Don't say I didn't tell you.

Lights are on, but....

2006-08-22T15:57:00.000-07:00

Bush is like a model home, it looks nice when you visit, but it's alot of fake junk and nobody is ever home. Here's a little glimpse into his "mind" from the August 21st press conference courtesy Bob Harris via Huffington Post.

Zap!!!

2006-08-21T18:47:00.000-07:00

I took this on my cell phone just a few minutes ago from my parents patio! We are experiencing one of the greatest lightning shows ever seen in the Valley.

Last words on the WSOP, by Nate

2006-08-08T11:37:00.000-07:00

Honestly, when I got knocked out of the WSOP I thought I would be crushed. With the expectations I put on myself and my want do well for others, I thought I would take losing a lot worse. Fact is, I had a great time. I got to play poker in the worlds largest organized game.

I wasn't first out. I played pretty good and just had a little bad luck. But the best part of the experience was the experience. It was kind of an impromptu party in Vegas for all that could come. I would do it all over again in a heart beat.

Now to the poker. As I waded through what seemed an endless pool of poker tables and poker players I could not have been more nervous. I was the first person to sit down, talk about anxious. As others started sitting down I tried to break down the wall of uncomfortness with a witty line here or there, it seemed to work. Our table was unusually chatty. I bonded immediately with the players on my left and right. I don't know if you're supposed to do that. Actually, I didn't know a lot of what I was supposed to do since this was my first live tournament.

The first 2 hours seemed to last days. After that it started to seem like a regular game with your buddies. As far as cards go, I got a tad unlucky. Got my Aces busted twice against QQ's and JJ's. Even had Aces taken away because of a misdeal. I did get a straight flush, diamonds to the king. Unfortunately, no one had the Ace high flush or I could've made a lot more money. All in all it was a lot of fun and I hope to do it again.

Thanks to everyone for all of their support. See you at the tables.

Keep on truckin' Dave!

2006-08-01T15:20:00.000-07:00

Our good friend Dave Clarke is still rolling along in the WSOP. He starts the second round tomorrow at 12:00pm. Hopefully he can move up from the $7,000 he has coming out of round 1. Good luck Dave and we'll keep the rest of you posted on Dave tomorrow!

It was good while it lasted

2006-07-30T21:38:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately Nate has been eliminated. I will have exclusive details on how it went down when he and I get a chance to sit and go over his run. Don't fret though, our other friend Dave Clarke is still going!

UPDATE: The pretty lady with Nate is profesional Devi Ortega, nice.

The Great Nate Update

2006-07-30T19:31:00.000-07:00

I just spoke with The Nazz and they just finished dinner with Nate. He is currently at 11,000 in chips, while Dave is at 12,000. The field has only been cut to 1700 at this point and it needs to get down to 800 before the night is over. So it's going to be a long night. Nate has had some close calls, but is definitely hangin' in there. The leader is at 41,000 chips to give some perspective of how the action is playing. The guys are still roughly in the top 50%, so that's good.

Hang in there Nate, you're better than Phil Gordon, Mike Matusow, Jennifer Tilly, etc......

And we're off...

2006-07-30T12:26:00.000-07:00

Nate and Dave just started at their respective tables. Unfourtunately, we can't get in until around 5pm, so we just have to be patient and hope they're still playing at that point (they will be, they're good).

Oh, and we meet our old friend from Minnesota... Louie Anderson!

Good Times

2006-07-29T15:29:00.000-07:00

Here's what we've been doing since we got here: pool, then eat, then drink, then sleep, then pool...

...and here's the "swag" that PokerStars.com gave Nate to wear, but some of it he can't were on t.v. because it is a .com site which isn't allowed to be advertised on television.

Also, Nate will start is run for the final table at 12:00pm Sunday. Word is that the first rounds have been going as late as 3:30am! We'll be back tomorrow with LIVE coverage from Nate's table!

Poker Stars!

