thepete.com mirror
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Writers & SciFi readers! I'm NaNoWriMo-ing this year & would LOVE your support! http://manhattanstory.tumblr.com
http://manhattanstory.tumblr.com
or
http://wiki.thepete.com/w/ManhattanStory
2009! Short chapters! 1st draft! Science Fiction! You'll love it!! :)
Thursday, October 29, 2009
The "Truth" About the Franken Amendment via The Foundry (the quotes are mine)
Consequently many employers are turning to alternative dispute resolution methods that cost far less. Many contracts require employers and employees to take legal disputes to arbitration. There an outside arbitrator evaluates the claims and imposes remedies. Arbitrators award employees fair damages in cases of actual injustice while quickly dispensing with merit-less nuisance suits. Instead of legal bills running into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, however, arbitration usually costs only a few thousand dollars. That saves employers the money they need to create jobs while giving rogue employees no leverage to win undeserved settlements. Arbitration protects employees’ legal rights while keeping the economy moving. Everybody wins. Except the trial lawyers.
So, I'm doing some research on HR 3326 and come across this really quite amusing opinion piece on Heritage.org. The above quote refers to the cost-cutting decision to contractually-force lawsuit-seeking employees to agree to a much cheaper "arbitration," rather than going to actual trial where said corporation would have to spend tens of thousands in court and lawyer fees even if the case is thrown out. According to James Sherk, the author of the blog post at Heritage.org, arbitration is a win-win for both sides.
Except that it isn't. Arbitration is not a legal proceeding. If your employer has broken the law, arbitration keeps things off the legal record. So, saying "Everybody wins. Except the trial lawyers." is a fallacy. The loser is the plaintiff and justice, itself.
The real truth is that the corporations win because they can keep this stuff out of the court system, save buckets of money and without a judge on the plaintiff's side, no chance for real justice should a crime actually have taken place.
This kind of apologism is despicable.
The opinion piece goes on to talk about how letting "unscrupulous employees" take their employers to court means job creation is hampered--as though all employers o is sit around thinking of new ways to hire people. Also, Sherk forgets the part where employers (executives) can take pay-cuts. OH NO, NOT PAY CUTS!!
You'll never see anyone talk about executive pay-cuts. No, no! But job cuts--no problem!
So, because we need to protect the almighty job-creators of America, we must ban the ability of employee/victims of fellow-employee crime from suing.
Forget that the company may very well be responsible for creating an unsafe workplace--no, the company's right to make as much money as possible MUST BE PROTECTED!!
Why slow the economy down for just one person?
Assholes.
Why do corporations even exist? To make money. So, why the hell should I give a crap about their rights?
Job creation, huh? HIRE ME. Where's my job?
GIMME.
NOW.
Yeah, didn't think so....
And don't forget the Franken Amendment in HR 3326 doesn't ban anything but the USG hiring companies that put clauses like this in their contracts with employees. It does not stop non-government contracted companies from leaving these clauses in. So these amoral "conservative" pretenders are getting hyper about losing a piece of their pie, rather than just thanking "God" that they live in such a great country as America.
;)
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
MARQUEE FIVE Performance Dates Announced!!!
Check out the official announcement of the first performances of MARQUEE FIVE, @siskita's vocal group!! Shows in December here in NYC!! Live in the Big Apple? COME SEE 'EM!! Click the link for the deets!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Harry Reid does the almost unthinkable & pushes for the public option!!
This is actually a pleasant surprise for me, a person who doesn't think the profit motive should have a part in the health care "industry". That's just it--this should be about saving lives and improving human health, not making bank. Sure, doctors and other health care providers should get paid well, but letting people get rich off the sick? That just seems wrong. When I heard there was going to be a bill that forces us to get private insurance like we're fricken cars I was upset--I don't want to support a system that thinks curing erectile disfunction is more important than curing cancer. Plus, I sold my car, in part, because I got tired of paying insurance on it. I can't sell my body--well not in THIS way... So, assuming this public option ends up in the bill that Obama signs I'll be at least a little happy about it. Of course, I'll still have to pay for my own healthcare, unlike every other nation in the western world, but at least I'll be supporting a doctors who aren't going to push me to get an operation because it means they get more money. They also won't be prescribing me drugs because they get kickbacks big pharma. Thank heaven for small favors, right? Sheesh--sad when we're thankful for people not being shitty to us.
