A tsunami is building ...

I went to a rock concert tonight and a political rally broke out.

The Barack Obama wave rolled into Phoenix tonight and I was very happy that I took time off work to attend. I was one of more than 200 volunteers who helped with crowd control and other logistics at the Coliseum. When the doors opened just after 3 p.m. people poured into the arena and they just kept coming. I will estimate that there were 10-12,000 people there. I eventually worked my way down by the stage and when he came out I took some photos and shook his hand. When he finally made it up onto the stage, the roar from the crowd nearly popped my eardrum. He is definitely a rock star and he delivered a terrific speech, saying all the right things. The only thing left for me was to ask myself if I could believe in him. Until two days ago I had my doubts. I supported Edwards, think highly of Clinton, and just wasn't sure if Obama was for real. But for various reasons I decided to support Obama a couple of days ago and went today to see if I made the right decision. I am now convinced that Barack Obama is the candidate who can fill people with hope, rise to the ocassion and turn the country in a new direction.

Barack Obama '08

How can he see in there?

Chris Matthews continues to be an embarrasment, especially when compared to the man he is sitting next to tonight, Keith Olbermann.
We just watched Matthews interview Saint John McCain about Bush's SOTU speech. Matthews was so far up McCain's butt that we may need to drill a hole to pump in some oxygen while we wait for the rescuers from the Mine Safety and Health Administration to arrive.
God, I wish I knew how to do a Google Bomb for Chris Matthews and Fluffing.*

*Warning -- Mature content.

The Army gets it, and does something about it.

The slander against Obama continues in the shadows, but the Army is setting their people straight:

By Bryan Bender, Globe Staff
WASHINGTON -- The military has warned soldiers not to use official computers to forward a chain email that falsely accuses Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama of being a Muslim who attended a radical Muslim school, saying distribution of the information is a violation of Army regulations and constitutes unlawful political activity.
The memorandum, dated Thursday, came after the discredited claims about Obama's background were sent from an Army computer to what appear to be thousands of Army personnel worldwide.
"Currently there is a Chain Email floating around with the Subject line: 'Who is Barack Obama,' " states the official warning, which was sent to all personnel who work for the Army Medical Command, based in Fort Sam Houston, Tex. "Like virtually all chain emails this one is false."

If you know anyone who believes this or is helping to perpetuate it, bring them into the light of truth ... or hit 'em on the head with a hammer. Whichever one works.

Silly President, Silly Internet Stuff

I'm sitting here listening to George Bush give his State of the Union speech. Urp. I think I just threw up a little in my mouth.

To make this more enjoyable, I found this time waster on Shakesville:

Make your own album cover!
You will need some graphic skills .... Here’s what you do:

• The article you get when you click this link is your band title
  
• The last four words of the last quote on this page is your album title


• And on this page the third picture, the one in the upper right, will be your cover photo.


• When you create it, make sure you make it a square so that it’s a realistic album cover.

Mine is at the top. Ngoila is a village in Cameroon. The words are from a quote by Thomas Jefferson.

Stuff happens!

Over at the Daily Kos site, there is a great post about a creative, powerful 20-minute film called The Story of Stuff about the flow of resources through our consumer society. Kos contributer Devilstower writes:

"If you haven't seen the film go now. Seriously. Right now. You'll be glad you did. Because this short film is as direct, effective, and eye-opening on consumer society as An Inconvenient Truth is on climate change."

Here is a teaser clip of The Story of Stuff:



The time I spent watching this video was well worth it. Do a favor for yourself, your children, your grandchildren, your great-grandchildren, etc., and watch this video. Then pass it along to a friend, a teacher, a teenager, anyone who cares about this planet and our quality of life.

Don't break this chain or (insert cataclysmic event here) ...

