I know......

___________________________________________________

Too much politics, not enough music, food, and wine.

It's hard when we are continually bombarded with ugly news from Iraq, and an insistent "stay the course" President. But I will make a concerted effort to address other issues.

I promise.

Wrong from the start......

___________________________________________________

Boy, Atrios is on a roll today. With 20/20 hindsight it all, sadly, starts to come into focus;

What was so frustrating at the time was not simply that a bunch of otherwise intelligent people seemed to have come to the horribly wrong conclusion that invading Iraq was a good idea. What was more frustrating is that there was a collective blindness to the dishonest and destructive way the war was sold, that it seemed not to bother these people that the multiple and shifting dishonest rationalizations for war suggested that there was something deeply wrong with the whole endeavor. It was frustrating that people who supported the war were happy to climb on board not just with the war but with the truly awful people who were the architects of both the war and the propaganda war which, among other things, involved tarring war opponents as brutal-dictator lovers. It was frustrating that they signed up for the whole goddamn enchilada.

Frequently it's been pointed out that they shouldn't have trusted these people to "do it right." But more than that it should have been obvious that they shouldn't have trusted these people to "do the right thing." They made clear during that time that they were, in fact, very bad people.

The War on Christmas

___________________________________________________

How hard is this to understand.....really?? From Atrios;

The War on Christmas

Look, it's very simple. There are two Christmas holidays. One is the secular holiday, decreed by the federal government to be a national holiday, which is celebrated and marked with festive displays of trees, lights, fat guys with beards, and elves, along with lots of shopping and the giving of gifts. The other holiday involves a celebration of the birth of the Messiah, and is celebrated with religious rituals and displays of nativity scenes and other religious imagery.


Public displays of secular Christmas imagery? fine.

Public displays of religious Christmas imagery? less fine.

Christmas trees in airports? fine.
Baby Jesus scenes in airports? less fine.

The sad, sad truth.....

___________________________________________________

Joe Galloway says it better than I ever could;


"All the politicians paid the customary lip service in praising the troops and commending them for the terrible sacrifices they must continue to endure while the wrangling and dithering over a futile war goes on with no end in sight.

How can they look at themselves in the mirror every morning?

Some even suggest sending additional U.S. forces to Iraq -- 20,000 to 30,000 more to try to clean up Baghdad, or as Sen. John McCain suggests, 100,000 more to achieve a victory of some kind.

What are they thinking?

The time to use overwhelming force, according to the Caspar Weinberger-Colin Powell doctrine, is when you launch an invasion. Ratcheting up later is just so 1965, and so hopeless a gesture when the situation has already gone to hell.

Let's get a few more things straight right now.

There's no victory waiting for President Bush in Iraq, and nothing that his father's friends say or do can save him from an ignominious end to his presidency in two years and two months, or from the judgment of history.

There will be no convenient and successful negotiation of a "decent interval" with our enemies Iran and Syria to cover our withdrawal from a war that we should never have started.

There can be no successful Vietnamization in Iraq -- standing up more and better Iraqi army and police units and handing control over to them -- when all we're doing is arming and training more recruits for the civil war that clogs the streets of Baghdad with the corpses of the victims of a Sunni-Shia bloodbath.

What we need to do is what none of the commissions and their reports dared to suggest: Begin withdrawing American forces from Iraq right now. Not in 2008. Not after the American death toll has crossed 5,000. Not just in time for a presidential election.

If you worry about the future of Iraq, don't. It will remain what it's always been: a violent, angry land of warring tribes only occasionally beaten and bludgeoned into submission by a homegrown despot like Saddam Hussein.

If you worry about added turmoil and instability in the Middle East, pull some of those departing American forces back to Kuwait and leave them there on standby. Then redirect thought, energy and effort into salvaging Afghanistan, finding Osama bin Laden, saving Lebanon, negotiating peace between Israel and its enemies, rebuilding the U.S. Army and Marine Corps and, oh yes, ending the uncivil war between Republicans and Democrats.

There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there's only one way to leave Iraq: Load our people up on their trucks and tank transporters and Bradleys and Humvees and head for the border. Now."

We're not going anywhere.....

____________________________________________________


Want to know why "phased withdrawal" means "occupying permanent facilities"? Read Tom Engelhardt's Iraq analysis here.

Nothing like painting ourselves into a corner with the most toxic paint we could find.

-UF

How long in Iraq?

___________________________________________________


Here's a pretty depressing analysis of our potential future management of Iraq.

I think Tom is pretty much right on the mark. Between the large military bases we've built, and the massive embassy, it looks like we're going to be in Iraq in some capacity for a long while.

