I've heard of this thing before from NPR, and they were talking about it again today. You can read about it here -

If you haven't heard about this project, check it out. Its got to be one of the most interesting and important projects going on in America today. Essentially the idea is to bring in your relatives and record them - an oral history project. Have them talk about their lives; funny stories, sad stories, the whole gamut. This way, you have a recorded piece of your heritage that you can reflect on years later when those people have passed. Copies of these recorded conversations are then kept at the Library of Congress. I wish that I could have done this with my grandfather before he died, VERY badly. StoryCorps has recording booths in two locations around Manhattan, as well as two roaming trailers that travel the country to get people to come in and do this.

How I would love to prepare a list of questions to ask my grandmother, and get her to go record it all with me. I'd love to ask her questions about her relationship with my grandpa, her circumstances growing up, the type of jobs she did when she was young and recently married, what she was thinking when (e:jason) and I were born, her happiest moments, her proudest moments, mentionings about her sisters and brothers, her advice for my brother and I on how to deal with life as we go, and anything involving what she would like to do with herself now and in the future. Among other things!

My boss told me this morning that over the weekend a certain video game company is requesting our services! I will beg, borrow and/or steal to go to those audits.

(e:ajay) I think you actually didn't read who posted the rant - it was me. You may be actually talking about the commentary that (e:jason) left on my last post... you know, that stuff you couldn't respond to directly so you chose to ignore it?

Anyhow, in response - I read 4 newspapers a day and parts of others - if you are suggesting that Niman is a "black sheep" you couldn't be more wrong. The thrust of his horeshit commentary is just as prevelant in major print media - the only difference is that in major media they are professionals and Mike Niman isn't. What does that mean? Its the difference between what you say in polite company and what you say amongst your friends - its the wording. His crybaby antics are inspired by and parroted because of what you read in papers like the New York Times, Washington Post and Baltimore Sun. Maureen Dowd is just as radical and arrogant as Mike Niman is.

As far as my comment concerning "policing" what journalists write - stop changing the subject - we aren't talking about President Bush, we are talking about Mike Niman. What I'm getting from you is that journalists, in your opinion, should be able to write as irresponsibly and untruthfully as they want to. That is hilarious to me considering that what I'm talking about precisely is the reason why Rather got in trouble. His editors did little to no fact checking because they were so in love with a false story that it didn't matter if it was true or not. You are fucking absolutely right that journalists should be policed by their editors in order to adhere to a standard. To not do so is absolutely insane because what you end up with is a media that you can't trust because of their partisanship and arrogance. The Minnesota Star-Tribune got into trouble recently because of this exact problem, and when the facts came out they got a black eye. Only after intense pressure did they feel compelled to write a correction. After that fiasco, who is actually going to trust what they read in that paper now? Editors checking the journalists is extremely important because it provides something that the print media sorely lacks right now - INTEGRITY. Now, for fucks sake please, don't digress. Do you think that its important for journalists to have integrity in the eyes of the readership?

Anyhow, I find it interesting that you would bring the war stuff up, considering that my post that you are responding to had NOTHING TO DO with the war. I expect better. Try to stay on topic please. The only thing I might add to your digression, since I'm feeling charitable, is that a) Cheney liquidated his Halliburton assets in 2000, and b) if you are suggesting that the Oil for Food scandal was somehow the United States' fault that is the stupidest thing I've ever read. The most interesting thing out of the OFF scandal, by the way, is that Marc Rich (Clinton's boy that got pardoned) was found out to have been wheeling and dealing with Saddam Hussein directly during the embargo. Notch another one up for Slick Willy!

By the way, I voted for Clinton. The single worst decision I ever made as a registered voter. Well, no... maybe I regret Gore more. :)

I read Mike Niman's article in the Artvoice, essentially lighting up the communal religious organization known as 12 Tribes. I went ahead and did what Mike Niman DIDN'T do, which is engage these people in conversation today. Yes thats right - Mike Niman was given an opportunity to actually talk to 12 Tribes before publishing his article and he didn't. Why am I not surprised? The man has an irrational and innate hatred of anything related to the Bible, and the fact of the matter is that the other side of the story didn't matter to him. Only his prejudiced and halfwitted opinion article matter to him.

Want the truth? Different races live together in the local 12 Tribes commune. The organization consists of every race on Planet Earth, and there are multiple communes around the world. Wow, clearly they are white supremacists if they are best friends, live together and take care of each other. The organization is neither Christian or Jewish, but they live by the Bible in a peaceful and if anything, reclusive lifestyle. I'm completely outraged and incensed by Mike Niman right about now. I mean, don't get me wrong, his completely lopsided and irrational articles appear in Artvoice practically every week - the only thing that he suceeds in every week is displaying how much of a fringe lunatic he is. I've hated Mike Niman for a long, long time but this week is absolutely the pinnacle. If it doesn't scare you that this man is a college professor paid by the state, it should. DO NOT BELIEVE ANYTHING YOU READ IN THAT ARTICLE.

Artvoice should be held responsible for publishing such utter garbage. Do you think you'll see an apology from Mike Niman anytime soon? Hell no - he's busy with his head in the sand and I personally guarantee that he is a chickenshit just like every other radical left wing writer in this country. Flip through the Artvoice this week - practically every response to Mike Niman's article lambbastes him and points out his obscure, poorly researched and small-minded predilection. He feels the need to defend himself by suggesting that because he's participated in Co-Op organizations for 25 years that he has the authority to speak on the subject? HORSESHIT. Not good enough for ANY publication in America let alone our shitty local pubs. Want the truth? Guys like him get away with this crap because they are completely unpoliced by their higher ups. I'm certainly not surprised that Jamie Moses let this one pass - he's just as much of an asshole as Mike Niman.

The media's spin on this, and its been like this from day one, is that somebody is guilty. Never mind the actual evidence or the actual law, somebody is going to be guilty. Hopefully it would be Rove (oops!) so now Scooter Libby was indicted (legal speak for accused with no way to defend himself) for charges generated from an e-mail that he wrote. Surely the press is disappointed and will find some way to tie this to President Bush... which is a strategy that will ultimately fail since when you actually look at the law nobody broke any laws. Thats right, nobody is going to jail and ultimately this is going to be another black eye on the Democrats. What we are seeing here is the culmination of Democratic lunacy that started after Nov. 4, 2004. What? President Bush was re-elected? IMPEACHMENT TIME.

The bottom line is that the law that this entire investigation was about 2 years ago isn't applicable. Patrick Fitzgerald is a saint, but Ken Starr was a witch hunter. Hypocrisy anyone? This entire fiasco is a big steaming pile of horseshit that was trumped up by a media that hates the right wing. The media was exposed during Rathergate, during Newsweekgate which was even worse since people actually died as a result of inaccurate and sensationalistic reporting. Completely and utterly inexcusable. Just an FYI, "covert" is different than "classified."

Honest to God, the most interesting commentary I've heard as a result of this mess is from a liberal - good ol' Lefty Lanny Davis - former special counsel to President Clinton. He is shaming the media for being accusatory, and essentially ignoring the actual evidence. At least there is one honest Democrat out there!