My boss is out leaving me in charge for the week and family members are dying. Looks like my birthday curse has arrived early this year. I’ll try to check in tonight.
sigh…
Monthly Archives: August 2006
Woman Defies Texas Border Patrol
How dare she?
Archeologists say a prehistoric skeleton and campsite discovered on the muddy shore of Lake Travis could be between 700 and 2,000 years old.
An archaeology crew excavated the nearly intact skeleton on Sunday so that it can be donated to the University of Texas for further study.
“The significance of this is really an understanding of the ways of people who lived here in the past,” said Andy Malof, an archaeologist with the Lower Colorado River Authority. “It gives us information about their health, their diet, stresses and their environment.”
He said that an on-site examination of the body indicated that it is less than 1,000 years old. But arrowheads collected at the site suggest a burial taking place between 1,500 and 2,000 years ago, he said.
No word yet on whether the remains will be burned and reduced to a pile of dust like her unidentified compatriots here in “modern-day” Tucson.
CQPolitics on the AZ8 Race
More national attention to the diverse southern Arizona Congressional District that is literally a stone’s throw away from where I live.
The retirement of 11-term centrist Republican Rep. Jim Kolbe created the possibility of a Democratic takeover in Arizona’s politically competitive 8th Congressional District. And many Republican officials, including Kolbe, warned that the candidacy of conservative Randy Graf — who ran a serious but unsuccessful challenge to the incumbent in the 2004 primary — would put the seat more at risk.
Yet Kolbe’s goal of uniting party moderates around a single opposing candidate in the Sept. 12 primary have failed, in large part because Graf has drawn two combative opponents whose rivalry appears as much personal as it is political.
The most recent polling indicates that the two — state Rep. Steve Huffman, who has Kolbe’s endorsement, and Mike Hellon, a former state Republican Party chairman and ex-Republican national committeeman — are splitting the primary votes of Republicans who oppose Graf, and are making his nomination more likely.
Randy Graf, who’s a proud “Minuteman for Congress“, is definitely a radical rightwinger. So radical that CQ characterizes two of his opponents as moderate Republicans. I almost shot water out of my nose laughing.
Mike Hellon wants to abolish the 14th Amendment of the Constitution to deny citizenship to U.S.-born children of undocumented immigrants. If that has become a moderate position, it’s news to me. As I said before, I fully support it, as long as it’s made retroactive to the time when the first European ships arrived in the “New World.” If they’re going to play hardball, they better be prepared to be met with burning indignation from the indigenous people of this land.
The other “moderate” profiled in the race is Steve Huffman. What that should really read is “moderate on immigration.” Compared to Mr. Minuteman and Mr. Deport the Brown Menace, Huffman’s position is actually more in line with the center of the immigration debate (Note: the “center” is irrelevant with this GOP primary race, according to my omnipotent crystal ball)
Temporary legal workers should be allowed to fill jobs we need done
Thousands of Americans work in industries that depend on foreign labor. The problem is not that people want to work in our country, the problem is that they are here illegally. Border security reform without a temporary worker program will be economic suicide in a state like ours.
Do you hear that? It’s the sound of Steve Huffman’s flesh being shredded like queso by the harpy-like supporters of Graf and Hellon – perhaps additional restraining orders will be necessary as the primary approaches in a couple of weeks. Heh.
Remembering Katrina: Blogger Resources
The Opportunity Agenda posted a comprehensive list of resources to use as the gulf coast region marks the one year anniversary of the Katrina disasters (the hurricane, then the colossal federal f*ck-up). Here are some local bloggers listed that have been covering their area one year later.
The Third Battle of New Orleans
There have also been some great diaries over on Daily Kos. Here are just a few that deserve another look:
Breaking Report: One Year After Katrina
Spike Lee, Katrina, and Daily Kos . . .
Coming Home: The Katrina Blog Project
Little Progress in New Orleans One Year Later
Here’s the linkage to the full resource list. Also, my amigo James at The Left End of the Dial has been blazing great posts the past few days covering the different facets of failure by the government to the people. This particular video hits hard in its poignancy.
