Neil Cavuto had a WWII Vet on yesterday who wasn't willing to tow the party line... I thought Neil's head was going to explode out of frustration.
Click here to jump over to Crooks and Liars and watch the video.
Their power to manipulate reality is fading. Poor Fox.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
From Crooks and Liars...
Neil Cavuto had a WWII Vet on yesterday who wasn't willing to tow the party line... I thought Neil's head was going to explode out of frustration.
Click here to jump over to Crooks and Liars and watch the video.
Their power to manipulate reality is fading. Poor Fox.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Click here to jump over to Crooks and Liars and watch the video.
Their power to manipulate reality is fading. Poor Fox.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
We didn't get the people out...
From CNN:
Read the Rest here.
Without the War, we have the men and the resources necessary to get all of these people out.
As it is, we are letting people die.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (AP) -- When Xavier Bowie died in a flooded New Orleans neighborhood, his wife did the best she could in a city so preoccupied with saving the living that no one can deal with the dead.
She wrapped his body in a sheet, laid him on a makeshift bier of plywood boards, with a little help, and floated him down to the main road.
For more than an hour, Evelyn Turner waited along Rampart Street outside the French Quarter, her husband's body resting on the grassy median as car after car passed, their wakes threatening to wash over the corpse.
"This is ridiculous," Turner, 54, said as she sobbed into a dirty washcloth.
Read the Rest here.
Without the War, we have the men and the resources necessary to get all of these people out.
As it is, we are letting people die.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
We didn't get the people out...
From CNN:
Read the Rest here.
Without the War, we have the men and the resources necessary to get all of these people out.
As it is, we are letting people die.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (AP) -- When Xavier Bowie died in a flooded New Orleans neighborhood, his wife did the best she could in a city so preoccupied with saving the living that no one can deal with the dead.
She wrapped his body in a sheet, laid him on a makeshift bier of plywood boards, with a little help, and floated him down to the main road.
For more than an hour, Evelyn Turner waited along Rampart Street outside the French Quarter, her husband's body resting on the grassy median as car after car passed, their wakes threatening to wash over the corpse.
"This is ridiculous," Turner, 54, said as she sobbed into a dirty washcloth.
Read the Rest here.
Without the War, we have the men and the resources necessary to get all of these people out.
As it is, we are letting people die.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Looting is the symptom, not the problem...
Let's not get our panties in a bunch that people are stealing things. First off, if things continue in the manner that they are going, then all of the stuff being stolen is going to be underwater anyhow.
Let's also think for a moment that the people who find themselves in New Orleans are there for simple reasons. Society failed them.
They are mostly black and poor and most of them did not have the ability to evacuate New Orleans. Perhaps they didn't have transportation or money. Some were disabled; some didn't get going in time.
The Hurricane goes through and most of them have lost everything they own to an act of God. They have no electricity, no clean water, no jobs, no possessions and no immediate help. Most of them have no hope.
The looting you're seeing is a reaction to having lost everything and having your world radically changed for the immediate future. They have nothing. That all of the stuff is going to be underwater allows them to rationalize the looting. Why should some clothes and some toys for you kids be allowed to sink to the bottom of Lake New Orleans because it’s wrong to steal? Insurance claims are going to be filed on the items regardless.
We could have stopped it with National Guard troops. You remember those guys. They train 1 weekend a month and 2 weeks a year to assist us with the defense our homeland, whether from people or nature. They do it out of a sense of community. They're your friends and neighbors. They’re Citizen Soldiers and they’re here to protect you.
Except when they’re fighting a war of choice in Iraq.
The reality is that the National Guard should have been in there getting people out before the storm hit. The National Guard should have been back there coordinating the rescue and relief efforts. They should have been working to shore up the levies and reinforcing any weak spots. They should have been getting people the food and water they need. They know what they're doing in situations like this and they're good at it.
They weren't available though, because so many of them are in Iraq. When choosing to fight what was so clearly a war of choice, President Bush, who so often opines about keeping America safe, has left our country in a position where it cannot defend itself from neither man nor nature.
The water is still rising in New Orleans. More people are going to drown. The death toll will rise. People will want an explanation.
When the citizen soldiers of Louisiana and the rest of the nation should have and most certainly wanted to be home to do whatever was necessary to help defend and protect their fellow citizens, they find themselves in a never ending quagmire in the desert. They find themselves the constant target of attack and far away from home.
I cannot myself comprehend what must be going through the minds of those who would have been the first responders... The citizen soldiers of New Orleans and the surrounding area can only have heavy hearts at the site of their home city destroyed and their friends and neighbors sitting on roofs hoping to be rescued before the water washes them away from their homes and into an uncertain fate.
Imagine yourself there right now. Sitting on a roof. It’s hot. Muggy. Water is all around you and it’s rising. There are no lights. No traffic noise. Nothing. Just darkness and uncertainty. You hear the water moving around your home. You have questions. Will the other levies break? Will the houses foundation hold? Will the water rise above the roof before someone comes to get me? You have no cell phone. You have no television. No electricity. No food. No Water. No internet. All forms of communication are cut off. All you can do is wait.
I pray for those trapped in New Orleans, and when everything that can be done to rescue and save those who need is accomplished, I pray the nation will stop to consider our path in the world, and ask ourselves what really makes us safe.
Bush and his elective war hold much responsibility in the events of the past few days. Maybe when he returns to work tomorrow, after finally cutting his vacation short, someone can read him a memo telling him how bad he screwed us.
Sleep tight, Georgie Poo.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Let's also think for a moment that the people who find themselves in New Orleans are there for simple reasons. Society failed them.
They are mostly black and poor and most of them did not have the ability to evacuate New Orleans. Perhaps they didn't have transportation or money. Some were disabled; some didn't get going in time.
The Hurricane goes through and most of them have lost everything they own to an act of God. They have no electricity, no clean water, no jobs, no possessions and no immediate help. Most of them have no hope.
The looting you're seeing is a reaction to having lost everything and having your world radically changed for the immediate future. They have nothing. That all of the stuff is going to be underwater allows them to rationalize the looting. Why should some clothes and some toys for you kids be allowed to sink to the bottom of Lake New Orleans because it’s wrong to steal? Insurance claims are going to be filed on the items regardless.
We could have stopped it with National Guard troops. You remember those guys. They train 1 weekend a month and 2 weeks a year to assist us with the defense our homeland, whether from people or nature. They do it out of a sense of community. They're your friends and neighbors. They’re Citizen Soldiers and they’re here to protect you.
Except when they’re fighting a war of choice in Iraq.
The reality is that the National Guard should have been in there getting people out before the storm hit. The National Guard should have been back there coordinating the rescue and relief efforts. They should have been working to shore up the levies and reinforcing any weak spots. They should have been getting people the food and water they need. They know what they're doing in situations like this and they're good at it.
They weren't available though, because so many of them are in Iraq. When choosing to fight what was so clearly a war of choice, President Bush, who so often opines about keeping America safe, has left our country in a position where it cannot defend itself from neither man nor nature.
The water is still rising in New Orleans. More people are going to drown. The death toll will rise. People will want an explanation.
When the citizen soldiers of Louisiana and the rest of the nation should have and most certainly wanted to be home to do whatever was necessary to help defend and protect their fellow citizens, they find themselves in a never ending quagmire in the desert. They find themselves the constant target of attack and far away from home.
I cannot myself comprehend what must be going through the minds of those who would have been the first responders... The citizen soldiers of New Orleans and the surrounding area can only have heavy hearts at the site of their home city destroyed and their friends and neighbors sitting on roofs hoping to be rescued before the water washes them away from their homes and into an uncertain fate.
Imagine yourself there right now. Sitting on a roof. It’s hot. Muggy. Water is all around you and it’s rising. There are no lights. No traffic noise. Nothing. Just darkness and uncertainty. You hear the water moving around your home. You have questions. Will the other levies break? Will the houses foundation hold? Will the water rise above the roof before someone comes to get me? You have no cell phone. You have no television. No electricity. No food. No Water. No internet. All forms of communication are cut off. All you can do is wait.
I pray for those trapped in New Orleans, and when everything that can be done to rescue and save those who need is accomplished, I pray the nation will stop to consider our path in the world, and ask ourselves what really makes us safe.
Bush and his elective war hold much responsibility in the events of the past few days. Maybe when he returns to work tomorrow, after finally cutting his vacation short, someone can read him a memo telling him how bad he screwed us.
Sleep tight, Georgie Poo.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Looting is the symptom, not the problem...
Let's not get our panties in a bunch that people are stealing things. First off, if things continue in the manner that they are going, then all of the stuff being stolen is going to be underwater anyhow.
Let's also think for a moment that the people who find themselves in New Orleans are there for simple reasons. Society failed them.
They are mostly black and poor and most of them did not have the ability to evacuate New Orleans. Perhaps they didn't have transportation or money. Some were disabled; some didn't get going in time.
The Hurricane goes through and most of them have lost everything they own to an act of God. They have no electricity, no clean water, no jobs, no possessions and no immediate help. Most of them have no hope.
The looting you're seeing is a reaction to having lost everything and having your world radically changed for the immediate future. They have nothing. That all of the stuff is going to be underwater allows them to rationalize the looting. Why should some clothes and some toys for you kids be allowed to sink to the bottom of Lake New Orleans because it’s wrong to steal? Insurance claims are going to be filed on the items regardless.
We could have stopped it with National Guard troops. You remember those guys. They train 1 weekend a month and 2 weeks a year to assist us with the defense our homeland, whether from people or nature. They do it out of a sense of community. They're your friends and neighbors. They’re Citizen Soldiers and they’re here to protect you.
Except when they’re fighting a war of choice in Iraq.
The reality is that the National Guard should have been in there getting people out before the storm hit. The National Guard should have been back there coordinating the rescue and relief efforts. They should have been working to shore up the levies and reinforcing any weak spots. They should have been getting people the food and water they need. They know what they're doing in situations like this and they're good at it.
They weren't available though, because so many of them are in Iraq. When choosing to fight what was so clearly a war of choice, President Bush, who so often opines about keeping America safe, has left our country in a position where it cannot defend itself from neither man nor nature.
The water is still rising in New Orleans. More people are going to drown. The death toll will rise. People will want an explanation.
When the citizen soldiers of Louisiana and the rest of the nation should have and most certainly wanted to be home to do whatever was necessary to help defend and protect their fellow citizens, they find themselves in a never ending quagmire in the desert. They find themselves the constant target of attack and far away from home.
I cannot myself comprehend what must be going through the minds of those who would have been the first responders... The citizen soldiers of New Orleans and the surrounding area can only have heavy hearts at the site of their home city destroyed and their friends and neighbors sitting on roofs hoping to be rescued before the water washes them away from their homes and into an uncertain fate.
Imagine yourself there right now. Sitting on a roof. It’s hot. Muggy. Water is all around you and it’s rising. There are no lights. No traffic noise. Nothing. Just darkness and uncertainty. You hear the water moving around your home. You have questions. Will the other levies break? Will the houses foundation hold? Will the water rise above the roof before someone comes to get me? You have no cell phone. You have no television. No electricity. No food. No Water. No internet. All forms of communication are cut off. All you can do is wait.