Monday, October 26, 2009
One last pic from Colbert, today--I thought I sent this one already.
See? Much less serial-killery. Had such a good time though--hope to go again sometime.
Had a blast at Colbert!! Cornell West was awesome! Here's a pic from before the show.
This was take 1 of the earlier shot. Too serial-killery I thought.
In line for today's Colbert Report taping! Boo chilly weather, yay for short lines!
I believe I'm maybe 10 or 12 people back. Took this pic as I arrived and, if you squint, you can see the line stretching (or not) away from the cam.
On my way to a live taping of COLBERT REPORT! IT'S FRENCH, BITCH!
Meeting up with my little bro and @siskita for a live taping of one of
the only regular American TV shows we still watch! So psyched!!
Best ever line I've heard in an actual dream I had: "Hey, the Pope needs chips!"
Dreamed it last night/this morning, actually. In the dream I was giving some good-natured ribbing to a high-paid actress for donating all of her money to the church, hence the playful reply about the Pope and snack food. Other things I dreamed last night: 1) that I have no problem being nude around other people (not true)
2) that I live in a house literally inside a tree
3) that I worked as a stage hand for a theater group run by a nun (who didn't take kindly to the joke about the Pope needing chips, btw).
4) that I told my wife I'd talk with a priest about being born again if the priest agreed that both of us be nude in the meeting
5) that the priest agreed
6) that in the meeting the priest (who was nude but sat behind a desk the whole time) offered me eternal salvation and a "Ghost in the Shell" sticker in exchange for me accepting Jesus as my savior and me donating all of of my money to the church (he handed me the sticker and a tiny bag to put my cash in at the same time--not terribly subtle, but he did guess correctly how big a bag I'd need for all of my money).
6) Disgusted, I swore, tossed the bag and sticker (which I did want to keep) in his face and stormed out, leaving my wife in the priest's office (she was clothed).
7) Upon reaching my tree-home I realized that, since I was still nude, I had no place to carry my house keys, which meant I didn't have them, so I climbed in through the kitchen window, which was actually a knothole in the tree just big enough for me to get stuck in, which I did, just as my alarm went off.
8) There was also some other stuff about the fabric of space time being devoured by a strange, dark gray mist, but I don't remember much about that. Suck on that Freud! Today is already off to a really fun start :)
2) that I live in a house literally inside a tree
3) that I worked as a stage hand for a theater group run by a nun (who didn't take kindly to the joke about the Pope needing chips, btw).
4) that I told my wife I'd talk with a priest about being born again if the priest agreed that both of us be nude in the meeting
5) that the priest agreed
6) that in the meeting the priest (who was nude but sat behind a desk the whole time) offered me eternal salvation and a "Ghost in the Shell" sticker in exchange for me accepting Jesus as my savior and me donating all of of my money to the church (he handed me the sticker and a tiny bag to put my cash in at the same time--not terribly subtle, but he did guess correctly how big a bag I'd need for all of my money).
6) Disgusted, I swore, tossed the bag and sticker (which I did want to keep) in his face and stormed out, leaving my wife in the priest's office (she was clothed).
7) Upon reaching my tree-home I realized that, since I was still nude, I had no place to carry my house keys, which meant I didn't have them, so I climbed in through the kitchen window, which was actually a knothole in the tree just big enough for me to get stuck in, which I did, just as my alarm went off.
8) There was also some other stuff about the fabric of space time being devoured by a strange, dark gray mist, but I don't remember much about that. Suck on that Freud! Today is already off to a really fun start :)
So, after iTunes deleted 80% of my apps...
because it thought my iPhone had been synced to another computer and not ITSELF under a previous installation of OSX, I've now downloaded all of my old apps AGAIN and am currently waiting as iTunes transfers them BACK onto my iPhone.
What's really HIGHlarious is that some of the apps iTunes deleted it claimed they weren't authorized to be copied onto this computer FROM the iPhone--but when I "bought" them again (but wasn't charged THANKFULLY), of course, iTunes had no problem transfering them from the iTunes store to my computer. WTF IS THAT?
Am I the only one who is mad as hell thinking about how all this song and dance is just because Apple is greedy, controlling and wants to force us to use their hardware the way they want and not the way we want?