My cousin Kenny shocked the hell out of me today. He forwarded another chain e-mail to me about a presidential candidate ... and this one was actually TRUE.
I couldn't believe it, because he has a batting average on these things far below the Mendoza line. Kenny works his tail off each week (usually more than one job) and I always know when he has some time off, because I suddenly receive a wave of chain e-mails. They are usually patriotic, political, incendiary, and most often ... complete bullshit. Sometimes I don't wast my time and just hit delete right away, other times I laugh, or I blow a gasket and get worked up enough to reply to him and refer him, once again, to http://www.snopes.com/, the best place to fact-check urban legends and chain letters.
So in honor of cousin Kenny, and anyone else who forwards these obnoxious things around the Net without checking them first, here are some helpful links:

• Barack Obama is not a Muslim, did not get sworn in on the Koran, etc., etc., etc.
• Hillary Clinton did not help free two Black Panthers accused of torture and murder, etc., etc., etc., with some Bill Clinton thrown in for good measure.
• Mitt Romney and his dog.
• Mike Huckabee, his son, and the dog.
• John McCain
• and ... President George W. Bush!

Remember ... www.snopes.com

It's just a small obsession ... nothing to worry about.

I just can't get this tune or this music video out of my head! If you saw the movie Inside Man with Clive Owen and Denzel Washington, a hip-hop version of this song played over the end credits. It is called Chaiya Chaiya and it is originally from the Bollywood (India/Hindi film industry) movie Dil Se which came out many years ago. The setting and choreography of this video is amazing (it takes place on top of a moving train). Hindi music videos are trippy and fun. The women sing like they are inhaling helium and everyone dances in sinc like there's no tomorrow. If you haven't watched many Bollywood films, here are a couple of recommendations: Salaam Bombay, The Namesake (on my list to see) and my personal favorite Monsoon Wedding.



Enjoy!

If they say it's working ... it ain't working.

The real accomplishment of Bush's last year in office will be:

Operation Dump This Mess on the Next President

Torture is not an American value.

Al-Qaida recruit Jose Padilla was sentenced Tuesday to 17 years and four months in prison on terrorism conspiracy charges. Worldwide terrorism is a threat to the U.S. and many other nations, and we must pursue the perpetrators and bring them to justice. But justice is the key word. The government's handling of the Padilla case is a stain on this country's honor.
John Cole over at Balloon Juice gets it right:

"I don’t think there is any way to interpret this sentence other than as a rebuke to the government, who had been asking for life while insisting Padilla is a grave threat (yet, conveniently, never presented any evidence of that threat). ... I don’t know what the real story of Padilla’s involvement (if any) in this mess might be, and since most everything we do know was obtained while torturing the man, I doubt we ever will. I suspect that in the future, when cooler heads look back at this disgraceful period in our nation’s history, the alleged villainous treachery of Jose Padilla will be greatly overshadowed by the outrageous treatment he received and the dishonest and bumbling campaign to subvert the law while attempting to publicly convict him. The real story is not Jose Padilla, who for all we know may actually have been dangerous, but who is now, courtesy of the Bush administration, a broken and mentally deficient mess. The real story will be of the little men who, in moments of great patriotic fervor, decided it was up to them to destroy our nation’s principles in order to save us all. History will not look kindly on those pikers."

For a much more detailed and expert view on the Padilla case go to Firedoglake.com.

Beware the blog swarm ...

When I e-mailed my Aunt Jay and told her about my new blog, she replied, "What's a blog?"
I've been reading political and news blogs for several years, so this surprised me a bit. But for many people, blogs are new, they can be confusing, and their nature and purpose is often misunderstood. But don't underestimate their potential. One blog may not make a big difference in any particular issue, but collectively they can challenge conventional wisdom, change a media narrative, and drive a movement (Howard Dean, Ron Paul, etc.).
If you want to better understand how this works, read this article by Eric Boehlart on "The Tweety Effect" and how progressive bloggers knocked MSNBC's Chris Matthews to his knees after the New Hampshire primary. It's a long article, but well worth it.

Lies R Us!

Over at TPM Muckraker, Paul Kiel says:

Somebody had to do it. And hooray to the Center for Public Integrity and Fund for Independence in Journalism for doing it. The groups counted and documented every Bush administration false statement made in the run up to the invasion of Iraq. Every one. It was a bit like counting snowflakes, to be sure, but here's what they came up with:

They documented 935 false statements in the two years following September 11, 2001, about the national security threat posed by Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

The time has come for America to hear the truth about this tragic war.

