The Safer World

According to my research (which relies solely upon these British public service announcements from the 70s), the world WAS a far more dangerous place than it is now. Take a look see.

EXCLUSIVE: My Post Debate Interview with Sarah Palin

BOBBY: Good evening, Governor Palin.
PALIN: Hiya. Can I call you Bobby, Bobby?
BOBBY: Um, no.
PALIN: Oh.
(moment of awkward silence)
BOBBY: Yeah. Alright, well let's get to the questions. Governor Palin, in tonight's debate you said, "Our nuclear weaponry, here in the U.S., is used as a deterrent. And that's a safe, stable way to use nuclear weaponry." Am I correct?
PALIN: Yup, you betcha! I said that.
BOBBY: Governor Palin, would you please answer the following questions? And, please promise to refrain from diverting the topic by returning to the talking points that you have on those notecards that they wrote for you at Senator McCain's ranch last week.
PALIN: I promise.
BOBBY: First question. Has any country ever used a nuclear weapon in an act of war? If so, which?
PALIN: Russia?
BOBBY: No, the United States. Hiroshima.
PALIN: I believe That was actually an act of deterrence. As a true maverick in Washington, Senator McCain and I will bring...
(interruption)
BOBBY: Now, now, Governor. Remember your promise.
PALIN: (winking at Bobby and biting her bottom lip) Oh, darn. O.k.
BOBBY: Second question. Which country currently has the largest arsenal of nuclear weaponry in the world?
PALIN: Oh, that's easy. North Korea.
BOBBY: Wrong again, Governor. Their working on it, but It's actually the U.S.
PALIN: Whoah, shucks.
(Bobby grins)
BOBBY: Yep, that deserves a shucks, Governor. Alright, I want you to imagine that you live in a foreign country (a small country) and there's this really big nation on the opposite side of the planet.
PALIN: O.k.
BOBBY: This large nation has more foreign military outposts than any other country and has the world's largest arsenal of nuclear weaponry at its disposal. This nation is the only nation in history that has attacked another nation with nuclear weapons. How would you feel about that country telling you that you that your couldn't arm itself?
(An awkward silence that lasts 4 seconds)
PALIN: Y'know. I'm going to have to get back to you on this one.

Palin's Alternate Universe

"Now comes Ms. Palin, a smiling, bubbly vice-presidential candidate who travels in an alternate language universe. For Ms. Palin, such things as context, syntax and the proximity of answers to questions have no meaning."

Read the editorial:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/04/opinion/04herbert.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

Wow.

Alaska's Integral Role In National Defense

Sarah Palin Accuses Me of Being A Bad, Dishonest, Insincere and Undignified American

Examine this excerpt from Sarah Palin's RNC speech to understand my point:
"We grow good people in our small towns, with honesty, sincerity, and dignity." I know just the kind of people that writer had in mind when he praised Harry Truman. I grew up with those people. They are the ones who do some of the hardest work in America ... who grow our food, run our factories, and fight our wars. They love their country, in good times and bad, and they're ALWAYS proud of America. I had the privilege of living most of my life in a small town.

I'm from a large town. I'm a teacher and a musician. I don't grow any food. I neither run a factory nor serve in the military. However, I believe that I am a hard worker and contributor to the betterment of my country. I'm a critic of the government. I was raised to think about issues in a critical fashion. I was taught that absolute, unconditional pride in a country is called nationalism. Nationalism has produced some of the most shameful atrocities in human history. I believe that a nation is composed of its citizens and the representatives that they elect. I am not always proud of the choices my fellow Americans make. The Constitution and Bill of Rights ensure my freedom to disagree and voice my discontent.

I challenge your logic Sarah Palin. So do millions of other Americans.

In Bizarro America: Experience, judgment and qualifications inhibit people from being good leaders

This editiorial from the NY Times clearly articulates the absurdity and embarassment of Sarah Palin's interview on ABC with Charles Gibson. Of course, Gibson is probably to blame for making her look misinformed. After all, he asked her questions that required her to think reflectively, critically and within the context of modern politics. Damn the liberal media! They're always breaking the rules and trying to push their agenda on the masses. I was hoping for questions about hockey and more stories about Trak.

Editiorial: Gov. Palin’s Worldview

Change I Can Believe In!