I pray for those trapped in New Orleans, and when everything that can be done to rescue and save those who need is accomplished, I pray the nation will stop to consider our path in the world, and ask ourselves what really makes us safe.
Bush and his elective war hold much responsibility in the events of the past few days. Maybe when he returns to work tomorrow, after finally cutting his vacation short, someone can read him a memo telling him how bad he screwed us.
Sleep tight, Georgie Poo.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Let's also think for a moment that the people who find themselves in New Orleans are there for simple reasons. Society failed them.
They are mostly black and poor and most of them did not have the ability to evacuate New Orleans. Perhaps they didn't have transportation or money. Some were disabled; some didn't get going in time.
The Hurricane goes through and most of them have lost everything they own to an act of God. They have no electricity, no clean water, no jobs, no possessions and no immediate help. Most of them have no hope.
The looting you're seeing is a reaction to having lost everything and having your world radically changed for the immediate future. They have nothing. That all of the stuff is going to be underwater allows them to rationalize the looting. Why should some clothes and some toys for you kids be allowed to sink to the bottom of Lake New Orleans because it’s wrong to steal? Insurance claims are going to be filed on the items regardless.
We could have stopped it with National Guard troops. You remember those guys. They train 1 weekend a month and 2 weeks a year to assist us with the defense our homeland, whether from people or nature. They do it out of a sense of community. They're your friends and neighbors. They’re Citizen Soldiers and they’re here to protect you.
Except when they’re fighting a war of choice in Iraq.
The reality is that the National Guard should have been in there getting people out before the storm hit. The National Guard should have been back there coordinating the rescue and relief efforts. They should have been working to shore up the levies and reinforcing any weak spots. They should have been getting people the food and water they need. They know what they're doing in situations like this and they're good at it.
They weren't available though, because so many of them are in Iraq. When choosing to fight what was so clearly a war of choice, President Bush, who so often opines about keeping America safe, has left our country in a position where it cannot defend itself from neither man nor nature.
The water is still rising in New Orleans. More people are going to drown. The death toll will rise. People will want an explanation.
When the citizen soldiers of Louisiana and the rest of the nation should have and most certainly wanted to be home to do whatever was necessary to help defend and protect their fellow citizens, they find themselves in a never ending quagmire in the desert. They find themselves the constant target of attack and far away from home.
I cannot myself comprehend what must be going through the minds of those who would have been the first responders... The citizen soldiers of New Orleans and the surrounding area can only have heavy hearts at the site of their home city destroyed and their friends and neighbors sitting on roofs hoping to be rescued before the water washes them away from their homes and into an uncertain fate.
Imagine yourself there right now. Sitting on a roof. It’s hot. Muggy. Water is all around you and it’s rising. There are no lights. No traffic noise. Nothing. Just darkness and uncertainty. You hear the water moving around your home. You have questions. Will the other levies break? Will the houses foundation hold? Will the water rise above the roof before someone comes to get me? You have no cell phone. You have no television. No electricity. No food. No Water. No internet. All forms of communication are cut off. All you can do is wait.
I pray for those trapped in New Orleans, and when everything that can be done to rescue and save those who need is accomplished, I pray the nation will stop to consider our path in the world, and ask ourselves what really makes us safe.
Bush and his elective war hold much responsibility in the events of the past few days. Maybe when he returns to work tomorrow, after finally cutting his vacation short, someone can read him a memo telling him how bad he screwed us.
Sleep tight, Georgie Poo.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Monday, August 29, 2005
The Iraqi Constitution...
From Dan Froomkin's White House Briefing column:
We have failed at everything we set out to do. We have created a new nation that is either going to plunge into civil war or became a new Islamic ally to Iran.
Now, who among the right can really claim to be satisfied with this outcome?
Read the full column here.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Spinner in Chief
By Dan Froomkin
Special to washingtonpost.com
Monday, August 29, 2005; 12:21 PM
President Bush is trying to turn the completion of a divisive and disappointing draft constitution for Iraq into a cause for celebration.
But the facts keep getting in the way.
In brief remarks yesterday, Bush said the drafting process was "an inspiration to all who share the universal values of freedom, democracy, and the rule of law."
In his Saturday radio address , Bush said: "Iraq's main ethnic and religious groups made the courageous choice to join the political process. And together, they have worked toward a democratic constitution that respects the traditions of their country and guarantees the rights of all their citizens."
But among the many challenges facing the draft constitution, Sunni Arabs are coming out against it -- and U.S. officials have long maintained that Sunni participation in the political process was crucial to establishing stability that would allow for the withdrawal of U.S. troops.
Steven R. Weisman writes in the New York Times that in the context of "the disarray in Baghdad that was becoming evident, with Sunnis and some Shiites vowing to defeat the constitution and others angrily predicting a surge in anti-government violence, statements by the president and others in his administration had the air of making a case that the situation was not as bad as it looked."
Weisman gets an unusual peek behind the curtain:
"Several administration officials acknowledged deep regret and frustration that all their efforts had failed to produce a document that could not only establish human rights but also bring a huge disaffected element into the political process, as the Americans had hoped and predicted. . . .
"Lowering their sights, administration officials said Sunday that their task now was to keep the political process alive, even if the constitution was rejected in October, and thereby keep the disaffected Sunnis from helping to stoke more violence."
We have failed at everything we set out to do. We have created a new nation that is either going to plunge into civil war or became a new Islamic ally to Iran.
Now, who among the right can really claim to be satisfied with this outcome?
Read the full column here.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
The Iraqi Constitution...
From Dan Froomkin's White House Briefing column:
We have failed at everything we set out to do. We have created a new nation that is either going to plunge into civil war or became a new Islamic ally to Iran.
Now, who among the right can really claim to be satisfied with this outcome?
Read the full column here.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Spinner in Chief
By Dan Froomkin
Special to washingtonpost.com
Monday, August 29, 2005; 12:21 PM
President Bush is trying to turn the completion of a divisive and disappointing draft constitution for Iraq into a cause for celebration.
But the facts keep getting in the way.
In brief remarks yesterday, Bush said the drafting process was "an inspiration to all who share the universal values of freedom, democracy, and the rule of law."
In his Saturday radio address , Bush said: "Iraq's main ethnic and religious groups made the courageous choice to join the political process. And together, they have worked toward a democratic constitution that respects the traditions of their country and guarantees the rights of all their citizens."
But among the many challenges facing the draft constitution, Sunni Arabs are coming out against it -- and U.S. officials have long maintained that Sunni participation in the political process was crucial to establishing stability that would allow for the withdrawal of U.S. troops.
Steven R. Weisman writes in the New York Times that in the context of "the disarray in Baghdad that was becoming evident, with Sunnis and some Shiites vowing to defeat the constitution and others angrily predicting a surge in anti-government violence, statements by the president and others in his administration had the air of making a case that the situation was not as bad as it looked."
Weisman gets an unusual peek behind the curtain:
"Several administration officials acknowledged deep regret and frustration that all their efforts had failed to produce a document that could not only establish human rights but also bring a huge disaffected element into the political process, as the Americans had hoped and predicted. . . .
"Lowering their sights, administration officials said Sunday that their task now was to keep the political process alive, even if the constitution was rejected in October, and thereby keep the disaffected Sunnis from helping to stoke more violence."
We have failed at everything we set out to do. We have created a new nation that is either going to plunge into civil war or became a new Islamic ally to Iran.
Now, who among the right can really claim to be satisfied with this outcome?
Read the full column here.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Dubya's Mom is a real class act...
WTF???
Sounds like an internet rumour, doesn't it? I thought so too.
Click here.
Former First Lady Barbara Bush said of the war in Iraq: "Why should we hear about body bags and deaths? It's not relevant. So why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that?"
Sounds like an internet rumour, doesn't it? I thought so too.
Click here.
Dubya's Mom is a real class act...
WTF???
Sounds like an internet rumour, doesn't it? I thought so too.
Click here.
Former First Lady Barbara Bush said of the war in Iraq: "Why should we hear about body bags and deaths? It's not relevant. So why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that?"
Sounds like an internet rumour, doesn't it? I thought so too.
Click here.
Sunday, August 28, 2005
The National Guard...
I am sitting here thinking about the possibility that New Orleans may be facing an unbelievable calamity, and what gets me are all the people in the Superdome. These are people who cannot leave due to financial or transportation issues for the most part.
They are gathered in the Superdome, hoping it is strong enough to endure what is about to happen to me.
In contrast to that I am thinking of how President Bush took to the airwaves today to show that he's on top of the situation and made clear to everyone in New Orleans that there was a hurricane on the way and it was going to be bad, so they should get out of the way.
I thought perhaps he should have been federalizing the National Guard troops in Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri to order them into New Orleans to get those people out. I kept asking myself why he wasn't doing that.
Then I realized... They're in Iraq.
If anyone dies because they couldn't get out of the city, I want you to think about what this war has cost us. I want you to think about the incompetence of the leadership in Executive Branch of the federal government.
Pray for the Gulf Coast tonight. They're going to need it.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
They are gathered in the Superdome, hoping it is strong enough to endure what is about to happen to me.
In contrast to that I am thinking of how President Bush took to the airwaves today to show that he's on top of the situation and made clear to everyone in New Orleans that there was a hurricane on the way and it was going to be bad, so they should get out of the way.
I thought perhaps he should have been federalizing the National Guard troops in Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri to order them into New Orleans to get those people out. I kept asking myself why he wasn't doing that.
Then I realized... They're in Iraq.
If anyone dies because they couldn't get out of the city, I want you to think about what this war has cost us. I want you to think about the incompetence of the leadership in Executive Branch of the federal government.
Pray for the Gulf Coast tonight. They're going to need it.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
The National Guard...
I am sitting here thinking about the possibility that New Orleans may be facing an unbelievable calamity, and what gets me are all the people in the Superdome. These are people who cannot leave due to financial or transportation issues for the most part.
They are gathered in the Superdome, hoping it is strong enough to endure what is about to happen to me.
In contrast to that I am thinking of how President Bush took to the airwaves today to show that he's on top of the situation and made clear to everyone in New Orleans that there was a hurricane on the way and it was going to be bad, so they should get out of the way.
I thought perhaps he should have been federalizing the National Guard troops in Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri to order them into New Orleans to get those people out. I kept asking myself why he wasn't doing that.
Then I realized... They're in Iraq.
If anyone dies because they couldn't get out of the city, I want you to think about what this war has cost us. I want you to think about the incompetence of the leadership in Executive Branch of the federal government.
Pray for the Gulf Coast tonight. They're going to need it.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
They are gathered in the Superdome, hoping it is strong enough to endure what is about to happen to me.
In contrast to that I am thinking of how President Bush took to the airwaves today to show that he's on top of the situation and made clear to everyone in New Orleans that there was a hurricane on the way and it was going to be bad, so they should get out of the way.
I thought perhaps he should have been federalizing the National Guard troops in Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri to order them into New Orleans to get those people out. I kept asking myself why he wasn't doing that.