Today, while driving around, we heard excerpts from several speeches by Martin Luther King Jr. Hearing his voice, his amazing oratory skills, was inspiring, but left us with a hollow feeling, too. Because we tried to think of a public speaker today who could write and deliver such eloquence and transcend his time. But, we came up blank. Some are saying that Barack Obama may be that person. Time will tell. At this point, I see him inspiring a lot of followers when he speaks, but I get this feeling that I've heard it before. It may be a message we need to hear today, but I'm not sure it is original or that any of his speeches will be written about 40 years from now. Yet when you read King's speech "Why I Am Opposed to the War in Vietnam" (from April 30, 1967, at the Riverside Church, New York) Or listen to it (below) it still resonates, and even casts a large shadow over today's Iraq War.

Sunday's Best

I love the Sunday New York Times. The amount of news and information in it probably equates to a full week of the Arizona Republic. The Arts & Leisure section alone is worth the price. There are several interesting articles from today's paper that tie into that generational gap that I blogged about last week. Several articles address generational differences on things like cell phone habits, play and games, and political involvement.

• Anyone remember the Spriograph? Lincoln Logs, Tinker Toys and all the other great toys of decades past? The inventor of the Hula Hoop died this week and this article looks at fads and The Joy of Silly.

**"...modern toys, for all their technological sophistication, tended to lay down the rules, where the wacky toys of yore tended to be more open ended. A Hula Hoop lets you make up your own dance; Dance Dance Revolution gives you the steps. A guitar lets you create; Guitar Hero “is really well defined.” **

• Can you imagine writing a book completely on your cell phone? Or reading one? Cellphone Novels are a growing trend in Japan.

**The affordability of cellphones coincided with the coming of age of a generation of Japanese for whom cellphones, more than personal computers, had been an integral part of their lives since junior high school. So they read the novels on their cellphones, even though the same Web sites were also accessible by computer. They punched out text messages with their thumbs with blinding speed, and used expressions and emoticons, like smilies and musical notes, whose nuances were lost on anyone over the age of 25.**

• Humorist Streeter Seidell challenges Liberals who want to guilt the younger generation for not being more politically involved:

**“Studies” by “scientists” are claiming that we’re the “look at me” generation — that we’re all a bunch of self-absorbed, egotistic narcissists hell-bent on being the center of attention at all times. We’re flattered you’re talking about us but I believe that honor belongs to our mentors: the generation responsible for the boob job, the tummy tuck and jogging. The most self-absorbed thing we’ve invented is a secret language that cannot be understood by anyone over thirty and l00k5 5om3th1n6 l1k3 th1s.**

• Dave Eggers writes about college students who are attracted to the positive and idealistic message of Barack Obama but fear he will have to "go negative" to win the Democratic nomination.

**But for a lot of young people, electing the next president shouldn’t require the kind of campaigning that gives rise to violent analogies — body blows, drawing blood, war rooms. This is exactly what Luisa fears, that to shave a few points off Hillary Clinton’s numbers, Mr. Obama will have to get mean. “That would be the end for me,” she said. “Then he’d be just like the rest of them.” **

"Chewy" to his friends.

One of my favorite "new" actors is Chiwetel Ejiofor, pronounced "chew-it-tell edge-oh-for", or "Chewy" to his friends. Everyone in the family likes him because he is in some of our favorite films from recent years (more on those later), and he has good looks and a lot of acting range, always in a supporting role. In today's NY Times, I read that he is receiving glowing reviews ("London’s newest stage luminary") for his performance in the title role in "Othello" in London, alongside Ewan McGregor as Iago. Here's a quote:

"His intensely human Othello is a major achievement. It ranks among the handful of truly great Shakespearean performances I’ve seen. ... Mr. Ejiofor takes us to a realm we too rarely visit at the theater: the innermost recesses of the human heart ... there is not a single hollow or grandiose note in Mr. Ejiofor’s performance. Handsome and charismatic, he strides the stage with an easy majesty and his voice has a lustrous, mellow beauty. But his Othello is human scale, quick with a warm laugh at his own expense, and of a tenderness that rends the heart."

Check out some of Chiwetel's best performances in these films:
Serenity, Inside Man, Children of Men, Love Actually, Kinky Boots, American Gangster, Amistad, Talk to Me, Melinda and Melinda, and Four Brothers.

