Depravity vs. Duplicity

I have been mulling over the stages of American life as seen through the lens of the last two presidencies and it boils down to, in a grossly obtuse and negative way, depravity (the Clinton scandal) and duplicity (the general monkey on Bush’s back). From my perspective, it is easy to say which is worse. However, to be pragmatic is something that more Americans should practice, so lets.

Depravity is defined on Dictionary.com as: n 1: moral perversion; impairment of virtue and moral principles; "the luxury and corruption among the upper classes"; "moral degeneracy followed intellectual degeneration"; "its brothels; its opium parlors; its depravity" [syn: corruption, degeneracy] 2: a corrupt or depraved or degenerate act or practice; "the various turpitudes of modern society" [syn: turpitude]

Duplicity is defined from the same source as: n 1: a fraudulent or duplicitous representation [syn: fraudulence] 2: acting in bad faith; deception by pretending to entertain one set of intentions while acting under the influence of another [syn: double-dealing]

Examined separately, both are pretty negative. When enacted, initiated or implemented, they are fairly harmful and/or malignant in their own unique ways, but which is worse? What does more harm to America? True that lying is lying, but the enormity of the repercussions or the subtlety of the play of words construed as lying is clearly a matter of perspective.

Getting head from a chubby precocious woman with expensive clothes and hair and then lying about it is certainly a tarnishing of the Presidency of the United States (kind of like riding a moped; fun, but you don’t want to be seen on it). Getting the country tied up in a “War” that didn’t need to happen, but did, just because the chief executive and his cronies thought it was a good idea or wanted to get it done or ‘cause God told him to is not so much a tarnish as it is an affront and a tragedy on multiple levels of perspective.

The bar for leadership in the office of the President of the United States has been lowered by two kinds of metaphorical fucking. This is an open question to this blog’s readers. Like, all 5 of them. Which offends you more and why? And, just for the fun of it and just to carry the metaphoric-ness; Who do you want/think/suspect will fuck the office of the President next?

P.S. I forgot to note that I have crossed the 1000 unique visitor mark. Thank you!

Perpetuating Yellow

Has anyone out there thought about how long we have been on yellow alert? I can, after a cursory glance through a couple search term variations, find no tabulation or accounting of how many days the country has spent on any of the alert levels. It would in many ways be a fairly solid barometer to gauge the success of the so called "War on Terror." I would be willing to guess that yellow alert has made up the greatest percentage of time since the system was initiated. I would also be willing to eat my own hat if we have had one day of alert level green. I hungrily await to be enlightened to the end of culinary haberdashery. C'mon bloggosphere, hit me with your best shot.

I am sick of yellow. Frankly, I am bored to tears with the current alert status. This boredom extends into dissatisfaction with the "War on Terror." The fact that we have been stuck on yellow for so long and have not digressed from it is a glaring indicator that whatever our country's leadership is doing in its efforts to increase our security is about as successful as President Bush's academic, business or even political careers, I.E. weak, lackluster, wrong, slow and failing. Methinks that the majority of national government suffers from terminal cranial rectal inversion.

When I think of yellow, I want to think of cheese or mustard. I don't want to think of a terror alert level. I don't want to think about the hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on the decision to assign the color yellow to the "elevated" status. I mean, seriously. Master Shake is funny and all, but not enough to get his own show. A blue level of threat would be good every once in a while. A little dose of Carl does the terror threat level good. (BTW, if you haven't a clue what I am talking about, click on the Current "Terror Threat" Level banner to the right and you will get a better idea. That and you can look up Aqua Teen Hunger Force) However, it might just be that someone in power really likes the color yellow and has embraced the idea of renewable resources in what is abundantly available in federal government these days. That would be incompetence. A secondary renewable resource would be duplicity. Bush and Cheney respectively thank you very much.

Seriously, if someone out there knows the stats on the number of days we have been at each alert level, please hip me to it. If there is a counter that I could pop over in my right column here, that would be grand too.

Now This IS Sexy!

From the BBC:

"I look at the relationship between Mr Cheney and Mr Rumsfeld as being one that produced these two failures in particular, and I see that the president is not holding either of them accountable... so I have to lay some blame at his feet too."
-Col Lawrence Wilkerson, the chief of staff to former US Secretary of State Colin Powell

This is an extraordinary attack by a man who until earlier in the year was Mr Cheney's colleague in the senior reaches of the Bush team, the BBC's Justin Webb in Washington says.

Col Wilkerson has in the past accused the vice-president of responsibility for the conditions which led to the abuse of prisoners.