I own my iPhone, thank you very much. I want a choice. I want a way to be able to use it without having to hack my way in and without being assumed a criminal--as we all are. After all, the iTunes app isn't JUST a way to all but force us to buy only through Apple's media store.
Think about the Kindle. It's got the Kindle store, but guess what--any file that is compatible with it YOU can drag and drop YOURSELF on to the Kindle WITHOUT A "HELPER" APP!! Can you BELIEVE IT? AND THEN: you can drag and drop the books OFF of it the SAME WAY!!
HOLY FUCKING SHIT! It's like AMAZON DOESN'T THINK WE'RE ALL CRIMINALS!!
Don't they understand that as customers, it's our job to jump through absurd hoops to get and use the product (even if we bought it ourself through another vendor)??? COME ON, AMAZON! GET WITH IT! ANNOY THE CRAP OUT OF ME! WASTE MY TIME!
It's just not a corporate consumer experience without the inconvenience of being assumed a criminal!!
(Still waiting for iTunes... even after proofreading this post.)
Sunday, October 25, 2009
So, why is it that, in order to sync my iPhone ringtones, iTunes needs to erase everything on my iPhone??
Seriously, explain this Apple. "Are you sure you want to sync
ringtones" All existing songs, movies and TV shows on the iPhone will
be removed."
wouldn't be a problem. But noooo you guys have to make as much money
as you possibly can!! But when we "little people" find work-arounds,
WE'RE the bad guys. Sheesh...
Google Wave keeps telling me it's 1st wave to me is new whenever I pull up Wave.
Of course, I'd not mind if it actually was updated with invites. :)
Windows 7 branded Burger King Whopper with 7 patties for Japanese Windows Customers via http://Garr.posterous.com
しまた！
This is part of the Windows 7 promotion campaign going on in Japan right now.
Yeah, try to sell the successor to an infamously fat, bloated OS with the help of a SEVEN-patty'ed burger whose name already suggests being oversized... to a country full of people known for eating healthy small portioned food.
Good plan, Micro$oft! I think I'll stick to my (not so big) Mac!
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Note to selves: next time a FedEx delivery misses us, don't go get it from the FedEx place
It's in the middle of nowhere..
Friday, October 23, 2009
http://RepublicansForRape.org blogs on Senator Daniel Inouye Possibly Stripping the Franken Amendment
Great news, folks!
We might be a minority in Congress, but that doesn't mean we can't get our way! Senator Daniel Inouye, Democrat from Hawaii, may be intervening on our behalf. From HuffPo:
An amendment that would prevent the government from working with contractors who denied victims of assault the right to bring their case to court is in danger of being watered down or stripped entirely from a larger defense appropriations bill.
Multiple sources have told the Huffington Post that Sen. Dan Inouye, a longtime Democrat from Hawaii, is considering removing or altering the provision, which was offered by Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) and passed by the Senate several weeks ago.
Inouye's office, sources say, has been lobbied by defense contractors adamant that the language of the Franken amendment would leave them overly exposed to lawsuits and at constant risk of having contracts dry up. The Senate is considering taking out a provision known as the Title VII claim, which (if removed) would allow victims of assault or rape to bring suit against the individual perpetrator but not the contractor who employed him or her.
"The defense contractors have been storming his office," said a source with knowledge of the situation. "Inouye either will get the amendment taken out altogether, or water it down significantly. If they water it down, they will take out the Title VII claims. This means that in discrimination cases, they will still force you into a secret forced arbitration on KBR's (or other contractors') own terms -- with your chances of prevailing practically zero. The House seems to be very supportive of the original Franken amendment and all in line, but their hands are tied since it originated in the Senate. And since Inouye runs the show on this bill, he can easily take it out to get Republicans and the defense contractors off his back, which looks increasingly likely."
If this article is accurate it represents fantastic news for the movement – bipartisan support for rape!
Update on Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 9:41PM byRapeFan
You can call Senator Inouye at (202) 224-3934 or you may reach him at his website.
What's really sad is the Franken Amendment doesn't go far enough. This kind of clause in a contract needs to be banned outright. The fact that ANY corporation is allowed to include a clause like this speaks volumes of the corrupt nature both corporations and the humans that run them behave with.
Brilliant: Why you can't occupy Afghanistan - via blogdrop.posterous.com
Sigh... why do so many people ignore history?
I'm not even saying we need to quit--we just need to be a bit more clever than throwing troops at it.