Media drives the McCain bus

Sure, I hammered Mitt Romney yesterday. But today is another day. And a beautiful one at that, because while I am giving him a boost (via Mattew Yglesias), I actually get to hammer John McCain AND the Beltway Media.

This morning, Mitt Romney had more delegates than John McCain. Following today's primaries, Romney's lead has grown even larger because Nevada has more delegates than South Carolina and Romney won a larger proportion of the vote in NV than McCain got in South Carolina. Naturally, the press is declaring this a big win for McCain. I just saw Howard Fineman explain that "there is no longer any strong candidate in the race" to oppose McCain. Nobody but the guy who's leading, that is.

The media pundits from the Washington D.C. beltway absolutely love Saint McCain. And it looks like they don't care for Romney. Just watch ... everything that happens in the campaign over the next few weeks will be bad news for Romney and great news for McCain, according to these pundits.

Anyone want to make a prediction?

As Americablog notes:
One year from today, we will have a new President of the United States.
Between now and then a lot of damage can still be done.

A news reporter rises to the occasion ...

I found this confrontational exchange between Mitt Romney and Associated Press reporter Glen Johnson fascinating. Take a good look at the expression on the Mittster's face when the reporter challenges his assertion in public. Dan Savage blogs about it here:

"The reporter sitting on the floor putting actual, tough, reality-based questions to Romney is AP reporter Glen Johnson—and someone ought to pin a medal on him. Romney lied, Johnson called him on it. He didn’t run off and find a Democrat or a rival for the GOP nomination to “dispute Romney’s claim.” He reacted the way any reporter—any person—ought to react when they’re being lied to."

I found the reporter's assertiveness refreshing compared to the actions of many other reporters covering the presidential campaigns. Martin Schram in the Sacramento Bee shares similar feelings.

UPDATED: I exchanged the initial YouTube video I posted with one that better explains why Mitt Romney's statement was so disingenuous. Of course, all of the campaigns have lobbyists attached at their hips, but Slick Mitt tries to say he is above that sort of thing. He will say anything to anyone at any time if it will help him get elected.

UPDATE II: The name Barbara Comstock pops up in the video above as a close Romney advisor. Here is ... a brief history of Barbara Comstock's corrupt shenanigans.

That ugly teeter-totter ...

Anyone remember STAGFLATION?

Dancing on a Corpse

Over at Media Matters, Eric Alterman highlights an outstanding post by Tom Engelhardt about the absurdity of the discussions in the media and elsewhere related to the perceived "success" of the President's surge strategy in Iraq.

"So, here's a simple reality check: The whole discussion of, and argument about, "success" in Iraq is, in fact, obscene. Given what has already happened to that country -- and will continue to happen as long as the U.S. remains an occupying power there -- the very category of "success" is an obscenity. If violence actually does stay down there, that may be a modest godsend for Iraqis, but it can hardly be considered a sign of American "success." ... Folks, it's obscene. We're doing victory laps around, and dancing upon, a corpse."

And now, your moment of Zen ...

I created this panoramic image composite from photos I took in October at the Japanese Gardens in Portland, Oregon. Enjoy.

Deep inside the bunker ...

Today the White House revealed that at one point it had a practice of recycling its backup computer tapes of sent and received e-mails, meaning possibly millions of messages were likely taped over and are now lost forever. The electronic file and document retention rules have been in place a long time and the White House had to know they were likely violating laws designed to preserve presidential records. These “lost” e-mail messages have been a story for a long time, and they likely cover “a period in which the U.S. decided to go to war with Iraq, White House officials leaked the identity of Valerie Plame and the Justice Department started a criminal investigation of the White House."

"It appears that the White House has now destroyed the evidence of its misconduct," said Anne Weismann, the chief counsel for the ethics group.

It is one more demonstration of how the members of the Bush/Cheney administration do whatever the hell they want to. And they will continue to do so until someone holds them accountable.

Nope. Stay behind the rope. You're not on the list.