Then I realized... They're in Iraq.
If anyone dies because they couldn't get out of the city, I want you to think about what this war has cost us. I want you to think about the incompetence of the leadership in Executive Branch of the federal government.
Pray for the Gulf Coast tonight. They're going to need it.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
The Political Right and the Great Logical Fallacy...
After taking the time to boil away all of the nonsense that has been going on in the political realm since 9/11, I have come to view the magic of the Republican Party’s rhetorical strategy for the genius that it is.
It always works the same way.
The President or one of his Party Under-leaders makes a claim. The moment anyone disagrees with them, we are presented a reason to discount them.
Think about what they do.
Let’s look at the logical fallacy in action. The President and all the pundits on the right use the talking point of the day. Mr. X wishes to offer a counter point. It goes something like this:
So, if you disagree with them, you're trying to hurt America. The most recent example is Cindy Sheehan.
Yet, in today’s world the media lets this logical fallacy continue to be the narrative structure for all political reporting.
As the public’s proxy to power, should someone in the media tackle this head on? Shouldn’t someone take it on as their responsibility to lay this out exactly as I have and blow the bullshit whistle?
Perhaps there has been a true paradigm shift. Perhaps it is my responsibility to say so.
The fundamental problem that we on the left face is allowing ourselves to get bogged down in the anecdotal versions of the same fight over and over again. We make our case about the war and Social Security and Medicare and Voting Rights….
We should be constantly tying these narratives together. We should be constantly reminding the public that this is the same fallacy dressed up in a new suit.
So now I have.
What say you dear readers?
-The Oklahoma Hippy
It always works the same way.
The President or one of his Party Under-leaders makes a claim. The moment anyone disagrees with them, we are presented a reason to discount them.
Think about what they do.
Let’s look at the logical fallacy in action. The President and all the pundits on the right use the talking point of the day. Mr. X wishes to offer a counter point. It goes something like this:
-Mr. X strongly disagrees with our position
ergo
-Mr. X is a member of the political opposition
ergo
-Mr. X’s counter position is rooted in bias
ergo
-Mr. X’s claims are to be dismissed as untrustworthy and suspect
ergo
-Unlike Mr. X, our unbiased motivation is the welfare and security of the American people
ergo
-Mr. X’s bias rooted claims must run directly counter to the welfare and security of the American people
So, if you disagree with them, you're trying to hurt America. The most recent example is Cindy Sheehan.
Yet, in today’s world the media lets this logical fallacy continue to be the narrative structure for all political reporting.
As the public’s proxy to power, should someone in the media tackle this head on? Shouldn’t someone take it on as their responsibility to lay this out exactly as I have and blow the bullshit whistle?
Perhaps there has been a true paradigm shift. Perhaps it is my responsibility to say so.
The fundamental problem that we on the left face is allowing ourselves to get bogged down in the anecdotal versions of the same fight over and over again. We make our case about the war and Social Security and Medicare and Voting Rights….
We should be constantly tying these narratives together. We should be constantly reminding the public that this is the same fallacy dressed up in a new suit.
So now I have.
What say you dear readers?
-The Oklahoma Hippy
The Political Right and the Great Logical Fallacy...
After taking the time to boil away all of the nonsense that has been going on in the political realm since 9/11, I have come to view the magic of the Republican Party’s rhetorical strategy for the genius that it is.
It always works the same way.
The President or one of his Party Under-leaders makes a claim. The moment anyone disagrees with them, we are presented a reason to discount them.
Think about what they do.
Let’s look at the logical fallacy in action. The President and all the pundits on the right use the talking point of the day. Mr. X wishes to offer a counter point. It goes something like this:
So, if you disagree with them, you're trying to hurt America. The most recent example is Cindy Sheehan.
Yet, in today’s world the media lets this logical fallacy continue to be the narrative structure for all political reporting.
As the public’s proxy to power, should someone in the media tackle this head on? Shouldn’t someone take it on as their responsibility to lay this out exactly as I have and blow the bullshit whistle?
Perhaps there has been a true paradigm shift. Perhaps it is my responsibility to say so.
The fundamental problem that we on the left face is allowing ourselves to get bogged down in the anecdotal versions of the same fight over and over again. We make our case about the war and Social Security and Medicare and Voting Rights….
We should be constantly tying these narratives together. We should be constantly reminding the public that this is the same fallacy dressed up in a new suit.
So now I have.
What say you dear readers?
-The Oklahoma Hippy
It always works the same way.
The President or one of his Party Under-leaders makes a claim. The moment anyone disagrees with them, we are presented a reason to discount them.
Think about what they do.
Let’s look at the logical fallacy in action. The President and all the pundits on the right use the talking point of the day. Mr. X wishes to offer a counter point. It goes something like this:
-Mr. X strongly disagrees with our position
ergo
-Mr. X is a member of the political opposition
ergo
-Mr. X’s counter position is rooted in bias
ergo
-Mr. X’s claims are to be dismissed as untrustworthy and suspect
ergo
-Unlike Mr. X, our unbiased motivation is the welfare and security of the American people
ergo
-Mr. X’s bias rooted claims must run directly counter to the welfare and security of the American people
So, if you disagree with them, you're trying to hurt America. The most recent example is Cindy Sheehan.
Yet, in today’s world the media lets this logical fallacy continue to be the narrative structure for all political reporting.
As the public’s proxy to power, should someone in the media tackle this head on? Shouldn’t someone take it on as their responsibility to lay this out exactly as I have and blow the bullshit whistle?
Perhaps there has been a true paradigm shift. Perhaps it is my responsibility to say so.
The fundamental problem that we on the left face is allowing ourselves to get bogged down in the anecdotal versions of the same fight over and over again. We make our case about the war and Social Security and Medicare and Voting Rights….
We should be constantly tying these narratives together. We should be constantly reminding the public that this is the same fallacy dressed up in a new suit.
So now I have.
What say you dear readers?
-The Oklahoma Hippy
The REAL George W. Bush?
Update: I have had several emails and posts indicating that this story my be bogus. So for now I have the text of the story with this here Mea Culpa.
Thanks for the guidance everyone.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Thanks for the guidance everyone.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
The REAL George W. Bush?
Update: I have had several emails and posts indicating that this story my be bogus. So for now I have the text of the story with this here Mea Culpa.
Thanks for the guidance everyone.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Thanks for the guidance everyone.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Watch the Daily Show Repeat in 2 hours...
[UPDATE]
You can watch it online. Click here, and then click on the video entitled MC Dubya.
Brilliant stuff
-Hippy
The George W. Bush Dance Mix. Comedy Central had better release that on MP3. Nuff Said.
Go Watch.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
You can watch it online. Click here, and then click on the video entitled MC Dubya.
Brilliant stuff
-Hippy
The George W. Bush Dance Mix. Comedy Central had better release that on MP3. Nuff Said.
Go Watch.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Watch the Daily Show Repeat in 2 hours...
[UPDATE]
You can watch it online. Click here, and then click on the video entitled MC Dubya.
Brilliant stuff
-Hippy
The George W. Bush Dance Mix. Comedy Central had better release that on MP3. Nuff Said.
Go Watch.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
You can watch it online. Click here, and then click on the video entitled MC Dubya.
Brilliant stuff
-Hippy
The George W. Bush Dance Mix. Comedy Central had better release that on MP3. Nuff Said.
Go Watch.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Light bulb change accomplished!
From John over at Americablog...
This will be a joke historians are still telling each other a thousand years from now.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
How many Bush administration officials does it take to change a light
bulb?
1. One to deny that a light bulb needs to be changed;
2. One to attack the patriotism of anyone who says the light bulb needs
to be changed;
3. One to blame Clinton for burning out the light bulb;
4. One to arrange the invasion of a country rumored to have a secret
stockpile of light bulbs;
5. One to give a billion dollar no-bid contract to Halliburton for the
new light bulb;
6. One to arrange a photograph of Bush, dressed as a janitor,
standing on a step ladder under the banner: Light Bulb Change Accomplished;
7. One administration insider to resign and write a book documenting
in detail how Bush was literally in the dark;
8. One to viciously smear #7;
9. One surrogate to campaign on TV and at rallies on how George Bush
has had a strong light-bulb-changing policy all along;
10. And finally one to confuse Americans about the difference between
screwing a light bulb and screwing the country.
This will be a joke historians are still telling each other a thousand years from now.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Light bulb change accomplished!
From John over at Americablog...
This will be a joke historians are still telling each other a thousand years from now.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
How many Bush administration officials does it take to change a light
bulb?
1. One to deny that a light bulb needs to be changed;
2. One to attack the patriotism of anyone who says the light bulb needs
to be changed;
3. One to blame Clinton for burning out the light bulb;
4. One to arrange the invasion of a country rumored to have a secret
stockpile of light bulbs;
5. One to give a billion dollar no-bid contract to Halliburton for the
new light bulb;
6. One to arrange a photograph of Bush, dressed as a janitor,
standing on a step ladder under the banner: Light Bulb Change Accomplished;
7. One administration insider to resign and write a book documenting
in detail how Bush was literally in the dark;
8. One to viciously smear #7;
9. One surrogate to campaign on TV and at rallies on how George Bush
has had a strong light-bulb-changing policy all along;
10. And finally one to confuse Americans about the difference between
screwing a light bulb and screwing the country.
This will be a joke historians are still telling each other a thousand years from now.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Boomer!
Yes. Yes you do. Here's to Oklahoma Hanging Half a Decade on Texas. Such a shame.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Boomer!
Yes. Yes you do. Here's to Oklahoma Hanging Half a Decade on Texas. Such a shame.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
What in the hell is going on?
From Editor and Publisher:
How do we go back through the looking glass to the real world? Check Please.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
American Legion Declares War on Protestors -- Media Next?
NEW YORK -- The American Legion, which has 2.7 million members, has declared war on antiwar protestors, and the media could be next. Speaking at its national convention in Honolulu, the group's national commander called for an end to all “public protests” and “media events” against the war, even though they are protected by the Bill of Rights.
"The American Legion will stand against anyone and any group that would demoralize our troops, or worse, endanger their lives by encouraging terrorists to continue their cowardly attacks against freedom-loving peoples," Thomas Cadmus, national commander, told delegates at the group's national convention in Honolulu.
The delegates voted to use whatever means necessary to "ensure the united backing of the American people to support our troops and the global war on terrorism."
In his speech, Cadmus declared: "It would be tragic if the freedoms our veterans fought so valiantly to protect would be used against their successors today as they battle terrorists bent on our destruction.”
How do we go back through the looking glass to the real world? Check Please.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
What in the hell is going on?
From Editor and Publisher:
How do we go back through the looking glass to the real world? Check Please.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
American Legion Declares War on Protestors -- Media Next?
NEW YORK -- The American Legion, which has 2.7 million members, has declared war on antiwar protestors, and the media could be next. Speaking at its national convention in Honolulu, the group's national commander called for an end to all “public protests” and “media events” against the war, even though they are protected by the Bill of Rights.
