I had no idea it had been a whole month since my last blog. The new job must really be mind consuming if I don't have the chance to blog occasionally. Actually, today is the first day I have read the paper in several weeks and I can't remember the last time I saw the evening news. Hmmmm, after reviewing the AJC today, though, maybe it's a good thing I've been out-of-the-loop.
Looks as though Georgia will be the first anti-abortion state - that is if Sonny signs yet another law that makes people wait 24-hours to have an abortion. Teenagers also have to have driving school or they can't get a license until they are 17 (like that's going to make a huge difference on the road) and, oh yeah, and yesterday he signed a bill making it illegal to smoke almost anywhere in the state. Not that the smoking ban really bothers me since I quit, but this bill approval came from the same man that said he "didn't think government should be a person's nanny." No abortions, no driving, no smoking - who's your nanny?
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Friday, April 08, 2005
I only wish...
I had this many people at my funeral
Of course, I'm nowhere near eligible for election as the Pontiff nor the sainthood.
I got up this morning at the bright time of 0h-three A.M. To quote Robin Williams, "What's the 'Oh' stand for? Oh my God, it's early". The last time I got up this early to watch an event on TV was in 1981 when Prince Charles and Princess Diana were married. Ironic isn't it that he'll be getting married again tomorrow.
As for the Pope's funeral, it really was beautiful and amazing. To see all these people peacefully gathered was something I don't think I will ever see again. The service itself was also a tear jerker and the homily (we don't have eulogies) was brilliant. I posted it below, but one of the best parts was the final paragraph:
"None of us can ever forget how in that last Easter Sunday of his life, the Holy Father, marked by suffering, came once more to the window of the Apostolic Palace and one last time gave his blessing urbi et orbi. We can be sure that our beloved pope is standing today at the window of the Father's house, that he sees us and blesses us. Yes, bless us, Holy Father. We entrust your dear soul to the Mother of God, your Mother, who guided you each day and who will guide you now to the eternal glory of her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen."
I think the Italians and everyone who attended today's services should be commended. I think I will always regret not going to Rome this week as this was definately a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Rest in Peace, Your Holiness.
Text of the homily read, in Italian, by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, dean of the College of Cardinals, during the funeral Mass of Pope John Paul II. Translation provided by the Vatican:
"Follow me." The Risen Lord says these words to Peter. They are his last words to this disciple, chosen to shepherd his flock. "Follow me" — this lapidary saying of Christ can be taken as the key to understanding the message which comes to us from the life of our late beloved Pope John Paul II. Today we bury his remains in the earth as a seed of immortality — our hearts are full of sadness, yet at the same time of joyful hope and profound gratitude.
These are the sentiments that inspire us, Brothers and Sisters in Christ, present here in St. Peter's Square, in neighboring streets and in various other locations within the city of Rome, where an immense crowd, silently praying, has gathered over the last few days. I greet all of you from my heart. In the name of the College of Cardinals, I also wish to express my respects to Heads of State, Heads of Government and the delegations from various countries. I greet the Authorities and official representatives of other Churches and Christian Communities, and likewise those of different religions. Next I greet the Archbishops, Bishops, priests, religious men and women and the faithful who have come here from every Continent; especially the young, whom John Paul II liked to call the future and the hope of the Church. My greeting is extended, moreover, to all those throughout the world who are united with us through radio and television in this solemn celebration of our beloved Holy Father's funeral.
Follow me — as a young student Karol Wojtyla was thrilled by literature, the theater, and poetry. Working in a chemical plant, surrounded and threatened by the Nazi terror, he heard the voice of the Lord: Follow me! In this extraordinary setting he began to read books of philosophy and theology, and then entered the clandestine seminary established by Cardinal Sapieha. After the war he was able to complete his studies in the faculty of theology of the Jagiellonian University of Krakow. How often, in his letters to priests and in his autobiographical books has he spoken to us about his priesthood, to which he was ordained on Nov. 1, 1946. In these texts he interprets his priesthood with particular reference to three sayings of the Lord. First: "You did not choose me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last" (John 15:16). The second saying is: "The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep" (John 10:11). And then: "As the father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love" (John 15:9). In these three sayings we see the heart and soul of our Holy Father. He really went everywhere, untiringly, in order to bear fruit, fruit that lasts. "Rise, Let us be on our Way!" is the title of his next-to-last book. "Rise, let us be on our way!" — with these words he roused us from a lethargic faith, from the sleep of the disciples of both yesterday and today. "Rise, let us be on our way!" he continues to say to us even today. The Holy Father was a priest to the last, for he offered his life to God for his flock and for the entire human family, in a daily self-oblation for the service of the Church, especially amid the sufferings of his final months. And this way he became one with Christ, the Good Shepherd who loves his sheep. Finally, "abide in my love:" the Pope who tried to meet everyone, who had an ability to forgive and to open his heart to all, tells us once again today, with these words of the Lord, that by abiding in the love of Christ we learn, at the school of Christ, the art of true love.
Follow me! In July 1958 the young priest Karol Wojtyla began a new stage in his journey with the Lord in the footsteps of the Lord. Karol had gone to the Masuri Lakes for his usual vacation, along with a group of young people who loved canoeing. But he brought with him a letter inviting him to call on the Primate of Poland, Cardinal Wyszynski. He could guess the purpose of the meeting: he was to be appointed as the auxiliary Bishop of Krakow. Leaving the academic world, leaving this challenging engagement with young people, leaving the great intellectual endeavor of striving to understand and to interpret the mystery of that creature which is man and of communicating to today's world the Christian interpretation of our being — all this must have seemed to him like losing his very self, losing what had become the very human identity of this young priest. Follow me — Karol Wojtyla accepted the appointment for he heard in the Church's call the voice of Christ. And then he realized how true are the Lord's words: "Those who try to make their life secure will lose it, but those who lose their life will keep it" (Luke 17:53). Our pope — and we all know this — never wanted to make his own life secure, to keep it for himself, he wanted to give of himself unreservedly, to the very last moment, for Christ and thus also for us. And thus he came to experience how everything which he had given over into the Lord's hands came back to him in a new way. His love of words, of poetry, of literature became an essential part of his pastoral mission and gave his new vitality, new urgency, new attractiveness to the preaching of the Gospel, even when it is a sign of contradiction.
Follow me! In October 1978, Cardinal Wojtyla once again heard the voice of the Lord. Once more there took place that dialogue with Peter reported in the Gospel of this Mass: "Simon, son of John, do you love me? Feed my sheep!' To the Lord's question, `Karol, do you love me?' the archbishop of Krakow answered from the depths of his heart: "Lord, you know everything: you know that I love you." The love of Christ was the dominant force in the life of our beloved Holy Father. Anyone who ever saw him pray, who ever heard him preach, knows that. Thanks to his being profoundly rooted in Christ, he was able to bear a burden which transcends merely human abilities: that of being the shepherd of Christ's flock, his universal Church. This is not the time to speak of the specific content of this rich pontificate. I would like only to read two passages of today's liturgy which reflect the central elements of his message. In the first reading, St. Peter says — and with St. Peter, the pope himself — "I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ — he is Lord of all" (Acts of the Apostles 10:34-36). And in the second reading, St. Paul — and with St. Paul, our late Pope — exhorts us, crying out: "My brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and my crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved" (Philippians 4:1).
Follow me! Together with the command to feed his flock, Christ proclaimed to Peter that he would die a martyr's death. With those words, which conclude and sum up the dialogue on the love and on the mandate of the universal shepherd, the Lord recalls another dialogue, which took place during the Last Supper. There Jesus had said: "Where I am going, you cannot come." Peter said to him, "Lord, where are you going?" Jesus replied: "Where I cam going, you cannot follow me now: but you will follow me afterward." (John 13:33-36). Jesus from the Supper went toward the Cross, went toward his Resurrection — he entered into the paschal mystery; and Peter could not follow him. Now — after the Resurrection — comes the time, comes this "afterward." By shepherding the flock of Christ, Peter enters into the paschal mystery, he goes toward the cross and the Resurrection. The Lord says this in these words: "`....when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go; (John 21:18) In the first years of his pontificate, still young and full of energy, the Holy Father went to very ends of the Earth, guided by Christ. But afterward, he increasingly entered into the communion of Christ's sufferings; increasingly he understood the truth of the words: "Someone else will fasten a belt around you." And in the very communion with the suffering Lord, tirelessly and with renewed intensity, he proclaimed the Gospel, the mystery of that love which goes to the end (John 13:1).
He interpreted for us the paschal mystery as a mystery of divine mercy. In his last book, he wrote: The limit imposed upon evil "is ultimately Divine Mercy" ("Memory and Identity," p. 60-61). And reflecting on the assassination attempt, he said: "In sacrificing himself for us all, Christ gave a new meaning to suffering, opening up a new dimension, a new order: the order of love. ... It is this suffering which burns and consumes evil with the flame of love and draws forth even from sin a great flowering of good." Impelled by this vision, the pope suffered and loved in communion with Christ, and that is why the message of his suffering and his silence proved so eloquent and so fruitful.
Divine Mercy: the Holy Father found the purest reflection of God's mercy in the Mother of God. He who at an early age had lost his own mother, loved his divine mother all the more. He heard the words of the crucified Lord as addressed personally to him: "Behold your Mother." And so he did as the beloved disciple did: he took her into his own home;" (John 19:27)
_ Totus tuus. And from the mother he learned to conform himself to Christ.
None of us can ever forget how in that last Easter Sunday of his life, the Holy Father, marked by suffering, came once more to the window of the Apostolic Palace and one last time gave his blessing urbi et orbi. We can be sure that our beloved pope is standing today at the window of the Father's house, that he sees us and blesses us. Yes, bless us, Holy Father. We entrust your dear soul to the Mother of God, your Mother, who guided you each day and who will guide you now to the eternal glory of her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Of course, I'm nowhere near eligible for election as the Pontiff nor the sainthood.
I got up this morning at the bright time of 0h-three A.M. To quote Robin Williams, "What's the 'Oh' stand for? Oh my God, it's early". The last time I got up this early to watch an event on TV was in 1981 when Prince Charles and Princess Diana were married. Ironic isn't it that he'll be getting married again tomorrow.
As for the Pope's funeral, it really was beautiful and amazing. To see all these people peacefully gathered was something I don't think I will ever see again. The service itself was also a tear jerker and the homily (we don't have eulogies) was brilliant. I posted it below, but one of the best parts was the final paragraph:
"None of us can ever forget how in that last Easter Sunday of his life, the Holy Father, marked by suffering, came once more to the window of the Apostolic Palace and one last time gave his blessing urbi et orbi. We can be sure that our beloved pope is standing today at the window of the Father's house, that he sees us and blesses us. Yes, bless us, Holy Father. We entrust your dear soul to the Mother of God, your Mother, who guided you each day and who will guide you now to the eternal glory of her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen."
I think the Italians and everyone who attended today's services should be commended. I think I will always regret not going to Rome this week as this was definately a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Rest in Peace, Your Holiness.
Text of the homily read, in Italian, by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, dean of the College of Cardinals, during the funeral Mass of Pope John Paul II. Translation provided by the Vatican:
"Follow me." The Risen Lord says these words to Peter. They are his last words to this disciple, chosen to shepherd his flock. "Follow me" — this lapidary saying of Christ can be taken as the key to understanding the message which comes to us from the life of our late beloved Pope John Paul II. Today we bury his remains in the earth as a seed of immortality — our hearts are full of sadness, yet at the same time of joyful hope and profound gratitude.
These are the sentiments that inspire us, Brothers and Sisters in Christ, present here in St. Peter's Square, in neighboring streets and in various other locations within the city of Rome, where an immense crowd, silently praying, has gathered over the last few days. I greet all of you from my heart. In the name of the College of Cardinals, I also wish to express my respects to Heads of State, Heads of Government and the delegations from various countries. I greet the Authorities and official representatives of other Churches and Christian Communities, and likewise those of different religions. Next I greet the Archbishops, Bishops, priests, religious men and women and the faithful who have come here from every Continent; especially the young, whom John Paul II liked to call the future and the hope of the Church. My greeting is extended, moreover, to all those throughout the world who are united with us through radio and television in this solemn celebration of our beloved Holy Father's funeral.
Follow me — as a young student Karol Wojtyla was thrilled by literature, the theater, and poetry. Working in a chemical plant, surrounded and threatened by the Nazi terror, he heard the voice of the Lord: Follow me! In this extraordinary setting he began to read books of philosophy and theology, and then entered the clandestine seminary established by Cardinal Sapieha. After the war he was able to complete his studies in the faculty of theology of the Jagiellonian University of Krakow. How often, in his letters to priests and in his autobiographical books has he spoken to us about his priesthood, to which he was ordained on Nov. 1, 1946. In these texts he interprets his priesthood with particular reference to three sayings of the Lord. First: "You did not choose me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last" (John 15:16). The second saying is: "The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep" (John 10:11). And then: "As the father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love" (John 15:9). In these three sayings we see the heart and soul of our Holy Father. He really went everywhere, untiringly, in order to bear fruit, fruit that lasts. "Rise, Let us be on our Way!" is the title of his next-to-last book. "Rise, let us be on our way!" — with these words he roused us from a lethargic faith, from the sleep of the disciples of both yesterday and today. "Rise, let us be on our way!" he continues to say to us even today. The Holy Father was a priest to the last, for he offered his life to God for his flock and for the entire human family, in a daily self-oblation for the service of the Church, especially amid the sufferings of his final months. And this way he became one with Christ, the Good Shepherd who loves his sheep. Finally, "abide in my love:" the Pope who tried to meet everyone, who had an ability to forgive and to open his heart to all, tells us once again today, with these words of the Lord, that by abiding in the love of Christ we learn, at the school of Christ, the art of true love.