Josh Marshall's Talking Points Memo and its associated sites are gaining greater recognition every day for their aggressive reporting of the many political scandals in Washington D.C. and elsewhere. The TPM team is "building the prototype of what an Internet-based news-gathering organization might one day look like" according to the Columbia Journalism Review. It is definitely a "must-read" site for me nearly every day. They have not been kind to some of the leaders over at the Justice Department over the past year, but they have been accurate and more than fair in their coverage.

They've done so well that the Justice Department's Office of Public Affairs has taken a stupid, punitive action that demonstrates how much they got under people's skin. They removed TPM from their automatic e-mail press release notification system. Not a big deal really, the folks at TPM can still get the info of the department's Web site, just a little later than other reporters. But the reason the Public Affairs staff gave for the e-mail removal is absurd and ... once again, shows how petty this administration can be. Paul Kiel writes:

"I asked one of our TPM research hounds, Andrew Berger, to call their Office of Public Affairs every day until we got back on their distribution list -- or until we got an explanation. He started his mission last Monday. Finally, today, we got our answer, one that will strike TPMm readers as vintage Bush DoJ. They just don't have room for our email address on the distribution list:

"Mr. Berger, I appreciated your desire to be in tune with DOJ press releases, however, unfortunately I am not able to add you to our distribution list. As you may realize we have a lot of requests to be put on our media lists and we simply are not able to put everyone on the list. We do however have all our press releases on our website and update them the minute they are released so I would suggest looking there. You can also always call us with press inquiries. Thanks again for your interest.
Sincerely,
Jamie Hais, Press Assistant
Office of Public Affairs, Department of Justice"

They just couldn't fit one more little e-mail address into that bulging address database and risk blowing up their computer system. Maybe they should call the Geek Squad.

Prius sales soared 69% last year.

We've been contemplating trading in one of our vehicles (a large SUV and a medium SUV) for a Toyota Prius or another hybrid. Seems like a lot of people are thinking about it ... and doing it. An article in the Financial Times notes that:

Americans bought more Toyota Prius hybrid gas-electric hatchbacks last year than Ford Explorer sport-utility vehicles, the top-selling SUV for more than a decade. ... While Americans' love for powerful gas guzzlers remains strong, a slowing economy and high gasoline prices are forcing buyers to lower their sights.

Anyone else thinking of getting rid of their gas-guzzler? Anyone have a Prius and want to tell us what you like and dislike about it?

What do you get when you cross a Filipino monkey with a horse's a$$ ...

Last week some in the Pentagon and high up in this administration announced in most-serious tones that the Iranian Navy had almost provoked the US Navy into a violent confrontation in the Straits of Hormuz. The sabres were rattling for days, but then a strange thing started happening; some reporters actually did some investigative reporting.

Democracy Now! spoke with Gareth Porter, a historian and national security policy analyst who says ...

"I must say this is perhaps the worst -- the most egregious case of sensationalist journalism in the service of the interests of the Pentagon, the Bush administration, that I have seen so far."

And Digby writes a post based on onw The Newshoggers offers up titled "Who spun the Hormuz incident?"

75 Percent

Percentage of Americans who believe that the country has "seriously gotten off on the wrong track."

Nobody puts Baby in a corner.*

Supporters of all the presidential hopefuls think the Big Money Media hates their candidate and wants him or her to lose. And I think their dislike or hatred of HRC leads some in the media to negatively pile on her campaign. But it is amazing how the media is ignoring the campaign of John Edwards. Especially when you look at how he matches up head-to-head against the Republican candidates. His numbers are the best of the Democratic candidates, according to recent CBS and Rasmussen polls. He ties with Giuliani, but easily beats McCain, Thompson, Romney and Huckabee. Why are they so afraid of a John Edwards presidency?

Phoenix Women at Firedoglake.com explains in The Polls You Won’t Hear Much About.

*

Stretched too thin? Nuke 'em!

As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue, the true costs of Bush/Cheney mess comes to light. The question is, while our Army and Marines have their hands full over there, what happens if a new conflict requires our immediate attention? An article in the Marine Corps Times has some perspective:

"If the U.S. were to face a new conventional threat, its military could not respond effectively without turning to air power, officials and analysts say. That is the ultimate upshot of the war in Iraq: a response elsewhere would consist largely of U.S. fighters and bombers — even, perhaps, some degree of nuclear strike — because so many ground troops are tied up in Operation Iraqi Freedom. And that leaves at least some senior U.S. leaders and analysts crossing their fingers."