Another addition to my ever-expanding list of reasons aliens don't visit us: we're a planet of idiots.
http://sierrainnewyork.blogspot.com ya gotta check out my wife's blog--so much goin on, like Marquee Five! COOL!
@siskita (second from left in pic) is one of the most talented people I've ever known and now she's teamed up with four other immensely talented singers in a new vocal group Marquee Five!
But click on through to Sierra's blog--she's got stacks going on. Go check it out!
From email spam: "I want to introduce you to one of my favorite places online for Latter-day Saints" ...sigh...
Guess these idiots didn't notice that I'm an atheist. :\ Maybe I should add a page on my wiki?
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Compare US Military Spending to What the USG spends on everything else...
"Well, actually, one of the figures that we’re looking at now is that the combined total budgets of states, of the forty-eight states projected to be in deficit for 2010, is $689 billion. And when you compare that to our nation’s military budget for 2010—it’s $704 billion—it’s striking that the total state budgets, forty-eight states, is less than our nation’s military expenditures. So, for example, for Massachusetts, we are at a $27 billion budget, $5 billion of which will be in deficit, which will mean huge cuts. For the states, it’s about $160 billion for all forty-eight states to bring them to level funding for 2010." -Jo Comerford, executive director of the National Priorities Project. Her latest article is available at TomDispatch.com. It’s called, Cashing in the War Dividend: The Joys of Perpetual War, on the October 21, 2009 edition of Democracy Now.
Anyone who says Americans are "generally good people" should probably include the criticism that we are "generally rock stupid when it comes to the behavior of their government."
Our national priorities are completely upside-down.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Democracy Now reports on the Yes Men's latest target: The US Chamber of Commerce (tee-hee!)
The business community got a shock on Monday when its leading advocacy group appeared to make a startling announcement. A statement purporting to come from the Chamber of Commerce said the group had dropped its opposition to congressional climate change legislation and would now even support taxing carbon emissions. The news wires quickly picked up the story, and within minutes it was being reported on the websites of outlets including the New York Times and Washington Post. It also made its way onto cable news, including the Fox Business Network. It was all a prank pulled off by the Yes Men.
via democracynow.org
My only question is that they seem to suggest that carbon taxing is a good thing, but I don't think they came out and said that *carbon credit trading* was a bad thing. Like the "Clean Coal" myth, the whole "cap and trade" fiction needs to be called out. Taxing carbon won't solve anything. It needs to be banned ASAP. Trading is just subterfuge--something to make it look like action is being taken. But it's our fault for falling for it.
What we're dealing with is a species of animal (humans) who don't want to face reality:
Every single thing we do exploits someone or something somewhere.
"Trading" your "carbon credits" with other, less polluting companies, is just a shell game--it doesn't lessen pollution, it only makes it look prettier.
But too many of us think businesses need this incentive to change. You know, like little children need incentives to behave. The difference is, businesses are NOT children and neither are we. But since most of us (especially our politicians) have our fingers in our ears, childishly yelling "LALALALALALAI'MNOTLISTENINGTOYOULALALALALA." regarding most of capitalism's ills, what better way to get attention than a childish prank? Thus the Yes Men pretend to be things they're not. In this case, they pretended to be the USG doing the right thing. The response from the actual USG is to say "No, no, we're really not doing that."
Which is exactly what they did.
Societal hacking rocks!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Awesome doctored up Mike Bloomberg commercial.
via youtube.com
King Mike is right. I am SO voting against this guy next month!
TERM LIMITS.
Mike thinks he can buy anything he wants. I reeeeally hope New Yorkers prove him wrong.
Come on, Google! I want to nominate some folks to get Google Wave invites. I've got collaborating ta do!!
That's the big secret, by the way. For months I couldn't work out exactly what Google Wave was, but now that I have it, I see it's just a collaboration tool. A really cool one that works over the 'net, but in the end, it's just that--a tool for folks to work together in real time over the Internets. Don't know why they couldn't just bill it that way instead of explaining it in the form of a really much-too-long video. It's Google, it's not like they won't have people pounding on their door to try it out anyway. So, why create the buzz? Ah well...
Care to give some view-love to @JayThePal? Blow 36 seconds on his 3 entries into the Get Crackin contest!