Follow me! In July 1958 the young priest Karol Wojtyla began a new stage in his journey with the Lord in the footsteps of the Lord. Karol had gone to the Masuri Lakes for his usual vacation, along with a group of young people who loved canoeing. But he brought with him a letter inviting him to call on the Primate of Poland, Cardinal Wyszynski. He could guess the purpose of the meeting: he was to be appointed as the auxiliary Bishop of Krakow. Leaving the academic world, leaving this challenging engagement with young people, leaving the great intellectual endeavor of striving to understand and to interpret the mystery of that creature which is man and of communicating to today's world the Christian interpretation of our being — all this must have seemed to him like losing his very self, losing what had become the very human identity of this young priest. Follow me — Karol Wojtyla accepted the appointment for he heard in the Church's call the voice of Christ. And then he realized how true are the Lord's words: "Those who try to make their life secure will lose it, but those who lose their life will keep it" (Luke 17:53). Our pope — and we all know this — never wanted to make his own life secure, to keep it for himself, he wanted to give of himself unreservedly, to the very last moment, for Christ and thus also for us. And thus he came to experience how everything which he had given over into the Lord's hands came back to him in a new way. His love of words, of poetry, of literature became an essential part of his pastoral mission and gave his new vitality, new urgency, new attractiveness to the preaching of the Gospel, even when it is a sign of contradiction.
Follow me! In October 1978, Cardinal Wojtyla once again heard the voice of the Lord. Once more there took place that dialogue with Peter reported in the Gospel of this Mass: "Simon, son of John, do you love me? Feed my sheep!' To the Lord's question, `Karol, do you love me?' the archbishop of Krakow answered from the depths of his heart: "Lord, you know everything: you know that I love you." The love of Christ was the dominant force in the life of our beloved Holy Father. Anyone who ever saw him pray, who ever heard him preach, knows that. Thanks to his being profoundly rooted in Christ, he was able to bear a burden which transcends merely human abilities: that of being the shepherd of Christ's flock, his universal Church. This is not the time to speak of the specific content of this rich pontificate. I would like only to read two passages of today's liturgy which reflect the central elements of his message. In the first reading, St. Peter says — and with St. Peter, the pope himself — "I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ — he is Lord of all" (Acts of the Apostles 10:34-36). And in the second reading, St. Paul — and with St. Paul, our late Pope — exhorts us, crying out: "My brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and my crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved" (Philippians 4:1).
Follow me! Together with the command to feed his flock, Christ proclaimed to Peter that he would die a martyr's death. With those words, which conclude and sum up the dialogue on the love and on the mandate of the universal shepherd, the Lord recalls another dialogue, which took place during the Last Supper. There Jesus had said: "Where I am going, you cannot come." Peter said to him, "Lord, where are you going?" Jesus replied: "Where I cam going, you cannot follow me now: but you will follow me afterward." (John 13:33-36). Jesus from the Supper went toward the Cross, went toward his Resurrection — he entered into the paschal mystery; and Peter could not follow him. Now — after the Resurrection — comes the time, comes this "afterward." By shepherding the flock of Christ, Peter enters into the paschal mystery, he goes toward the cross and the Resurrection. The Lord says this in these words: "`....when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go; (John 21:18) In the first years of his pontificate, still young and full of energy, the Holy Father went to very ends of the Earth, guided by Christ. But afterward, he increasingly entered into the communion of Christ's sufferings; increasingly he understood the truth of the words: "Someone else will fasten a belt around you." And in the very communion with the suffering Lord, tirelessly and with renewed intensity, he proclaimed the Gospel, the mystery of that love which goes to the end (John 13:1).
He interpreted for us the paschal mystery as a mystery of divine mercy. In his last book, he wrote: The limit imposed upon evil "is ultimately Divine Mercy" ("Memory and Identity," p. 60-61). And reflecting on the assassination attempt, he said: "In sacrificing himself for us all, Christ gave a new meaning to suffering, opening up a new dimension, a new order: the order of love. ... It is this suffering which burns and consumes evil with the flame of love and draws forth even from sin a great flowering of good." Impelled by this vision, the pope suffered and loved in communion with Christ, and that is why the message of his suffering and his silence proved so eloquent and so fruitful.
Divine Mercy: the Holy Father found the purest reflection of God's mercy in the Mother of God. He who at an early age had lost his own mother, loved his divine mother all the more. He heard the words of the crucified Lord as addressed personally to him: "Behold your Mother." And so he did as the beloved disciple did: he took her into his own home;" (John 19:27)
_ Totus tuus. And from the mother he learned to conform himself to Christ.
None of us can ever forget how in that last Easter Sunday of his life, the Holy Father, marked by suffering, came once more to the window of the Apostolic Palace and one last time gave his blessing urbi et orbi. We can be sure that our beloved pope is standing today at the window of the Father's house, that he sees us and blesses us. Yes, bless us, Holy Father. We entrust your dear soul to the Mother of God, your Mother, who guided you each day and who will guide you now to the eternal glory of her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Thursday, April 07, 2005
His Holiness, My Buddy
Yessir, that's right, JP was my buddy. Or at least that's what Uncle used to call him since I'm one of the few Catholics left in the family. I don't think you have to be Catholic to appreciate what he did for this world, however, gere is a great article about John Paul II and his contribution to our world as we know it (you political pundits out there will enjoy this as well.) It's kind of long, but read it if you can.
I do, however, take exception to the idea that John Paul II was a conservative. In most of our views, he was a liberal because he was constantly being told to reverse most of the doctrines of the Second Vatican Council that met in 1963, but he refused stating the new dogma was needed to ensure we move forward into the 21st century.
I think, too, that enlight of what we have discovered - or rediscovered - regarding Jesus, Mary Magdalene, John, and others that the Pope could have softened a bit on his views regarding women in the Priesthood and most definately, the issue of contraception, especially in the AIDS infected third world. In this sense, it's not so much about contraception as immunization.
I haven't been able to write much about the loss of the Pope, because he's the only Pope I've ever known (I was nine when he was elected.) John Paul was definately a lion in a lamb suit.
> > Gary North's REALITY CHECK
> >
> >Issue 435 April 5, 2005
> >
> >
> > WHAT I LEARNED FROM JOHN PAUL II
> >
> > I shall leave it to other columnists to comment on the
> >profound impact of John Paul II on our times. I am content
> >to confine myself to comments on what I learned from his
> >ministry.
> >
> >
> >THE INESCAPABLE INFLUENCE OF THE UNPREDICTABLE
> >
> > Robert Burns's phrase about the best-laid plans of
> >mice and men often going awry is illustrated better by John
> >Paul II's career than anyone in my era. Only one other
> >figure comes close: Deng Xiao Ping. The best-laid plans
> >can come to naught in an amazingly short period of time.
> >
> > The year 1978 was a year of expected caretakers. In
> >March, Deng Xiao Ping had become the undisputed leader of
> >Communist China. At age 74, he seemed old: probably a
> >caretaker. The National People's Congress decided to go
> >with a safe bet: age.
> >
> > Pope Paul VI died in early August. He had overseen
> >the transformation of the Roman Catholic Church. The death
> >of John XXIII in 1963, after Vatican II had begun, left to
> >Paul VI the task of overseeing the sessions and
> >implementing them. This he did. The Church changed more
> >under his administration in 15 years than had taken place
> >in the previous 500 years -- maybe 1,000. It moved
> >decisively in a liberal/modernist direction.
> >
> > The election of John Paul I took place in one day of
> >the Conclave in late August, 1978. There is no doubt in my
> >mind that a Conclave that brief indicates pre-Conclave
> >agreement regarding a short list of candidates before the
> >cardinals were locked in their room (which is what
> >"conclave" means). John Paul I was to be a caretaker Pope.
> >He immediately took the names of his two predecessors,
> >indicating his commitment to extend Vatican II. Thirty-
> >three days later, he died.
> >
> > There are lots of really choice conspiracy theories
> >about his death. My favorite has to do with the secret
> >Masonic brotherhood, P2, and its connection to the
> >unfolding Bank Ambrosia scandal. Do I actually believe he
> >was murdered? There is insufficient evidence to persuade
> >me. (The standard book on this non-standard theory is
> >David Yallop's "In God's Name." The fictional account is
> >the novel by Malachi Martin, "Vatican.")
> >
> > Whatever the cause of his death, no conspiracy theory
> >has come close to explaining the outcome: the election of a
> >Polish Pope and what followed next.
> >
> > The Conclave that elected John Paul II took three
> >days. There are no notes published after a Conclave.
> >There are no leaks during it. Silence prevails. So,
> >theories about what went on are without verifiable support.
> >The duration indicates that there had been a short list.
> >Wojtyla was probably on the previous short list. I say
> >this because there had been little time for pre-Conclave
> >politicking. The cardinals had barely arrived home by the
> >time John Paul I died.
> >
> > Wojtyla took the name John Paul II. This was the
> >equivalent of calling Wilt Chamberlain "Wilt the Shrimp."
> >
> > Consider the next 14 months after John Paul II's election
> >in October.
> >
> > In December, Deng announced the agricultural reform
> >that transferred land ownership to farmers. That marked
> >the beginning of the capitalist revolution in Red China.
> >He lived long enough to implement his economic reforms. He
> >died in 1997. We see the results of that revolution in
> >every Wal-Mart and in every report on the U.S. trade
> >deficit.
> >
> > January, 1979: the Shah of Iran abdicated and fled
> >Iran. Khomeini took over.
> >
> > On May 3, Margaret Thatcher was elected Prime Minister
> >of Great Britain. She was to serve longer than any Prime
> >Minister in 150 years: 11 years. Under her administration,
> >much of the system of government-owned monopolies was
> >privatized.
> >
> > On June 2, John Paul II arrived in Poland and began a
> >series of public meetings that drew millions of visitors.
> >This was the beginning of the end of Communism in Poland.
> >The Solidarity movement began within a year. Poland's ex-
> >Communist tyrant, Gen. Jaruzelski, later said that this was
> >the central event in the toppling of Communism in Central
> >Europe. Gorbachev, when out of power, agreed.
> >
> > Late June: OPEC announced a 50% hike in the price of
> >oil. Jimmy Carter went into defensive mode economically.
> >
> > November 4: Iranian mobs captured the U.S. Embassy in
> >Tehran. Jimmy Carter went into defensive mode militarily.
> >
> > In December, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan.
> >This marked the beginning of a decade of bloodletting that
> >culminated in 1989 with the withdrawal of Soviet troops
> >and, within two years, the disintegration of the USSR.
> >
> > None of this was remotely visible in October, 1978.
> >
> > So far, I haven't mentioned Ronald Reagan.
> >
> > We know the phrase, "seize the moment." Pope John
> >Paul II not only seized the moment, he seized the next
> >quarter century. For someone officially in charge or an
> >organization that large, seizing a quarter century is no
> >small accomplishment.
> >
> >
> >NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE
> >
> > Alexandr Solzhenitsyn was the other figure of the
> >twentieth century who rivaled Pope John Paul II in undermining
> >Soviet authority by the power of his words. He, even more
> >than the Pope, made painful and embarrassing any support of
> >the Soviets by Western intellectuals, too many of whom had
> >become early admirers of Stalin and then his successors
> >until "The Gulag Archipelago" finally undermined them in
> >the mid-1970s. He wrote of his decade in the Soviet
> >concentration camps that this experience saved him. The
> >camps took everything material away from him. He had
> >nothing left to lose. Outside the camps, victims of
> >Communist oppression clung to a few possessions and
> >conformed in order to keep what little they owned. By
> >being stripped of everything, Solzhenitsyn said, he avoided
> >this fate.
> >
> > By the time Wojtyla was 21, every member of his
> >immediate family had died. The Nazis had invaded Poland
> >when he was 19. He began as a student for the priesthood
> >in a clandestine seminary. He was ordained in 1946, to
> >begin life under the Communists. He was in opposition from
> >the beginning.
> >
> > He was trained by a consummate anti-totalitarian,
> >Stefan Wyszynsky (pronounced, ironically, "Vishinski" --
> >just like the Soviet foreign minister), the primate of
> >Poland, who became a cardinal in 1953 and was immediately
> >put under house arrest for over three years. Wyszynsky
> >served as president of Vatican II in 1962. Wojtyla learned
> >how to survive under a rival bureaucracy that also claimed
> >universal authority, eschatological inevitability, and the
> >infallibility of its supreme council.
> >
> > He had no family to terrorize, no possessions to
> >confiscate. "What's a tyranny to do?" He went into
> >opposition and remained in opposition until there was
> >nothing left of worldwide Communism to oppose.
> >
> > The nothing-left strategy is not open to most men most
> >of the time. But it is what is required of a dedicated few
> >in times of moral confrontation. Mentally, you have to
> >surrender it in advance in order to preserve any of it in a
> >time of life-and-death confrontation. Jesus said: "He that
> >findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life
> >for my sake shall find it" (Matthew 10:39).
> >
> > Of all Catholic nations that had been in opposition to
> >totalitarianism longest, Poland was it in 1978. So, when
> >the Conclave chose Wojtyla, it chose the man most suited
> >for a long-term confrontation.
> >
> > The Western media have identified his strategy of
> >resistance with respect to Communism. This strategy was
> >also visible in his open confrontations in Latin America in
> >the 1980s. His opponents were priests who had joined the
> >liberation theology movement. That movement sank on the
> >Good Ship Marx after 1991, to the dismay of seminary
> >professors, Protestant and Catholic, around the world.