"The American Legion will stand against anyone and any group that would demoralize our troops, or worse, endanger their lives by encouraging terrorists to continue their cowardly attacks against freedom-loving peoples," Thomas Cadmus, national commander, told delegates at the group's national convention in Honolulu.
The delegates voted to use whatever means necessary to "ensure the united backing of the American people to support our troops and the global war on terrorism."
In his speech, Cadmus declared: "It would be tragic if the freedoms our veterans fought so valiantly to protect would be used against their successors today as they battle terrorists bent on our destruction.”
How do we go back through the looking glass to the real world? Check Please.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Rep. John Hostettler wants to do away with divorce...
From the D-Trip's Blog:
Okay, I'm going to make this very simple. Unless we are willing to make it much more difficult to get married by requiring extensive relationship counseling before issuing marriage licenses, making it harder to get divorced is going to put people in danger.
Most people who get divorced have very good reasons for doing so, and citing irreconcilable differences is their way of not airing it out in public.
We let any ass-tard with $25 get a marriage license in Oklahoma, and that's the reason we have one of the highest divorce rates in the country.
Alas, as a society, we'll never make it harder to get married. Getting married is a right and the whole basis for society if you ask John Hostettler.
It's the same fundamental problem that we have with the abortion debate. Yes, abortion is evil and abhorrent, but the right also wants to outlaw the steps we take to cause the number of unwanted pregnancies to go down. We can't teach a proper sex ed course in public school, because it encourages the kids to have sex.
What a smelly pile of horse shit. I don't know how they keep trying to sell it.
Let me clue people in for just a moment. The kids are having sex. Keeping real sexual education out of the public schools doesn't discourage their hormones, but rather increases the amount of unprotected sex.
These are people who want to blame society for the very messes they are making. Do you want less abortion? Have less unwanted pregnancy. Do you want less divorce? Make people get counseling before they get married. And I mean real counseling, not the kind the wife and I got in our church where they told us things like, "you really shouldn't use birth control pills. They cause abortions. You should use natural family planning. God will decide when it's right for you to have children."
God gave me the intellect to make that decision for myself, so he can keep focused on running the entire universe and not just this little blue speck in the boonies of space.
Even with giving up my job, I attribute that to God, but he left me with a choice. What Hostettler and his ilk would like is for everyone to sit quietly and believe as hard as they can and the problems will all go away.
Seriously, what's wrong with these people?
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Rep. John Hostettler told area clergy that divorce on demand is as dangerous as gay marriage, and pastors' actions will be key to strengthening all Indiana families.
[...]
"The picture of marriage is the picture of Christian salvation," said Hostettler, who describes his elected office as a ministry. "Any diminishing of that notion - whether homosexual marriage or any other degradation of marriage - is something we must fight in public policy."
[...]
While Hostettler's comments energized the group, laws governing marriage are rooted primarily at the state level. Enter the Indiana Family Institute [a nonprofit with close ties to Focus on the Family] and its lobbying efforts to strengthen state law's stances on family.
Okay, I'm going to make this very simple. Unless we are willing to make it much more difficult to get married by requiring extensive relationship counseling before issuing marriage licenses, making it harder to get divorced is going to put people in danger.
Most people who get divorced have very good reasons for doing so, and citing irreconcilable differences is their way of not airing it out in public.
We let any ass-tard with $25 get a marriage license in Oklahoma, and that's the reason we have one of the highest divorce rates in the country.
Alas, as a society, we'll never make it harder to get married. Getting married is a right and the whole basis for society if you ask John Hostettler.
It's the same fundamental problem that we have with the abortion debate. Yes, abortion is evil and abhorrent, but the right also wants to outlaw the steps we take to cause the number of unwanted pregnancies to go down. We can't teach a proper sex ed course in public school, because it encourages the kids to have sex.
What a smelly pile of horse shit. I don't know how they keep trying to sell it.
Let me clue people in for just a moment. The kids are having sex. Keeping real sexual education out of the public schools doesn't discourage their hormones, but rather increases the amount of unprotected sex.
These are people who want to blame society for the very messes they are making. Do you want less abortion? Have less unwanted pregnancy. Do you want less divorce? Make people get counseling before they get married. And I mean real counseling, not the kind the wife and I got in our church where they told us things like, "you really shouldn't use birth control pills. They cause abortions. You should use natural family planning. God will decide when it's right for you to have children."
God gave me the intellect to make that decision for myself, so he can keep focused on running the entire universe and not just this little blue speck in the boonies of space.
Even with giving up my job, I attribute that to God, but he left me with a choice. What Hostettler and his ilk would like is for everyone to sit quietly and believe as hard as they can and the problems will all go away.
Seriously, what's wrong with these people?
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Rep. John Hostettler wants to do away with divorce...
From the D-Trip's Blog:
Okay, I'm going to make this very simple. Unless we are willing to make it much more difficult to get married by requiring extensive relationship counseling before issuing marriage licenses, making it harder to get divorced is going to put people in danger.
Most people who get divorced have very good reasons for doing so, and citing irreconcilable differences is their way of not airing it out in public.
We let any ass-tard with $25 get a marriage license in Oklahoma, and that's the reason we have one of the highest divorce rates in the country.
Alas, as a society, we'll never make it harder to get married. Getting married is a right and the whole basis for society if you ask John Hostettler.
It's the same fundamental problem that we have with the abortion debate. Yes, abortion is evil and abhorrent, but the right also wants to outlaw the steps we take to cause the number of unwanted pregnancies to go down. We can't teach a proper sex ed course in public school, because it encourages the kids to have sex.
What a smelly pile of horse shit. I don't know how they keep trying to sell it.
Let me clue people in for just a moment. The kids are having sex. Keeping real sexual education out of the public schools doesn't discourage their hormones, but rather increases the amount of unprotected sex.
These are people who want to blame society for the very messes they are making. Do you want less abortion? Have less unwanted pregnancy. Do you want less divorce? Make people get counseling before they get married. And I mean real counseling, not the kind the wife and I got in our church where they told us things like, "you really shouldn't use birth control pills. They cause abortions. You should use natural family planning. God will decide when it's right for you to have children."
God gave me the intellect to make that decision for myself, so he can keep focused on running the entire universe and not just this little blue speck in the boonies of space.
Even with giving up my job, I attribute that to God, but he left me with a choice. What Hostettler and his ilk would like is for everyone to sit quietly and believe as hard as they can and the problems will all go away.
Seriously, what's wrong with these people?
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Rep. John Hostettler told area clergy that divorce on demand is as dangerous as gay marriage, and pastors' actions will be key to strengthening all Indiana families.
[...]
"The picture of marriage is the picture of Christian salvation," said Hostettler, who describes his elected office as a ministry. "Any diminishing of that notion - whether homosexual marriage or any other degradation of marriage - is something we must fight in public policy."
[...]
While Hostettler's comments energized the group, laws governing marriage are rooted primarily at the state level. Enter the Indiana Family Institute [a nonprofit with close ties to Focus on the Family] and its lobbying efforts to strengthen state law's stances on family.
Okay, I'm going to make this very simple. Unless we are willing to make it much more difficult to get married by requiring extensive relationship counseling before issuing marriage licenses, making it harder to get divorced is going to put people in danger.
Most people who get divorced have very good reasons for doing so, and citing irreconcilable differences is their way of not airing it out in public.
We let any ass-tard with $25 get a marriage license in Oklahoma, and that's the reason we have one of the highest divorce rates in the country.
Alas, as a society, we'll never make it harder to get married. Getting married is a right and the whole basis for society if you ask John Hostettler.
It's the same fundamental problem that we have with the abortion debate. Yes, abortion is evil and abhorrent, but the right also wants to outlaw the steps we take to cause the number of unwanted pregnancies to go down. We can't teach a proper sex ed course in public school, because it encourages the kids to have sex.
What a smelly pile of horse shit. I don't know how they keep trying to sell it.
Let me clue people in for just a moment. The kids are having sex. Keeping real sexual education out of the public schools doesn't discourage their hormones, but rather increases the amount of unprotected sex.
These are people who want to blame society for the very messes they are making. Do you want less abortion? Have less unwanted pregnancy. Do you want less divorce? Make people get counseling before they get married. And I mean real counseling, not the kind the wife and I got in our church where they told us things like, "you really shouldn't use birth control pills. They cause abortions. You should use natural family planning. God will decide when it's right for you to have children."
God gave me the intellect to make that decision for myself, so he can keep focused on running the entire universe and not just this little blue speck in the boonies of space.
Even with giving up my job, I attribute that to God, but he left me with a choice. What Hostettler and his ilk would like is for everyone to sit quietly and believe as hard as they can and the problems will all go away.
Seriously, what's wrong with these people?
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Wow. Pat Robertson just keeps on digging!
Um, does he think this is somehow better?
Pat, who would Jesus kidnap?
For a good laugh, see the full text here.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Conservative U.S. evangelist Pat Robertson, who called for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, said on Wednesday he was misinterpreted and there were a number of ways to "take him out" including kidnapping.
"I said our special forces could take him out. Take him out could be a number of things including kidnapping," Robertson said on his "The 700 Club" television program.
"There are a number of ways of taking out a dictator from power besides killing him. I was misinterpreted," Robertson added.
Robertson, the founder of the Christian Coalition and a presidential candidate in 1988, said on Monday of Chavez, one of Bush's most vocal critics: "If he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it."
Pat, who would Jesus kidnap?
For a good laugh, see the full text here.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Wow. Pat Robertson just keeps on digging!
Um, does he think this is somehow better?
Pat, who would Jesus kidnap?
For a good laugh, see the full text here.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Conservative U.S. evangelist Pat Robertson, who called for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, said on Wednesday he was misinterpreted and there were a number of ways to "take him out" including kidnapping.
"I said our special forces could take him out. Take him out could be a number of things including kidnapping," Robertson said on his "The 700 Club" television program.
"There are a number of ways of taking out a dictator from power besides killing him. I was misinterpreted," Robertson added.
Robertson, the founder of the Christian Coalition and a presidential candidate in 1988, said on Monday of Chavez, one of Bush's most vocal critics: "If he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it."
Pat, who would Jesus kidnap?
For a good laugh, see the full text here.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
So, where has The Hippy been?
Well that's an interesting question.
As many of you know, and many more probably didn't care, The Hippy until very recently worked at Sprint PCS.
I spent several years doing telephone customer service for this vast monster of a company, and if you have ever needed technical support with your Sprint PCS phone, you may well have spoken with me. I would have been the one who was helpful, articulate, and charming.
I should interject for a moment here and say there this is nothing quite as mind numbing as having the same conversation 35 times a day. Especially when that conversation is about how unhappy you are with your cell phone. I know you don't like your cell phone. The reason I know this is because you called me today. No one ever calls Sprint PCS tech support to say that they just love their service and they thought we ought to know that. So, now that I have gotten that off of my chest, I can move on.
Late last year I was promoted to the position of Quality Analyst. Consider if you will how painful it is to have the previously mentioned conversation as often as I did. Now consider how much it sucked to move to a position where I had to passively listen to other people having this conversation.