<br>How I (Don't) Get Crackin, Man! :( on 12seconds.tv
<br>How I Get Crackin (I'm just sharp, man!) on 12seconds.tv
<br>How I Get Crackin... projectile-style, man! YEAH! on 12seconds.tv
Make sure to sign up/in to 12seconds.tv so you can bump and show your love for your favorite 12s!
Check out other folks' entries here: http://12seconds.tv/rooms/getcrackin
Newsweek's Daniel Lyons on "New News" & how Apple's tablet PC will help us get there. (cool read!)
I have no idea what the "new news" will look like, but I know it will arrive. Look at how people have turned their creativity loose on the iPhone. In just 16 months, thousands of developers have created 85,000 applications for that device. The same will happen with tablets. These powerful devices with constant Internet access will enable us (and force us) to rethink media. What is a newspaper? What is a book? What is a movie? What is entertainment? Somewhere out there, the Orson Welles of the digital age is in grade school, or maybe high school. Soon he or she will be inventing a new language for telling stories. I can't wait to see what it looks like.
via newsweek.com
This article actually gave me chills when I read it. It makes me think that not everyone in the MSM has their head buried in the sand. Lyons seems to understand how technology changes the world in ways we can't imagine. Just look to history for evidence of this. We're witnessing history first-hand. We're the active participants in the birth of a new world where technology will change the way we do everything.
Pretty. Damn. Cool.
I do believe it's time to do a clean install of my iPhone's OS.
3 browser crashes and 2 email crashes in about an hour is not optimal for getting crap done.
Google Wave for Mobile? Not yet!
Logged in to Google Wave the other morning on my iPhone and this is what I found. I'm really impressed with what I can do with Wave, in theory, but I need to bring some more friends aboard. Invites Google, give me invites! Or nominations--whatever you call 'em... oh and some sort of mobile access would rock. Thiiinx!
Got 24 seconds? Give some view-love to my 2 12seconds.tv "Get Crackin" 12-second video contest entries!
Be sure to check out the other entries here: http://12seconds.tv/rooms/getcrackin
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Watch all the awesome entries in the Get Crackin contest or enter your own: http://12seconds.tv/rooms/getcrackin
Lots of great videos! Some of them are from me :)
http://12seconds.tv/channel/ThePete/279534 <--with my puppet
http://12seconds.tv/channel/ThePete/279318 <--with boobs
http://12seconds.tv/channel/jaythepal/278498 <-- with my wit!
http://12seconds.tv/channel/jaythepal/279148 <-- beat boxing!
http://12seconds.tv/channel/jaythepal/279479 <-- projectile-style!
And here's one from Siskita:
http://12seconds.tv/channel/siskita/278391 <-- like a diva!
Bump 'em, comment, and hey, if you've got a pistachio nut on ya, join in the fun and submit your own. YOU'VE GOT JUST HOURS!! DO IT!!
http://12seconds.tv/rooms/getcrackin
Arizona Sheriff Goes Rogue, Doesn't "Take Orders from Anyone"
Reuters is reporting that Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has, in my opinion, gone rogue--here are a couple excerpts from Reuters.com:
PHOENIX (Reuters) - An Arizona sheriff known for cracking down on undocumented migrants is conducting an immigration and crime sweep around Phoenix, less than a day after federal authorities curbed his powers to make immigration arrests.And from a bit later in the article (emph added by me):
"Nothing has changed," Arpaio said while overseeing the operation in a suburb northwest of Phoenix. "We're still going to be doing what we've been doing tonight and during the last two and a half years. I don't take orders from anyone." I know the quality of America's democracy has been called into question before but I'm pretty sure sherifs still have bosses and, I believe, are even elected. This means Arpaio does take orders and claiming otherwise suggests he's gone the way of General Ripper in Dr. Strangelove. Of course the thing that bugs me almost as much as a media that doesn't see the need to point out how inappropriate (and possibly illegal) it is for Arpaio to arrest 8 people who couldn't prove they were in the country legally, is that almost no one in the media or in government talks about the real core issue here: Illegal immigration would be almost non-existent if American businesses would not break the law by hiring illegal immigrants. No demmand for cheap labor means no supply. That's one of the basic laws of doing business. When are we going to realize that capitalism, itself, is at the heart of most of the problems we're facing? Health care reform is about protecting human health over a company's "right" to make as much money as it can. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are about securing oil/natural gas for energy companies and about creating new markets for corporate goods and services. Our economic crash was about banks making as much money as they could off of us and our money. Illegal Immigration is largely about businesses who don't want to pay minimum wage. End. Of. Story. Why doesn't Arpaio go after the criminals that hire these "illegals?"