Join the Katrina Blogswarm – hold them all accountable.
Katrina: Patience Can’t Last Forever
From the September 2005 archives of this blog:
Patience is a virtue…
…but survival is an instinct. Here is a prime example of the disconnect between the government and the everyday citizens on the street:
“Certainly there are some people out there that are frustrated and in need of assistance,” White House press secretary Scott McClellan told reporters aboard Air Force One. “We’ve got to continue working to get them assistance as quickly as we can.”
“There is some level of patience that obviously is going to be required during this time,” he said, “but we are urging everyone to move forward as quickly as they can to get people the help they need.”
These wackos in charge forget that the victims of Hurricane Katrina did not have the luxury of being patient. They were dying. What’s abhorrent is that it didn’t have to be that way. If FEMA would’ve done its f*cking job, then the response would’ve been adequate, the food and water would’ve been delivered, and we wouldn’t be hearing political bullshit like this:
On another front, 21 House Republicans sent a letter demanding that Bush find spending cuts in federal programs to offset the massive cost of rebuilding the Gulf Coast. Conservatives, worried that the deficit will balloon, have been alarmed at the pace of spending with no talk of how to pay for it.
Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record), R-Ariz., suggested dropping the Medicare prescription drug plan, which he has long opposed. “It was supposed to cost $400 billion,” he told CBS Evening News. “It’s now up to $700 billion. We ought to cancel it, go back to square one.”
Bush last week ruled out raising taxes to pay Katrina expenses and said other government spending must be cut. His aides have said, though, that no such cuts have yet been identified and that the hurricane relief effort will temporarily swell the deficit.
Further proof that politics will always trump the greater-good with the Bush misAdministration. Wake me up when their reign of terror is over. I’ve run out of patience. Just like these people:
A year later, and this is the situation on the ground
President Bush said Monday the huge job of rebuilding from Hurricane Katrina was just beginning a year after the massive storm but expressed hope that the $110 billion of help sent from Washington would be enough.
The Times-Pacayune, who rocked in their coverage last year and continuing through today, offers a several-page exposé on the conditions of the levee system in New Orleans. The opening paragraph says it all
Although the Army Corps of Engineers has spent more than $352 million to bring levees, floodwalls and drainage systems in the New Orleans area back to where they were before Hurricane Katrina hit a year ago, crucial improvements aimed at upgrading the system to the level long ago authorized by Congress are barely past the planning stages.
Patience is not an option for an area that remains under threat of another catastrophe. This is yet another one of those rotten fruits that have sprung up from the seeds of failed leadership at all levels. Vote them all out.
Stones vs. Bullets: Ingredients of an Int’l Incident
As if tensions weren’t high enough already.
A U.S. Border Patrol agent shot and killed a man on the Mexico side of the border during an altercation Saturday night near the U.S. Port of Entry at Andrade, Calif., according to the Border Patrol.
[snip]
Van Wagenen said it was then that agents came under attack by several individuals throwing rocks on the Mexico side of the border. One agent was struck in the head. When one of the men was observed preparing to throw another rock, an agent fired one round from his gun and struck him.
“The individual who was struck began to run south into Mexico,” Van Wagenen said.
Mexican authorities later found the man and took him to a hospital in Los Algodones, Baja Calif. He was pronounced dead there, according to the Border Patrol.
The Nativist Apologists will cheapen the worth of the Mexican man’s life, saying that “he had it coming.” I say – How much more death will the people endure before realizing that militarization is a dead-end solution to the humanitarian crisis growing in this area? Economic woes are the engine fueling the migration, yet the corporate money-hoarders calling the shots in Washington D.C. are allowed free reign. The demonization is always aimed south of the line with the hypocrits here in our midst laughing their way to the bank.