That's right, I was the phone police. Remember, the disclaimer you always hear about how the conversation may be monitored or recorded for quality assurance? That was me. I was the one listening.
I know what you're thinking. How could someone of such bravado and intellect do something to repetitive? Well, the answer is that I'm still not sure how I managed to do it, but I can at least tell you why.
We had to eat.
You see, when my wife and I got married, a little over 4 years ago, we were both not finished with our educations. So we had a very serious discussion as to who should work and who should stay in school.
Weighing our options carefully, we noticed that she was going to be graduating with a degree in Journalism and was also applying to law school. Law School was good, because a law degree will be somewhat useful in funding a future.
I on the other hand was majoring in philosophy and the course load that I had chosen would have made me versed in Chomskyan Linguistics as it related to his political philosophy, but all I could have really done would be to think deep thoughts about the nature of media manipulation and the nature of unemployment.
So, alas, it was the dear wife that continued in her education while I in June of 2000, started down the dreary path of corporate servitude. I managed to survive and that was a great feat.
Now, the plan had been the entire time I was working there, that I would continue my employment until the wife had taken the bar exam, and then I would relinquish my job and join the ranks of the professional students who aren't qualified to do anything by mere virtue of the fact that I was educated.
But, despite my hippie values, we started thinking that we ought to be very careful. Perhaps she wouldn't find a job in time, and we would end up destitute and homeless with cracker crumbs in my beard and with her wearing a pink flower hat and a raincoat all the time.
I decided that I could hold off on reclaiming my soul for just a while longer to assure that we would continue to have both income and health insurance. Those are two assets that a rational person would want to hold on to in George W. Bush's America.
So, rather than quitting my job the day after the bar exam, I simply scheduled some vacation time for the week immediately following the most important test my wife will ever take.
We were going to Washington D.C. to attend a family reunion and we were quite sure this was just the break we needed to unwind and recharge.
The first day of the bar exam seemed to go well for her, and though I was cramming to get the rest of my duties for the month completed at work, things were looking good.
We awoke on the morning of the second day of the bar exam and my last day of work before vacation to find that someone had broken into both of our cars the during our long summer slumber, and my car stereo was missing. This happened right in our driveway.
So, we get her to the test site thanks to the assistance of a dear friend, and I wait around the house for the police to arrive so I can file a report. All I can think the entire time is how terrible the 23 mile drive to work is going to be everyday with no radio in my car.
So I go to work, and I ended up staying 3 hours later than normal, just so I can get everything done without having to go to the boss man and tell him that someone else is going to have to make up for what I didn't get done because I am giving up 24 work hours at the end of the month.
I came home and I felt like a broken man.
I sleep it off and the next morning we head to Washington, and see the family. It was refreshing and good and I was happy to be there. I love them all, even if many of them wonder how such a blatant hippie made it into their midst. :-)
We arrive on Thursday evening, and we have a splendid time.
Sunday morning, I decide to pull out the laptop and check the email, and there is a message from a buddy of mine at work apologizing for all the email and calls. I immediately think this is quite odd, because I thought everyone knew I was going to be gone for about a week.
I check my voicemail and sure enough there is a message from my buddy saying, "Hey man, are you alright? I just wanted to see if you survived the bloodletting on Friday."
Now, I have to admit my first thought was, "I certainly hope not," but I decided that I should start making some calls to find out what I can.
It's Sunday, so I can't get anyone on the phone, so I continue with my vacation. Curious as to what's going on, but not worried.
Our flight back to Oklahoma was scheduled for Monday at 6pm, and the plan was to be back at work on Wednesday morning.
We decided that Monday morning, we wanted to go and visit National Cathedral. So we headed out that way.
The day was beautiful and we were feeling great. As we walked in, we found out that we were just in time to celebrate the holy Eucharist. We asked if it was a closed service, and they told us that the Cathedral celebrated according to the Anglican tradition, and that communion was open to all.
We sat quietly in this amazingly beautiful house of God and waited. There were only about 12 of us there participating in the mass. I was struck by how small the gathering was for such a huge and magnificent church, but felt it was important that I was there. I felt there was a reason that I was sitting there at that moment. And then, in the form of a charming and reserved priest, God spoke to me.
He informed us that it was the Holy Feast of Joseph of Arimathea. There was a reading from Scripture and then he began his sermon and I'll never forget it.
Joseph of Arimathea was on the Jewish council he explained, and it has been traditionally taught that he had at time sought out Jesus for his council, always under the cover of night.
The priest explained that Joseph of Arimathea knew that Jesus was a good man, but being wealthy and holding an important position, did not wish to make trouble for himself by openly associating with someone so controversial as Jesus of Nazareth.
But, at some point between these clandestine meetings and the time of Jesus' crucifixion, Joseph of Arimethea was no longer afraid. It was he who took custody of Christ's body and prepared him for burial and laid him in his own tomb.
The priest asked us to think about what a brave act this was and how Joseph was really risking his wealth and status to do what he felt was the good and proper thing to do.
Then, in what felt like something more than coincidence, the priest turned and looked directly at me. He said, "So I leave you with this to think about today. You know what is good and right, and you know what needs to be done. We live in troubling times, and those of us who are able should be working to make things better. Too often we let concern for our status, money, and comfort keep us from doing what needs to be done. It is time to speak out and do what is right."
I know what you must be thinking. It goes something like, "Hippy, God didn't use a priest to tell you to actually be a full time hippie."
And all I can respond is, "Yes, he did."
As I was walking out of the cathedral on what was now a Monday afternoon, I get a call from my supervisor at work. He was returning my call, and I simply asked if I still work there. He indicated that I did, so I told him that I would see him on Wednesday.
As I came into work that Wednesday morning, I could tell that something was odd. I wasn't there for more than 5 minutes when I was told that I had a meeting with the head of my department and the head of human resources. I could feel a slight tingle of excitement in my stomach.
In the meeting I was told that due to a scale back in the work force, they needed to eliminate some support positions and my job was among those scaled back. I had the option to take a Voluntary Separation Package or go back to having the conversations about the broken phones.
And there it was in front of me. The choice that God had used the priest to tell me was coming was sitting right in front of me not more than 48 hours later.
So, I listened to God. We are using the severance package I received to buy us time to find the wife a lawyer job, and then it's full time hippiedom for me. Fighting for social justice, truth, fairness, and an end to violence. That is what I have been called to do and I take it seriously.
Though the job search for the wife has taken much of my time, and may for another couple of weeks, I now that the time and the resources to take up my causes full time.
So, that's where I've been. It's been a strange start to what I'm sure will be a long journey, but I am ready.
Just remember, war-mongering rich white men with southern accents do not have some inherent claim to faith, righteousness, or God.
Let Pat Robertson call for all the assassinations he wants. While he's doing that I am going to fight the fights that Jesus would have picked if he were here right now.
Peace.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
As many of you know, and many more probably didn't care, The Hippy until very recently worked at Sprint PCS.
I spent several years doing telephone customer service for this vast monster of a company, and if you have ever needed technical support with your Sprint PCS phone, you may well have spoken with me. I would have been the one who was helpful, articulate, and charming.
I should interject for a moment here and say there this is nothing quite as mind numbing as having the same conversation 35 times a day. Especially when that conversation is about how unhappy you are with your cell phone. I know you don't like your cell phone. The reason I know this is because you called me today. No one ever calls Sprint PCS tech support to say that they just love their service and they thought we ought to know that. So, now that I have gotten that off of my chest, I can move on.
Late last year I was promoted to the position of Quality Analyst. Consider if you will how painful it is to have the previously mentioned conversation as often as I did. Now consider how much it sucked to move to a position where I had to passively listen to other people having this conversation.
That's right, I was the phone police. Remember, the disclaimer you always hear about how the conversation may be monitored or recorded for quality assurance? That was me. I was the one listening.
I know what you're thinking. How could someone of such bravado and intellect do something to repetitive? Well, the answer is that I'm still not sure how I managed to do it, but I can at least tell you why.
We had to eat.
You see, when my wife and I got married, a little over 4 years ago, we were both not finished with our educations. So we had a very serious discussion as to who should work and who should stay in school.
Weighing our options carefully, we noticed that she was going to be graduating with a degree in Journalism and was also applying to law school. Law School was good, because a law degree will be somewhat useful in funding a future.
I on the other hand was majoring in philosophy and the course load that I had chosen would have made me versed in Chomskyan Linguistics as it related to his political philosophy, but all I could have really done would be to think deep thoughts about the nature of media manipulation and the nature of unemployment.
So, alas, it was the dear wife that continued in her education while I in June of 2000, started down the dreary path of corporate servitude. I managed to survive and that was a great feat.
Now, the plan had been the entire time I was working there, that I would continue my employment until the wife had taken the bar exam, and then I would relinquish my job and join the ranks of the professional students who aren't qualified to do anything by mere virtue of the fact that I was educated.
But, despite my hippie values, we started thinking that we ought to be very careful. Perhaps she wouldn't find a job in time, and we would end up destitute and homeless with cracker crumbs in my beard and with her wearing a pink flower hat and a raincoat all the time.
I decided that I could hold off on reclaiming my soul for just a while longer to assure that we would continue to have both income and health insurance. Those are two assets that a rational person would want to hold on to in George W. Bush's America.
So, rather than quitting my job the day after the bar exam, I simply scheduled some vacation time for the week immediately following the most important test my wife will ever take.
We were going to Washington D.C. to attend a family reunion and we were quite sure this was just the break we needed to unwind and recharge.
The first day of the bar exam seemed to go well for her, and though I was cramming to get the rest of my duties for the month completed at work, things were looking good.
We awoke on the morning of the second day of the bar exam and my last day of work before vacation to find that someone had broken into both of our cars the during our long summer slumber, and my car stereo was missing. This happened right in our driveway.
So, we get her to the test site thanks to the assistance of a dear friend, and I wait around the house for the police to arrive so I can file a report. All I can think the entire time is how terrible the 23 mile drive to work is going to be everyday with no radio in my car.
So I go to work, and I ended up staying 3 hours later than normal, just so I can get everything done without having to go to the boss man and tell him that someone else is going to have to make up for what I didn't get done because I am giving up 24 work hours at the end of the month.
I came home and I felt like a broken man.
I sleep it off and the next morning we head to Washington, and see the family. It was refreshing and good and I was happy to be there. I love them all, even if many of them wonder how such a blatant hippie made it into their midst. :-)
We arrive on Thursday evening, and we have a splendid time.
Sunday morning, I decide to pull out the laptop and check the email, and there is a message from a buddy of mine at work apologizing for all the email and calls. I immediately think this is quite odd, because I thought everyone knew I was going to be gone for about a week.
I check my voicemail and sure enough there is a message from my buddy saying, "Hey man, are you alright? I just wanted to see if you survived the bloodletting on Friday."
Now, I have to admit my first thought was, "I certainly hope not," but I decided that I should start making some calls to find out what I can.
It's Sunday, so I can't get anyone on the phone, so I continue with my vacation. Curious as to what's going on, but not worried.