But this time he has gone much further, appearing to suggest Mr Cheney should face war crimes charges, our correspondent adds.

Full Article

Full Interview

Joey Ratz Furthers His Lameness

The Joey Ratz midst papal judo chop. Caption: "Gays on the left... Everyone else on the right."

The Popah has said that gay men are not allowed to be priests. How about that for a healthy dose of intolerance? It is really a silly declaration. Mind you, not a thilly declarathion. Just sort of antithetical to what a good religion should be, if you ask me, i.e. inclusive. Then again, the Catholic Church has always been a little slow off the blocks when it comes to matters of science and all that. Remember when the Church officially forgave Galileo for saying the Earth was not the center of the Universe back in the 1990's? I rest my case.

The Holy See and his churchly minions still tow the line that homosexuality is a choice. For some hipsters that may be so, but for the most part, at least the gay men and lesbian women that I know say they were born that way. Hell, the world has witnessed gay penguins! Silo and Roy are qeering it up at the Central Park Zoo for all to see daily. What more proof do you need that there is a precedent in nature? And aren't we all God's children?

What I never understood about much of organized Christian faith is how anyone can be arrogant enough to claim to know the mind of God. If you keep it really simple, all of the major world religions are, for the most part, identical. Do good deeds, don't harm anyone, be productive, and respect others, blah blah blah blah blah. Muslims, Buddhists, Jews and Christians all espouse that stuff. The names and dates vary, but being compassionate and conscientious are the ground rules that we all need to follow. I am pretty sure that homosexuals are equally as capable of that as much as straightees are, if not at times more so.

It can be confidently said that creating social divisions in society is a big negative. J.R. Popah just punched himself in the Karmic nads, not to mention that he is probably undermining the sustainability of the clergy. If this declaration of exclusion is a pro-active attempt to curtail child-buggery, it is analogous to curing athlete’s foot by amputating the leg.

I can't rightly say one way or the other if his Ratz-See-ness has some beef with leather chaps, techno or the Indigo Girls but his Pontifship should be using his twilight years for better things like, say... working for human rights awareness or working that whole Jesus loves you thing in places that have an abundance of hate. All I know is that during my twelve years of Catholic education (K - 12) I knew a good number of priests and a good number of those HAD to be gay. They did their job, didn't bugger me, and for the most part led good lives as far as I could tell. It will be interesting to see if there is an exodus of priests who consider themselves chaste, faithful and gay. Time will tell.

Sprawling Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving at the ‘Rents in NoVa was a lovely time. The giving of thanks transpired, delicious food eaten, tasty beverages were imbibed, lovely weather enjoyed and relaxation was had by all. My Mrs. especially enjoyed the time away from the rat race of the five boroughs, as did the BD.

Something peculiar happened to me during this American holiday that is superficially about gluttony and the kick off of the holiday shopping season. I grew sad. Mind you, it was not the kind of depressive sadness that some members of dysfunctional WASPy families get because of their dysfunctional-ness. It came on slowly as I saw more of the place where I grew up. To the point, we drove west to Amisville, Va. to cut down a Christmas tree as is my family’s custom and all I saw pock-marking the rolling hills of Virginia’s countryside were strip malls and chain stores. 5 Guys, Starbucks, Lazy Boy, Einstein Bagels, Wal*Mart and the like were everywhere as far as they eye could see down the road. It used to be that Route 66 West and the offshoots from it lead to nothing but country. This is no longer the case.

Please do not interpret this observation and reaction as one betraying an anti-development stance. To the contrary, I am mad for smart development. However, what I saw in NoVa was anything but smart. Hegemony and unsustainable banality was the mainstay. It made me experience more of a malaise, really. Living in the five boroughs affords me a great deal of diversity in daily life. I can choose from dozens of restaurants and ethnic derivations of food at any time of the day or night. Local artisans hock their products in store fronts and on street corners. Non-chain business is the norm here. It is, it appears from my visit home, that this is increasingly a rarity in the rest of America.

This, in a roundabout downer way is to say that Northern Virginia is boring. As I understand it (from several sources) DC is getting better and more interesting, but still has a way to go. Meanwhile, NoVa is being developed at a dizzying rate and not in a good way. Subdivisions as far as the eye can see with nothing around them. You can’t walk anywhere and you certainly couldn’t even do so if you wanted to should that, in time, change. There aren’t any bloody sidewalks.