2006-07-28T12:00:00.000-07:00

Last night we went to the Activision WSOP party (thanks to Steve Williams) and had a great time. After several bottles of Don Julio 1942, we finally crashed back at the Monte Carlo with Ryan honking all night long. While we were at the party we ran into Scotty Nguyen and Chris "Jesus" Ferguson.

He's ready, he's ready, he's ready...

2006-07-24T13:52:00.000-07:00

Nate can't wait to get the 2006 World Series of Poker going. The tournament will be on ESPN starting Friday at 6pm(EDT) for those of you that won't be in Vegas cheering him on. Like I mentioned earlier, I will be doing my best to blog the weekend's events and all that Nate allows me to tell (remember, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas). Again, good luck, Nate, and if anyone has something specific they want to know about or see with regards to the WSOP and Nate, just leave a comment!

Give Our Future a Past

2006-07-20T20:03:00.000-07:00

In the past year or so I've been looking into an Executive Order that President Bush inacted weeks after 9/11. It's EO 13233 and it's a way for past, future, and current presidents to hide information from it's people. I suggest two things:
1. Research this order and form your own opinion.
2. Write your elected officials know your opinion on it. They have the power to revoke it. I did:

To the Honorable Trent Franks,

Sir, the last time I wrote electronically I was responded to with a generic "thank you note." I hope this time it is taken seriously.

I am asking for you as a member of this congress to introduce a bill revoking Executive Order 13233. As a constituent, history buff, and seeker of truth, I am deeply concerned with EO 13233 as it disregards the people's right to know it's government's actions. If you need more information on what implications this order has on our and future generations I will be glad to set up a time to meet with you and discuss it at your Glendale office. Your actions will reflect how many others and I will decide come November. Please sir, let our future have a past. Thank you for your time.

Very Respectively,
XXXXX X. XXXX
Voter

Know when to hold 'em

2006-07-16T14:23:00.000-07:00

Less than 2 weeks until Nate start his glorious run for the Gold Bracelet in the World Series Of Poker. I will be right there cheering him on, can't wait!

You'll be missed.........being made fun of

2006-06-28T17:26:00.000-07:00

Star Jones left The View and I don't really care much. I'm a believer in the thought that Star Jones left The View when Tracy Morgan left SNL. "I'm a lawyer!"

But seriously hurry up and get back in the spotlight soon, I need more of this.

I just thought we could use a good laugh.

The Countdown Begins

2006-06-27T20:07:00.000-07:00

Politics shouldn't bring tears of anger, just tears of passion. I am welling up with both as I type.

This week the U.S. Legislative branch argued whether or not to constitutionally ban flag burning, something I've given my blood, sweat, and tears to help preserve the right to do. The U.S. Executive branch scolded the press for reporting, something I've given my blood, sweat, and tears to help preserve the right to do. All the while, political rhetoric about "cutting and running" and "staying the course" has neither saved a life or brought anyone home, something I've given my blood, sweat, and tears to help accomplish. I came to the conclusion that I cannot for a long time be any part of the GOP. I've never been a registered republican, I'm an independent, but I have always have leaned conservative. Hell, I'm conservative! But as of 8:26p.m. June 27th, 2006 I will not cast a vote for any republican who is currently in any U.S. branch or does not publicly denounce this current Congress or administration.

While driving home today from college I had an epiphany: I am conservative for the simple reason of personal responsibility. And the sack of cons currently holding power has spit in the eye of that philosophy. The alumni of this current government will leave a taste of bitterness in my mouth for the remainder of my life. I have spent the last 3 years of my life living in a constant state of fear of death from unjust war, uncertainty of seeing my wife who is also in the military and a continuing nausea of pondering the extent of which my government will take all my freedoms which I hold dear.

So to the the republicans of the country I have this to say:

I have one year and nine months of a military induced muzzle. Come March 26th, 2008 I will put down the keyboard and pick up a megaphone. Come hell or high water, I'll find you all and hold you accountable for the destruction of my America. Policies will revert to normalcy and I'll be holding the pitchfork and torch that forces it. Other than that, thanks for the long hours, scandal, and the loss of my faith in government...........Go to hell!