> >
> > We do not yet know the outcome of his strategy of
> >opposition with respect to his steady, quiet, non-headline-
> >grabbing undermining of the social liberals in the Church's
> >hierarchy.
> >
> >
> >STICK TO YOUR KNITTING
> >
> > John Paul II was the second-longest reigning Pope
> >after Pius IX (1846-1878), the Pope of Vatican I (1870).
> >
> > Under his reign, he appointed well over 100 cardinals.
> >Of the 117 eligible to vote (those under age 80), he
> >appointed all but three.
> >
> > In his 1987 book, "The Jesuits," former Jesuit Malachi
> >Martin discussed Romanita. Romanita is the ability to
> >outlast your competition. There are always factions in any
> >bureaucracy, and there is no bureaucracy with a longer
> >tradition or more factions in the West than the Roman
> >Catholic Church. The faction that provides the longest-
> >lasting survivors in any battle wins the next phase of the
> >war.
> >
> > Pius IX was a conservative. Until John XXIII reversed
> >this tradition, it held firm. Yet it was visibly on the
> >defensive within a decade of the death of Pius XII in 1958.
> >
> > I have little sense of the details of John Paul II's
> >philosophy. As for his theology, it is clear that he
> >upheld traditional Catholic views regarding the virgin
> >Mary. This outlook was the product of his years in Poland
> >and also the assassination attempt. He had moved
> >unpredictably just before he was shot, looking more closely
> >at a Sacred Heart emblem worn by a little girl. (This is
> >reported in Martin's book, "The Keys of This Blood.")
> >
> > Everyone knows his social views: no female priests, no
> >abortion, no contraception devices, no homosexuality.
> >Also, it should be added, no war. On abortion, he voiced
> >his opposition to the policy of Clinton. On war, he voiced
> >his opposition to the policies of Clinton and both Bushes.
> >
> > Year after year, appointment after appointment, he
> >wove a tapestry of traditionalism. It will take a
> >concerted effort on the part of liberals to reweave this
> >tapestry. In the seminaries, they have more than a
> >foothold. They have control. The Pope did not
> >excommunicate entire seminary faculties. To get a sense of
> >what I am talking about, click here:
> >
> > http://tinyurl.com/4jw7h
> >
> > He did not resign, although the American media kept
> >running interviews with liberal Catholics who thought he
> >should. He grew old and infirm before our eyes. He did
> >not hide what was happening to his body. He was reduced at
> >the end to silence, unable to speak in any of the eight
> >languages he spoke. But he did not hide from the cameras.
> >
> > If ever there was a man whose career said "No
> >retirement," it was his. He stayed on the job until the
> >end. It was not a bitter end, but it was painful.
> >
> >
> >WHEN YOU'VE GOT IT, USE IT
> >
> > Has any man worked the mass media better, longer?
> >
> > He got in front of the cameras, and there he stayed
> >for 26 years.
> >
> > One interviewee revealed that when the Pope first met
> >with members of the press, when the interview was over, he
> >stood up and walked around the room full of reporters to
> >shake hands. This was unheard of. They had expected to be
> >allowed to file past him, one by one.
> >
> > He had a unique skill. He exercised his ability as
> >Pope to go directly to the people -- the first Pope in
> >history to do this internationally. He made 103 trips
> >outside of Italy to some 120 countries. No other figure
> >has ever toured a reported 120 countries in front of TV
> >cameras.
> >
> > No one has ever drawn the crowds that he did. So, the
> >media had to show up. So, the crowds kept getting larger.
> >By 1995, an estimated seven million showed up to see him in
> >Manila -- the largest crowd in man's recorded history.
> >
> > He had a unique ability to capture attention. He used
> >it for all it was worth.
> >
> > The media reported that he had been an amateur actor
> >early in his career. This was not said in derision.
> >Another former actor, also known for his ability to handle
> >the media, received more criticism for his similar
> >background. In both cases, the public responded favorably.
> >
> >
> >CONCLUSION
> >
> > Deng, an old man in 1978, was not expected to do much.
> >The twenty-first century already looks back at what he did
> >and marvels.
> >
> > Brezhnev, a doddering old man in 1979, launched a war
> >in Afghanistan that brought down the USSR a decade later.
> >This caretaker failed to take care.
> >
> > John Paul I, another expected caretaker, did not
> >remain on the job long enough to fulfill his expected role.
> >
> > The Shah of Iran, a caretaker of Western oil, did not
> >stay on the job.
> >
> > Pope John Paul II knew that a resistance strategy was
> >suitable in 1978. He publicly issued traditional
> >encyclicals, while maintaining absolute mastery of the
> >media -- a skill also possessed by Mrs. Thatcher and Ronald
> >Reagan.
> >
> > What blindsided liberals after 1978 was the ability of
> >conservatives to commandeer the media to extend their
> >agendas. Liberals had long assumed that their control over
> >the media was unbreakable. They believed that they could
> >set the agenda. The best-laid plans. . . .
> >
> > In each case, what had been expected by the various
> >establishments did not come to pass.
> >
> > I am reminded of the words of my teacher, Robert
> >Nisbet, in the closing words of a June, 1968 essay in
> >"Commentary."
> >
> > What the future-predictors, the change-analysts,
> > and trend-tenders say in effect is that with the
> > aid of institute resources, computers, linear
> > programming, etc. they will deal with the kinds
> > of change that are not the consequence of the
> > Random Event, the Genius, the Maniac, and the
> > Prophet. To which I can only say: there really
> > aren't any; not any worth looking at anyhow.
> >
> >
>
>
--
I do, however, take exception to the idea that John Paul II was a conservative. In most of our views, he was a liberal because he was constantly being told to reverse most of the doctrines of the Second Vatican Council that met in 1963, but he refused stating the new dogma was needed to ensure we move forward into the 21st century.
I think, too, that enlight of what we have discovered - or rediscovered - regarding Jesus, Mary Magdalene, John, and others that the Pope could have softened a bit on his views regarding women in the Priesthood and most definately, the issue of contraception, especially in the AIDS infected third world. In this sense, it's not so much about contraception as immunization.
I haven't been able to write much about the loss of the Pope, because he's the only Pope I've ever known (I was nine when he was elected.) John Paul was definately a lion in a lamb suit.
> > Gary North's REALITY CHECK
> >
> >Issue 435 April 5, 2005
> >
> >
> > WHAT I LEARNED FROM JOHN PAUL II
> >
> > I shall leave it to other columnists to comment on the
> >profound impact of John Paul II on our times. I am content
> >to confine myself to comments on what I learned from his
> >ministry.
> >
> >
> >THE INESCAPABLE INFLUENCE OF THE UNPREDICTABLE
> >
> > Robert Burns's phrase about the best-laid plans of
> >mice and men often going awry is illustrated better by John
> >Paul II's career than anyone in my era. Only one other
> >figure comes close: Deng Xiao Ping. The best-laid plans
> >can come to naught in an amazingly short period of time.
> >
> > The year 1978 was a year of expected caretakers. In
> >March, Deng Xiao Ping had become the undisputed leader of
> >Communist China. At age 74, he seemed old: probably a
> >caretaker. The National People's Congress decided to go
> >with a safe bet: age.
> >
> > Pope Paul VI died in early August. He had overseen
> >the transformation of the Roman Catholic Church. The death
> >of John XXIII in 1963, after Vatican II had begun, left to
> >Paul VI the task of overseeing the sessions and
> >implementing them. This he did. The Church changed more
> >under his administration in 15 years than had taken place
> >in the previous 500 years -- maybe 1,000. It moved
> >decisively in a liberal/modernist direction.
> >
> > The election of John Paul I took place in one day of
> >the Conclave in late August, 1978. There is no doubt in my
> >mind that a Conclave that brief indicates pre-Conclave
> >agreement regarding a short list of candidates before the
> >cardinals were locked in their room (which is what
> >"conclave" means). John Paul I was to be a caretaker Pope.
> >He immediately took the names of his two predecessors,
> >indicating his commitment to extend Vatican II. Thirty-
> >three days later, he died.
> >
> > There are lots of really choice conspiracy theories
> >about his death. My favorite has to do with the secret
> >Masonic brotherhood, P2, and its connection to the
> >unfolding Bank Ambrosia scandal. Do I actually believe he
> >was murdered? There is insufficient evidence to persuade
> >me. (The standard book on this non-standard theory is
> >David Yallop's "In God's Name." The fictional account is
> >the novel by Malachi Martin, "Vatican.")
> >
> > Whatever the cause of his death, no conspiracy theory
> >has come close to explaining the outcome: the election of a
> >Polish Pope and what followed next.
> >
> > The Conclave that elected John Paul II took three
> >days. There are no notes published after a Conclave.
> >There are no leaks during it. Silence prevails. So,
> >theories about what went on are without verifiable support.
> >The duration indicates that there had been a short list.
> >Wojtyla was probably on the previous short list. I say
> >this because there had been little time for pre-Conclave
> >politicking. The cardinals had barely arrived home by the
> >time John Paul I died.
> >
> > Wojtyla took the name John Paul II. This was the
> >equivalent of calling Wilt Chamberlain "Wilt the Shrimp."
> >
> > Consider the next 14 months after John Paul II's election
> >in October.
> >
> > In December, Deng announced the agricultural reform
> >that transferred land ownership to farmers. That marked
> >the beginning of the capitalist revolution in Red China.
> >He lived long enough to implement his economic reforms. He
> >died in 1997. We see the results of that revolution in
> >every Wal-Mart and in every report on the U.S. trade
> >deficit.
> >
> > January, 1979: the Shah of Iran abdicated and fled
> >Iran. Khomeini took over.
> >
> > On May 3, Margaret Thatcher was elected Prime Minister
> >of Great Britain. She was to serve longer than any Prime
> >Minister in 150 years: 11 years. Under her administration,
> >much of the system of government-owned monopolies was
> >privatized.
> >
> > On June 2, John Paul II arrived in Poland and began a
> >series of public meetings that drew millions of visitors.
> >This was the beginning of the end of Communism in Poland.
> >The Solidarity movement began within a year. Poland's ex-
> >Communist tyrant, Gen. Jaruzelski, later said that this was
> >the central event in the toppling of Communism in Central
> >Europe. Gorbachev, when out of power, agreed.
> >
> > Late June: OPEC announced a 50% hike in the price of
> >oil. Jimmy Carter went into defensive mode economically.
> >
> > November 4: Iranian mobs captured the U.S. Embassy in
> >Tehran. Jimmy Carter went into defensive mode militarily.
> >
> > In December, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan.
> >This marked the beginning of a decade of bloodletting that
> >culminated in 1989 with the withdrawal of Soviet troops
> >and, within two years, the disintegration of the USSR.
> >
> > None of this was remotely visible in October, 1978.
> >
> > So far, I haven't mentioned Ronald Reagan.
> >
> > We know the phrase, "seize the moment." Pope John
> >Paul II not only seized the moment, he seized the next
> >quarter century. For someone officially in charge or an
> >organization that large, seizing a quarter century is no
> >small accomplishment.
> >
> >
> >NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE
> >
> > Alexandr Solzhenitsyn was the other figure of the
> >twentieth century who rivaled Pope John Paul II in undermining
> >Soviet authority by the power of his words. He, even more
> >than the Pope, made painful and embarrassing any support of
> >the Soviets by Western intellectuals, too many of whom had
> >become early admirers of Stalin and then his successors
> >until "The Gulag Archipelago" finally undermined them in
> >the mid-1970s. He wrote of his decade in the Soviet
> >concentration camps that this experience saved him. The
> >camps took everything material away from him. He had
> >nothing left to lose. Outside the camps, victims of
> >Communist oppression clung to a few possessions and
> >conformed in order to keep what little they owned. By
> >being stripped of everything, Solzhenitsyn said, he avoided
> >this fate.
> >
> > By the time Wojtyla was 21, every member of his
> >immediate family had died. The Nazis had invaded Poland
> >when he was 19. He began as a student for the priesthood
> >in a clandestine seminary. He was ordained in 1946, to
> >begin life under the Communists. He was in opposition from
> >the beginning.
> >
> > He was trained by a consummate anti-totalitarian,
> >Stefan Wyszynsky (pronounced, ironically, "Vishinski" --
> >just like the Soviet foreign minister), the primate of
> >Poland, who became a cardinal in 1953 and was immediately
> >put under house arrest for over three years. Wyszynsky
> >served as president of Vatican II in 1962. Wojtyla learned
> >how to survive under a rival bureaucracy that also claimed
> >universal authority, eschatological inevitability, and the
> >infallibility of its supreme council.
> >
> > He had no family to terrorize, no possessions to
> >confiscate. "What's a tyranny to do?" He went into
> >opposition and remained in opposition until there was
> >nothing left of worldwide Communism to oppose.
> >
> > The nothing-left strategy is not open to most men most
> >of the time. But it is what is required of a dedicated few
> >in times of moral confrontation. Mentally, you have to
> >surrender it in advance in order to preserve any of it in a
> >time of life-and-death confrontation. Jesus said: "He that
> >findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life
> >for my sake shall find it" (Matthew 10:39).
> >
> > Of all Catholic nations that had been in opposition to
> >totalitarianism longest, Poland was it in 1978. So, when
> >the Conclave chose Wojtyla, it chose the man most suited
> >for a long-term confrontation.
> >
> > The Western media have identified his strategy of
> >resistance with respect to Communism. This strategy was
> >also visible in his open confrontations in Latin America in
> >the 1980s. His opponents were priests who had joined the
> >liberation theology movement. That movement sank on the
> >Good Ship Marx after 1991, to the dismay of seminary
> >professors, Protestant and Catholic, around the world.