Colin Powell's original "You broke it, you bought it" assessment sounds pretty accurate right now. For something that the "conventional wisdom" pundits said would be nothing like Vietnam, it sure looks an awful lot like, uh, Vietnam.

Let's check back in a year, and see how much of this article rings true. Any betters?

-UF

Accountability.....

___________________________________________________


Can you spell "subpoena?"

Joseph L. Galloway is former senior military correspondent for Knight
Ridder newspapers, columnist for McClatchy Newspapers, and co-author of the
national best-seller We Were Soldiers Once ... and Young. Readers may write to
him at: P.O. Box 399, Bayside, Texas 78340; e-mail: jlgalloway2@cs.com.

Better late than never.

Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld is gone, but there's little time
for celebration, even for those of us who long ago began calling for his
removal. The damage that men do lives after them, and it's time at last for an
accounting. The nation’s voters have spoken, and it's reasonable to expect that
the Congress finally will begin to exercise some oversight of the wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan after five years of serving as rubber stamp and
doormats.

Can you spell "subpoena?"

For the Democrats who will soon take charge of the House of Representatives
and perhaps the Senate, too, here's a preliminary laundry list of some of the
things that need doing:
A comprehensive investigation of the pre-war
intelligence on Iraq and how it was perverted, how the mine was salted, and by
whom.

A thorough investigation of what pre-war advice was offered by senior
American military commanders on troop strength, equipment requirements and
strategy and tactics. Did even one general ignore the bullying from on high and
ask for more troops, and how did Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld
respond?

• Why did the Pentagon send American troops into battle without enough armored
  vests, armored vehicles, rifles, ammunition, food and water? Who's responsible
  for that debacle which cost so much in blood and money?
  
• Where did our money go? Billions of dollars of taxpayer money disappeared
  down various rat holes in Iraq, forked over to contractors without even so much
  as a handwritten receipt. Who got the money? What did they do for it? This is a
  fertile field that can be drilled for years, with a steady stream of
  indictments, trials and prison sentences.
  
• What about those no-bid Defense Department contracts that were parceled out
  to the Halliburtons and KBRs and Blackwaters in Iraq and Afghanistan, and other
  more costly weapons and equipment contracts that went to big defense industry
  conglomerates accustomed to writing very generous checks to the
  Republicans?
  
• Why did an administration that was hell-bent on going to war, with the
  inevitable and terrible human casualties among our troops, consistently
  underfund the Veterans Administration, which is charged with caring for our
  wounded and disabled?
  
• What's been the effect of the grotesque politicization of the selection and
  promotion system for senior military commanders by the office of the Secretary
  of Defense? What failures have resulted from that ill-conceived action? What
  responsibility do those generals and admirals chosen by Donald H. Rumsfeld bear
  for the failure to prepare for and conduct effective action against an
  inevitable Iraqi insurgency?
  
• Who at the top bears responsibility for the torture and mistreatment of
  prisoners and detainees at Abu Ghraib prison and the Guantanamo detention camp?
  A score of Pentagon investigations got to the bottom of the chain of command but
  declared that the top, in Rumsfeld’s office and the White House, was
  innocent.
  
• Who's responsible for breaking our understrength Army and Marine Corps with
  endless combat duty tours in Iraq and Afghanistan? Who refused all suggestions
  that the force was too small for the mission, and that 50,000 or 100,000 more
  men and women were needed in uniform? Who stubbornly refused even to consider
  the inevitable consequences of an Army so tied down trying to man these wars
  that it no longer could react to an emergency anywhere else in a dangerous
  world?
  

Simply put, the jig is up. President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick
Cheney and Rumsfeld have come to the end of their free ride. No longer can they
act without thought or ignore the boundaries of the Constitution, the law and
common sense.

Did they really think they could get away with all of this without ever being
called to answer to history and the American people?

They all deserve what's about to descend on their heads. They deserve every
subpoena. They deserve every indictment. Most of all, they deserve a reserved
place atop the ash heap of history.

Can I get an AMEN!

-UF

Buh, Bye....

___________________________________________________

Hit the road, Rummy.

It's amazing how a little bit of political strength from a functional opposition party can effect change. It's too bad it took 6 years of massive incompetence and arrogance to get to this point.

Of course, it will be interesting to watch how the Democrats question Rummy's replacement during the confirmation hearings.

It seems that some folks feel that Mr. Bush may be making the same mistakes over again with Robert Gates.

“This is not a person with a history of telling truth to power,” said a former subordinate, Melvin A. Goodman, a Soviet analyst from 1966 to 1990.

More analysis on Gates here.

-UF

A clear call for change....