Our flight back to Oklahoma was scheduled for Monday at 6pm, and the plan was to be back at work on Wednesday morning.
We decided that Monday morning, we wanted to go and visit National Cathedral. So we headed out that way.
The day was beautiful and we were feeling great. As we walked in, we found out that we were just in time to celebrate the holy Eucharist. We asked if it was a closed service, and they told us that the Cathedral celebrated according to the Anglican tradition, and that communion was open to all.
We sat quietly in this amazingly beautiful house of God and waited. There were only about 12 of us there participating in the mass. I was struck by how small the gathering was for such a huge and magnificent church, but felt it was important that I was there. I felt there was a reason that I was sitting there at that moment. And then, in the form of a charming and reserved priest, God spoke to me.
He informed us that it was the Holy Feast of Joseph of Arimathea. There was a reading from Scripture and then he began his sermon and I'll never forget it.
Joseph of Arimathea was on the Jewish council he explained, and it has been traditionally taught that he had at time sought out Jesus for his council, always under the cover of night.
The priest explained that Joseph of Arimathea knew that Jesus was a good man, but being wealthy and holding an important position, did not wish to make trouble for himself by openly associating with someone so controversial as Jesus of Nazareth.
But, at some point between these clandestine meetings and the time of Jesus' crucifixion, Joseph of Arimethea was no longer afraid. It was he who took custody of Christ's body and prepared him for burial and laid him in his own tomb.
The priest asked us to think about what a brave act this was and how Joseph was really risking his wealth and status to do what he felt was the good and proper thing to do.
Then, in what felt like something more than coincidence, the priest turned and looked directly at me. He said, "So I leave you with this to think about today. You know what is good and right, and you know what needs to be done. We live in troubling times, and those of us who are able should be working to make things better. Too often we let concern for our status, money, and comfort keep us from doing what needs to be done. It is time to speak out and do what is right."
I know what you must be thinking. It goes something like, "Hippy, God didn't use a priest to tell you to actually be a full time hippie."
And all I can respond is, "Yes, he did."
As I was walking out of the cathedral on what was now a Monday afternoon, I get a call from my supervisor at work. He was returning my call, and I simply asked if I still work there. He indicated that I did, so I told him that I would see him on Wednesday.
As I came into work that Wednesday morning, I could tell that something was odd. I wasn't there for more than 5 minutes when I was told that I had a meeting with the head of my department and the head of human resources. I could feel a slight tingle of excitement in my stomach.
In the meeting I was told that due to a scale back in the work force, they needed to eliminate some support positions and my job was among those scaled back. I had the option to take a Voluntary Separation Package or go back to having the conversations about the broken phones.
And there it was in front of me. The choice that God had used the priest to tell me was coming was sitting right in front of me not more than 48 hours later.
So, I listened to God. We are using the severance package I received to buy us time to find the wife a lawyer job, and then it's full time hippiedom for me. Fighting for social justice, truth, fairness, and an end to violence. That is what I have been called to do and I take it seriously.
Though the job search for the wife has taken much of my time, and may for another couple of weeks, I now that the time and the resources to take up my causes full time.
So, that's where I've been. It's been a strange start to what I'm sure will be a long journey, but I am ready.
Just remember, war-mongering rich white men with southern accents do not have some inherent claim to faith, righteousness, or God.
Let Pat Robertson call for all the assassinations he wants. While he's doing that I am going to fight the fights that Jesus would have picked if he were here right now.
Peace.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
So, where has The Hippy been?
Well that's an interesting question.
As many of you know, and many more probably didn't care, The Hippy until very recently worked at Sprint PCS.
I spent several years doing telephone customer service for this vast monster of a company, and if you have ever needed technical support with your Sprint PCS phone, you may well have spoken with me. I would have been the one who was helpful, articulate, and charming.
I should interject for a moment here and say there this is nothing quite as mind numbing as having the same conversation 35 times a day. Especially when that conversation is about how unhappy you are with your cell phone. I know you don't like your cell phone. The reason I know this is because you called me today. No one ever calls Sprint PCS tech support to say that they just love their service and they thought we ought to know that. So, now that I have gotten that off of my chest, I can move on.
Late last year I was promoted to the position of Quality Analyst. Consider if you will how painful it is to have the previously mentioned conversation as often as I did. Now consider how much it sucked to move to a position where I had to passively listen to other people having this conversation.
That's right, I was the phone police. Remember, the disclaimer you always hear about how the conversation may be monitored or recorded for quality assurance? That was me. I was the one listening.
I know what you're thinking. How could someone of such bravado and intellect do something to repetitive? Well, the answer is that I'm still not sure how I managed to do it, but I can at least tell you why.
We had to eat.
You see, when my wife and I got married, a little over 4 years ago, we were both not finished with our educations. So we had a very serious discussion as to who should work and who should stay in school.
Weighing our options carefully, we noticed that she was going to be graduating with a degree in Journalism and was also applying to law school. Law School was good, because a law degree will be somewhat useful in funding a future.
I on the other hand was majoring in philosophy and the course load that I had chosen would have made me versed in Chomskyan Linguistics as it related to his political philosophy, but all I could have really done would be to think deep thoughts about the nature of media manipulation and the nature of unemployment.
So, alas, it was the dear wife that continued in her education while I in June of 2000, started down the dreary path of corporate servitude. I managed to survive and that was a great feat.
Now, the plan had been the entire time I was working there, that I would continue my employment until the wife had taken the bar exam, and then I would relinquish my job and join the ranks of the professional students who aren't qualified to do anything by mere virtue of the fact that I was educated.
But, despite my hippie values, we started thinking that we ought to be very careful. Perhaps she wouldn't find a job in time, and we would end up destitute and homeless with cracker crumbs in my beard and with her wearing a pink flower hat and a raincoat all the time.
I decided that I could hold off on reclaiming my soul for just a while longer to assure that we would continue to have both income and health insurance. Those are two assets that a rational person would want to hold on to in George W. Bush's America.
So, rather than quitting my job the day after the bar exam, I simply scheduled some vacation time for the week immediately following the most important test my wife will ever take.
We were going to Washington D.C. to attend a family reunion and we were quite sure this was just the break we needed to unwind and recharge.
The first day of the bar exam seemed to go well for her, and though I was cramming to get the rest of my duties for the month completed at work, things were looking good.
We awoke on the morning of the second day of the bar exam and my last day of work before vacation to find that someone had broken into both of our cars the during our long summer slumber, and my car stereo was missing. This happened right in our driveway.
So, we get her to the test site thanks to the assistance of a dear friend, and I wait around the house for the police to arrive so I can file a report. All I can think the entire time is how terrible the 23 mile drive to work is going to be everyday with no radio in my car.
So I go to work, and I ended up staying 3 hours later than normal, just so I can get everything done without having to go to the boss man and tell him that someone else is going to have to make up for what I didn't get done because I am giving up 24 work hours at the end of the month.
I came home and I felt like a broken man.
I sleep it off and the next morning we head to Washington, and see the family. It was refreshing and good and I was happy to be there. I love them all, even if many of them wonder how such a blatant hippie made it into their midst. :-)
We arrive on Thursday evening, and we have a splendid time.
Sunday morning, I decide to pull out the laptop and check the email, and there is a message from a buddy of mine at work apologizing for all the email and calls. I immediately think this is quite odd, because I thought everyone knew I was going to be gone for about a week.
I check my voicemail and sure enough there is a message from my buddy saying, "Hey man, are you alright? I just wanted to see if you survived the bloodletting on Friday."
Now, I have to admit my first thought was, "I certainly hope not," but I decided that I should start making some calls to find out what I can.
It's Sunday, so I can't get anyone on the phone, so I continue with my vacation. Curious as to what's going on, but not worried.
Our flight back to Oklahoma was scheduled for Monday at 6pm, and the plan was to be back at work on Wednesday morning.
We decided that Monday morning, we wanted to go and visit National Cathedral. So we headed out that way.
The day was beautiful and we were feeling great. As we walked in, we found out that we were just in time to celebrate the holy Eucharist. We asked if it was a closed service, and they told us that the Cathedral celebrated according to the Anglican tradition, and that communion was open to all.
We sat quietly in this amazingly beautiful house of God and waited. There were only about 12 of us there participating in the mass. I was struck by how small the gathering was for such a huge and magnificent church, but felt it was important that I was there. I felt there was a reason that I was sitting there at that moment. And then, in the form of a charming and reserved priest, God spoke to me.
He informed us that it was the Holy Feast of Joseph of Arimathea. There was a reading from Scripture and then he began his sermon and I'll never forget it.
Joseph of Arimathea was on the Jewish council he explained, and it has been traditionally taught that he had at time sought out Jesus for his council, always under the cover of night.
The priest explained that Joseph of Arimathea knew that Jesus was a good man, but being wealthy and holding an important position, did not wish to make trouble for himself by openly associating with someone so controversial as Jesus of Nazareth.
But, at some point between these clandestine meetings and the time of Jesus' crucifixion, Joseph of Arimethea was no longer afraid. It was he who took custody of Christ's body and prepared him for burial and laid him in his own tomb.
The priest asked us to think about what a brave act this was and how Joseph was really risking his wealth and status to do what he felt was the good and proper thing to do.
Then, in what felt like something more than coincidence, the priest turned and looked directly at me. He said, "So I leave you with this to think about today. You know what is good and right, and you know what needs to be done. We live in troubling times, and those of us who are able should be working to make things better. Too often we let concern for our status, money, and comfort keep us from doing what needs to be done. It is time to speak out and do what is right."
I know what you must be thinking. It goes something like, "Hippy, God didn't use a priest to tell you to actually be a full time hippie."
And all I can respond is, "Yes, he did."
As I was walking out of the cathedral on what was now a Monday afternoon, I get a call from my supervisor at work. He was returning my call, and I simply asked if I still work there. He indicated that I did, so I told him that I would see him on Wednesday.
As I came into work that Wednesday morning, I could tell that something was odd. I wasn't there for more than 5 minutes when I was told that I had a meeting with the head of my department and the head of human resources. I could feel a slight tingle of excitement in my stomach.
In the meeting I was told that due to a scale back in the work force, they needed to eliminate some support positions and my job was among those scaled back. I had the option to take a Voluntary Separation Package or go back to having the conversations about the broken phones.
And there it was in front of me. The choice that God had used the priest to tell me was coming was sitting right in front of me not more than 48 hours later.
So, I listened to God. We are using the severance package I received to buy us time to find the wife a lawyer job, and then it's full time hippiedom for me. Fighting for social justice, truth, fairness, and an end to violence. That is what I have been called to do and I take it seriously.
Though the job search for the wife has taken much of my time, and may for another couple of weeks, I now that the time and the resources to take up my causes full time.
So, that's where I've been. It's been a strange start to what I'm sure will be a long journey, but I am ready.
Just remember, war-mongering rich white men with southern accents do not have some inherent claim to faith, righteousness, or God.
Let Pat Robertson call for all the assassinations he wants. While he's doing that I am going to fight the fights that Jesus would have picked if he were here right now.
Peace.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
As many of you know, and many more probably didn't care, The Hippy until very recently worked at Sprint PCS.