It is an injustice to humanity and I’m sick of it. This is not the first time this has happened. In prior incidents it has been swept under the rug with the rest of the immoral and illegal acts by government officials of the U.S. There is zero accountability for the fact that a family in Mexico will be grieving the loss of a man who was shot dead because he threw a rock across an imaginary line.
Let’s see what happens next.
hola, allo, bonjour, etc – ready or not, here we come!
Okay, so we are not taking the Grand Tour through many countries… but our tour is still Grand! We have the best tour cuz all along the way there is… well… us!
First up, I have news about Olivia. You’ve heard the rumours? Normally, out of modesty, I wouldn’t say anything but par for the course I have to be the one to confirm these rumours and let you know that, yes…. petal porn is back! Yessiree, in addition to Olive Oil (or is it a party favor?), red, red, red, and what could be things floating under a microscope , Olivia has brought back the famous (infamous?) frolic on pink sheets! Well done!
I bet by now you’d like a nice cool dip, no? Well have I got the perfect place for you! Family Man is experimenting again! No, no, I’m not suggesting a plunge into the ice cream maker… he’s got a video/photo montage thingy of clips of his pond, set to music! I don’t like bugs, snakes, alligators, mosquitos, humidity or even trees much, but how could you not want to live at this pond? Also, things could be worse!
What happens when a bunch of lefty, intellectual readers and writers start a fiery, no holds barred rant, gossip and dressing paris hilton site? Well of course they start philosophizing, seek deeper meaning in things and figure out ways to fix the world! After all, paris only has so many outfits. You have to try some of the link stuff though… so far, my favorites are storm sounds, Makeover Mona Lisa and Mr PicassoHead!
[UPDATE!] So, over at Rob’s…. what? You don’t know who Rob is? Hah! So I’m not the only one that doesn’ t always notice things and has been typing out Interepid Liberal Journal even though all his posts are signed “Rob”! Much easier to type. Anyway, over there he’s talking about reminiscing about the future, politicians who say one thing with the full intention of doing the other, and the historical dwarfing of reality in the face of a need to believe. Or strategy. Interesting stuff, go read!
I love this car that Boran is working on – such personality! Right now he’s highlighted the pencil sketch in ochre and it’s all starting to come together. Plus, TWO people have been voted off Blogistan! We won’t miss them!
Young, old, chubby, thin, croissants or tortillas, Janet has photos of the people who are out there for peace and making a difference, at the pink house – Peace Gone Wild! Also, Imagine… if people actually practiced what they preached.
[UPDATE AGAIN!] I didn’t forget the rest of you! Had to shut down for a bit cuz the little computer was running hot, hot hot! All better now though. Hopefully 😉
Over at doves, I have a question about human nature, and is it! Also, I bet you never thought of the connections between the White Feather Wielder and the Down-trodden Woman, did you? Well, dove has teased them out, and boy do they make sense!
Oh gee, is Hurricane Ernesto on the path towards New Orleans? XicanoPwr follows the wind and the clouds (and the national weather service). Also, he does some updating on the Bush family young and able folks, and what they are busy doing while they are not joining the military.
catnip has found another weird… er, very interesting picture for her Sunday Food for Thought! Also, untelevised revolutions (in case you missed it at the pink palace) and news updates!
Speaking of pictures, if you have clown issues you might want to prepare yourself before visiting deano this week! I actually don’t mind clowns but some are more um… than others! But to make up for it, very pretty butterflies. Or something. Go look!
[UPDATE THE LAST! maybe] Look out below! scribe has, in the post right below this one, an excellent story that could be a metaphore for many things… or just interesting day at the beach!
James’ Food for Thought covers the entire weekend! Also, being too comfortable to move is not always a good thing. And peace takes courage! No nekkid feet Open Threads though.
I’m sensing a theme here across sites and comments, even though some things may not exactly seem like the other…. hive minds, or maybe a quickening of echoes? Ductape says Americans are not malicious, so why don’t they resist? And comes up with some ideas.
