complete until Jan 01, so Clinton never had an opportunity ****

Maybe if Clinton had kept his promise, an estimated 3,000 people in New York and Washington, D.C., that are now dead would be alive today.

• If you want to make a point about Presidents lying to the American Public, President Bush is no shining star,

--“we found a biological laboratory in Iraq which the UN prohibited.” June/03 Bush---NOT TRUE
"Iraq . . . continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised.” 1/03 Bush NOT TRUE
FACT: There have been 34 major car bombings against Americans or American interests since Bush took office in Jan 01 (3 years), there was only 1 in 2000, 1 in 1999, 4 in 1998, 1 in 1997
In fact there were 34 bombings between 1983-2000--a 17 year period, equal to Bush in 3 years.

Reference:

That being the case, why was it that the Clinton
administration spent more money chasing down Bill Gates
over the past eight years than Osama bin Laden?

THINK ABOUT IT!

• I am thinking about it. Bush has had 3 years and 10,000 troops in Afganistan and had not caught Bin Laden either--what is your point about saying Clinton could not?****

Sincerely,

Cmdr. Hamilton McWhorter USN (ret)

• Whoever this Cmdr. McWhorter is, he has no clue what he is talking about.****

A new kind of polictical action committee dedicated to ousting George W.

WANTED: Fun, fashionable, fed-up women whose bras are too attractive to burn. Prefer brunching to brow-beating, but willing to throw their cocktails in the face of oppression, sexism and the lies that make up "compassionate conservatism."
Pull up a stool, we're the women you've been looking for.
"Bush is OUT in 2004!"

Call me High Maintenance, but I demand a lot more from my President!
This administration has been abominable as far as women's interests are concerned. Join us in Brunching Against Bush, Wine Against Bush and for the really outrageous - Wax Away Bush!! We're looking to get women more involved in this election and thereby ensure that our beautiful voices are heard!

Someone unexpectedly called me today and it made me rethink some things. Things similar to Hodown's thoughts. The man. And the choices we make.

It also inspired me to call someone else from out of nowhere. For a completely different purpose, but no matter. If someone for whom I have the utmost respect feels comfortable calling me at work, months after our last encounter, then there's no reason for me to restrain myself. Sometimes the unexpected is what makes life worth living.