I love this guy!

2006-06-22T15:20:00.000-07:00

Well, Sen. Rick Insanetorum (R-PA) has done it, single-handedly at that. He found the WMD's in Iraq. Today on the floor of the Senate, the "always fun to hear" Santorum unveiled to the world that we had found 500 artillery shells which contained the elusive WMD's. Unfortunately, they weren't what we were looking for. They were pre-Gulf War I, worthless paperweights. In fact, they were more evidence that sanctions were working prior to the invasion of Iraq. With no backing of the DoD, White House or any but one other GOP congressman, Ol' Rick basically explained the original reasoning for war was justified. Hey Rick, we also found a whole crapload of AK-47's, the only difference is those weapons actually worked.

In a side note, MSNBC reported this, and the Anchor, journalist Eugene Robinson, and Pat Buchanan couldn't stop giggling. Also,after a quick search, this story was not found on MSNBC.com (not even in the entertainment front page where it had a right to be), but it was front page news on FoxNews.com. 10 minutes after the MSNBC tv segment aired, the Fox story had vanished. What a joke!

Good News, Everybody!

2006-06-22T14:13:00.000-07:00

Now all of you who support the President's wild ride through Iraq but were too old (sorry, Ann) to "contribute" now have an opportunity! The Pentagon has allowed the Army to raise

"its maximum enlistment age by another two years... (allowing) volunteer(s) to serve in the active-duty Army or the part-time Army Reserve and National Guard up to their 42nd birthday".

Well, that means an additional 11 million or so potential troops. So we should have no problem getting this whole "War on Terror" knocked out right away when we have such a vast resource of people who know exactly what the President is talking about when he says we need to "stay the course" and "we're not going to cut & run". Now, you can back him up with the same enthusiasm that you use to attack anyone who doesn't think things are working out in Iraq. Hoorah, Army!

Please come home safe

2006-06-19T15:58:00.000-07:00

I just want us to pray for the safe return of Pfc. Kristian Menchaca and Pfc. Thomas L. Tucker from where ever they maybe. God be with you, Soldiers.

Ding, dong, the terrorist is dead!

2006-06-08T10:25:00.000-07:00

We finally hunted down the Wicked Witch of the East and dropped a house (with the help of 2 GBU-12 Paveway II bombs) of his head. Congrats to the Special Ops. forces on the ground who put themselves in harms way to mark his location and thank you to the 2 F-16 Air Force pilots who were able to deliver their weapons payload so effectively. My biggest concern with this situation is, did the Pentagon and White House make Abu Musab al-Zarqawi into a bigger threat than he really was? If he is as big as the DoD made him out to be, the violence in Iraq should slow down because he is no longer leading al-Qeada in Iraq. But I've already seen Rumsfeld backpedal a little bit on the significance of al-Zarqawi's death and it's impact on violence in Iraq. Either he was the threat the government made him out to be or he was a marketing tool to show how terrorism and Iraq were somehow one in the same. Either way, good riddance to a very bad person and let us hope that this has a bigger effect than all of those #2 and #3 in al-Qeada lieutenants we've been going through like toilet paper (here, here, here, here and here). Now, if we could just get the Wicked Witch of the West...

HADITHA

2006-06-02T16:46:00.000-07:00

If what the news is reporting is true (no reason to not believe the stories) and if a hand full of Marines killed two dozen civilians in Haditha those Marines must be disciplined (court marshaled). But we can't blame the Marine Corps or all of the military in general for the poor actions of a few people who (reportedly) "went off" on the killing of one of their own fellow Marines.

Who do we blame for this, or any such murders in a war situation? In Vietnam, at My-Lai civilians were reportedly murdered. And many are comparing the two incidents, which may not be too far from the truth.