___________________________________________________

I'm proud and happy that Americans remembered yesterday what this country stands for and demanded a change. It's how democracy works, and after an attempt at one party rule, it's heartening to see it still functions....

I think Glen Greenwall says it best;

This was a great victory.

(excerpts)

"Democratic candidates won -- in every part of the country and regardless of their ideology -- by committing themselves to one basic platform. They vigorously opposed what have become the defining attributes of the Republican Party and they pledged to put a stop to them: unchecked Presidential power, mindless warmongering, a refusal to accept or acknowledge realities (both in Iraq and generally), and the deep-seated, fundamental corruption fueling the Bush movement and sustaining their power."

"Democrats didn't win by pretending to be anything. Democrats won because they emphatically and unapologetically vowed to oppose what the Republican Party has become and to put an end to its deeply corrupt and destructive one-party rule -- and that is what Americans, more than anything else, wanted."

"But if nothing else, yesterday's results should galvanize everyone who recognizes the danger this country has been placed in by the radical, hate-mongering, deeply corrupt authoritarians who have been controlling (and destroying) it."

And on the local level. McNerney beats Pombo.

This really is unbelievable and speaks directly to a constituency that had reached a breaking point with the status quo in the House. McNerney is an unknown, untested Democrat that was completely obliterated by Pombo in the election just two years ago. Yet, the need for change resonated so deeply, and Pombo appeared so tied to the apparent corruption in the Republican House, that the folks of the 11th district have decided to give this political greenhorn a tumble, tossing out the powerful chair of the House Committee on Resources.

-UF

VOTE!

__________________________________________________

It's how we can make a difference. As you may have noticed, uh, single party rule has it's issues........

Berkeley vs. Berkeley

___________________________________________________


So... What happens when full on "College Football Crazy Cal Bears Berkeley" meets "Laid Back Liberal Natural Fibers Long Grey Haired Pony Tail Berkeley"?

A pretty weird scene is what you get. I was at the Jupiter on Shattuck Aveneue Saturday night for a little pizza and jazz. Kind of your classic Berkeley scene, when about 70,000 Cal football fans hit the streets after pounding on UCLA. Instant frat/alum party complete with Cal baseball caps and sweatshirts. I can't say I can remember when football fever was quite so rampant in Berkeley but it's a pretty nice change of pace, and the band playing at the Jupiter dug it as the crowd went from polite jazzster head bopping to "let's jam-on, dude".........

-UF

San Francisco Values........

__________________________________________________


San Francisco Values.

One can only hope.....educated, open minded, spiritually flexible and accommodating, innovative, generous, diversified, progressive, tolerant,......

Now watch how all these traits are spun as bad, terrible things.

As opposed to these values. Forgiveness only when it's politically expedient and "your kind". The rest, apparently, can burn in hell.

-UF

__________________________________________________

Less political whine, more red wine........

__________________________________________________


Tuesday's election can't come fast enough for me. If I hear one more bitchy, negative, factless accusation ad I think my head is going to explode.

So, to decompress, I went to one of my favorite restaurants this week, Cafe Esin, and the waiter turned me on to one of the better Pinot Noir's that I've had in a while. If you get a chance to try this I think you might agree. 2004 Miner Garys' Vineyard Pinot Noir.

It seems that the Santa Lucia Highlands in Central California is turning out some fine wines and Garys' Vineyard in particular provides many wine makers with outstanding grapes.

-UF

__________________________________________________

Republican distractions......

__________________________________________________


Oh, for crying out load. Anything to keep the focus away from the real issues.

John Kerry's actual point was that if you don't use your head, if you don't think and reason and pay focused attention to the facts and realities of a situation, you end up with a "follow your gut, make it up as you go" plan and its numerous pitfalls. Such is the quagmire that is Iraq. His intent was clear, even if his delivery was not.

The rest is just spin and desperation on the Republican side.

It's well past time for leading Democrats to call the President and his rubber stamp Congressional majority on this mess. I'm betting there will be a sizable majority of the voting public doing just that next Tuesday.

-UF


__________________________________________________

When they say "It's not about the oil"...

__________________________________________________


It's about the oil.

-UF


__________________________________________________

Unbridled Executive Power

Read this. I sure hope we know what we are doing. It's hard to believe that our representatives would so quickly relinquish our freedoms to an unchecked executive branch for a undefined period of time. Our "War on Terror" may last for many years or decades, unlike other difficult, yet contained and defined wars such as World War II.

But this won't happen to me, you say. I'm an American citizen, not a terrorist. Well, don't be so sure. What would happen if someone "thought" you were a terrorist? Or a terrorist sympathizer? Of course you're not, but under this new law, how would you prove it? You get no lawyer. You may not even get to know what charges have been brought against you. And you get to sit in jail until they get around to dealing with you. If they choose to even do that.