It is true that New York is a walking city. I happen to love to walk. Its good exercise and you get to know things better when they go by slow, to borrow the Poi Dog Pondering lyric. Slate just had a podcast about bicycling in Los Angeles that really resonated with me. Andy Bowers said that for people in cars, Los Angeles (and areas throughout the country like it) is insufferably crowded, but as soon as you start biking, you often move faster than much of the motor traffic. This is bearing rush hours as the prime examples.

Now, Northern Virginia, I suspect, has similar suburban living plans as would lead to oppressive car traffic and the like. So, pedal bikes would be a great alternative, right? Well, sort of. Los Angeles has the climatic advantage of little rain and moderate temperatures year round. So, should California residents in these sprawl type areas wish it, they certainly have the option to bike, time and bodily fortitude providing. My hometown doesn’t have as much of that particular luxury, really. The weather doesn’t provide for it. Heavy rain periodically, seasonal cold weather and longer distances to goods, services and even employment opportunities are certainly prohibitive. And yes, there is the sweat factor. Feel the humidity.

So, set aside the idea of the American Dream of having your house with the white picket fence, a car in the garage and a turkey in the oven. That has been a nice thing, but wrong headed. The local leadership of the nation is missing a bet by allowing all of this mcmansion and sprawl development to happen in the way that it has. If design were to incorporate the climate of the region, the topography and the colloquial uniqueness of place, not only would things be a lot more interesting, they would be a lot more sustainable and communities would be a great deal stronger. Small, local entrepreneurship could be more readily encouraged by state and local governments and this would stimulate more employment opportunities to open up for community residents across broad skill sets.

I have often contended that big business is analogous to cancer in our society. This malignancy is aided by space and environment (i.e. suburban sprawl). Slowly in some places, you see people downsizing, moving closer to work and they call it a luxury. In the current societal context, luxury is an appropriate term, but isn’t that sad? Rather, shouldn’t it be incumbent upon government and society to develop and to arbitrate development towards a positive and sustainable pattern? Clearly this isn’t the way things are going yet and that is disheartening. The greed of America isn’t sustainable and, according to some, is beyond critical mass. I believe that the rampant sprawl development I witnessed in Northern Virginia is indicative of what is wrong with our society’s development as a whole.

Consider what you think are the quintessential American values. Can do attitude joined with ingenuity and the entrepreneurial spirit have been among the strongest backbones that have built America into the positive and increasingly mythologized place that was the beacon of hope and freedom to the world. I fear that the country is now a shadow of those ideals at present. Strong communities with strong values, be they right or left leaning, and the right to express them openly in public debate have been a citizen’s birthright since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Greed and hegemony are undermining all of this and they are draining the uniqueness out of our places. Is profit really worth all that?

These are utopian statements that are more than likely not at all realistic, but what is the hurt in trying aside from some development conglomerate or chain retailer not getting their ideal profit margin to pay to their share holders. The positive and sustainable paths are right in front of our eyes. Complacency and ignorance are our biggest hurdles. The work is there for the doing and the choices are there to be made. Your dollar is the same a vote or endorsement. Buy smart. Don’t buy big because it is not always better. In fact, sometimes bigger is just more of a liability. Except when it is turkey.

Masters of Business Administration

I never knew I was looking advance my business career. But look! Here I am. (one of these mugshots is me, just keep refreshing the screen)

How DO I register for the GMAT?

Ga'Damned Packers

Last night's game was a bit of a tragedy. If the Pack could have pulled it out, it would have really been the moral booster the team needed lift them to a half way respectable season. Ugh.

The problems? No rushing game and all the receivers couldn't bloody catch the the damned ball! Poor, poor Brett. Lets just hope he has 1 more season left in him and the team gets some solid drafts. Oh, and Sherman gets fired.

Word on the Street

Republicans lashing out so strongly against Rep. John Murtha’s (D-Pa.) call for the pull out of Iraq was a disproportionate response to the simple act of free speech. One might argue that it was not the dissent that was so jarring and abhorrent to the GOP but the source that uttered it. John Murtha is a war veteran and has strong connections within the military establishment. “Murtha is not a typical left-wing Dem. A Vietnam vet, he served 37 years in the Marines and received two Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star with a Combat "V" and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry.(NYP)" Those that bleed together… and all that. So, what we witnessed might well be a bit of true Washington smoke and mirrors.

Whether it was the dark lord Cheney or the master of puppets Rove who orchestrated and mobilized the tools of the administration to gang up in such short order is irrelevant. With poll ratings in the sewer and no real light at the end of the tunnel short of complete capitulation, the Bush administration is truly up against a wall and in check on all fronts. Its kind of nice.