The problem is the Command, actually Donald Rumsfeld, well let's not stop there, I actually blame Bush! My-Lai happened because in the 1960's we (yes I was a Marine in Vietnam, Semper-Fi) were trained to hate the enemy, and if I heard it once I heard it a hundred times from our instructors in training, "the only good 'gook' is a dead 'gook'" ('gook' was a derogatory slang term for all Vietnamese people, men women and children used during the Vietnam war and during all of our training before going to war.). The story goes; that General Westmoreland during the Vietnam war was quoted as saying "The only way to win this war is to take all of the good Vietnamese and put them on a ship and send it out to sea, and then got through this country and burn and kill every living thing left behind... and then sink the ship" Well, my point is if we (our military and the "Brass") still (40 years later) have this type of attitude, and we are still training our Marines and Solders with the attitude that "the only good Arab is a dead Arab" after Vietnam, well then, we should be ashamed and we could only expect to have some civilians killed, just like in My-Lai, Vietnam!

You can't send in troops that are trained to hate and kill a race of people, to fight a war, and then the next day; be the peoples care taker, that you were trained to kill a month before. The human mind just can't switch gears that fast! And we should have learned this lesson from Vietnam! The fact is, we (well actually, Bush) went to war without any plan to keep the peace. That puts the blood of the Haditha civilians on his hands.

We need two separate and distinct military unit types, one that is trained to fight the war, like our troops are currently trained, and then when the "mission is accomplished" those troops must be re-deployed and replaced with troops trained as peace keepers, to "win the war" of the hearts and the minds of the civilians of the Country we just invaded.

Happy Birthday Mr. President

2006-05-29T18:54:00.000-07:00

Actually today is my sister's birthday. She shares JFK's birthday and our mother' birthday is the anniversary of JFK's assination. So a big happy birthday, Bess!!!

Pat Robertson- "You wouldn't like me when I'm angry!"

2006-05-28T01:51:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to give some perspective on this nonsense from the 700 Club and the CBC. About 7 years ago, just before I joined the USAF, I was doing leg presses with one of my best friends who happened to be one of the top 3 or 4 strongest guys at the World Gym we lifted at here in Scottsdale. Both of us are (were) very strong in the legs, and we decided to max out on leg presses. After stacking on 10x100lbs plates (all the gym had) and 6x45lbs plates (which filled up the remaining space on the rack), we each pumped out 2 reps of 1270lbs each, with several witnesses. Now, I'm 6'0", 235lbs when in top shape, and I was gassed and amazed that I had moved that much weight. The FSU leg press record of 1335lbs by Dan Kendra sounds accurate, and I know what that kind of weight feels like, so to read that a 73 year old man moved ONE TON (btw, in the video, he is not doing anything that would be considered a leg press by anyone- what he's doing is like doing push-ups standing up against a wall) not only is baffling, but on top of that his doctor claims to be able to push 2700lbs with ease!!! Not only is all of this a bad lie, it would be no less of an amazing feat if Pat "The Incredible Hulk" claimed that he could long jump 35' or run 100 meters in 8.5 seconds or throw a baseball at 168mph!!! If your going to lie to sell something, at least lie within the known world of physiology and human limits... what an idiot!!!

Cross posted at DailyKos

Me too!

2006-05-22T17:34:00.000-07:00

Wow! My family is finally get up to speed with the "internets". My mom started her own blog and my sister jumped on board too. Here's to ya, and the hardest thing about blogs is keeping on top of posting (case in point, me). Try to post something on a regular basis, even if is a silly post like this. I love you guys!