> >
> > We do not yet know the outcome of his strategy of
> >opposition with respect to his steady, quiet, non-headline-
> >grabbing undermining of the social liberals in the Church's
> >hierarchy.
> >
> >
> >STICK TO YOUR KNITTING
> >
> > John Paul II was the second-longest reigning Pope
> >after Pius IX (1846-1878), the Pope of Vatican I (1870).
> >
> > Under his reign, he appointed well over 100 cardinals.
> >Of the 117 eligible to vote (those under age 80), he
> >appointed all but three.
> >
> > In his 1987 book, "The Jesuits," former Jesuit Malachi
> >Martin discussed Romanita. Romanita is the ability to
> >outlast your competition. There are always factions in any
> >bureaucracy, and there is no bureaucracy with a longer
> >tradition or more factions in the West than the Roman
> >Catholic Church. The faction that provides the longest-
> >lasting survivors in any battle wins the next phase of the
> >war.
> >
> > Pius IX was a conservative. Until John XXIII reversed
> >this tradition, it held firm. Yet it was visibly on the
> >defensive within a decade of the death of Pius XII in 1958.
> >
> > I have little sense of the details of John Paul II's
> >philosophy. As for his theology, it is clear that he
> >upheld traditional Catholic views regarding the virgin
> >Mary. This outlook was the product of his years in Poland
> >and also the assassination attempt. He had moved
> >unpredictably just before he was shot, looking more closely
> >at a Sacred Heart emblem worn by a little girl. (This is
> >reported in Martin's book, "The Keys of This Blood.")
> >
> > Everyone knows his social views: no female priests, no
> >abortion, no contraception devices, no homosexuality.
> >Also, it should be added, no war. On abortion, he voiced
> >his opposition to the policy of Clinton. On war, he voiced
> >his opposition to the policies of Clinton and both Bushes.
> >
> > Year after year, appointment after appointment, he
> >wove a tapestry of traditionalism. It will take a
> >concerted effort on the part of liberals to reweave this
> >tapestry. In the seminaries, they have more than a
> >foothold. They have control. The Pope did not
> >excommunicate entire seminary faculties. To get a sense of
> >what I am talking about, click here:
> >
> > http://tinyurl.com/4jw7h
> >
> > He did not resign, although the American media kept
> >running interviews with liberal Catholics who thought he
> >should. He grew old and infirm before our eyes. He did
> >not hide what was happening to his body. He was reduced at
> >the end to silence, unable to speak in any of the eight
> >languages he spoke. But he did not hide from the cameras.
> >
> > If ever there was a man whose career said "No
> >retirement," it was his. He stayed on the job until the
> >end. It was not a bitter end, but it was painful.
> >
> >
> >WHEN YOU'VE GOT IT, USE IT
> >
> > Has any man worked the mass media better, longer?
> >
> > He got in front of the cameras, and there he stayed
> >for 26 years.
> >
> > One interviewee revealed that when the Pope first met
> >with members of the press, when the interview was over, he
> >stood up and walked around the room full of reporters to
> >shake hands. This was unheard of. They had expected to be
> >allowed to file past him, one by one.
> >
> > He had a unique skill. He exercised his ability as
> >Pope to go directly to the people -- the first Pope in
> >history to do this internationally. He made 103 trips
> >outside of Italy to some 120 countries. No other figure
> >has ever toured a reported 120 countries in front of TV
> >cameras.
> >
> > No one has ever drawn the crowds that he did. So, the
> >media had to show up. So, the crowds kept getting larger.
> >By 1995, an estimated seven million showed up to see him in
> >Manila -- the largest crowd in man's recorded history.
> >
> > He had a unique ability to capture attention. He used
> >it for all it was worth.
> >
> > The media reported that he had been an amateur actor
> >early in his career. This was not said in derision.
> >Another former actor, also known for his ability to handle
> >the media, received more criticism for his similar
> >background. In both cases, the public responded favorably.
> >
> >
> >CONCLUSION
> >
> > Deng, an old man in 1978, was not expected to do much.
> >The twenty-first century already looks back at what he did
> >and marvels.
> >
> > Brezhnev, a doddering old man in 1979, launched a war
> >in Afghanistan that brought down the USSR a decade later.
> >This caretaker failed to take care.
> >
> > John Paul I, another expected caretaker, did not
> >remain on the job long enough to fulfill his expected role.
> >
> > The Shah of Iran, a caretaker of Western oil, did not
> >stay on the job.
> >
> > Pope John Paul II knew that a resistance strategy was
> >suitable in 1978. He publicly issued traditional
> >encyclicals, while maintaining absolute mastery of the
> >media -- a skill also possessed by Mrs. Thatcher and Ronald
> >Reagan.
> >
> > What blindsided liberals after 1978 was the ability of
> >conservatives to commandeer the media to extend their
> >agendas. Liberals had long assumed that their control over
> >the media was unbreakable. They believed that they could
> >set the agenda. The best-laid plans. . . .
> >
> > In each case, what had been expected by the various
> >establishments did not come to pass.
> >
> > I am reminded of the words of my teacher, Robert
> >Nisbet, in the closing words of a June, 1968 essay in
> >"Commentary."
> >
> > What the future-predictors, the change-analysts,
> > and trend-tenders say in effect is that with the
> > aid of institute resources, computers, linear
> > programming, etc. they will deal with the kinds
> > of change that are not the consequence of the
> > Random Event, the Genius, the Maniac, and the
> > Prophet. To which I can only say: there really
> > aren't any; not any worth looking at anyhow.
> >
> >
>
>
--
Monday, April 04, 2005
I'm Outta Here!!!!!
Holy Shit. After almost eleven years, I am leaving the Depatment of Housing. It's amazing and I still don't think it has hit me yet. I'm actually the luckiest person on the planet since I will be staying at Tech (and keeping my retirement), but I'm working for the absolute nicest person on the planet AND he got me a 7.5% pay increase.
My only trouble now is how do I keep from telling the assholes in this deparment to kiss my ass blue?
What the hell is it going to be like not to be stressed all the time?
My only trouble now is how do I keep from telling the assholes in this deparment to kiss my ass blue?
What the hell is it going to be like not to be stressed all the time?
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
When Will the Catholics Just Shut UP?
Yeah, yeah. I said it and I'll say it again, "Shut up, you arrogant, belligerent fools!” I guess I shouldn’t pigeon-hole the Catholics (after all, I am one), so please extend my request to anyone who believes they know more than God and is trying to puke their ideology out on everyone else - yup, I'm talkin' about all you neo-ultra-rightwinged-dumbass-conservative Christians who think they're the best friend of Mrs. Terry Schiavo and know what is going on in her useless brain.
Oh yeah, and I'd like to remind everyone that this country was founded on a principle of three distinct, SEPARATE, branches of government. Now, let's say them together:
#1 J-U-D-I-C-I-A-L
#2 L-E-G-I-S-L-A-T-I-V-E
AND
#3 E-X-E-C-U-T-I-V-E
Just in case anyone needs an example of each, try this:
#1 Judicial - These are the courts that said Terry Schiavo should have the right to discontinue her feeding tube and pass away in what's left of a state of grace.
#2 Legislative - This would be the stupid-ass, busy-body, meddeling Congress who completely overstepped their bounds and wrote a law called the "Schiavo Law" to prevent her feeding tube from being removed. A note here: Does anyone remember a time when Congress took less that two months to pass any law? Well, they did this one in about two hours.
and, last but not least...
#3 Executive - That's right, your buddy and mine, Junior George. He actually cut his vacation short (for the first time in his presidency) to come back to DC and sign the above mentioned new legislation.
What is driving this total abomination of our constitutional emancipation? Yup, the aforementioned neo-ultra-rightwinged-dumbass-conservative Christians. And since when has George Bush given a shit about someone's right to live - unless of course, that someone happens to be a zygote. Bush once again has proved himself a mighty two-facer:
"In 1999, then-Gov. Bush signed the Advance Directives Act, which lets a patient's surrogate make life-ending decisions on his or her behalf. The measure also allows Texas hospitals to disconnect patients from life-sustaining systems if a physician, in consultation with a hospital bioethics committee, concludes that the patient's condition is hopeless." - (http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/politics/11195230.htm)
The difference??? Glad you asked. The case in point above was a veggie-head who didn't have insurance. Schiavo - via Catholic Mamma and Pappa - have duckies AND insurance. Hmmmmmm, me thinks even the Pope would have a problem with that.
Incidentally, this horseshit about her "possibly regaining consciousness" and "she's starving to death" and "she can hear me" is ALL that: Horseshit. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to research what 15 minutes of no oxygen to the brain does to you. It also isn't too difficult to understand that Terry has been a veggie-head for 15 - count 'em folks FIFTEEN years. I was 20 when this chick tried to kill herself via anorexia. That being said, has anyone ever pondered the irony? Fifteen years ago, Terry Schiavo wanted to die and was so emaciated from years of starving herself that her brain shut down. Now everyone wants to force feed her???
Bottom line: This is something that should have never reached the level it has. Fifteen years ago, doctors should have let her die in peace. Now her parents are going to piss away even more of my tax dollars to ask our Supreme Court to "save" her life. What kinda life was that? Can you say, "GARDEN NOODLE"?
And one more thought: Seriously consider the consequences of Congress stepping in and essentially overthrowing a State's court decision. What's next? Hmmmm, considering it's in-line with this "right to life" bullshit - I bet Roe vs. Wade is next on the docket. I wonder, if I ever get convicted of a crime, should I by-pass the appeals process and go right to my Senator?
Oh yeah, and I'd like to remind everyone that this country was founded on a principle of three distinct, SEPARATE, branches of government. Now, let's say them together:
#1 J-U-D-I-C-I-A-L
#2 L-E-G-I-S-L-A-T-I-V-E
AND
#3 E-X-E-C-U-T-I-V-E
Just in case anyone needs an example of each, try this:
#1 Judicial - These are the courts that said Terry Schiavo should have the right to discontinue her feeding tube and pass away in what's left of a state of grace.
#2 Legislative - This would be the stupid-ass, busy-body, meddeling Congress who completely overstepped their bounds and wrote a law called the "Schiavo Law" to prevent her feeding tube from being removed. A note here: Does anyone remember a time when Congress took less that two months to pass any law? Well, they did this one in about two hours.
and, last but not least...
#3 Executive - That's right, your buddy and mine, Junior George. He actually cut his vacation short (for the first time in his presidency) to come back to DC and sign the above mentioned new legislation.
What is driving this total abomination of our constitutional emancipation? Yup, the aforementioned neo-ultra-rightwinged-dumbass-conservative Christians. And since when has George Bush given a shit about someone's right to live - unless of course, that someone happens to be a zygote. Bush once again has proved himself a mighty two-facer:
"In 1999, then-Gov. Bush signed the Advance Directives Act, which lets a patient's surrogate make life-ending decisions on his or her behalf. The measure also allows Texas hospitals to disconnect patients from life-sustaining systems if a physician, in consultation with a hospital bioethics committee, concludes that the patient's condition is hopeless." - (http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/politics/11195230.htm)
The difference??? Glad you asked. The case in point above was a veggie-head who didn't have insurance. Schiavo - via Catholic Mamma and Pappa - have duckies AND insurance. Hmmmmmm, me thinks even the Pope would have a problem with that.
Incidentally, this horseshit about her "possibly regaining consciousness" and "she's starving to death" and "she can hear me" is ALL that: Horseshit. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to research what 15 minutes of no oxygen to the brain does to you. It also isn't too difficult to understand that Terry has been a veggie-head for 15 - count 'em folks FIFTEEN years. I was 20 when this chick tried to kill herself via anorexia. That being said, has anyone ever pondered the irony? Fifteen years ago, Terry Schiavo wanted to die and was so emaciated from years of starving herself that her brain shut down. Now everyone wants to force feed her???
Bottom line: This is something that should have never reached the level it has. Fifteen years ago, doctors should have let her die in peace. Now her parents are going to piss away even more of my tax dollars to ask our Supreme Court to "save" her life. What kinda life was that? Can you say, "GARDEN NOODLE"?
And one more thought: Seriously consider the consequences of Congress stepping in and essentially overthrowing a State's court decision. What's next? Hmmmm, considering it's in-line with this "right to life" bullshit - I bet Roe vs. Wade is next on the docket. I wonder, if I ever get convicted of a crime, should I by-pass the appeals process and go right to my Senator?
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
And Without Further Ado....
I present to you, Monsieur Cutie-Pie, Ewan...
He gonna be a hottie in 20 years, you can just tell.
Here's one where he looks just like his Papa after a few too many shots of saki in Hong Kong with Baby Bro...
A cutie nonetheless. Must have Mama's genes.
Just kidding. Congratulations again to Ludo and Anne.
He gonna be a hottie in 20 years, you can just tell.
Here's one where he looks just like his Papa after a few too many shots of saki in Hong Kong with Baby Bro...
A cutie nonetheless. Must have Mama's genes.
Just kidding. Congratulations again to Ludo and Anne.
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
I Just KNEW it!
Check out this little ditty from today's AJC. It just goes to show that when you get thrust into the spotlight, amazingly enough, so does all your crap. This is some of the dirt the AJC has dug up on Ms. "I'm born again, Ashley Smith"... Oh yeah, and she's from my hometown of Augusta. The shame of it.
"That record starts with a 1996 shoplifting conviction in Richmond County, when Ashley was 16. At 18, she was found guilty of two counts of possessing alcohol as a minor. At 23 she was arrested twice for speeding, once while DUI and the other with a suspended license.