I spent several years doing telephone customer service for this vast monster of a company, and if you have ever needed technical support with your Sprint PCS phone, you may well have spoken with me. I would have been the one who was helpful, articulate, and charming.
I should interject for a moment here and say there this is nothing quite as mind numbing as having the same conversation 35 times a day. Especially when that conversation is about how unhappy you are with your cell phone. I know you don't like your cell phone. The reason I know this is because you called me today. No one ever calls Sprint PCS tech support to say that they just love their service and they thought we ought to know that. So, now that I have gotten that off of my chest, I can move on.
Late last year I was promoted to the position of Quality Analyst. Consider if you will how painful it is to have the previously mentioned conversation as often as I did. Now consider how much it sucked to move to a position where I had to passively listen to other people having this conversation.
That's right, I was the phone police. Remember, the disclaimer you always hear about how the conversation may be monitored or recorded for quality assurance? That was me. I was the one listening.
I know what you're thinking. How could someone of such bravado and intellect do something to repetitive? Well, the answer is that I'm still not sure how I managed to do it, but I can at least tell you why.
We had to eat.
You see, when my wife and I got married, a little over 4 years ago, we were both not finished with our educations. So we had a very serious discussion as to who should work and who should stay in school.
Weighing our options carefully, we noticed that she was going to be graduating with a degree in Journalism and was also applying to law school. Law School was good, because a law degree will be somewhat useful in funding a future.
I on the other hand was majoring in philosophy and the course load that I had chosen would have made me versed in Chomskyan Linguistics as it related to his political philosophy, but all I could have really done would be to think deep thoughts about the nature of media manipulation and the nature of unemployment.
So, alas, it was the dear wife that continued in her education while I in June of 2000, started down the dreary path of corporate servitude. I managed to survive and that was a great feat.
Now, the plan had been the entire time I was working there, that I would continue my employment until the wife had taken the bar exam, and then I would relinquish my job and join the ranks of the professional students who aren't qualified to do anything by mere virtue of the fact that I was educated.
But, despite my hippie values, we started thinking that we ought to be very careful. Perhaps she wouldn't find a job in time, and we would end up destitute and homeless with cracker crumbs in my beard and with her wearing a pink flower hat and a raincoat all the time.
I decided that I could hold off on reclaiming my soul for just a while longer to assure that we would continue to have both income and health insurance. Those are two assets that a rational person would want to hold on to in George W. Bush's America.
So, rather than quitting my job the day after the bar exam, I simply scheduled some vacation time for the week immediately following the most important test my wife will ever take.
We were going to Washington D.C. to attend a family reunion and we were quite sure this was just the break we needed to unwind and recharge.
The first day of the bar exam seemed to go well for her, and though I was cramming to get the rest of my duties for the month completed at work, things were looking good.
We awoke on the morning of the second day of the bar exam and my last day of work before vacation to find that someone had broken into both of our cars the during our long summer slumber, and my car stereo was missing. This happened right in our driveway.
So, we get her to the test site thanks to the assistance of a dear friend, and I wait around the house for the police to arrive so I can file a report. All I can think the entire time is how terrible the 23 mile drive to work is going to be everyday with no radio in my car.
So I go to work, and I ended up staying 3 hours later than normal, just so I can get everything done without having to go to the boss man and tell him that someone else is going to have to make up for what I didn't get done because I am giving up 24 work hours at the end of the month.
I came home and I felt like a broken man.
I sleep it off and the next morning we head to Washington, and see the family. It was refreshing and good and I was happy to be there. I love them all, even if many of them wonder how such a blatant hippie made it into their midst. :-)
We arrive on Thursday evening, and we have a splendid time.
Sunday morning, I decide to pull out the laptop and check the email, and there is a message from a buddy of mine at work apologizing for all the email and calls. I immediately think this is quite odd, because I thought everyone knew I was going to be gone for about a week.
I check my voicemail and sure enough there is a message from my buddy saying, "Hey man, are you alright? I just wanted to see if you survived the bloodletting on Friday."
Now, I have to admit my first thought was, "I certainly hope not," but I decided that I should start making some calls to find out what I can.
It's Sunday, so I can't get anyone on the phone, so I continue with my vacation. Curious as to what's going on, but not worried.
Our flight back to Oklahoma was scheduled for Monday at 6pm, and the plan was to be back at work on Wednesday morning.
We decided that Monday morning, we wanted to go and visit National Cathedral. So we headed out that way.
The day was beautiful and we were feeling great. As we walked in, we found out that we were just in time to celebrate the holy Eucharist. We asked if it was a closed service, and they told us that the Cathedral celebrated according to the Anglican tradition, and that communion was open to all.
We sat quietly in this amazingly beautiful house of God and waited. There were only about 12 of us there participating in the mass. I was struck by how small the gathering was for such a huge and magnificent church, but felt it was important that I was there. I felt there was a reason that I was sitting there at that moment. And then, in the form of a charming and reserved priest, God spoke to me.
He informed us that it was the Holy Feast of Joseph of Arimathea. There was a reading from Scripture and then he began his sermon and I'll never forget it.
Joseph of Arimathea was on the Jewish council he explained, and it has been traditionally taught that he had at time sought out Jesus for his council, always under the cover of night.
The priest explained that Joseph of Arimathea knew that Jesus was a good man, but being wealthy and holding an important position, did not wish to make trouble for himself by openly associating with someone so controversial as Jesus of Nazareth.
But, at some point between these clandestine meetings and the time of Jesus' crucifixion, Joseph of Arimethea was no longer afraid. It was he who took custody of Christ's body and prepared him for burial and laid him in his own tomb.
The priest asked us to think about what a brave act this was and how Joseph was really risking his wealth and status to do what he felt was the good and proper thing to do.
Then, in what felt like something more than coincidence, the priest turned and looked directly at me. He said, "So I leave you with this to think about today. You know what is good and right, and you know what needs to be done. We live in troubling times, and those of us who are able should be working to make things better. Too often we let concern for our status, money, and comfort keep us from doing what needs to be done. It is time to speak out and do what is right."
I know what you must be thinking. It goes something like, "Hippy, God didn't use a priest to tell you to actually be a full time hippie."
And all I can respond is, "Yes, he did."
As I was walking out of the cathedral on what was now a Monday afternoon, I get a call from my supervisor at work. He was returning my call, and I simply asked if I still work there. He indicated that I did, so I told him that I would see him on Wednesday.
As I came into work that Wednesday morning, I could tell that something was odd. I wasn't there for more than 5 minutes when I was told that I had a meeting with the head of my department and the head of human resources. I could feel a slight tingle of excitement in my stomach.
In the meeting I was told that due to a scale back in the work force, they needed to eliminate some support positions and my job was among those scaled back. I had the option to take a Voluntary Separation Package or go back to having the conversations about the broken phones.
And there it was in front of me. The choice that God had used the priest to tell me was coming was sitting right in front of me not more than 48 hours later.
So, I listened to God. We are using the severance package I received to buy us time to find the wife a lawyer job, and then it's full time hippiedom for me. Fighting for social justice, truth, fairness, and an end to violence. That is what I have been called to do and I take it seriously.
Though the job search for the wife has taken much of my time, and may for another couple of weeks, I now that the time and the resources to take up my causes full time.
So, that's where I've been. It's been a strange start to what I'm sure will be a long journey, but I am ready.
Just remember, war-mongering rich white men with southern accents do not have some inherent claim to faith, righteousness, or God.
Let Pat Robertson call for all the assassinations he wants. While he's doing that I am going to fight the fights that Jesus would have picked if he were here right now.
Peace.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Where the Fuck does Ann Coulter get off?
Unbelievable...
Yeah... New Yorkers... Complete Cowards in the face of terrorism sayeth the Queen Bitch of Fox News Pundits.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
As Republicans were saying repeatedly – captured on Lexis-Nexis for a year before it showed up in a Frank Luntz talking-points memo in 2004 – the savages have declared war, and it's far preferable to fight them in the streets of Baghdad than in the streets of New York (where the residents would immediately surrender). That strategy appears to be working. Then again, maybe it's just that it's so damnably hard to find parking in New York ...
Yeah... New Yorkers... Complete Cowards in the face of terrorism sayeth the Queen Bitch of Fox News Pundits.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Where the Fuck does Ann Coulter get off?
Unbelievable...
Yeah... New Yorkers... Complete Cowards in the face of terrorism sayeth the Queen Bitch of Fox News Pundits.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
As Republicans were saying repeatedly – captured on Lexis-Nexis for a year before it showed up in a Frank Luntz talking-points memo in 2004 – the savages have declared war, and it's far preferable to fight them in the streets of Baghdad than in the streets of New York (where the residents would immediately surrender). That strategy appears to be working. Then again, maybe it's just that it's so damnably hard to find parking in New York ...
Yeah... New Yorkers... Complete Cowards in the face of terrorism sayeth the Queen Bitch of Fox News Pundits.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Your Christian Leaders at work....
Pat Robertson had something to say:
Scratch Commandment number 6. Pat doesn't need it anymore.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson called on Monday for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, calling him a "terrific danger" to the United States.
Robertson, founder of the Christian Coalition of America and a former presidential candidate, said on "The 700 Club" it was the United States' duty to stop Chavez from making Venezuela a "launching pad for communist infiltration and Muslim extremism."
Chavez has emerged as one of the most outspoken critics of President Bush, accusing the United States of conspiring to topple his government and possibly backing plots to assassinate him. U.S. officials have called the accusations ridiculous.
"You know, I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it," Robertson said. "It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war ... and I don't think any oil shipments will stop."
Electronic pages and a message to a Robertson spokeswoman were not immediately returned Monday evening.
Scratch Commandment number 6. Pat doesn't need it anymore.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Your Christian Leaders at work....
Pat Robertson had something to say:
Scratch Commandment number 6. Pat doesn't need it anymore.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson called on Monday for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, calling him a "terrific danger" to the United States.
Robertson, founder of the Christian Coalition of America and a former presidential candidate, said on "The 700 Club" it was the United States' duty to stop Chavez from making Venezuela a "launching pad for communist infiltration and Muslim extremism."
Chavez has emerged as one of the most outspoken critics of President Bush, accusing the United States of conspiring to topple his government and possibly backing plots to assassinate him. U.S. officials have called the accusations ridiculous.
"You know, I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it," Robertson said. "It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war ... and I don't think any oil shipments will stop."
Electronic pages and a message to a Robertson spokeswoman were not immediately returned Monday evening.
Scratch Commandment number 6. Pat doesn't need it anymore.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Someone in Florida is living in La La Land...
From CNN:
See the rest here.
Joe's not going to run. He's not going to run because he doesn't want to spend the next year talking about the dead intern that was found in his office.
He would spend the next year reading stories just like this one:
You can find the full text to that story here.
As if things weren't bad enough with Kathrine Harris as the candidate, someone is floating stories to the media about Joe. Yeah Right.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
PENSACOLA, Florida (AP) -- The Republican Party in Florida is courting cable TV host Joe Scarborough to challenge U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris in the 2006 Senate primary race, two businessmen active in GOP politics said Tuesday.