Exxon "only" made $9.9 billion in the last three months

2005-10-27T23:30:00.000-07:00

Exxon just released their 3rd quarter earnings report and it was shown that the company made $9,900,000,000 in PROFITS in the last 90 days! And, Wall Street was expecting them to do better! I don't know about you, but when I look back at the last 3 months and think about oil companies and more specifically, gas, I had the feeling we all had to suck it up because of the hurricanes and the War in Iraq. However, by some miraculous turn, Exxon Mobil managed to record the greatest revenue total for a quarter in the history of the world, plus their greatest profit margins ever. All while you and I are paying $3.00+ a gallon for gasoline. And guess what, it's not the supply of oil that is keeping the price of gas high, it's our ability to refine the oil into gasoline. With the profit that just Exxon alone made for July, August & September, they could of built 3 or 4 new large refineries increasing the output by nearly 5%. But the oil companies don't make money on refineries that's why one hasn't been built in 30 years! I would think that oil and gas could be considered utilities since they are as crucial to the American way as electricity or water, but the government would never regulate them. Oh ya, what business was the President in before he became a "politician" and who did the Vice President work for prior to 2001 and what was the name of the company that Condi Rice sat on the board of (Hint: they named an oil tanker after her)?

Powerball crush!

2005-10-20T12:08:00.000-07:00

Trying to wrap my mind around the instant fortune of a $340,000,000 jackpot from Powerball. It is almost heart stopping if you really think about what winning something like that would do to a person. Now, I know about the "winners end up being losers" sob stories the media puts out any time a lottery hits a new high. But I wonder what these mega-jackpots bring in in terms of new players. I mean, if the lottery gets a lot of attention for a high jackpot, does that make regular players put more money into the system, or do new players show up in droves to buy up tickets increasing the jackpots? I am curious to see who this winner from Oregon is. If it's a regular player, or if it is a new "I just bought a couple of tickets because the jackpot was so high" customer. The reason I ask these questions is that it seems like the majority of people who win the lottery are either over 50, white, from a lower income bracket, blue collar worker, or without a higher education, with a combination of these as the most consistent model. I know that from these groups are where the general pool of players come from, but in the national attention grabbing super jackpots, I would think a broader cut of society would be represented. Maybe a doctor's office pool, or a teacher, or an accountant, or even me! Either way, I hope the winner(s) enjoy the money and don't end up in the next "From the rags to riches to rags" piece on the news the next time a huge jackpot comes up.

Congrats, Daniel

2005-10-14T10:00:00.000-07:00

Daniel Craig has been chosen to be the new Bond in the upcoming "Casino Royale". I was worried about the motivations of the producers for picking a new 007, but I will give them the benefit of the doubt on Mr. Craig since they say they are taking Bond back to his grittier, tougher roots. Good luck, Daniel, and don't Timothy Dalton us.

WAPO:Scandals or "How they waited their entire lives for this moment"

2005-10-13T21:32:00.000-07:00

The Washington Post has an article online outlining several of the White House’s biggest problems and the administration’s allies' difficulties.

A string of scandals involving some of the most powerful Republicans in Washington have converged to disrupt President Bush's agenda, distract aides and allies, and exacerbate political problems for an already weakened administration, according to party strategists and White House advisers.

It goes on to say that there isn’t a common thread among the scandals-

Most of the scandals have little direct connection with one another, but their accumulation in a compressed period has challenged a White House already beset by political problems stemming from the Iraq war, Hurricane Katrina and high gasoline prices, according to Republican advisers close to the Bush team, several of whom said they could speak candidly only if they were not identified by name.

and they all just happened in the last few months. But one prevailing pulse beats through all of these scandals- greed for power. White House controlling information and smearing any naysayer, Delay’s gerrymandering tactics to put up a permanent Republican majority, Abramoff’s pedaling influence for money, and on and on.

Also, most of these schemes have been perpetuated for years and several have been investigated for many months and years.

The article does make one good point-

(Abramoff came from) the generation of operatives and lobbyists who came of age when Republicans took control of Congress 11 years ago.

I think when the turn in Congress happened in 1994, the Republicans weren’t interested in cleaning up what the Democrats had made a mess of, I think they thought they could use the cover of good morals and ethics and do what the Nixon & Co. had started by trying to perpetuate indefinitely the Republicans power while stealing as much money and power as they could.

It was a vow that was welcomed in a capital weary of scandal, and the Bush White House made it through the first term without losing many scalps . With the lapse of the independent counsel statute and congressional oversight committees in the hands of the president's party, the instruments of political investigations were more limited.