If you do enough yoga and visit the Dalai Lama you can do this kind of stuff. It's 100% unlistenable pleasure for the mind. It's frickin rad and I want to be like this by the time I'm 45.

Battle of the Gods!

After reading the following article from the NY Times I found out that Palin gets her powers and direction from the Christian God. If she does become VP this will be a major bonus for the executive branch of the government. It'll be interesting to see our God-endorsed nation go head to head with organizations that receive their orders from Allah. I know what you're thinking! "But, George W. Bush is a Christian man and he's been waging a holy war already." Yep. Yep. But, this is different. You have to admit, W seems like a fake Christian, right? It's obvious that his wife and parents make him go to church and he'd rather be hanging out at the ranch or a Rangers game and drinking beers with his buddies. This is probably why Jesus hasn't given us the swift victory the executive branch has been praying for. Now, with Palin (a real Christian) we're gonna see the Christian deity's true potential when it comes to war. It's sort of like the Illiad. Remember when the Trojans and Achaens went head to head over the kidnapping of Helen? The Olympian gods manipulated the scenario to carry out their will. This promises to be a classic chapter in history. It will redefine the thin line between mythology and religion. Now, that's CHANGE, baby!

NY Times article on Palin's theology

Mavericks or magicians?

I've been re-educated at the Republican National Convention. Here are the main points of those lessons.

1. McCain/Palin are the uniters.
   
2. The Republican party has become the party of "true" change. Being Republican has become synonymous with being American.
   
3. Republicans are the folks who are looking out for our civil liberties and freedoms.
   
4. Republicans are the party that has brought us feminism and great education reforms.
   
5. Republicans have been outsiders in Washington for nearly a decade.
   
6. The war in Iraq, with it's recent surge, has been brought to a near finish: "Victory is within our sights!"
   

The McCain/Palin party has worked some real magic in St. Paul.

Back on the Earth that inhabits a parallel dimension (subsequently, where I happen to dwell with nearly 30 million other people who seem to mistakenly identify themselves as Americans), the Republican party controls the executive office of The United States. They've been in this position for 8 years. Over this eight years I seem to remember events, decisions and policies that painted a really different picture of the Republican party. I guess I was looking at it through a different lens. Thank you, John McCain and Sarah Palin, for re-educating me. Simple truth. Straight talk. Country first. God is hockey. War is peace. I comply.

The Party in Power, Running as if It Weren’t

Bill O'Reilly is really hard to talk to

O'Reilly is so interesting to study. He talks over his guests and has no concern for the dynamics of a conversation. He erroneously paraphrases what his guests say. If the conversation is not going the direction that he desires he quickly abandons the topic and switches gears (almost invisibly). He is informed and educated, yet whittles down his language and thoughts to generalizations that incite combative debate. He demands his guests to answer yes or no questions, about complex issues, in seconds. He removes all reflection and thoughtfulness from a dialogue with his guests.

I commend Barack Obama for agreeing to this interview. It must have been one of the most aggravating and annoying he's ever participated in. Yet, under the pressure of the moment, Obama remains cool and calm. He presents himself as a thoughtful person. Thoughtfulness is something that seems to have a negative connotation in FOX/GOP land. At their hands, thoughtfulness has been disassociated with "being American" and apparently the founders weren't even thoughtful. Thoughtfulness represents weakness. Well, bearing this in mind, I support anti-American, weak leaders. Call me crazy, but, they're just coherent.

GOP stages mutiny on the ship of logic

Y'know, as the ideas of logic and truth begin to bend and distort into barely recognizable versions of their former selves, I find that watching the Daily Show becomes the only way that I can watch the news. John Stewart perfectly articulates the disbelief that I feel each day as events in the United States unfold. I feel that watching the news without Stewart's commentary leaves me feeling scared and really isolated. If Stewart and the people at the Daily Show can somehow turn what's happening into a joke, I somehow feel that things can't be that bad. I've also noticed that lately Stewart is seeming less humorous and more digruntled and dismayed. I fear for the worst. Perhaps things have become so crazy that we can't even laugh about them anymore. I'm afraid of Sarah Palin. I fear what she stands for, and more urgently, I fear who she stands for. This country is poised to stage a mutiny. Logic, academic thought, compassion, honesty, and global-mindedness are all getting ready to jump ship.