Our government has proven over and over that they make mistakes. Big ones. All the time. No one is infallible. And this does not even take into account an unchecked executive that may have ulterior motives.

This is a huge mistake that can only be corrected by bravely voting in representatives that honor and respect our constitutional rights.

-UF

Your tax dollars at work.....

To the tune of 2 billion dollars a week.

So are your hard earned tax dollars going for more security forces? No. More training for the Iraqi military? Of course not.

More dough for high dollar (read; more money for Halliburton) large "semi-permanent" U.S. Military bases? Bingo!

I guess our new motto is: "When the Iraqi's stand up, we'll, uh, well, we'll still be here."

"Forever".

-UF

Times up...Please put your pencils down.

Well, I guess it won't matter much to our future generations that we are in the process of throwing our constitutional guarantees on the ash heap, in a misguided effort to placate our fears. They won't know any better.

Apparently even our best schools aren't doing a very good job of teaching our young 'uns about government, politics, and American history. You know, boring useless stuff like that.

-UF

I'm back.........

Well, where the hell did the summer go? Bam, just came and went, and there was just too much sun to ignore. So I made a choice. More sun and less internet posting and internet surfing in the Cave of Funk.

But I'm back and hope to be posting more useless drivel as my fearless leaders in Washington do there very best to drive me insane.

Sincerely,

Your Uncle Funker

You say degrading I say.......

The key tenents of the Geneva Convention are so yesterday. So.......Chuck 'em.

Do the majority of folks in this country buy into this? Is this helping win the "War on Terror"? Is anyone awake? Hello, is this thing on.......????

-UF

The philosophy of Homer.......Simpson

This article makes a great point about understanding the philosophical realities of our world, through the eyes of the Simpsons.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/4995624.stm

Works for me.

-UF

Fear

Money quote;

The terrorists' most dangerous weapon isn't anthrax or planes or dirty bombs; it's fear. Fear is their most destructive weapon because it operates in a stealth manner. Fear is what has caused our government to turn on its citizens and brag that it does so out of courage in the fight against evil. And in that sense, by goading the greatest democracy on earth to view 300 million citizens as the potential enemy, fear has proved to be the most effective weapon of mass destruction of all.

Read all of this fine post at Daily Kos.

-UF

The decider on immigration...

Well, there was a big prime time speach about nothing. More National Guard window dressing at the border, just long enough to try and get an immigration bill passed.

The issue as I see it is a classic supply and demand problem. Business wants as much cheap labor as it can get, and the supply is streaming accross the border because cheap to us is good money to them.

You want to fix it? Take the dough you'd spend building a bigger wall and use it to hold businesses accountable and enforce the hiring laws. Yeah, you'll pay .18 cents more for a head of lettuce, and may have a tougher time finding someone to clean your house, but at least we'd start making some real progress on this issue.

Read more here.

-UF

Why has thinking become a bad thing?

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be"--Thomas Jefferson

We're Number One!

In the polling for worst President ever......

OK, so I feel like piling on today. But, holy macaroni, it's just one lame thing after another with this Administration. But, the public is catching on, as the poll numbers prove. Let's hope the American voters can effect some change in the Congress, so that the in-depth investigations that so desperately need to happen, like, uh, happen. I gotta believe that what's going on today is infinitely worse for this country than ol' Monicagate. For Clinton we get checks and balances on his zipper, and ultimately articles of impeachment. For warrantless wiretapping, torture, and baseless warmongering we get...uh....a lot of handwringing.......

I'm the decider.....

It just don't get any plainer than this......(from Michelle at the Daily Dish)

“I’m the decider, and I decide what’s best. And what’s best is for Don Rumsfeld to remain as the secretary of defense.” Thus spake President Bush in yesterday’s Rose Garden defense of his embattled Defense Secretary. And there, in a nutshell, is the Bush governing philosophy. I know best. Period. Leave everything to me. Don’t worry your pretty little head about it. Don’t question my decisions. Don’t bother looking at the facts—at least, not at any facts that might contradict my version of reality. And don’t you dare criticize my decisions unless you want to wind up branded an unpatriotic, fuzzy-headed, soft-on-terrorist type.
I can see how, once upon a time, this sort of macho, decisive, take-no-prisoners, govern-with-your-gut approach to the presidency had a certain appeal. Who wants a wishy-washy leader when the Islamist baddies are plotting the nation’s demise? And even if we suspected Bush wasn’t exactly the most curious or engaged or well-informed commander-in-chief, we were assured that he had a gift for picking smart, curious, engaged, talented advisers—people with “good hearts”--who would keep our CEO-president just informed enough to make good decisions.
But three-plus years of Iraq have pretty much shown the absurdity of that claim. Or at least it has introduced enough doubt into the equation that we really ought to demand more of an explanation for the seemingly ill-advised actions (or inaction) of our leader other than: “I’m the Daddy, that’s why.”
No one doubts that Bush knows how to make decisions. The increasingly pertinent question is whether he knows how to make good ones.