One thing they thought was that they wouldn’t make the same mistakes Nixon made and they had 20 years to refine what he had managed to be good at. What’s happening now is that they are becoming slovenly in their work- it got to easy to keep stealing. The kept going for more and more, then finally they got the White House. Add that to the majority in Congress and all they needed was the Supreme Court, which was ripe for new justices. But the further out on the branch you get trying to reach for the big, juicy plum, the easier it is to fall off.

But scandal historically has ripened in second terms, including Watergate for Richard M. Nixon, the Iran-contra affair for Ronald Reagan, and the Whitewater and Monica S. Lewinsky investigation for Bill Clinton. "It always comes back," said Larry J. Sabato, a University of Virginia scholar who has written on Washington scandals. "There may be a couple of dry years occasionally, but it is a style of American politics, always has been, always will be. And now it's back with a vengeance."

But I think this is more than cyclical, this is a unique new animal. They started with the intention of being corrupt versus becoming evil over time from exposure to power.

This is the beginning of the end for the Bush clan. There is more than we know. They built their house of corruption on the sand of lies and now the rain of truth won’t stop coming down.

Several Republicans close to Bush said they believe the CIA leak investigation has taken a particular toll, reducing Rove's role in key decisions and prompting Bush to rely on other, less sure-footed advisers. One well-connected outside adviser cited the Miers pick as an example. He said even if Rove considered the selection a risk or mistake, he knew he was in no position to press Bush on it.

Even if Bush (failure) makes it out of this term, the House will have switched to the Dems in ‘06, Rove will have been indicted or fired and those who shy away from the fear of their power of retribution (Ari, Powell, O’Neil, McCain, who knows) will speak out and cash in on the “I know the dirtiest secret” sweepstakes, ala Liddy, Dean, Buchanan, et. al, and have a second career from have the stink of Bush on them. It hopefully will shake out the seedlings these guys planted, just as they grew from Watergate, and give us new promise future when the biggest worries we have is if we have lipstick on our collars (I don’t know what women have to hide while having an affair, men’s cologne?).

Possibly the biggest liar of all time

2005-10-13T17:27:00.000-07:00

Kevin Trudeau was on Paula Zahn's CNN programs lying and spinning his new brand of snake oil. He is such a disgusting person, particularly when a doctor makes a point about a hazard in following his "remedies", he responds with that it's just their opinion. Well I guess centuries of study, research, and COMMON SENSE are just opinions in Kevin's little world. This coming from the only person in the history of the United States of America to be banned from ever selling a product. Wow.

N.Y.C.- real fear on fake terror

2005-10-13T14:00:00.000-07:00

Now that we are finding out more about the fake terror alert, it has been discovered that people with knowledge of the "attacks" had sent out emails to friends or family in NYC to warn them of an imminent threat. Investigators are trying to find out who sent these emails. But I think the bigger question is this- why did the mayor sit on this alleged threat for 3 days from the request of the feds? I feel that the people who sent out the emails probably were freaking out over the fact that the mayor's office knew of an attack but wasn't warning the public. If I was Bloomberg's aide and heard this info, I would have immediately contact friends and family about this possible attack, even if the mayor hadn't announced it to the people of the city. The problem with the situation isn't that the threat wasn't real, but the fear of the people was. It will come out how the mayor's office got the info (and from the FBI? Why not the CIA, the "informant" was in Iraq), why they reacted in such an odd way, and who had the info and how it was handled. I think in this last thought is where you'll find the people who emailed the warning out to others, and why they didn't know that this was all made up. This could be bigger than just bad info, this could be the thread that pulls the "blanket of security" apart and reveals the manipulation that the administration has over the threat of fear and terror in this country.

Cause and effect?

2005-10-13T02:04:00.000-07:00

Keith Olbermann did a very interesting piece on the "Terror Alert" system and it's use by the administration. It gives you food for thought on who really pulls the lever to activate terror alerts. If you missed it, Crooks & Liars has the segment posted here.