Make me laugh, John. Please.

Radio Fantasy defies the status quo!

In case you missed my DJ set of eclectic dance music from tonight's private broadcast, you can stream it at your cubicle! Click on the link below. The file's large (39 MB - about 34 minutes of non-stop music), but worth the wait. This set includes some Booka Shade, Gary Numan, Cut Copy, The Whitest Boy Alive, and a whole lot more! 

Radio Fantasy - July 7, 2008

Keith Moon's Korean Brother

Spooky Korean reggae with a funky drummer ta boot. Check it out.

See more funny videos at CollegeHumor

The Approach of Summer

With the approach of summer comes the sweet increase of temperature and the warm Western breeze. The gypsy moths are in full swing, cross-pollinating in a ballerina frenzy outside my window. They are driven crazy by a fragrance that secretly pours from the blooming trees that surround. The smell of summer is indescribable. It's better seen or felt. With 2 more months until summer, I can't allow myself to be completely swept up in its emotion. In the meantime, I can escape for a weekend to my favorite resort, where summer is a mode of operation (Trumpets in the pool, free jeeps for all guests, and of course, free beverages). Let my friends, George & Andy, tell you all about it.

Thanks for the absurdity, Mr. Heston

As many of my friends know, Planet of the Apes is one of my all-time favorite movies. Of course, the film's appeal is mostly due to Heston's screaming, cursing performance as Taylor, the cynical Earthling astronaut who left the world of "maniacs" behind, in search of something better; only to find that they had blown the whole thing up with... well, with guns and stuff. With an ironic twist of fate that parallels the surreal turn of events in the movie, Heston later returned to Earth and became an advocate for the NRA.

Watch the following clips in order. It has a strange effect.

MUSICAL SPOTLIGHT - Howard Jones "New Song" (1983)

Thumbing through the 50 cent bins at Nickelodeon Records today, I stumbled upon a 12" single for Howard Jones' "New Song." Having just endured a 3 week obsession with "No One Is To Blame" I was jonesin' for some more Jones. I'd never heard of "New Song." It was Saturday morning; I was feeling adventurous and took the plunge. I walked out with "New Song" under my arm and skipped down the sidewalk, flaunting the cool artwork, high on the expectations of enjoying the song. 30 minutes later I was listening to the song. Simply put, it's a beautiful pop classic with optimistic lyrics that match the whimsical synths; blipping and chirping along with the song's infectious beat. To top this off, the 12" includes an extended remix. My expectations for this additional version were low. Most 80's remixes are laden with an emphasis on terrible drums that deconstruct the song that you like. Today was my lucky day. The remix is even better than the original. The drum intro alone is the stuff of a laptop sampling, electronic musician-thief's ultimate dream. I've posted the video for the original tune. If you want to hear the remix you'll have to cruise by my house and endure one of my listening parties. Take note (and it'll be hard not to) of the mime in chains who acts out the lyrics to the song. The audience appears to be oblivious to the creepy hilarity of this. Enjoy.

Cell Phones Are Bad

This proves that cell phones have a negative effect on their masters. This is only the beginning. Soon, cell phones around the planet will begin ordering helpless users to do unthinkably stupid things. Mark my words.

I've Seen The Ray of Light

It's easy to feel sorry for oneself. It's easy to wallow in the mundane drudgery of everyday banality. One must consider the safety that an everyday, average lifestyle provides. So many of us dream of sailing away into some promising horizon where adventure awaits. Judy Kay Zagorski was such a person. Rarely is the risk or danger of such an adventure considered. One must consider Judy's death and the complicated web of circumstances that surround this uncanny event. I don't think there's any real significance to any of this. I'm feeling a bit existential this week. There is no meaning to be found. Poor Judy.

Leaping ray kills Florida boater

Denouncing & Renouncing

"Usually we denounce our opponents, not our friends or associates or loved ones (unless we are living in a totalitarian state where denunciations are offered as proof of loyalty)." Stanley Fish reminds us of the similarities between McCarthyism and the current spree of denunciations/renunciations.

New York Times: "Denouncing & Renouncing" (March 24, 2008)