Duke finds all the yucky, crazy people! Well, maybe not all, but certainly enough. Like the Miniature Men who tell groups of college Young Republicans that border crossers should be shot. Oh, but that’s not all! Some politicians have nothing to campaign on but hate and bigotry. What if, one day, they gave a hate and nobody came?
All is well at katiebird’s, though! She had a scare last week (a car wreck! she’s okay… the car? not so much), but that didn’t stop her from being committed daily (drop by, you too can be committed over anything)! And she’s wondering about the big question… introvert or extrovert? We shall see!
All done! I think.
Use this as an Open Thread
The Sandcastle Kings
The boys gathered on the beach while their vacationing parents sat under big umbrellas, enjoying fancy drinks with small umbrellas in them.
The sand was just right for building, so the boys decided to make the biggest sand castle ever made! It would be SO big, that NO one could ever knock it down, not even the ocean itself! People from miles around would come to see it, and cheer for the builders.
Randy, suddenly seized by an even bigger idea, jumped up and down and said “ Wait! Wait! We could even charge people MONEY to see our castle! We could get RICH!!!!”
“Yay!” shouted the others, eager to begin. Randy, who had the biggest pail and the biggest shovel, said, “Here, let’s fill my pail, FIRST, cuz it will make the biggest blocks for the bottom!”
So, that’s what they did. They filled Randy’s bucket full, packed it tight, tipped it over, pounded on the bottom, then, all held their breath as Randy carefully removed the pail.
It was perfect! “Yay!” another cheer went up!!” “Let’s make another one!” shouted Steve, waving his big shovel like a flag!
“Yeah! A million of them!” yelled Joe, already at work with his own good sized shovel, filling up Randy’s big pail again.
Randy, Steve and Joe worked furiously, while the other boys, who had small shovels or no shovels at all, watched. When it came time to tip over and place a newly packed pail of sand, , of course, Randy got to decide where to put it, because it was his pail.
Mark sat watching, wishing he’d had the biggest pail, because he didn’t like how Randy was building the bottom layer at all: the pieces were way too far apart. Some of the others were growing bored, because watching isn’t as nearly much fun as doing. Then John decided he could help by filling in the spaces between the big pails full of packed and.
“Hey, whatcha DOIN”?! yelled Steve, when John got in his way. “Quit it! You’re gonna knock something over!”
Mark ventured, “Ya know, I think it should be a circle, not a square.”
Randy shouted with laughter. “Who ever heard of a round castle!!”
Mark, face flaming red at the other boys’ laughter, fell silent.
Soon, there was a large square of pail-shaped piles of well packed sand. “Now who’s got a smaller pail we can use for the next layer?” asked Steve, looking around, and seeing that Mark had one just the right size.
“Hey Mark! Yours is just right! Give it here!”
Mark didn’t move and he didn’t hand over his pail either. “Then I get to put the blocks on, ok?”
Randy, Steve and Joe exchanged a quick look. Steve said, “Sure, Mark!” and Mark handed over his pail, and got ready to start digging, with his smaller shovel.
“Move over, “said Randy, shoving Mark aside with his bulk. “Our shovels are bigger and we can fill the pail faster!” He was right, Mark knew, so he moved, but stayed in close, so when the pail was packed full, he’d be ready. He already knew just where the first pail should go.
But quick as a flash, Randy grabbed the packed pail and put it where HE wanted it!
“HEY!”, protested Mark, “I get to do that part!”
But no one paid any attention, as they were busy filling Marks pail again, with their bigger shovels.
Mark backed off. They were bigger than he was. It was three to one. They had bigger shovels. The second layer was soon complete.
John had the next smaller bucket. He just handed over his pail and sat back down to watch.
Randy, Steve and Joe had a wonderful time building that castle just the way they wanted to. It grew very tall, and very strong.
So did the discontent, among the watcher boys, who had donated the use of their pails, and had sat still in the hot sun a long time. The anger at the unfairness of it all felt like a bunch of too-hot French fries in their bellies.