The End of Evening News.....

Well, it's officially over. Nobody gets their news from the network evenings news shows anymore anyway. Goodbye to Walter Cronkite, David Brinkley, Harry Reasoner, and the rest.

Now we get perky news.......

I think I'll stick with Jon Stewart and Keith Olberman.

Remember record stores?

Remember digging through the bargain bin looking for lost gems? I still remember finding "96 Tears" by ? and the Mysterians for .39 cents.

I'm so old I actually remember going into the small record shop in my hometown and taking a 45 rpm disk into the "listening room" to preview the latest single.

Ah, the good old days.

Please pretend you're suprised by this.....

More confirmation that Our Fearless Leader was planning for war all along......and damn the facts.......

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/03/27/europe/wev.0327memo.php

Homeland Security?

How 'bout less money building airbases in Iraq and more money protecting the folks at home.

Homeland Security.

Who's the straight talker talking to?

Just remember, this is who the straight talking, straight shootin' rootin' tootin' Senator needs to crawl into bed with to get the Republican nomination in 2008. The cowboy may be different, but it's the same old black hats who own the ranch.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=1779141&page=1

Donation, Write off, Help your slacker kid.....

The Bush family has been gaming the system for years, so this should come as no surprise. But really, donating to Katrina relief but earmarking the money to your kid's scam company? Mama Bush to the rescue.....

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/007978.php

-UF

Executive Power

I think one of the most important issues of the day revolves around the Bush Administration's ongoing efforts to inoculate the Executive Branch and the President from the normal check and balance procedures of the other arms of the Government.

Glen Greenwald discusses this in detail here. Read it. Your future freedoms may depend on it.

"But that theory of the Executive unconstrained by law is completely repulsive to the founding principles of the country, as well as to the promises made by the Founders in order to extract consent from a monarchy-fearing public to the creation of executive power vested in a single individual. The notion that all of that can be just whimsically tossed aside whenever the nation experiences external threats is as contrary to the country’s founding principles as it is dangerous."

-UF

3 years and counting......

Iraq. Here's the sad timeline in all it's incompetent glory....

http://www.thinkprogress.org/iraq-timeline

-UF

Quote for the day

"Fearful people are more dependent, more easily manipulated and controlled, more susceptible to deceptively simple, strong, tough measures and hard-line postures. ... They may accept and even welcome repression if it promises to relieve their insecurities."

-George Gerbner

Full lakes.....no worries for heavy SoCal water users

As I spend many a summer weekend on a very nice Sierra foothill lake, I'm happy to hear that we have some serious snowpack going on in the Northern Sierra. It's always nice to have a full lake. Of course, this means no worries for our SoCal brothers and sisters who live in what use to be a desert. SoCal agribusiness has it locked in at incredibly low pricies as well.

Maybe it's time for NorCal to start acting like an big oil company and start treating SoCal agribusiness to some "market driven pricing".

-UF

I love Jon Carroll

And you should too. This Bay Area columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle has been around forever and just keeps getting better and better. He's smart, insightful, funny, and very relevant.

Check out this recent column.

-UF

The public knows best?

So, should we think about censuring George W. ? It seems that even though the Democrats can't muster up the courage to confront the continued trampling of our Constitutional rights, the general public is starting to get the right idea.

Do you favor or oppose the United States Senate passing a resolution
censuring President George W. Bush for authorizing wiretaps of Americans within the United States without obtaining court orders?

All Adults Yes 46% No 44% Undecided 10%

The Republican party is always talking about "personal responsibility and accountability" when trying to slash domestic support programs. Well, it's time to start holding some administration folks accountable for their unconstitutional behavior. Glen Greenwald makes a compelling case here.

Reality based reality?

How we doin' in Iraq? Is it playing out like we thought? Based on past history, can we feel good about predictions of success?

Sometimes it's good to just get all the facts we know rounded up in one place. From there you can compare said facts to the initial claims made and see how they line up. Mr. Murtha has done that, and in its simplicity, it's a very compelling argument against believing anything this current administration claims.

Read it here.

Separated at birth?

If you saw the Oscar telecast, that had to be the first thing to cross your mind while Dolly Parton was singing.