Because she didn't complete earlier requirements of her misdemeanor convictions, at 24 she faced a probation violation. Later, she completed those obligations and got her driver's license back, her aunt said.
At 25, Smith was arrested and charged with assaulting her mother's ex-husband, Larry Croft. The charges were dropped, her aunt said. And Croft appeared on television Monday to vouch for his stepdaughter's character.
When Smith was 23, her husband Daniel "Mac" McFarland Smith Jr., 27, was stabbed to death outside an Augusta apartment complex on Aug. 18, 2001. Ashley Smith's family said he was killed by old friends in retaliation for his friendship with a neighbor who was an undercover drug agent.
Columbia County sheriff's Capt. Steve Morris said the death resulted from a melee of 12 to 15 people who began fighting each other with fists, bats, sticks, glass, knives and pipes. Many witnesses were gone by the time police got there.
"We have so far been unable to develop enough evidence for a prosecution," Morris said Monday. "We have one suspect that we have enough on to arrest, but not enough to prosecute."
But, like her aunt said, "Ashley is like other people who have a sordid past and found the Lord. It's not what you've done but what you do from now on."
So, do you think she and the Fulton County prosecutor are going to have the same opinion about Brian Nichols?
"That record starts with a 1996 shoplifting conviction in Richmond County, when Ashley was 16. At 18, she was found guilty of two counts of possessing alcohol as a minor. At 23 she was arrested twice for speeding, once while DUI and the other with a suspended license.
Because she didn't complete earlier requirements of her misdemeanor convictions, at 24 she faced a probation violation. Later, she completed those obligations and got her driver's license back, her aunt said.
At 25, Smith was arrested and charged with assaulting her mother's ex-husband, Larry Croft. The charges were dropped, her aunt said. And Croft appeared on television Monday to vouch for his stepdaughter's character.
When Smith was 23, her husband Daniel "Mac" McFarland Smith Jr., 27, was stabbed to death outside an Augusta apartment complex on Aug. 18, 2001. Ashley Smith's family said he was killed by old friends in retaliation for his friendship with a neighbor who was an undercover drug agent.
Columbia County sheriff's Capt. Steve Morris said the death resulted from a melee of 12 to 15 people who began fighting each other with fists, bats, sticks, glass, knives and pipes. Many witnesses were gone by the time police got there.
"We have so far been unable to develop enough evidence for a prosecution," Morris said Monday. "We have one suspect that we have enough on to arrest, but not enough to prosecute."
But, like her aunt said, "Ashley is like other people who have a sordid past and found the Lord. It's not what you've done but what you do from now on."
So, do you think she and the Fulton County prosecutor are going to have the same opinion about Brian Nichols?
Monday, March 14, 2005
Bienvenu, Ewan!
Welcome to this world, Little Man, Ewan.
You are my first nephew and the one reason my French and Amercian family is so happy. Mark this day, March 10, 2005 as the day a new ray of sun shone down on Earth.
You are my first nephew and the one reason my French and Amercian family is so happy. Mark this day, March 10, 2005 as the day a new ray of sun shone down on Earth.
Oh ma-Gawwwwwdddd!
I flicked on "Larry King" last night because the King of Interviews was supposed to be speaking with various different folks involved with the Brian Nichols incident(s) over the past weekend (more on this later). However, the illustrious Mr. King was not there and instead...
was hosting.
This is a twit named, Nancy Grace. She is some sort of attorney who was pretending to be a TV host for Mr. Larry King. Hell, she was pretending to be a journalist, period. Let me tell you something. Just because lawyers are trained to learn vast vocabulary words does not unequivocally give them the ability to host a TV show or don a journalist's cap. As possessor of a degree in communication, I will tell you that there are several rules journalists have that attorneys do not. For one, morals. That's right, morals (don't get me wrong, Sparky, I'm not talking ethics here - only veternarians and day care teachers can count themselves as ethical). Another thing, journalists have to be NEUTRAL - the polar opposite of a lawyer.
This twit, Grace, all but rolled her eyes and say, "Fry the Bastard" on primetime TV. Now, I have my own opinion about Mr. Nichols and I will say it is not shared by a large number of the Southern Red majority. When I read the first Commandment, I take it literally and apply it to everyone - not just the folks I'm having over for Christmas supper. Regardless, nobody knows all the facts of this case - by any means - and none of us should be jumping to conclusions about how it should be handled and how the payment should be rendered for those guilty parties.
Needless to say, I had to write the following little ditty to Mr. Turner (that would be The Ted)...
Dear Mr. Turner,
Please advise the schedulers for "The Larry King Show" that hosts should conduct themselves in a manner befitting a professional journalist. Ms. Nancy Grace, who I had the distinct displeasure of seeing on your Sunday show (regarding Mr. Nichols), was unequivocally the worst news journalist/host I have ever heard. I therefore must protest that if she is to don a host's hat again, it would hopefully, rightfully, be on on Fox TV.
Ms. Grace violated the one true characteristic of a professional journalist - neutrality. From the moment she opened her mouth until the end of the show, her contempt for Mr. Nichols and the entire situation was painfully obvious. At times, she interjected sarcasm and bitter intonation to hint at her opinions. Her word choice and language was so unmistakenly juvenille and her accent so blatantly recognizable as to suggest an education based at a South Alabama seaside shanty.
Please, Sir, find another substitute for Mr. King if the occasion should arise that he cannot take the microphone. As a true, proud Southerner, you do us a great disservice by producing a woman possessing such meager professional ability.
I ask you... if you happen to see her on another show, impersonating a professional journalist, write in and demand she go back to the courtroom - and maybe even the classroom.
NOW, for my ubiquitous, omnipotent opinion (just kidding there, John Paul): Since nobody should make assumptions about the situation that occurred this weekend in Atlanta, here are some facts:
1. Brian Nichols was earned an 8-4 vote on his first trial and was in court on Friday for his re-trial.
2. Brian Nichols was an intellegent, well-spoken, upper-middle class professional before he was arrested in August 2004.
3. Mr. Nichols spent from August 2004 until the "incident" locked up in the Fulton County jail.
4. Fulton County law demands that prisoners wear street clothes and be un-handcuffed when they go to trial (as was Mr. Nichols on Friday.)
5. The Fulton County deputy appointed to guard Mr. Nichols before his trial (in a closed room) was 5 feet tall, 43 years old. Mr. Nichols is 6'1, 210 lbs, and is 33 years old.
6. Mr. Nichols was smart enough to have the entire Georgia law enforcement community out on patrol for 24 hours looking for a green Honda accord that never left the parking deck on Cone Street - where it was carjacked.
and NUMBER SEVEN........
Thank GAWD the woman he kidnapped was a tight-ass, Bible-thumpin' Christian or else the apocalypse would have been wrought upon us heathen souls. Hallelujah - Praise ye the Lord.
Please let me tell you what this has done to revitalize the Christian Right here in the deep South, especially with Ms. Ashley Smith spewing Bible-speak on every network around. Something tells me there is something intrinsically special about the fact that this woman was "chosen" by Nichols, but give me a goddamn break. She is not, and never will be the MESSIAH folks!!!! I mean, some people could chuck this up to dumb luck and coincidence. Even I thought it was somewhat telling in some way, but this Smith lady is NO Saint Teresa. Everyone wants to say, "Poor woman, lost her husband. He died in her arms after a fatal stabbing." OK, how exactly did that happen, huh? Maybe, just maybe, Ms. Smith was "born again" and decided to preach to the forsaken Mr. Nichols. Regardless, this sudden interjection of apostolic fuel to a situation that could have been much worse is really revolting.
My quick take: Nichols never committed the first crime. Spent six months in the County pokie and got his salad tossed. Said to himself, "No way am I going to do this for the next 20 to 25. Decided the Hobbit-bee-atch assigned to protect him would be an easy take, he would grab the gun and shoot his way out thinking there was no way the Atlanta Police would fuck up and NOT kill him. He finds himself actually on the street, then on a MARTA train, still thinking, "How the hell did I get this far and why hasn't anyone shot me dead yet." Kills the "contractor" (aka the Customs agent), then hijacks Ms. Smith. I'm only surprised he didn't have a Glock-burger for Friday supper.
Please, please. Do NOT lend too much credence to the "I know exactly what happened" people. They are abundant here, but they are the same ones who are pushing creationism through elementary schools and are about to abolish divorce in the civil courts.
was hosting.This is a twit named, Nancy Grace. She is some sort of attorney who was pretending to be a TV host for Mr. Larry King. Hell, she was pretending to be a journalist, period. Let me tell you something. Just because lawyers are trained to learn vast vocabulary words does not unequivocally give them the ability to host a TV show or don a journalist's cap. As possessor of a degree in communication, I will tell you that there are several rules journalists have that attorneys do not. For one, morals. That's right, morals (don't get me wrong, Sparky, I'm not talking ethics here - only veternarians and day care teachers can count themselves as ethical). Another thing, journalists have to be NEUTRAL - the polar opposite of a lawyer.
This twit, Grace, all but rolled her eyes and say, "Fry the Bastard" on primetime TV. Now, I have my own opinion about Mr. Nichols and I will say it is not shared by a large number of the Southern Red majority. When I read the first Commandment, I take it literally and apply it to everyone - not just the folks I'm having over for Christmas supper. Regardless, nobody knows all the facts of this case - by any means - and none of us should be jumping to conclusions about how it should be handled and how the payment should be rendered for those guilty parties.
Needless to say, I had to write the following little ditty to Mr. Turner (that would be The Ted)...
Dear Mr. Turner,
Please advise the schedulers for "The Larry King Show" that hosts should conduct themselves in a manner befitting a professional journalist. Ms. Nancy Grace, who I had the distinct displeasure of seeing on your Sunday show (regarding Mr. Nichols), was unequivocally the worst news journalist/host I have ever heard. I therefore must protest that if she is to don a host's hat again, it would hopefully, rightfully, be on on Fox TV.
Ms. Grace violated the one true characteristic of a professional journalist - neutrality. From the moment she opened her mouth until the end of the show, her contempt for Mr. Nichols and the entire situation was painfully obvious. At times, she interjected sarcasm and bitter intonation to hint at her opinions. Her word choice and language was so unmistakenly juvenille and her accent so blatantly recognizable as to suggest an education based at a South Alabama seaside shanty.
Please, Sir, find another substitute for Mr. King if the occasion should arise that he cannot take the microphone. As a true, proud Southerner, you do us a great disservice by producing a woman possessing such meager professional ability.
I ask you... if you happen to see her on another show, impersonating a professional journalist, write in and demand she go back to the courtroom - and maybe even the classroom.
NOW, for my ubiquitous, omnipotent opinion (just kidding there, John Paul): Since nobody should make assumptions about the situation that occurred this weekend in Atlanta, here are some facts:
1. Brian Nichols was earned an 8-4 vote on his first trial and was in court on Friday for his re-trial.
2. Brian Nichols was an intellegent, well-spoken, upper-middle class professional before he was arrested in August 2004.
3. Mr. Nichols spent from August 2004 until the "incident" locked up in the Fulton County jail.
4. Fulton County law demands that prisoners wear street clothes and be un-handcuffed when they go to trial (as was Mr. Nichols on Friday.)
5. The Fulton County deputy appointed to guard Mr. Nichols before his trial (in a closed room) was 5 feet tall, 43 years old. Mr. Nichols is 6'1, 210 lbs, and is 33 years old.
6. Mr. Nichols was smart enough to have the entire Georgia law enforcement community out on patrol for 24 hours looking for a green Honda accord that never left the parking deck on Cone Street - where it was carjacked.
and NUMBER SEVEN........
Thank GAWD the woman he kidnapped was a tight-ass, Bible-thumpin' Christian or else the apocalypse would have been wrought upon us heathen souls. Hallelujah - Praise ye the Lord.
Please let me tell you what this has done to revitalize the Christian Right here in the deep South, especially with Ms. Ashley Smith spewing Bible-speak on every network around. Something tells me there is something intrinsically special about the fact that this woman was "chosen" by Nichols, but give me a goddamn break. She is not, and never will be the MESSIAH folks!!!! I mean, some people could chuck this up to dumb luck and coincidence. Even I thought it was somewhat telling in some way, but this Smith lady is NO Saint Teresa. Everyone wants to say, "Poor woman, lost her husband. He died in her arms after a fatal stabbing." OK, how exactly did that happen, huh? Maybe, just maybe, Ms. Smith was "born again" and decided to preach to the forsaken Mr. Nichols. Regardless, this sudden interjection of apostolic fuel to a situation that could have been much worse is really revolting.
My quick take: Nichols never committed the first crime. Spent six months in the County pokie and got his salad tossed. Said to himself, "No way am I going to do this for the next 20 to 25. Decided the Hobbit-bee-atch assigned to protect him would be an easy take, he would grab the gun and shoot his way out thinking there was no way the Atlanta Police would fuck up and NOT kill him. He finds himself actually on the street, then on a MARTA train, still thinking, "How the hell did I get this far and why hasn't anyone shot me dead yet." Kills the "contractor" (aka the Customs agent), then hijacks Ms. Smith. I'm only surprised he didn't have a Glock-burger for Friday supper.
Please, please. Do NOT lend too much credence to the "I know exactly what happened" people. They are abundant here, but they are the same ones who are pushing creationism through elementary schools and are about to abolish divorce in the civil courts.