Bond, James Bond

2005-10-12T06:03:00.000-07:00

I hope if there is a new choice for James Bond in Casino Royale, that it goes to Clive Owen. He seems to have the qualities that Sean Connery had when he was chosen to play Bond. If they come out of left field with a new guy just to shake things up, I have serious doubts about the franchise's future without the late Cubby Broccolli.

Judy, Judy, Judy

2005-10-12T05:19:00.000-07:00

I wonder which way things will go when Judy Miller goes in to testify today. Will she really put the screws to Scooter and the White House over her "discovered" notes, or will she be sheepish and protect her sugar daddies as much as she can without having to go back to Orange Suit City.

Pioneer is really starting to impress me

2005-10-11T21:02:00.000-07:00

Slowly, but surely Pioneer is put out their new 2006 line up of Receivers, DVD players, Plasma displays, etc. Right now I'm getting pumped about the new VSX-74TXVi, the "prince" of their A/V receiver line. The price point looks to be very attractive and the street price is fantastic! Some of the things I'm glad they have is 2xHDMI inputs/1xHDMI output, up-conversion to HDMI, iLink for full digital multi-channel audio playback, USB(b) input for WMA 9.0/mp3 decoding (very nice), XM and iPod inputs (new), and tons of power for all 7 channels. I think I've found a replacement for my venerable VSX-55TXi which is doing a great job, but I really could use the HDMI up-conversion/switching capabilities in the 74TXVi. Plus, it's a gorgeous piece of hardware.

BFF XOXO

2005-10-11T10:23:00.000-07:00

This revelation of the chatter between Bush and Harriet Miers is like reading my old jr. high school yearbook. I've never been a lawyer or a governor or 52 years old or a woman, but I think friendly banter between these two is extraordinarily juvenile. And this is why he thinks she'll make a good justice, cuz, like she said ""Dear Governor GWB, You are the best Governor ever" and that George and Laura are, like "cool parents" and all. I guess I would expect more out of two adults in the situation these two know each other, being a lawyer and a governor, and like really old or something!

What were the conditions?

2005-10-11T09:57:00.000-07:00

It seems that the "Terror Alert" in New York last week was nothing more than fizz inside a can. One thing Ms. Arena does not tell us is under what conditions this informant had volunteered the information. It seems to me that maybe the Abu Gharib chickens are coming home to roost. Were this man and his friends guest of the Administration in Iraq, were they insurgents, were they AQ operatives? The reason I'm so curious is it puts great context on what the intelligence pipelines are sending back here. And if this info was gathered in Iraq, why did Bloomberg get it from the FBI, not the CIA. And if it came from them, why was the White House allegedly out of the loop? I don't fault NYC for reacting the way they did, but the whole structure of intel distribution seems out of whack. And finally, who determined it was a hoax now, but not last week when the public had to endure another "threat" to our safety.

Priorities for aid

2005-10-11T02:59:00.000-07:00

One thing that I am finding quite upsetting is that on Saturday there was a horrible earthquake halfway around the world, and we can immediately pull resources from the "War on Terror" in Afghanistan to help those in need, but FEMA can't figure out for over a week who to call on to get food and water to the Gulf Coast, or won't clear up or bypass the red tape to get waiting supplies into the region. Where has this country gone that things like this are happening? I don't think anybody in Pakistan or India was to worried about protocol and procedure when it accepted help from the international community. Is this the cause from cronies in the Federal government (who seemed to do the job in 2004 in Florida, wait... that was an election year in the President's brother's state, and they gave out much more money than they were supposed too, nice.) or do we has a serious bureaucratic problem in the government. If either issue is true, we have a serious situation to deal with.

I finally did it

2005-10-10T20:59:00.000-07:00

I never really thought this is something I would ever do. I left it to the web elite to do these kinds of things. Either way, I will try to give you (anyone who is kind enough to read this) a liitle bit of my time and alot of my mind each day.

This could be something you might not be able to live with, but don't say I didn't tell you.