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Just cutting my 1st new video for my room on 12seconds.tv http://12seconds.tv/rooms/thepeteroom
Head over and answer TheQuestion of the day! http://12seconds.tv/rooms/thepeteroom
Friday, October 16, 2009
@Siskita is for Hire in the Definitely Dickens Holiday Carolers!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Rep Grayson: "If the President has a BLT tomorrow, the Republicans will try to ban bacon." via hucklebug.com
via youtube.com
This was nice to see.
Too bad nobody's going to actively care.
Thanks to http://hucklebug.com and Bet & Stennie for bringing this video to the attention of their listeners.
Anybody need a Google Voice invite? I'll trade one for a Google Wave invite! :) :) :)
Though, I have no idea why you'd need a GV invite if you already had a GW invite. o_O
My Nutshell Take on Health Care "Reform" #HCR
Every morning this week I've woken to media stories about the "sweeping" health care reform bill that is being put together. I haven't read the bill, itself (who has?), but from what I've read it's not that "sweeping" at all. At least not in a sense that it's "sweeping" in a good way. Forcing most Americans to get insurance is NOT sweeping in a good way, IMHO. It's bad. I don't care if it saves more lives--it robs freedoms from each of us. What freedoms? The freedom to not get health care from a system more interested in making money than actually keeping you healthy. The freedom to be left the hell alone--what if someone doesn't want to get coverage at all? What if, like me, he or she doesn't want to support a system that gets rich off of the sick and has no incentive to find actual cures for people (just treatments)? One size does not fit all and I don't appreciate Obama, or anyone else, telling me I have to get insurance, affordable or not. This bill is sweeping in that it "sweeps" a whole mess of new customers into the dirty dustpan that is the health insurance industry. I hope I'm wrong and have misunderstood something, but I see nothing about this bill that actually benefits Americans so I refuse to buy into the media myth that this is a big deal. The USG is saying it's a big deal (bi-partisan because ONE Republican digs it??) and the media is repeating it verbatim. It's like Iraq all over again. But instead of the military industrial complex making bank off of it, it's the insurance industry that will be flying high.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Due to concern that your account may have been compromised in a phishing attack that took place off-Twitter...
...your password was reset. Please create a new password by opening this link in your browser:
You're kidding me! Crap--how many friggin' sites will I now have to update with my new Twitter password thanks to this? Can we wait until we know for a fact my account's been compromised first before you--oh, right, you've already reset my password. しまった！
Robert Wexler emails: "I am leaving Congress. Thank You for Being on My Team." I say: Good riddance.
A little harsh? Meh. After all this time he leaves his job
intentionally. You think he could have risked having to leave his job
for standing up for American principles. Instead, here's what he says
in his latest email to folks on his mailing list:
Dear
Pete, Today, with both sadness and excitement, I announced that I am leaving
Congress in January to accept the position of President of the Center
for Middle East Peace, a non-profit institute devoted to achieving a
just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East
Because America just doesn't matter to you anymore?
This decision was not easy: I love my job and my
devoted staff, and have a long, close relationship with my
constituents – many of whom I’ve served for nearly 20 years. Throughout my 13 years in Congress, I sought to be an advocate for
democratic values and provide a voice to vitally important progressive
causes.
How'd that work out for ya?
Whether it was working to end the use of torture by the
Bush Administration, fighting for a legitimate vote during election
2000, successfully pushing for a voter verified paper trail in
Florida, or our shared quest for genuine accountability these last few
years – I’m proud of the stands I’ve taken.
WHY?
I am even prouder to have had you standing with
me.
COUGHlipserviceCOUGH
Those who have followed my career know that in addition
to the progressive causes I have championed, one of my overriding
passions has been my work on the Foreign Affairs Committee helping to
ensure the unbreakable bond between the United States and Israel, and
promoting a comprehensive peace between Israel and the Palestinians
and Israel and the Arab world.
!! Some might suggest those two goals conflict with one another. That aside, what about America, man? Doesn't Israel have enough support in the US?
While I regret that I will be unable to complete my
current term in office, I truly believe we are at a unique and
critically tense moment in the history of the Middle East and
decisions made today will shape the world for years to come. There is
no time to waste.