The rude lashing out was an effort to draw the public’s view away from the real significance of the statement. The word on the street is that Murtha is in tight with many generals at the Pentagon and in the field. He has their ear and their confidence via his service and experience. If he calling for a withdrawl of our troops, the odds are strongly suggestive that he is giving voice to not only his constituency, but to those who conduct the very instruments and cogs of the American war machine.

In Roman society, Caesars had to have the support of the legions in order to rule effectively and securely. While the Bush administration is in no genuine threat of being assassinated by some uppity praetorians, this is as close as Bush and Co. has come to getting stabbed by a messenger of Brutae. Dissent from the military is inevitable given the circumstances, if you consider that neither the ruler nor his chief minions ever truly served in the armed forces. Can you say five deferments? Shakey Air National Guard attendance records anyone? Never in the life of American government has there been a situation as clear cut as this with those in power basically saying “Do as I say and who cares that I wouldn’t do it were I in your shoes.” One could hope that the conservative culture of the military will be forever influenced by the events of our time and from here forward not so blindly support a Republican leadership for conservatism’s sake.

Lets see where we are by mid-March. :-)

BTW, sorry I have not posted for a while. More when I can...

I guess you could say it was a good day...

Bush's approval rating falls to 36%. A FOXNews poll no less! Tee hee.(TPM)

Crazy Busy

I am so busy I could hurl.

In other news, FDH's new single is out as of yesterday. Get it and be pleased.

Also, if you are in a place where voting is taking place today, go and be a participating member of your community and society. I.E. VOTE!

That Crazy Checkypantz

Over at Milner's TSOTU is posted a conversation I had with him. I have no idea when it happened excatly. Moreover, I haven't a clue what he was on at the time. However, it is an amusing conversation.

More content en route...

Depressing Realization

One year ago today it was official. The United States of America got stuck with four more years of bad decisions. One nation, under plutocracy, with crony ism and duplicity for all.

Cheers to the BBC for reminding us. Five down, three to go.

Note the Changes

Just a quick entry to point out a few additions to the right column of the bourgeois blog here:

Chowhound. If you live in any major urban area and need to scout out some good chow, odds are these folks know about it or can track it down. Check it out and join in.

The Green Guide. I got this link via Treehugger. It seems like a good thing, so I am just spreading the word.

oolsi. Another link from Treehugger. Again, just spreading the good word. There's some useful stuff here.

The Unofficial Robert Fisk page. I heard an interview with this guy on Democracy Now!'s podcast and it floored me. He is a reporter for The Independent over in the UK and has a good handle on what is going on over in Iraq. He just published a new book that I intend to read before year's end. Again, this site is worth a glance. His interview on DN! is also worth the read/listen. Mind you, not uplifting, but certainly eye opening.

National Novel Writing Month is something I was chatting with Cue-Master T.H. Mills about last night. It looks to be a worthy endeavor and thought the bourgeoisie should know about it.

A little known fact about bourgeois deviants is that they have a mad love of futbol. No, not American, mind you, but world futbol. The beautiful game. Better known as soccer here in the States. The World Cup is nearing and the frenzy will be manifest. To see all the matches that are worth the time spent, Nevada Smith's is the place to be. A true New York institution in ever sense of the word.

The Tiger Lillies are a nifty trio that I discovered (partial credit to Martha Who?) in 1998. They just float my musical boat.

Also, note the Cost of the War in Iraq counter. Astounding.

On an unrelated note, I want to holla out to the DCeiver. He just did a killer stretch of writing over on Wonkette and it was thoroughly pleasing. He is also getting some well deserved time over on the DCist. Aforementioned Cue-Master recommended that we do so, so we just want to throw some love his way. Holla! Spread the love.

Ferrer Fans Flames of Abismal Bid Against Bloomberg

Whilst checking out Wonkette earlier, I saw this posting. Truly, Ferrer is going down, in flames no less, as sure as the sun will shine. This ad reflects that. I hate to be the one to admit it, but Bloomberg is virtually undefeatable. Short of being caught in a Times Square synagogue fellating Osama Bin Laden midst feasting on some aborted fetus tar tar by all four major news networks on live television, he’s a sure win.

Bloomberg is a Democrat in Republican clothing. Hell, most Republicans in New York are more liberal than a Texas Democrat. Being deviantly far left, Bloomy still has my vote. Please pardon this obtuse generalization but the city is working and if it is not broken, don’t fix it.