That castle was supposed to belong to all of the guys, not just Randy, Steve and Joe. Who did they think they were, some kinda kings?
But no one said anything, until the Three Kings of the Sandcastle took off to go get their parents to come see their awesome creation.
No one said anything then, either. It was Mark who picked up the first stone, turned it over in his hand, staring at it a long while, before heaving it, hard, at the castle.
A tower fell, knocked clear off. Then another, and another, as one by one, the stones from the watcher boys attacked the castle.
When the Three Kings of the Sandcastle returned, semi-tipsy parents in tow, there was nothing to see but a big pile of wet sand.
The injured, angry wails of the Sandcastle Kings could be heard a long way off. Their echo, and the cooing sounds of mother-comfort, the empowering murmur of father-vengeance , soon faded away, as they walked off toward the consolation of ice cream stand.
The watcher boys had scattered, silently, to their own home bases on the beach.
Mark’s Dad asked if he’d had fun with his friends on the beach. Mark shrugged and said, “It was ok.”
Racism and Hatred in American Culture, Part 2
I was going back through the archives and wanted to expand abit on this post I wrote back in April regarding the undercurrent of racism that is flourishing here in the U.S.
All emotions exist in varying degrees. I have found that the key to a healthy lifestyle is striking a balance that feeds the good ones such as compassion, love and humility while not completely ignoring the latent shadows of hate, xenophobia and racism that exist inside of me. To deny that they are there in some form allows them to grow and fester without my knowledge. While I may never spray paint hate messages on the building of a perceived enemy, or beat up another human being until they were unrecognizable, I could make statements or observations that are damaging towards the dignity and respect entitled to all human beings; even those, and perhaps especially those who refuse to show me the same courtesy.
Personal responsibility is one of those things that is bipartisan and universal. There will always be others who have no concept of that type of individual accountability, or outright reject it, but I have to be willing to hold myself to the highest standard if the tide is ever going to rise again in this country and flood out the toxins.
I say flourishing because that which usually lurks in the shadows is slowly but surely making its way out into the open. Crooks and Liars has the Caferty File segment covering just three recent examples by politicians.
Also, Arcturus posted a link to the following news story on the Eegee Board:
Nine black children attending Red River Elementary School were directed last week to the back of the school bus by a white driver who designated the front seats for white children.
The situation has outraged relatives of the black children who have filed a complaint with school officials.
Superintendent Kay Easley will meet with the family members in her office this morning.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People also is considering filing a formal charge with the U.S. Department of Justice. NAACP District Vice President James Panell, of Shreveport, said he would apprise Justice attorneys of the situation this week. He’s considering asking for an investigation into the bus incident and other aspects of the school system’s operations, including pupil-teacher ratio as it relates to the numbers of white and black children, along with a breakdown of the numbers of black and white teachers employed.
“If the smoke is there, then there’s probably fire somewhere else,” Panell said in a phone interview from New Orleans. “At this point, it is extremely alarming. We fought that battle 50 years ago, and we won. Why is this happening again?”
In my opinion, it’s happening because there are plenty of unabashed racists being given plenty of airtime on television and radio stations – Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Michelle Malkin, Bill Bennett, Pat Buchanan, Chris Simcox – the list goes on and on and on.
Latent feelings of hostility towards Otherness is stoked and comforted by having people like that given prominent spotlight attention instead of public denouncement – it allows the flaming racist/bigot/xenophobe who sits at home disgusted with the Mexican “terrorists” crossing the border, or the new Arab family in the neighborhood, or the gay couple he saw leaving one of those bars holding hands to feel justified in their perpetual state of hate.
When I say that the political climate in the U.S. is poisoning the well, I wish I was being flippant. In reality, I want to be convinced that there will be a huge outpouring of compassion and tolerance but the crickets are chirping. Why is that?
That rhetorical question will go unanswered in an acceptable way as long as I keep seeing Rush’s face scowling at me every time I pass a Clear Channel Billboard on my way to work.
LatinoPolítico.com 