SURE THERE IS! You've been in office for 13 years--what difference does the rest of your term in office make?
Not much apparently.
The work on issues of accountability did not start with
me, nor will it end with me leaving office. This movement has always
been driven by you – and your support for the vital causes we have
worked on together. One of the great lessons I learned in my time in Congress I learned
from you - and it is this:
If you stand up for and defend the constitution and rule of law, you
will gain the support of hundreds of thousands of citizens across the
country.
And what did you do with this support?
Quit your job early and work for, what is essentially, part of the Israeli lobby, right?
Thank you for having being part of my team and, most
especially, for being brave American patriots.
With warm regards,Congressman Robert Wexler
Yeah, bite me Wexy. You're a fricken quitter. You're a loser just like every other politician in Washington who is more worried about money than their principles. People think this is about Republican vs. Democrat. Nope--this is about money vs. principle. Democrat or Republican, both "sides" of the "aisle" are corrupt as hell and in this email you're not afraid to brag about it. Really shameless, Wex. Really. Enjoy your buckets of cash, man!
Picture Source: http://wexler.house.gov
Ballpoint Adventures for November 23, 1998 by ThePete
Hey, it's science fiction--it could happen! (more at: http://thepete.com/ics )
Just took a look at http://foldingcyclist.com & was shocked @ how pricey folding bikes are. Absurd!
My last mountain bike was $100 or so--there's no way I'd spend over a GRAND on a bike, folding or not! What are these fools thinking??
Warning? What's that? Treehugger.com: We Need to Produce 70% More Food in Next 40 Years.
via treehugger.com
From the Treehugger.com article:
The money it would take to increase food production by that large amount is in the billions and even with best estimates, hundreds of millions of people will still starve by 2050, reports the BBC. Is there anything that can be done?By 2050, the worlds population is expected to rise from 6.7 billion to 9.1 billion and feeding that many extra mouths, plus finding the space to grow the food to feed that many mouths, is going to take a serious amount of work and the FAO reports that we literally need to start today. That's before we factor in the droughts, floods, water scarcity, fluctuating temperatures, and other problems that will arise from climate change, essentially tying one hand behind our back while we try to grow our own food to feed ourselves.
Will we bother to act?
Of course we won't!
43 in NYC... Mr. Winter, you are early and you are unwelcome, sir!
Please vacate the city! Indeed you may return at a later day, as Miss Rain has agreed to do.
Good day, sir... I SAID: GOOD DAY, SIR!Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Forget thinking positive, Barbara Ehrenreich says think angry! I agree!
Author Barbara Ehrenreich on “Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined
America”
In her new book, author Barbara Ehrenreich documents what she says is the destructive power of the positive thinking movement in the United States, from breast cancer to the workplace, to the economy, to politics as a whole. Ehrenreich opens the book by writing about her own experience with breast cancer culture after being diagnosed with the disease in 2000. She says in the prevailing positive thinking culture of America, breast cancer patients are urged to avoid feeling angry and instead find meaning and even uplift in the disease. She writes, “In the most extreme characterization, breast cancer is not a problem at all, not even an annoyance—it is a ‘gift,’ deserving of the most heartfelt gratitude.” [includes rush transcript]
She suggests, among other things, that the "thinking positive" mindset places you on equal footing with whatever you are facing (even if you're not) and also suggests that it's all up to you to triumph and if you don't, it's your fault you failed and no one else's.
Forget that cancer is not entirely understood. Forget that fate can throw curve balls at you. Forget that sometimes there are damn good reasons to get angry.
Ehrenreich is right when she suggests that "thinking positive" may not always be enough and sometimes may be the wrong way to go entirely.
It's just more of the over-individualization of our society. Where an unfair amount of responsibility is placed with the individual rather than taking a critical look at where responsibility may really lie.
For instance, with cancer, I always come back to the idea that it's absurd that the USG spends over a trillion dollars on keeping us safe from phantom menaces in the desert but a comparable pittance to help find a cure for cancer, which kills hundreds of thousands of people yearly. It's absurd. But no--it's your fault you're dying of cancer, because you didn't think positive enough.
Monday, October 12, 2009
To me, Columbus Day is like Rosh Hashannah. You know, a day we whites atone for the sins of our ancestors.