Thursday, March 03, 2005
Not Enough Valium in the World
Reasons for a bad day:
1. Wake up to know it's trash day and you have already filled the herbie-curbie.
2. Asshole boss has tasked you with a 108 job and you're a 113.'
3. Asshole boss is - well, an asshole.
4. If I poison asshole boss, I'll go to jail - yeah, granted no mortgage payments, but still...
5. Cat shit on carpet (so you cat-haters our there get your jollies of envisioning road kill graphics.)
6. Mommy needs chemo. This really sucks because I have cancer too, but they can keep cutting on me. Mum needs the juice.
7. Dropped 30 bucks on drycleaning a wool blanket that another cat puked on - yeah, another visual there.
8. Spring has yet to hit Atlanta and it's MARCH!! Hello?? March in Georgia is fucking springtime!!
9. The Supreme Court is ruling on whether or not to allow the Ten Commandments in state buidlings. No brainer here- duh, no! O'Conner actually said that if people were offended by it they "should avert their eyes.". I guess I could handle that but next to the Commandments, I want two sculptures - one of Michaelango's naked badboy, David, smoking a big fat doobie with a dreadlock-totting Rastafarian. Naughty little bitch.
If anyone gets offended by that they can "avert their eyes." Thanks to Mum for the suggestions of the Rasta and doobage.
10. My dad seems to think he found God. This time in a Presbyterian church. Last month it was Bahi (I'm not even pulling out the dictionary on that one.) I could really be mean and ugly here, but out of respect, I'll refrain.
Ah, but a the silver lining... if you haven't seen this on DVD, rent it or whatever. I can't figure out how to attach the link so you have to go to the "view trailer" link. Maybe I just find this funny 'cause I try to not to be a redneck, but Trailer Trash is me.
http://bluecollarcomedytour.warnerbros.com
1. Wake up to know it's trash day and you have already filled the herbie-curbie.
2. Asshole boss has tasked you with a 108 job and you're a 113.'
3. Asshole boss is - well, an asshole.
4. If I poison asshole boss, I'll go to jail - yeah, granted no mortgage payments, but still...
5. Cat shit on carpet (so you cat-haters our there get your jollies of envisioning road kill graphics.)
6. Mommy needs chemo. This really sucks because I have cancer too, but they can keep cutting on me. Mum needs the juice.
7. Dropped 30 bucks on drycleaning a wool blanket that another cat puked on - yeah, another visual there.
8. Spring has yet to hit Atlanta and it's MARCH!! Hello?? March in Georgia is fucking springtime!!
9. The Supreme Court is ruling on whether or not to allow the Ten Commandments in state buidlings. No brainer here- duh, no! O'Conner actually said that if people were offended by it they "should avert their eyes.". I guess I could handle that but next to the Commandments, I want two sculptures - one of Michaelango's naked badboy, David, smoking a big fat doobie with a dreadlock-totting Rastafarian. Naughty little bitch.
If anyone gets offended by that they can "avert their eyes." Thanks to Mum for the suggestions of the Rasta and doobage.
10. My dad seems to think he found God. This time in a Presbyterian church. Last month it was Bahi (I'm not even pulling out the dictionary on that one.) I could really be mean and ugly here, but out of respect, I'll refrain.
Ah, but a the silver lining... if you haven't seen this on DVD, rent it or whatever. I can't figure out how to attach the link so you have to go to the "view trailer" link. Maybe I just find this funny 'cause I try to not to be a redneck, but Trailer Trash is me.
http://bluecollarcomedytour.warnerbros.com
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Home Again
Well, I'm back. Went to the east coast of Maine to see my Mummy and help her with her surgery. I missed my treadmill something fierce, but there was no way in hell I was going to run in this...
Yeah, I know it's a huge picture, but I haven't figured out how to shrink the stupid things without PhotoShop. I'm old and hard to train.
Anyway, that white stuff that's on the ground is s-n-o-w. Us losers from Georgia don't get this stuff. When I was leaving for Maine, the airline folks said our plane may get diverted to Philly or NY because of the snow storm that Maine was getting. However, when we got just outside of Portland, the pilot said he would "try to land". Not really comforting. When I looked out the window of the plane, all I could see were chimneys. I swear, I did not hear the tires hit the runway so I think we skated into the terminal. Not fun. Something else that is no fun is temperatures reading 5 degrees. Yup, FIVE. Anything under a balmy 70 sucks.
I haven't read the AJC in almost two weeks. I'm sure I'll have more to blog about once I read the daily trash.
Yeah, I know it's a huge picture, but I haven't figured out how to shrink the stupid things without PhotoShop. I'm old and hard to train.
Anyway, that white stuff that's on the ground is s-n-o-w. Us losers from Georgia don't get this stuff. When I was leaving for Maine, the airline folks said our plane may get diverted to Philly or NY because of the snow storm that Maine was getting. However, when we got just outside of Portland, the pilot said he would "try to land". Not really comforting. When I looked out the window of the plane, all I could see were chimneys. I swear, I did not hear the tires hit the runway so I think we skated into the terminal. Not fun. Something else that is no fun is temperatures reading 5 degrees. Yup, FIVE. Anything under a balmy 70 sucks.
I haven't read the AJC in almost two weeks. I'm sure I'll have more to blog about once I read the daily trash.
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Funny Alert!
Be on the lookout for... drumroll, please.
Season 3 of "Real Time" is just around the corner! Bill returns to the roundtable with Robin Williams, Delaware Senator Joe Biden and Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson. Join us for the HBO premiere on February 18 at 11:00pm.
Can you imagine??? Robin Williams duking it out with that ferret, Thompson? Hell, just Robin Williams live and uncut... I think I'll find a way to stay up tomorrow night!
Overheard by a comedian: "You know, it bothers me when people discuss the health and lifestyle of men and tell me, 'Well, married men live longer than single men.' I guess I could accept this analogy. It's kind of like saying indoor cats live longer than outdoor cats. Sure, but an indoor cat is nothing more than a fur ball with a broken spirit looking out into a world he'll never experience."
Overheard on "Blue Collar Comedy Tour":
Bill: The other night, I got pulled over by an officer. He asked me if I'd been drinkin'. I said, "No sir, why? Is there a fat chick in the backseat?"
Also overheard:
"My sister got her navel pierced. During our family reunion, she came over and showed me the ring. I said, "Hey, you got ya a hitch. I guess now we can pull you away from the buffet".
From Jon Stewart's interview with Eric Idle on "The Daily Show"
Jon: So you've written a book and you have a hit Broadway play. What are you going to do next."
Eric: "I'm going to start a rap band."
Jon: "Really. How interesting."
Eric: "Yeah, I'm going to call myself 'Muff-Daddy."
Just some funnies to get me through a depressing day at work.
Season 3 of "Real Time" is just around the corner! Bill returns to the roundtable with Robin Williams, Delaware Senator Joe Biden and Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson. Join us for the HBO premiere on February 18 at 11:00pm.
Can you imagine??? Robin Williams duking it out with that ferret, Thompson? Hell, just Robin Williams live and uncut... I think I'll find a way to stay up tomorrow night!
Overheard by a comedian: "You know, it bothers me when people discuss the health and lifestyle of men and tell me, 'Well, married men live longer than single men.' I guess I could accept this analogy. It's kind of like saying indoor cats live longer than outdoor cats. Sure, but an indoor cat is nothing more than a fur ball with a broken spirit looking out into a world he'll never experience."
Overheard on "Blue Collar Comedy Tour":
Bill: The other night, I got pulled over by an officer. He asked me if I'd been drinkin'. I said, "No sir, why? Is there a fat chick in the backseat?"
Also overheard:
"My sister got her navel pierced. During our family reunion, she came over and showed me the ring. I said, "Hey, you got ya a hitch. I guess now we can pull you away from the buffet".
From Jon Stewart's interview with Eric Idle on "The Daily Show"
Jon: So you've written a book and you have a hit Broadway play. What are you going to do next."
Eric: "I'm going to start a rap band."
Jon: "Really. How interesting."
Eric: "Yeah, I'm going to call myself 'Muff-Daddy."
Just some funnies to get me through a depressing day at work.
Thursday, February 10, 2005
Alternatives to Preventing Pregnancy
This really should be filed under the, "You must be shitting me" column. I would have thought only in Alabama, but I still underestimate the ever-maturing state of Georgia. The sad thing is, it took the death of this bitch's eighth child to get the State to do something. And just because she's never been charged with abuse doesn't mean she isn't guilty of it. Read between the lines. Why else would her oldest run away from home?
Also, do the math: She's 34 and on her eighth kid?? No wonder she suffered from depression. If I have been pregnant almost a quarter of my life, I would beg you to fry my ass.
In today's AJC:
Mother chooses sterilization over murder trial
By BETH WARREN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/10/05
An Atlanta mother who pleaded guilty to killing her newborn child has agreed to a medical sterilization procedure to avoid prison.
The plea deal Tuesday halted the murder trial of Carisa Ashe, 34, who has seven other children, after she consented to undergo a tubal ligation, in which the fallopian tubes are cut and tied to prevent pregnancy.
Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard, whose office suggested the plea deal, said he agreed to reduce the murder charge to voluntary manslaughter because Ashe suffered from postpartum depression when she shook to death her 5-week-old daughter, Destiny, on Dec. 16, 1998.
The premature infant had been hospitalized for weeks and was killed two days after going home to her mother. Ashe told police the child simply stopped breathing.
Ashe, who has no prior criminal history or complaints of abuse, could have been sentenced to 20 years in prison on pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter — defined as a killing committed with a sudden, violent irresistible passion after the assailant has been provoked.
Instead, Superior Court Judge Rowland Barnes ordered Ashe to serve five years on probation and to have the tubal ligation within three months. If she doesn't comply, prosecutors can try her on the initial murder charge.
The judge questioned Ashe to make sure she was voluntarily agreeing to the procedure.
"It was her choice to go forward," said Jan Hankins, director of the Fulton County conflict defender's office, which represented the mother.
Two of Ashe's children are living with her mother, while four are in state custody, Howard said. Her oldest child ran away from home, he said.
Jack Martin, legislative committee chairman of the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, said agreeing to tubal ligation is a creative way to avoid jail time. But, he said, "it should be rare and cautiously done."
"We're always concerned when an unusual condition is the price to stay out of jail because of the fear it isn't truly voluntary," Martin said.
Prosecutor Ash Joshi said asking Ashe to have her tubes tied was similar to allowing child molesters to choose chemical castration. He said the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld such punishment as constitutional, as long as the defendants consented.
Prosecutors say this is the first criminal case in Georgia that they know of in which a woman has agreed to undergo sterilization to avoid prison.
"If it's happened before, I've never heard of it," said David Fowler, deputy director of the Prosecuting Attorneys Council of Georgia.
"As long as she did this with her eyes wide open, I see nothing wrong with it legally," he added.
Three months ago, a Louisiana woman charged with murdering her newborn child agreed to a reduced plea that involved tubal ligation.
The prosecutor in that case, District Attorney Walter May, said he agreed to the plea because of conflicting medical testimony on whether the child was stillborn or murdered. The 33-year-old mother had three other children and told her attorney she didn't plan on having more, May said.
"Given similar facts, I would consider doing it again," the Louisiana district attorney said. "I can have some confidence this particular defendant will not have the ability to commit this particular crime again."
Also, do the math: She's 34 and on her eighth kid?? No wonder she suffered from depression. If I have been pregnant almost a quarter of my life, I would beg you to fry my ass.
In today's AJC:
Mother chooses sterilization over murder trial
By BETH WARREN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/10/05
An Atlanta mother who pleaded guilty to killing her newborn child has agreed to a medical sterilization procedure to avoid prison.
The plea deal Tuesday halted the murder trial of Carisa Ashe, 34, who has seven other children, after she consented to undergo a tubal ligation, in which the fallopian tubes are cut and tied to prevent pregnancy.
Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard, whose office suggested the plea deal, said he agreed to reduce the murder charge to voluntary manslaughter because Ashe suffered from postpartum depression when she shook to death her 5-week-old daughter, Destiny, on Dec. 16, 1998.
The premature infant had been hospitalized for weeks and was killed two days after going home to her mother. Ashe told police the child simply stopped breathing.
Ashe, who has no prior criminal history or complaints of abuse, could have been sentenced to 20 years in prison on pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter — defined as a killing committed with a sudden, violent irresistible passion after the assailant has been provoked.
Instead, Superior Court Judge Rowland Barnes ordered Ashe to serve five years on probation and to have the tubal ligation within three months. If she doesn't comply, prosecutors can try her on the initial murder charge.
The judge questioned Ashe to make sure she was voluntarily agreeing to the procedure.
"It was her choice to go forward," said Jan Hankins, director of the Fulton County conflict defender's office, which represented the mother.
Two of Ashe's children are living with her mother, while four are in state custody, Howard said. Her oldest child ran away from home, he said.
Jack Martin, legislative committee chairman of the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, said agreeing to tubal ligation is a creative way to avoid jail time. But, he said, "it should be rare and cautiously done."
"We're always concerned when an unusual condition is the price to stay out of jail because of the fear it isn't truly voluntary," Martin said.
Prosecutor Ash Joshi said asking Ashe to have her tubes tied was similar to allowing child molesters to choose chemical castration. He said the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld such punishment as constitutional, as long as the defendants consented.
Prosecutors say this is the first criminal case in Georgia that they know of in which a woman has agreed to undergo sterilization to avoid prison.
"If it's happened before, I've never heard of it," said David Fowler, deputy director of the Prosecuting Attorneys Council of Georgia.
"As long as she did this with her eyes wide open, I see nothing wrong with it legally," he added.
Three months ago, a Louisiana woman charged with murdering her newborn child agreed to a reduced plea that involved tubal ligation.