Very, very, scary.

-UF

The Rich get Richer......

Seems that the outrageous overbilling in Iraq by Halliburton and subsidiaries is going to be paid, even though a full audit requested otherwise. Looks like Cheney made sure this quail got shot.....

Money Quote;

"The Army announced this week it has decided to reimburse Halliburton for nearly all of the disputed costs in the more than $250 million in charges the Pentagon's own auditors had identified as excessive or unjustified.

According to the Pentagon's figures, it normally withholds an average of 66 percent of what the auditors recommend. In this case, the Pentagon wound up paying all but 3.8 percent of the disputed costs, a figure so far outside the norm it was noticed immediately. Rick Barton of the Center for Strategic and International Studies told the New York Times, "To think that it's that near zero is ridiculous when you're talking these kinds of numbers."

You may recall Bunnatine Greenhouse, a senior civilian contracting official with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who said the Kellogg, Brown & Root (KBR) contract was "the most blatant and improper contract abuse I have witnessed during the course of my professional career."

Read it all from Molly Ivins here

-UF

The Baltic

I played a gig over the weekend at an old place that's all new again.

The Baltic was a nice nightspot and restaurant in Point Richmond that kinda fell apart and closed about a year and a half ago. Well, I'm happy to report it's been reopened and it's a fine re-addition to an area that needs more cool hangs.

We had dinner before the gig and the kitchen is doing some nice stuff. I had a wild mushroom rissoto that was what good risottos should be; just firm enough to hold the right texture, and deeply infused with the flavorful additions to the rice. My partners had the ribeye, and a few of the large salads offered. All commented on the good grub, and the reasonable prices.

They have live music on Saturday nights (Blues and R&B mostly) and the bar crowd is a lively mix of 30 somethings looking to dance and have a good time.

Be sure to check it out!


The Baltic Restaurant
135 Park Place,
Point Richmond, CA 94801
510-237-4pub

-UF

Torture by any other name....

You know, this administration can use all the Orwellian language gymnastics it wants, but in the final analysis torture is torture, and if you value our Constitution and all it stands for you should demand a stop to it. Read about how one participant in the administration, Alberto Mora, tried......

"Mora thinks that the media has focussed too narrowly on allegations of U.S.-sanctioned torture. As he sees it, the authorization of cruelty is equally pernicious. “To my mind, there’s no moral or practical distinction,” .......... “If cruelty is no longer declared unlawful, but instead is applied as a matter of policy, it alters the fundamental relationship of man to government. It destroys the whole notion of individual rights. The Constitution recognizes that man has an inherent right, not bestowed by the state or laws, to personal dignity, including the right to be free of cruelty. It applies to all human beings, not just in America—even those designated as ‘unlawful enemy combatants.’ If you make this exception, the whole Constitution crumbles. It’s a transformative issue.”

Read the full article here

Carefully watch what they do, ignore what they say.

-UF

Billy's Vaults

There are some classic recordings by some of Rock's seminal artists at this site. It's worth checking out. What impressed me most was the quality of the live recordings. Very, very nice.

The Vault

Bill Graham and his concert promotion company, Bill Graham Presents, produced more than 35,000 concerts all over the world. His first venue, the legendary Fillmore Auditorium, was home to many of rock's greatest performers - Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Doors, The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Prince - and the list goes on and on.

Graham taped thousands of live performances and stored the tapes in the basement of the BGP headquarters. These tapes and the concerts they captured lay dormant until the Bill Graham archive was acquired by Wolfgang's Vault (Bill Graham's given first name was Wolfgang) in 2003.

Vault Radio is now playing selected tracks from these concerts in an FM-quality, 128K digital radio stream. Songs will be added to and removed from the radio show on a regular basis. We will be broadcasting unaltered live performance music from many of the greatest bands of the last 40 years. The music you hear on Vault Radio has not been sweetened or polished. You'll be listening to what the band played that night - nothing more, nothing less.

Iraq; Our new little home away from home.....

Based on this article below, it seems we may be planning to stay for awhile in Iraq. Why? Because we are building huge, multi-billion dollar military bases. Given the amount of dough we taxpayers are throwing around over there, these base construction costs may explain why we haven't seen improvement in combating the insurgency, nor with re-establishing pre-war services to the Iraqi people. But Halliburton is getting their construction contracts.

What a suprise. Once again, carefully watch what they do, ignore what they say.

http://www.tomdispatch.com/index.mhtml?pid=59774

"There are at least four such "super-bases" in Iraq, none of which have anything to do with "withdrawal" from that country. Quite the contrary, these bases are being constructed as little American islands of eternal order in an anarchic sea. Whatever top administration officials and military commanders say -- and they always deny that we seek "permanent" bases in Iraq -– facts-on-the-ground speak with another voice entirely. These bases practically scream "permanency.""