I wrote this a couple years back on Columbus Day 2007 but think it fits just fine for this year and all years,
really:
really:
The following is an excerpt from Chapter 1 of A People’s History of The United States: 1492 to Present:Happy Columbus Day, everyone! Happy Columbus Day 2009, everyone!Arawak men and women, naked, tawny, and full of wonder, emerged fromThese Arawaks of the Bahama Islands were much like Indians on the
their villages onto the island’s beaches and swam out to get a closer
look at the strange big boat. When Columbus and his sailors came
ashore, carrying swords, speaking oddly, the Arawaks ran to greet
them, brought them food, water, gifts. He later wrote of this in his
log: They…brought us parrots and balls of cotton and spears and many other
things, which they exchanged for the glass beads and hawks’ bells.
They willingly traded everything they owned… They were well-built,
with good bodies and handsome features… They do not bear arms, and do
not know them, for I showed them a sword, they took it by the edge and
cut themselves out of ignorance. They have no iron. Their spears are
made of cane… They would make fine servants… With fifty men we could
subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want.
mainland, who were remarkable (European observers were to say again
and again) for their hospitality, their belief in sharing. These
traits did not stand out in the Europe of the Renaissance, dominated
as it was by the religion of popes, the government of kings, the
frenzy for money that marked Western civilization and it’s first
messenger to the Americas, Christopher Columbus.
The 5 Minute Show Episode 3: the Scifi Episode! You seriously won't believe your eyes on this one...
via youtube.com
In the last episode of The 5 Minute Show, ThePete did the unthinkable and transported himself out of his one-bedroom studio in Los Angeles to WHO KNOWS WHERE?? FIND OUT in THE 5 MINUTE SHOW: EPISODE 3: THE SCIFI EPISODE! You won't believe your chroma keyed eyes!!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
YES!! "Classic Star Wars sleeping bag simulates the warmth of a Tauntaun carcass"
via thinkgeek.com
How can you NOT drop $100 on this once you read that it "simulates the warmth of a Tauntaun carcass"??
I mean, really?!?!
Current Atmospheric CO2 Levels Highest in 15M (!) Years : TreeHugger (via http://andyman.posterous.com)
via treehugger.com
And guess what, kids! We're still making more babies and more cars and therefore MORE CO2!! But no, no! You'd better go after Al Qaeda with the might of the entire US Military because they might kill a few thousand of us!!
>_
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Friday, October 09, 2009
Ballpoint Adventures for November 16, 1998 by ThePete
Yep, it was a time when I kinda trusted government! More at
http://thepete.com/ics
TheDailyLego: Pre-Fab Portable Laser Gunnery Bunker
Lego Larry can be dropped anywhere, in front of or behind enemy lines, in this pre-fabricated laser gunnery bunker. It has internal batteries charged via the solar energy gathering panel on the roof. On-board thrusters slow the descent of the PFPLGB and also allow it to change locations should new orders come in or a larger enemy force arrive. And because it's made of Lego, you know it's modular.
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Ballpoint Adventures for November 9, 1998 by ThePete
This one's topical even today! More stick figure violence:
http://thepete.com/ics
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Huh. This Facebook ad says I can date Elisha Cuthbert if I sign up for Singlesnet. Neat.
Didn't even know she lived near me. Does Facebook not remember how I
told it I was married?
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Long, fun day--got more web-stuff done, saw @siskita @kaythepal sing & had dinner w/@lisarein. It was a good day! Next stop: Sleepsville!
Long, fun day--got more web-stuff done, saw @siskita @kaythepal sing &
had dinner w/@lisarein. It was a good day! Next stop: Sleepsville!
had dinner w/@lisarein. It was a good day! Next stop: Sleepsville!
Monday, October 05, 2009
The 5 Minute Show Episode 2: t5MS dancer, TimToon and an ending that will SHOCK you!
Way back on January 12, 2003, I posted episode 2 of The 5 Minute Show with the help of my awesome friends who worked hard and help make this
show one of the more memorable ones so far! Well, out of two, I guess that's not saying much. ANYway, this episode brings us Stool Sampler Tim Heidrich of http://TimToon.com (animator, wry wit and friend of ThePete)! Also this episode features Jen Albright as the 5 Minute Show dancer! OH and the ending will blow you away!! Or not... look, just check it out. See more at http://thepete.blip.tv or http://youtube.com/thepetecom or http://tv.thepete.com
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