The prosecutor in that case, District Attorney Walter May, said he agreed to the plea because of conflicting medical testimony on whether the child was stillborn or murdered. The 33-year-old mother had three other children and told her attorney she didn't plan on having more, May said.
"Given similar facts, I would consider doing it again," the Louisiana district attorney said. "I can have some confidence this particular defendant will not have the ability to commit this particular crime again."
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
In the News...
#1
For starters, something light. Check out the design for the new building to house the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. As someone who works in the design/construction field, I'm impressed, but I certainly wouldn't want to be the one to build it.
#2
The Israelis and Palestinians have declared a cease-fire. Good for them. I'm sure it will last - not (especially if Condi is involved), but good for them for now. I'm waiting for Bush to jump in and take credit. Yeah, that's right, Dickhead - the peace process in the Middle East has nothing to do with Arafat kicking the bucket.
#3
Speaking of Condi, looks like the WarMonger is setting her sights on Iran. Of course, being the second nuclear power in the Asses-of-Evil, I guess that was a no brainer. I suppose we should all prepare for the true apocolypse... you know, when Bush gets stupid enough to attack that loon, Kim Jong Il. Chances are, though, the War on Iran will take four year minimum and maybe the Democrats can come up with someone breathing that is smarter than Bush. Actually, I wonder who will fight the war on Iran? I mean, aren't the Americans running a bit thin when it comes to their military personnel overseas?
#4
I should have been in Rio yesterday. Screw New Orleans - been there, done that and it ain't all that. But those Brazilians?? Please, next year...
#5
Bush sent his budget to Congress. Take away money from education, the environment, and farmers. Give money to Pentagon, but don't mention war money (right now at about 144 Billion dollars) or the money to save Social Security. Good news, though. CNN polls say two-thirds of Americans think the rich should pay to save SS. Well, what a novice idea.
For starters, something light. Check out the design for the new building to house the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. As someone who works in the design/construction field, I'm impressed, but I certainly wouldn't want to be the one to build it.
#2
The Israelis and Palestinians have declared a cease-fire. Good for them. I'm sure it will last - not (especially if Condi is involved), but good for them for now. I'm waiting for Bush to jump in and take credit. Yeah, that's right, Dickhead - the peace process in the Middle East has nothing to do with Arafat kicking the bucket.
#3
Speaking of Condi, looks like the WarMonger is setting her sights on Iran. Of course, being the second nuclear power in the Asses-of-Evil, I guess that was a no brainer. I suppose we should all prepare for the true apocolypse... you know, when Bush gets stupid enough to attack that loon, Kim Jong Il. Chances are, though, the War on Iran will take four year minimum and maybe the Democrats can come up with someone breathing that is smarter than Bush. Actually, I wonder who will fight the war on Iran? I mean, aren't the Americans running a bit thin when it comes to their military personnel overseas?
#4
I should have been in Rio yesterday. Screw New Orleans - been there, done that and it ain't all that. But those Brazilians?? Please, next year...
#5
Bush sent his budget to Congress. Take away money from education, the environment, and farmers. Give money to Pentagon, but don't mention war money (right now at about 144 Billion dollars) or the money to save Social Security. Good news, though. CNN polls say two-thirds of Americans think the rich should pay to save SS. Well, what a novice idea.
Monday, February 07, 2005
Big Day in Atlanta Culture
Yessir-eee, doggie. Big, I mean huge day in the Cultural MegaCenter called "Hotlanta". No, I'm not talking the Olympics again, nor the Peach Bowl, not the SEC Championship not even the NASCAR 500.
It's the American Kennel Club Dog Show!!!
Rah, rah, rah.
I mean, I really hate these things. People who don't have anything better to do than spend their days, dressing their dogs up to... well, look like people. I mean, is this even a dog?
No, boys and girls. That's a gerbil.
THIS IS A DAWWWWGGGGG...
And what would he be saying??? How about, "Hmmm, that little gerbil over there would make a lovely kibble snack."
It's the American Kennel Club Dog Show!!!
Rah, rah, rah.
I mean, I really hate these things. People who don't have anything better to do than spend their days, dressing their dogs up to... well, look like people. I mean, is this even a dog?
No, boys and girls. That's a gerbil.
THIS IS A DAWWWWGGGGG...
And what would he be saying??? How about, "Hmmm, that little gerbil over there would make a lovely kibble snack."
Sunday, February 06, 2005
Better than the BOO-BEE
So, all the hype over the SuperBowl and its shame of last year's half time, now I have to choke down the SuperClean Pre-game (and I'm sure, half time) shows.
Let's see, if I'm a neo-Conservative, hypocritical bible-thumper, I'd say, "What's the best way to overcome the "embarrassment of last year?" Answer: Lots and Lots and Lots of PRO WAR stuff. Don't get me wrong, folks.
I'm all for the "troops".
Yeah, those 20% shylarks ganglanders (who can't get enough of "San Andreas - Grand Theft Auto") and those 80% scared-shitless (who can't make a living in this dogeat economy who think the only way to get by is to fight a bogus war that the US started.)
What bothers me is that this country opts for promoting the violence of war by shaming those who served in legitmate times of warfare in lieu of showing some bee-atch and her TIT. Who's the Tit? Those of us who watch this crap.
They say we have to "clean up" TV because of what Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake did at the Half-time show last year. Why can't they clean up what Bush has done during his entire show the past four years?
Ironic hypocracy is not a contridiction in terms. It really has become the norm, it really has become the iconic standard of American mainstream media (at least for half of them).
Excuse me, but the game has just started and I need to go watch 300 pound gorillas in tight pants rip the heads off the fuckers on the other team (of course, I'm one of those TOTALLY against violence in prime time media.) However, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy is on and they're "converting a Brit". Who would miss that especially considering this house would be showing both football and fags at the same time???? Oh My, You Charlatan, you!
Me.
PS On the record: - Philly will take this one (sorry, Lovely Pats - you won me boatloads your first year, but the crystal ball speaks.)
Let's see, if I'm a neo-Conservative, hypocritical bible-thumper, I'd say, "What's the best way to overcome the "embarrassment of last year?" Answer: Lots and Lots and Lots of PRO WAR stuff. Don't get me wrong, folks.
I'm all for the "troops".
Yeah, those 20% shylarks ganglanders (who can't get enough of "San Andreas - Grand Theft Auto") and those 80% scared-shitless (who can't make a living in this dogeat economy who think the only way to get by is to fight a bogus war that the US started.)
What bothers me is that this country opts for promoting the violence of war by shaming those who served in legitmate times of warfare in lieu of showing some bee-atch and her TIT. Who's the Tit? Those of us who watch this crap.
They say we have to "clean up" TV because of what Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake did at the Half-time show last year. Why can't they clean up what Bush has done during his entire show the past four years?
Ironic hypocracy is not a contridiction in terms. It really has become the norm, it really has become the iconic standard of American mainstream media (at least for half of them).
Excuse me, but the game has just started and I need to go watch 300 pound gorillas in tight pants rip the heads off the fuckers on the other team (of course, I'm one of those TOTALLY against violence in prime time media.) However, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy is on and they're "converting a Brit". Who would miss that especially considering this house would be showing both football and fags at the same time???? Oh My, You Charlatan, you!
Me.
PS On the record: - Philly will take this one (sorry, Lovely Pats - you won me boatloads your first year, but the crystal ball speaks.)
Friday, February 04, 2005
News to Make You Say....
... yeh right:
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said a U.S. attack on Iran “is simply not on the agenda,” despite the United States’ continued criticism of Iran’s human rights record and potential nuclear weapons.
And what was it she was saying in March of 2003 about Iraq and their nuclear weapons? Notice the direct, bi-polar schism of rhetorical dialect (i.e., "flip-floppin' to you Bushies out there). Must have something to do with her promotion from National Defense Secretary to Secretary of State. Hmmmm, how much ChapStick do you think the White House gave her before she moved into the new office space?
Smoke another one, Condi.
News to Make You Say...
... you must be shitting me:
Thursday night (Laura Bush) added another cause when the president announced she'd be leading an initiative to fight gang violence.
Whaaaa? Laura Bush fights GANG violence? OK, I see it happening
VERSUS 
Now considering I'm not much of a betting-hag, I'll only put a couple of G's down on this one - hmmmm, me thinks... Yeah, if it comes down to a fist-to-fist, I'll take Chico. Come on down to my 'hood, Laura, you stupid-ass, unemployed kindergarten teacher. I'll introduce you to a gang called, "Us Niggers Who Love Violence" and then let you watch the bloodshed as they try to take out their Latino counterparts, "La Gran Familia". Have at it, you ass-whoppin' mama. I love this site since it clearly indicates your qualifications for being a good mum http://www.bettybowers.com/jenna.html
News to Make You Say...
...Stay the Fuck Out of MY Business
Abortion foes target use of pill
Druggists may refuse to dispense
By CARLOS CAMPOS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/04/05
Newly empowered Republicans in the Georgia Legislature are setting their sights on another anti-abortion measure.
Under a bill filed Thursday by freshman Sen. Jim Whitehead (R-Evans), pharmacists who oppose abortion on "moral or religious" grounds and who refuse to dispense emergency contraceptive drugs would be immune from lawsuits or disciplinary action by employers.
I mean this really, really, chaps my large ass... I'm so glad the goddamn Georgia legislature has it's priorities straight. First, you make a woman have a baby even though neither toothless, unemployed teenage parent-to-be is smart enough to use contraception. Second, you take all the money out of the educational system to ensure this kid will grow up to be an ignorant, angry, indigent bastard who ultimately grows up to be... (see picture of Chico above for clues.)
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said a U.S. attack on Iran “is simply not on the agenda,” despite the United States’ continued criticism of Iran’s human rights record and potential nuclear weapons.
And what was it she was saying in March of 2003 about Iraq and their nuclear weapons? Notice the direct, bi-polar schism of rhetorical dialect (i.e., "flip-floppin' to you Bushies out there). Must have something to do with her promotion from National Defense Secretary to Secretary of State. Hmmmm, how much ChapStick do you think the White House gave her before she moved into the new office space?
Smoke another one, Condi.
News to Make You Say...
... you must be shitting me:
Thursday night (Laura Bush) added another cause when the president announced she'd be leading an initiative to fight gang violence.
Whaaaa? Laura Bush fights GANG violence? OK, I see it happening
VERSUS
Now considering I'm not much of a betting-hag, I'll only put a couple of G's down on this one - hmmmm, me thinks... Yeah, if it comes down to a fist-to-fist, I'll take Chico. Come on down to my 'hood, Laura, you stupid-ass, unemployed kindergarten teacher. I'll introduce you to a gang called, "Us Niggers Who Love Violence" and then let you watch the bloodshed as they try to take out their Latino counterparts, "La Gran Familia". Have at it, you ass-whoppin' mama. I love this site since it clearly indicates your qualifications for being a good mum http://www.bettybowers.com/jenna.html
News to Make You Say...
...Stay the Fuck Out of MY Business
Abortion foes target use of pill
Druggists may refuse to dispense
By CARLOS CAMPOS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/04/05
Newly empowered Republicans in the Georgia Legislature are setting their sights on another anti-abortion measure.
Under a bill filed Thursday by freshman Sen. Jim Whitehead (R-Evans), pharmacists who oppose abortion on "moral or religious" grounds and who refuse to dispense emergency contraceptive drugs would be immune from lawsuits or disciplinary action by employers.
I mean this really, really, chaps my large ass... I'm so glad the goddamn Georgia legislature has it's priorities straight. First, you make a woman have a baby even though neither toothless, unemployed teenage parent-to-be is smart enough to use contraception. Second, you take all the money out of the educational system to ensure this kid will grow up to be an ignorant, angry, indigent bastard who ultimately grows up to be... (see picture of Chico above for clues.)
During the Days of War and Disaster...
...comes this refreshing little ditty from today's AJC
Triplets at the zoo and more to come?
Tom Sabulis - Staff
Friday, February 4, 2005
Rare newborn monkey triplets, a young gorilla stud who's going to town, and a critically ill elephant: Even for an institution familiar with the circle of life (birth, procreation, death), Zoo Atlanta is having a fairly intense time these days.
Consider that:
> On Monday, one of its golden lion tamarins --- a critically endangered, squirrel-sized monkey --- gave birth to triplets, a rarity in the world of these marmosets native to Brazil.
Zoo officials are using the event to illustrate the unusual social structure among the world's smallest primates, one in which the father helps the mother take care of infants almost from the moment of birth.
> Taz, a 15-year-old gorilla, recently mated with all four females in the family of legendary zoo mascot Willie B.
Taz's most famous partner, Kudzoo, is the beloved silverback's oldest offspring. It will take a few more weeks before pregnancy testing is complete, but zoo leaders expect that Willie B. soon will become a grandfather for the first time, albeit posthumously. (He died at age 41 in February 2000.)
Taz's performance, researchers say, demonstrates that young lowland gorillas raised in a "bachelor" environment --- a group of male gorillas that never mate --- still can be moved in with females when they reach sexual maturity and lead a successful reproductive life.
Taz has taken to his procreative duties with gusto since joining the females in November: One day last month, he copulated 20 times.
"It's a very exciting time in the gorilla world," said Tara Stoinski, the zoo's manager of conservation partnerships. "This is the first time [at Zoo Atlanta] we've had a situation with animals that are all brand-new to the breeding scene. Taz has not bred before, nor have three of the four females."
Aside from Kudzoo, age 10, Taz's females include two other Willie B. offspring --- Sukari, 6, and Lulu, 5. His other partner is Kuchi, 20.