Yes. Let's all cross our fingers. That should do it.

Meet Generation Next

The subject of multi-generational values and communication strategies has come up so often in our lives in recent months, that Sha and I have a sense that somehow our professional future is tied to this area of study. I think a lot of our interest stems from the many hours we spend around the dinner table trying to figure out our kids (two high school , one college) and their friends. The Pew Research Center has released a report on Generation Next (made up of 18-25 year-olds, born between 1981 and 1988), the generation that "came of age in the shadow of Sept. 11."
Read the full report here:

A Portrait of "Generation Next" -- How Young People View Their Lives, Futures and Politics

One of the more facinating findings I read is:

"They are significantly less cynical about government and political leaders than are other Americans or the previous generation of young people."

Really? Everything going on in the world and they aren't very cynical? Give it time!

Commander-in-chief or scientist-in-chief?

Ronald Bailey in Reason magazine asks:

"Does it matter what presidential candidates believe about biological evolution?"

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Wounded Warriors on the Home Front

A heartbreaking story in The New York Times today.

"Town by town across the country, headlines have been telling similar stories. Lakewood, Wash.: “Family Blames Iraq After Son Kills Wife.” Pierre, S.D.: “Soldier Charged With Murder Testifies About Postwar Stress.” Colorado Springs: “Iraq War Vets Suspected in Two Slayings, Crime Ring.” Individually, these are stories of local crimes, gut-wrenching postscripts to the war for the military men, their victims and their communities. Taken together, they paint the patchwork picture of a quiet phenomenon, tracing a cross-country trail of death and heartbreak. The New York Times found 121 cases in which veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan committed a killing in this country, or were charged with one, after their return from war. In many of those cases, combat trauma and the stress of deployment — along with alcohol abuse, family discord and other attendant problems — appear to have set the stage for a tragedy that was part destruction, part self-destruction."

Whether it is a lack of proper body armor, IED-hardened vehicles, extended tours of duty, or post-deployment mental health care, the Bush/Cheney administration continues to be negligent in truly supporting the troops.

Best Films of 2007

Movie lists and reviews will be regular topics on this site. I don't see nearly as many movies in the theater as I did before getting married and becoming a stepfather, but we still make time to watch DVDs together at home. I'll get things started with my ...

Top 10 Movies that I saw in 2007.

1. No Country for Old Men -- featuring the most frightening bad guy since Hannibal Lecter.
2. Juno -- filled with funny, snappy dialogue and great characters.
3. Michael Clayton -- George Clooney is getting better all the time.
4. Sicko -- After seeing this, try to keep telling yourself that America has the best healthcare system in the world.
5. Ratatouille -- great animation and a cute, well-made story.
6. Babel -- multiple characters and stories intersect in surprising ways.
7. The Queen -- another spot-on performance by Helen Mirren.
8. Pan's Labyrinth -- creepy-weird story of a young girl moving between two worlds.
9. The Bourne Ultimatum -- Not as good as the first two, but still sets a standard for action movies.
10. Into the Wild -- Sean Penn tells the true story of a troubled young man's journey to Alaska.

Honorable mention: Breach, Waitress, Amazing Grace, The Host, Shortbus, Hot Fuzz, Stardust, Sweeney Todd, and Mr. Brooks.

I recommend Rotten Tomatoes to everyone as the best movie review resource on the Web.

What films are on your list?

Woulda, coulda, shoulda ...

For the second year in a row I made a New Year's resolution to start my own blog. Up until this point I have been a "lurker"; visiting many blogs on a regular basis but rarely, if ever, leaving comments. I've made a lot of excuses for not blogging (time commitement, who cares what I think, etc.). But hey, it's not rocket science, right? And I think there will be many benefits, including being able to share interesting stuff with friends and family, writing on a regular basis, and it's something my wife and I can do together. Yup, I've convinced her to join me in this endeavor. We don't know where this will go, but we are looking forward to the ride. Thanks for joining us.