-UF

The committee to study the committee to meet...

Here's some positive news. The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board was created in 2004 to insure our civil rights from the potential excesses of the War on Terror.

The board chairwoman is Carol E. Dinkins a longtime friend of the Bush family, she was the treasurer of George W. Bush's first campaign for governor of Texas, in 1994, and co-chair of Lawyers for Bush-Cheney, which recruited Republican lawyers to handle legal battles after the November 2004 election.

So, with another crony, uh, I mean trained professional on board, and a wiretap scandal brewing, let's see what this group has accomplished in a little over a year....

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-liberties20feb20,0,5039697.story?coll=la-home-headlines


Watch what they do....not what they say.....

-UF

A VP in pain......

Well, Mr. Whittington got out of the hospital today after, uh, being shot in the face by the Vice President of the United States, and had this to say;

"My family and I are deeply sorry for everything Vice President Cheney and his family have had to deal with," he said. "We hope that he will continue to come to Texas and seek the relaxation that he deserves."

In other news Arub Gahrib prisoners apologized to guards for jumping in front of their fists and boots without warning and for insisting that they take pictures of them bleeding and naked. They hope that the guards will continue to come to Iraq and seek the truth and freedom that we deserve.

-UF

Getting your money's worth?

"October 18, 2004, President George W. Bush signed the FY 2005 Homeland Security Appropriations Act, which provides $28.9 billion in net discretionary spending for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This is $1.8 billion more than the FY 2004 enacted level – reflecting a 6.6% increase in funding for the Department over the previous year. . "

It doesn't look like it's bought much on the FEMA side of
things, based on this report.

But, with just a little more dough, we can really get all this turned around. Trust us. We know what we're doing. Really. This time. Honest. Dig a little deeper in your pocket.....

"The White House asked the Congress on Thursday for 72.4 billion U.S. dollars in additional funding for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan this year, and 19.8 billion dollars in extra funding for Hurricane Katrina relief.
With the new money, the cost of the U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan would rise to 120 billion dollars for this year, and would bring the total war-related costs to date to nearly 400 billion dollars since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
The Congress already approved in December last year 50 billion dollars to cover this year's war costs. Of the 19.8 billion dollars requested for hurricane rebuilding, 9.4 billion dollars were for continuing disaster relief, 1.3 billion dollars for disaster loans, and 1.5 billion dollars for levee repair and flood control projects.
The Congress has previously approved over 87 billion dollars for the reconstruction effort after Katrina hit the U.S. Gulf Coast on Aug. 29 last year that killed more than 1,300 people and left about 1 million others displaced. "

But this will make things better.

-UF

Nuthin' to see here...just keep moving

So. We can spend millions of taxpayer dollars peeking around Clinton's zipper but we can't do a little look see into how we might be illegally wiretapping our own citizens.

Why are these folks so hell bent on keeping this "legal" activity a secret?

-UF

Prima Ristorante

We had a chance to eat at Prima Ristorante in Walnut Creek last week and I wanted to do a quick review on this very nice Italian eatery.

Prima is in the heart of the Downtown area, which is a really happening place now that all the new development is done. It's a nice room done in warm colors with dark wood trim. The food is a nice California take on rustic Italian dishes.

On our visit we had an appetizer of scallops on a bed of lentils, gnocchi with Italian sausage, and a saffron and chicken linguini. The food is tasty and their wine list is a wonderful blend of hard to find Italian Reds and local California selections.

As an added treat on Fridays they have a talented Jazz trio quietly groovin' in the bar area. It's worth a trip just to have a glass of wine and listen to the music.

It's a nice place run by good people. Check it out.

-UF

The Grammys......

Well, I had a chance to slog through the Grammy show over the weekend. (Reviewers must love Tivo, I know I do. No commercials, and a quick blast through the last half of songs you know can't be saved.)

Here are my questions;

1. It looks like Madonna got a tight new face to go along with that finely toned body she was parading around. What's with facelifts that actually change the basic way a person looks.......and of course there were no real close ups during the performance. Coincidence?

2. Can Christina Aguilara just sing the damn melody. Nice voice and all, but enough with the R&B yodeling. Listen to the words of the song while you sing, convey the meaning of said words with your voice. Leave the scale practice for the shower.

3. Maria Carey and gospel. Who'd of thunk she would do a pretty good job of that. God knows she's still a space cadet, but not a bad performance.