Scarborough, a former congressman, has met with senior Republican officials, Collier Merrill, a Pensacola businessman told the Pensacola News Journal in a report for Wednesday's editions.
The other businessman, Eric Nickelsen, said he had contacted Scarborough and encouraged him to run, and he corroborated that other party leaders wanted the cable talk show host to challenge Harris.
Scarborough declined to comment late Tuesday. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives four times, representing the Pensacola area from 1994-2001.
See the rest here.
Joe's not going to run. He's not going to run because he doesn't want to spend the next year talking about the dead intern that was found in his office.
He would spend the next year reading stories just like this one:
The story had a brief flutter in the Northwest Florida press, which ran a few very short stories on Lori's death. With the exception of the Northwest Florida Daily News, they were of the "Aw-what-a-shame/ nothing-to-see-here-move-along-now-folks" variety. But nationally, this mysterious death earned a mere one paragraph mention in The Washington Post's NATION IN BRIEF column:
"FORT WALTON BEACH, FL. - Lori Klausutis, a 28-year-old office worker for Rep. Joe Scarborough (R-Fl), was found dead in the congressman's district office. Police said preliminary findings from the medical examiner's office showed no foul play or any outward indication of suicide."
Unbelievably, that was it. The story was simply dropped. A young female employee of one of Florida's Congressmen had died unexpectedly in the Congressman's office. There were no witnesses to her death and the cause of death was not apparent. Klausutis' boss, Joe Scarborough had recently resigned from Congress prematurely and unexpectedly, amid rumors about his marital fidelity and soon after a divorce. He had also abruptly resigned as publisher of the Independent Florida Sun, claiming that resigning from Congress and as publisher was necessary to spend more time with his sons.
Such circumstances make one pause. Sick to death of the clear bias of the corporate owned media, and suspicious of the odd nature of this death, we began to dig for answers. The more information we discovered, the more unlikely, and the more newsworthy the story became.
Here are the facts. Lori Klausutis had a seemingly happy life. A devoted husband who listed on his online homepage "being married to Lori" as one of the honors he enjoyed, a new home in Niceville and a Catholic congregation where she was a cantor and in whose choir she sang, were some of the elements of the Good Life she enjoyed. Her husband, Dr. Timothy Klausutis, did research and development for the munitions group at nearby Eglin Air Force Base, where he presumably made a good livelihood. Although Lori hailed from the Atlanta, Georgia area where she had attended school, there were numerous family members in the area. According to her obituary in the Fort Walton Daily News, Lori had served as President and, later, Treasurer, for the Emerald Coast Young Republicans and as a aide to Congressman Scarborough, she was active during the Florida recounts. A former neighbor, Barbara Cromer, said "Every morning, I would see her run while I walked. We'd wave to each other as we passed. I loved Lori so much. She was wonderful. She was a kind, generous person, so sweet.
Then, on Friday, July 20th, the body of Lori Klausutis, 28, was found slumped next to a desk on the floor of Florida Republican Congressman Joe Scarborough's Fort Walton Beach office where Lori had served as a constituent services coordinator since May, 1999. Her body was found around 8:00 a.m. on Friday morning by a couple arriving for an appointment. She had been dead for some time. A second employee, who would have normally arrived for work at around the same time, was away on vacation. Police cordoned off the area for investigation, later announcing that there was no reason to suspect foul play, nor were there signs of suicide.
You can find the full text to that story here.
As if things weren't bad enough with Kathrine Harris as the candidate, someone is floating stories to the media about Joe. Yeah Right.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Someone in Florida is living in La La Land...
From CNN:
See the rest here.
Joe's not going to run. He's not going to run because he doesn't want to spend the next year talking about the dead intern that was found in his office.
He would spend the next year reading stories just like this one:
You can find the full text to that story here.
As if things weren't bad enough with Kathrine Harris as the candidate, someone is floating stories to the media about Joe. Yeah Right.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
PENSACOLA, Florida (AP) -- The Republican Party in Florida is courting cable TV host Joe Scarborough to challenge U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris in the 2006 Senate primary race, two businessmen active in GOP politics said Tuesday.
Scarborough, a former congressman, has met with senior Republican officials, Collier Merrill, a Pensacola businessman told the Pensacola News Journal in a report for Wednesday's editions.
The other businessman, Eric Nickelsen, said he had contacted Scarborough and encouraged him to run, and he corroborated that other party leaders wanted the cable talk show host to challenge Harris.
Scarborough declined to comment late Tuesday. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives four times, representing the Pensacola area from 1994-2001.
See the rest here.
Joe's not going to run. He's not going to run because he doesn't want to spend the next year talking about the dead intern that was found in his office.
He would spend the next year reading stories just like this one:
The story had a brief flutter in the Northwest Florida press, which ran a few very short stories on Lori's death. With the exception of the Northwest Florida Daily News, they were of the "Aw-what-a-shame/ nothing-to-see-here-move-along-now-folks" variety. But nationally, this mysterious death earned a mere one paragraph mention in The Washington Post's NATION IN BRIEF column:
"FORT WALTON BEACH, FL. - Lori Klausutis, a 28-year-old office worker for Rep. Joe Scarborough (R-Fl), was found dead in the congressman's district office. Police said preliminary findings from the medical examiner's office showed no foul play or any outward indication of suicide."
Unbelievably, that was it. The story was simply dropped. A young female employee of one of Florida's Congressmen had died unexpectedly in the Congressman's office. There were no witnesses to her death and the cause of death was not apparent. Klausutis' boss, Joe Scarborough had recently resigned from Congress prematurely and unexpectedly, amid rumors about his marital fidelity and soon after a divorce. He had also abruptly resigned as publisher of the Independent Florida Sun, claiming that resigning from Congress and as publisher was necessary to spend more time with his sons.
Such circumstances make one pause. Sick to death of the clear bias of the corporate owned media, and suspicious of the odd nature of this death, we began to dig for answers. The more information we discovered, the more unlikely, and the more newsworthy the story became.
Here are the facts. Lori Klausutis had a seemingly happy life. A devoted husband who listed on his online homepage "being married to Lori" as one of the honors he enjoyed, a new home in Niceville and a Catholic congregation where she was a cantor and in whose choir she sang, were some of the elements of the Good Life she enjoyed. Her husband, Dr. Timothy Klausutis, did research and development for the munitions group at nearby Eglin Air Force Base, where he presumably made a good livelihood. Although Lori hailed from the Atlanta, Georgia area where she had attended school, there were numerous family members in the area. According to her obituary in the Fort Walton Daily News, Lori had served as President and, later, Treasurer, for the Emerald Coast Young Republicans and as a aide to Congressman Scarborough, she was active during the Florida recounts. A former neighbor, Barbara Cromer, said "Every morning, I would see her run while I walked. We'd wave to each other as we passed. I loved Lori so much. She was wonderful. She was a kind, generous person, so sweet.
Then, on Friday, July 20th, the body of Lori Klausutis, 28, was found slumped next to a desk on the floor of Florida Republican Congressman Joe Scarborough's Fort Walton Beach office where Lori had served as a constituent services coordinator since May, 1999. Her body was found around 8:00 a.m. on Friday morning by a couple arriving for an appointment. She had been dead for some time. A second employee, who would have normally arrived for work at around the same time, was away on vacation. Police cordoned off the area for investigation, later announcing that there was no reason to suspect foul play, nor were there signs of suicide.
You can find the full text to that story here.
As if things weren't bad enough with Kathrine Harris as the candidate, someone is floating stories to the media about Joe. Yeah Right.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Daily Show lays the smack down...
Everyone needs to see The Daily Show's report on Cindy Sheehan from last night.
Here't the link to the video. Enjoy.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Here't the link to the video. Enjoy.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Daily Show lays the smack down...
Everyone needs to see The Daily Show's report on Cindy Sheehan from last night.
Here't the link to the video. Enjoy.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Here't the link to the video. Enjoy.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
What's wrong with the Bush Administration?
Take this perfect example:
The full text can be found here.
Yeah, because without this domain, there would be so much less pornography on the internet. What the hell people?
-The Oklahoma Hippy
The Bush administration is objecting to the creation of a .xxx domain, saying it has concerns about a virtual red-light district reserved exclusively for Internet pornography.
Michael Gallagher, assistant secretary at the Commerce Department, has asked for a hold to be placed on the contract to run the new top-level domain until the .xxx suffix can receive further scrutiny. The domain was scheduled to receive final approval Tuesday.
"The Department of Commerce has received nearly 6,000 letters and e-mails from individuals expressing concern about the impact of pornography on families and children," Gallagher said in a letter that was made public on Monday.
The full text can be found here.
Yeah, because without this domain, there would be so much less pornography on the internet. What the hell people?
-The Oklahoma Hippy
What's wrong with the Bush Administration?
Take this perfect example:
The full text can be found here.
Yeah, because without this domain, there would be so much less pornography on the internet. What the hell people?
-The Oklahoma Hippy
The Bush administration is objecting to the creation of a .xxx domain, saying it has concerns about a virtual red-light district reserved exclusively for Internet pornography.
Michael Gallagher, assistant secretary at the Commerce Department, has asked for a hold to be placed on the contract to run the new top-level domain until the .xxx suffix can receive further scrutiny. The domain was scheduled to receive final approval Tuesday.
"The Department of Commerce has received nearly 6,000 letters and e-mails from individuals expressing concern about the impact of pornography on families and children," Gallagher said in a letter that was made public on Monday.
The full text can be found here.
Yeah, because without this domain, there would be so much less pornography on the internet. What the hell people?
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Miss me?
Sorry I've been gone. I'll explain why soon.
In the meantime, Six Feet Under tonight goes after the heart of right-wing America and wins.
Wow.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Update: About half way through the episode the writers bait Rick Santorum. They intentionally pressed the drama. Imagine the reaction you would get if you insulted a drag queen's shoes. That's the reaction they're trying to draw out of the Republicans. Let's see if it works.
In the meantime, Six Feet Under tonight goes after the heart of right-wing America and wins.
Wow.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Update: About half way through the episode the writers bait Rick Santorum. They intentionally pressed the drama. Imagine the reaction you would get if you insulted a drag queen's shoes. That's the reaction they're trying to draw out of the Republicans. Let's see if it works.
Miss me?
Sorry I've been gone. I'll explain why soon.
In the meantime, Six Feet Under tonight goes after the heart of right-wing America and wins.
Wow.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Update: About half way through the episode the writers bait Rick Santorum. They intentionally pressed the drama. Imagine the reaction you would get if you insulted a drag queen's shoes. That's the reaction they're trying to draw out of the Republicans. Let's see if it works.
In the meantime, Six Feet Under tonight goes after the heart of right-wing America and wins.
Wow.
-The Oklahoma Hippy
Update: About half way through the episode the writers bait Rick Santorum. They intentionally pressed the drama. Imagine the reaction you would get if you insulted a drag queen's shoes. That's the reaction they're trying to draw out of the Republicans. Let's see if it works.
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