The zoo has been seeking a new male gorilla breeder since the death of Willie B. One possible successor, Caesar, a mature silverback on loan from the Los Angeles Zoo, was supposed to fill that role after moving to Zoo Atlanta in 2003. But he died suddenly last May.
> One of the zoo's three elephants, Starlett, is suffering from leptospirosis, an infection of the liver that has caused her to develop skin lesions and lose about 1,000 pounds over the past year. (She now weighs approximately 6,400 pounds.)
It is the most serious elephant illness the zoo has encountered, senior veterinarian Rita McManamon said. The three elephants, all female and 21 to 22 years old, arrived at Zoo Atlanta in 1986.
Starlett's disease can be fatal, but zoo officials believe the African elephant is recovering. "She's not out of the woods yet," zoo President and CEO Dennis Kelly said.
Starlett is being treated with antibiotics, and her appetite has returned. In a typical day, elephants consume about 56,000 calories. Her diet is being supplemented with corn oil mixed with her feed.
"They like the taste of corn oil," McManamon said. "I think they'd suck it up if they could."
Her illness has reduced the amount of time Starlett can be seen by zoo visitors --- she now eats separately from the other elephants (Zambezi and Victoria) so her diet can be monitored --- but she's still visible to the public at bath time, usually in the morning.
A team of experts from the University of Georgia --- including veterinary nutritionists and dermatologists --- has been collaborating on Starlett's treatment. Branson Ritchie, an animal clinician, has developed a new cleansing skin treatment useful for battling infections in human burn patients.
"We're using that to wash Starlett's skin," Kelly said. "It's cutting-edge stuff, the best medicine we have."
What's not so scientifically cutting-edge is the method Zoo Atlanta is using to test its gorillas for pregnancy. Since no gorilla pregnancy test exists, vets are using human tests, which monitor urine samples, that they buy at a local drugstore.
Right now, that process is adding to the zoo's wait.
"Those pregnancy tests are not designed for gorillas," McManamon said, "and it may take a couple [of] months before you will actually see a positive [result]. The hormone the test is looking for is a human hormone. There is some similarity between that human hormone and the gorilla equivalent of that hormone, but it doesn't always cross-react perfectly."
There is one other holdup.
"It's not easy," she said, "to get a gorilla to pee on demand."
Triplets at the zoo and more to come?
Tom Sabulis - Staff
Friday, February 4, 2005
Rare newborn monkey triplets, a young gorilla stud who's going to town, and a critically ill elephant: Even for an institution familiar with the circle of life (birth, procreation, death), Zoo Atlanta is having a fairly intense time these days.
Consider that:
> On Monday, one of its golden lion tamarins --- a critically endangered, squirrel-sized monkey --- gave birth to triplets, a rarity in the world of these marmosets native to Brazil.
Zoo officials are using the event to illustrate the unusual social structure among the world's smallest primates, one in which the father helps the mother take care of infants almost from the moment of birth.
> Taz, a 15-year-old gorilla, recently mated with all four females in the family of legendary zoo mascot Willie B.
Taz's most famous partner, Kudzoo, is the beloved silverback's oldest offspring. It will take a few more weeks before pregnancy testing is complete, but zoo leaders expect that Willie B. soon will become a grandfather for the first time, albeit posthumously. (He died at age 41 in February 2000.)
Taz's performance, researchers say, demonstrates that young lowland gorillas raised in a "bachelor" environment --- a group of male gorillas that never mate --- still can be moved in with females when they reach sexual maturity and lead a successful reproductive life.
Taz has taken to his procreative duties with gusto since joining the females in November: One day last month, he copulated 20 times.
"It's a very exciting time in the gorilla world," said Tara Stoinski, the zoo's manager of conservation partnerships. "This is the first time [at Zoo Atlanta] we've had a situation with animals that are all brand-new to the breeding scene. Taz has not bred before, nor have three of the four females."
Aside from Kudzoo, age 10, Taz's females include two other Willie B. offspring --- Sukari, 6, and Lulu, 5. His other partner is Kuchi, 20.
The zoo has been seeking a new male gorilla breeder since the death of Willie B. One possible successor, Caesar, a mature silverback on loan from the Los Angeles Zoo, was supposed to fill that role after moving to Zoo Atlanta in 2003. But he died suddenly last May.
> One of the zoo's three elephants, Starlett, is suffering from leptospirosis, an infection of the liver that has caused her to develop skin lesions and lose about 1,000 pounds over the past year. (She now weighs approximately 6,400 pounds.)
It is the most serious elephant illness the zoo has encountered, senior veterinarian Rita McManamon said. The three elephants, all female and 21 to 22 years old, arrived at Zoo Atlanta in 1986.
Starlett's disease can be fatal, but zoo officials believe the African elephant is recovering. "She's not out of the woods yet," zoo President and CEO Dennis Kelly said.
Starlett is being treated with antibiotics, and her appetite has returned. In a typical day, elephants consume about 56,000 calories. Her diet is being supplemented with corn oil mixed with her feed.
"They like the taste of corn oil," McManamon said. "I think they'd suck it up if they could."
Her illness has reduced the amount of time Starlett can be seen by zoo visitors --- she now eats separately from the other elephants (Zambezi and Victoria) so her diet can be monitored --- but she's still visible to the public at bath time, usually in the morning.
A team of experts from the University of Georgia --- including veterinary nutritionists and dermatologists --- has been collaborating on Starlett's treatment. Branson Ritchie, an animal clinician, has developed a new cleansing skin treatment useful for battling infections in human burn patients.
"We're using that to wash Starlett's skin," Kelly said. "It's cutting-edge stuff, the best medicine we have."
What's not so scientifically cutting-edge is the method Zoo Atlanta is using to test its gorillas for pregnancy. Since no gorilla pregnancy test exists, vets are using human tests, which monitor urine samples, that they buy at a local drugstore.
Right now, that process is adding to the zoo's wait.
"Those pregnancy tests are not designed for gorillas," McManamon said, "and it may take a couple [of] months before you will actually see a positive [result]. The hormone the test is looking for is a human hormone. There is some similarity between that human hormone and the gorilla equivalent of that hormone, but it doesn't always cross-react perfectly."
There is one other holdup.
"It's not easy," she said, "to get a gorilla to pee on demand."
Sunday, January 30, 2005
Holy Freezer-pops, Batman
Woke up yesterday morning to this...
This intersection isn't too far from the house. Needless to say, we kept our fingers crossed and prayed that 1) we wouldn't lose power and 2) a branch from our beloved pecan trees wouldn't come crashing through the roof. Neither happened, thank you very much. Oddly, we seem to be the only ones around that have power. Usually, if the wind blows at all, we get dumped first which is why we chose natural gas for our heat and water. We figured if we lost power, we could take long hot showers and I would be baking all day, but as it is, I think I am suffering from a relapse of mono (way too sore throat, body feels like it's been hit by a mach truck and sleep is all I can do with any real gusto). For those of you who don't know, if you ever get mono, you will never get rid of it... it just kinda goes into hibernation and creeps up when you least expect it. Hopefully, it will only last a few days, because it really does make you feel like the end of the world is near.
What's really depressing is that I can't do my treadmill today. Even if I felt like doing it yesterday, there's no way I could have gotten down the driveway. Roomie went out yesterday to get something out of the car and damn near slid into the side of the house. Steep, ice-covered driveways suck. Of course, nobody thought the storm was going to be that bad so we didn't think to go to the grocery. The only thing in the house to eat was bread and cheese. Roomie said he must have eaten 40 pieces of cheese toast yesterday.
Today things are improving somewhat. The temperature is hovering around 40 degrees which is causing the ice to melt very quickly. It makes me a little bit jumpy to hear the ice crash on the roof, but at least its still not hanging on to the branches.
Well, I went on a job interview on Friday. This guy calls me up on Wednesday and says a friend of his has told him that I am an excellent project manager and I'm looking for a change of pace. When I met him, he looked like he was 25 years old, but he owns his own construction firm in downtown and he says he did about 6.5 million in business last year. Of course, he's only been in business for a year and a half. We're going to talk again later in the week and there is no rush as he really is just looking to build up his business. The only scary thing - and it's a big thing - there's no job security in the private sector. That's not to say I have a lot of job security with the state, especially since budgets are getting cut right and left, but I've been doing the same thing for 11 years and they still haven't gotten rid of me. I didn't talk price with this "kid" on Friday so that could be the proverbial straw. I don't think he knows what kind of money I make and I'm not sure he'd be able to pay me what it would take to get me to leave - but I'm pretty sure I impressed him with my resume and my experience so maybe he's got an open checkbook. If nothing else, I had me first interview since 1993 and I'm not so out of practice. We'll have to see. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed and hoping to go back to Europe.
Speaking of other places, looks like Iraqis found the guts to go out and vote today - good for them. I mean, if anyone ever took advantage of the fact that almost anyone can vote in this country, today would be a good day to rethink their freedoms.
Gotta run, lots of b-movie re-runs on and the space heater in the den is calling.
This intersection isn't too far from the house. Needless to say, we kept our fingers crossed and prayed that 1) we wouldn't lose power and 2) a branch from our beloved pecan trees wouldn't come crashing through the roof. Neither happened, thank you very much. Oddly, we seem to be the only ones around that have power. Usually, if the wind blows at all, we get dumped first which is why we chose natural gas for our heat and water. We figured if we lost power, we could take long hot showers and I would be baking all day, but as it is, I think I am suffering from a relapse of mono (way too sore throat, body feels like it's been hit by a mach truck and sleep is all I can do with any real gusto). For those of you who don't know, if you ever get mono, you will never get rid of it... it just kinda goes into hibernation and creeps up when you least expect it. Hopefully, it will only last a few days, because it really does make you feel like the end of the world is near.
What's really depressing is that I can't do my treadmill today. Even if I felt like doing it yesterday, there's no way I could have gotten down the driveway. Roomie went out yesterday to get something out of the car and damn near slid into the side of the house. Steep, ice-covered driveways suck. Of course, nobody thought the storm was going to be that bad so we didn't think to go to the grocery. The only thing in the house to eat was bread and cheese. Roomie said he must have eaten 40 pieces of cheese toast yesterday.
Today things are improving somewhat. The temperature is hovering around 40 degrees which is causing the ice to melt very quickly. It makes me a little bit jumpy to hear the ice crash on the roof, but at least its still not hanging on to the branches.
Well, I went on a job interview on Friday. This guy calls me up on Wednesday and says a friend of his has told him that I am an excellent project manager and I'm looking for a change of pace. When I met him, he looked like he was 25 years old, but he owns his own construction firm in downtown and he says he did about 6.5 million in business last year. Of course, he's only been in business for a year and a half. We're going to talk again later in the week and there is no rush as he really is just looking to build up his business. The only scary thing - and it's a big thing - there's no job security in the private sector. That's not to say I have a lot of job security with the state, especially since budgets are getting cut right and left, but I've been doing the same thing for 11 years and they still haven't gotten rid of me. I didn't talk price with this "kid" on Friday so that could be the proverbial straw. I don't think he knows what kind of money I make and I'm not sure he'd be able to pay me what it would take to get me to leave - but I'm pretty sure I impressed him with my resume and my experience so maybe he's got an open checkbook. If nothing else, I had me first interview since 1993 and I'm not so out of practice. We'll have to see. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed and hoping to go back to Europe.
Speaking of other places, looks like Iraqis found the guts to go out and vote today - good for them. I mean, if anyone ever took advantage of the fact that almost anyone can vote in this country, today would be a good day to rethink their freedoms.
Gotta run, lots of b-movie re-runs on and the space heater in the den is calling.
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Here We Go Again
OK, so the crackhead Republicans are now in control over the Georgia Legislature. Their first two orders of business;
First - Introduce a law banning all abortion unless childbirth risks the life of the mother - that's right, even if you get pregnant via incest or rape, you're still going to have to have the little one-eyed monster if you live in the state of Georgia. See, that was actually a law here several years ago which explains why a bunch of folks - especially in Georgia mountains, ain't got a lot of branches in their family tree.
Second - Try to ban all forms of the teaching of evolution in all schools. Going back to those whose daddies are their brothers who are the husbands of their sisters - hmmmmm, I guess that's how they explain how Cain and Abel were capable of populating the world - incest is best.
Thankfully, neither of these passed. I would have to think even the backward-ass dip-shits understand that the few Democrats left would have come up with yet another archiac, redneck passion - lynching. I for one would have been down at the capitol building with a club in one hand and a rope in another, just waiting to inflict my own form of population control.
Holy shit - I've still got 3 years and 11 months to put up with this crap. No wonder we are ranked #50 on the list of stupidest fucking people in the country. For godssakes, even Texas ranks higher.
First - Introduce a law banning all abortion unless childbirth risks the life of the mother - that's right, even if you get pregnant via incest or rape, you're still going to have to have the little one-eyed monster if you live in the state of Georgia. See, that was actually a law here several years ago which explains why a bunch of folks - especially in Georgia mountains, ain't got a lot of branches in their family tree.
Second - Try to ban all forms of the teaching of evolution in all schools. Going back to those whose daddies are their brothers who are the husbands of their sisters - hmmmmm, I guess that's how they explain how Cain and Abel were capable of populating the world - incest is best.
Thankfully, neither of these passed. I would have to think even the backward-ass dip-shits understand that the few Democrats left would have come up with yet another archiac, redneck passion - lynching. I for one would have been down at the capitol building with a club in one hand and a rope in another, just waiting to inflict my own form of population control.
Holy shit - I've still got 3 years and 11 months to put up with this crap. No wonder we are ranked #50 on the list of stupidest fucking people in the country. For godssakes, even Texas ranks higher.
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