4. Coldplay. I'm just not feelin' it. And was Chris Martin watching too much Bono during rehearsals? He stole the sunglassed one's whole vibe.

5. Kids, don't do drugs. For proof...two words....Sly Stone. A wonderful musical genius and innovator. He took all the music percolating in the Bay Area in the late 60's and molded it into a single clear vision. Funk, Soul, Acid, R&B, Rock......all into one. And then.......nothing, nada, zilch. Just a big line of coke to paranoidville. Tragic.

As for the rest? Bruce in Mr. Dylan's shoes, Paul rappin' Yesterday, Marching bands, American Idol Grammy for best karoke...........

Maybe next year........

-UF

Elmer C. V.P.

It's a cheap shot I know, but it is funny and the last time I checked you can post offensive cartoons in this country and not have to worry about someone burning down your house..... I think.....

Cheney's Got a Gun

More Yuks

-UF

Meet me in the Lobby

Here's an email from a senior Democratic hill staffer to Josh Marshall of 'Talking Points Memo" that helps me clarify the difference between lobbying and 'effective lobbying'....

"Its not illegal to be lobbied, and hell, we couldn't do our jobs if we didn't interact with them. Legislation/regulation/oversight can't be done solely by Google research. What is illegal is to go out of your way, and use your position, as quid pro quo for gifts, jobs, and campaign contributions. The vast majority of Democratic staffers work on the Hill, despite the miserable pay and long hours, to try to achieve some measure of good. Many, many Republican staffers- convinced that government is an evil- work here in order to make money off that necessary evil. That breeds corruption. When you have a majority of members and staffers that could care less about policy ad governing and more about power/influence/money/profit Abramoff is inevitable. When the hard, tedious work of legislating and oversight is done by people motivated by careerism rather than professionalism not only do you have Abramoff, but you have Michael Brown, Halliburton, and illegal NSA wiretapping."

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/007656.php

I don't know if I buy the whole "Democrats good, Repulicans bad" but the results based on the motivations painted here ring true.

-UF

Saturday's alright.....

And people wonder why we all put up with livin' in Northern California. I'll tell you why. It's the middle of February, there's not a cloud in the sky, and it's 73 degrees outside.

There's a ton of blossoms on my cherry tree. I got the top down, and I may need to break out the sunscreen. Gotta love it.

Not quite so good elsewhere....

Blizzards

-UF

Embrace Offensiveness

It seems to me that this whole flap about offensive cartoons is just another excuse for hypocritical fundamentalists to demand, to the point of direct violence, their "my way or the highway" world view. A view that should be totally rejected out of hand.

We are a country that is founded on free speech, we owe no apologies, nor should we accept censorship in exchange for perceived safety. That's called blackmail. Embrace the freedom of offensiveness. Question it, debate it, reject it if you so desire. But embrace and defend it's existence.

Sonia Mikich hits the nail on the head here;

"It should go without saying that individuals in a secular democracy have every right to caricature and mock authorities, even religious ones. They should be prepared to meet criticism but not punishment."

http://www.signandsight.com/features/597.html

More here;

http://www.slate.com/id/2135499/

and here;

http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,398853,00.html

-UF

Check this guy out.....

Juggling and Rock&Roll. Who knew?

http://marketplace.espeakers.com/movie.php?sid=5290&aid=10558','video',''

Rock and Roll Circus

I normally tend to gravitate towards small clubs and halls, preferring to get close to (and to actually find a comfortable chair to sit in) to hear my jazz, blues, and eclectic rock performers. But Wednesday, I joined the rock masses to see Aerosmith at the Oakland Arena.

Sometimes massive amounts of excess is just right. Aerosmith surely fits this bill. Huge stage, huge lighting, huge sound, bombastic music, tons of over the top guitar wanking, and a front man that is both entertaining, and completely bent.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/13831979.htm

I've always felt these guys were a warmed over impersonation of the Stones, and at the beginning of their career, I think this held true. But compared to what I saw of the Super Bowl halftime show that's certainly no longer the case.

-UF

Ideology first...

Governmental Competence - not so much....

With Michael Brown about ready to roll over, it's time for the internal finger pointing to begin. Too bad everybody is looking for ways to stonewall and nobody is working to avoid this type of failure in the future.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/02/10/national/w062630S54.DTL

-UF

Welcome

Welcome to my new blog. If you stumble upon this site I hope to bore you with the inane ramblings of a self important internet dork. That's a new idea, huh?

Actually, I've figured this will be more like a diary, as I expect that this blog will have a general readership of one (me). With a little luck I may even get my immediate family to look at it on rare occasion.

So, with that said, in the immortal words of the late, great Marvin Gaye; "let's get it on".