Nader calls Moore a "giant beachball"

this is fabulous.

medical marijuana case going to supreme court

what a fun day.

I'm not really sure what John Ashcroft's beef w/ medical marijuana is. I'm not sure where in the bible it says "though shalt not smoke the herb, but it's ok to take claritin." Probably somewhere in Deuteronomy, right after women are required to have their hands cut off if they touch the genitals of another man while their husband is having a fight.

I've never smoked pot, simply because I've never had the guts to do so. And the distinction between "medical use" and "recreational use" seems a bit ridiculous to me. Let's face it. We're all in chronic pain. We're alive, and that's enough to cause chronic pain. Now, as a society, we have formed mores over whose chronic pain matters and whose doesn't, and that's probably a good thing, socially if not economically. Even if its fundamentally appropriate, it seems kinda nuts that a doctor can just hand out a license to toke. Considering the number of crooked docs out there, I doubt it would be hard to get a "recommendation" for marijuana, and I'm sure that's why Ashcroft is freaking out. He doesn't want to find out that when his boys bust some 17 year old for smoking weed that his pediatrician father gave him a note that said it was fine and dandy for his "depression."

Now, for these people with an inoperable brain tumor the size of a softball, it feels like a different story, and I don't think anybody in their right mind would want to deny these people painkillers. I mean, docs use morphine and oxy all the time, what's wrong w/ pot?

Fundamentally, I don't care about pot. Until I can buy it behind the counter at Meijer, then maybe. That'd be pretty sweet.

F-bomb fun

ok, everybody by now knows about Cheney telling Sen. Leahy to fuck himself or fuck off or whatever the final word was on what he actually said. just to prove that fox news is nuts, check out their cavalier coverage.

if i were talking to dick cheney, i'd prolly tell him to go fuck himself. so really, i don't at all disapprove of somebody being honest with their feelings. and its pretty ridiculous that the media has published something like twenty trillion stories on Cheney's f-bomb.

but ya know. considering that Bush and Cheney recruit the church-going crowd, doesn't this seem a bit wreckless? I mean, shouldn't they both be first to show up at Sunday School, if only to demonstrate that they are REAL Christians, instead of the sort of Christian who's not even allowed to take communion from the First Reich?

I'm from the backwoods of KY. I'm visiting there right now. And believe me, many of the people around here, if they followed the news closely enough to hear about the f-bomb controversy, would reconsider their vote for Bush-Cheney over something as silly as this. Now, luckily for Bush-Cheney, there are no other mainstream pro-life pro-death penalty anti-affirmative action candidates out there, so the F-bomb doesn't justify a Kerry or Nader vote to this portion of the electorate. But still, I could easily see these people sitting home on election day in their biblical bliss of voter abstinence.

But maybe these folk, just like my folk, don't really matter in the grand scheme of things.

And Courtney caught me being an illiterate schmuck

Sorry I've been spelling "Fahrenheit 9/11" as "Farenheit 9/11." Courtney looks at my page, and is just like, "what the hell is wrong with you?"

I don't know. Sorry.

If you've seen Bubba Ho-Tep, I'll just say there's a bag of sand where any sense I ever had use to be.

Bo caught me being sloppy

Ok, so the Mary Beth Cahill e-mail shown down a few posts has become pretty controversial, since it's flat out wrong, as Bo points out. MoveOn.org, as much as I love them, goes out of bounds pretty often. I mean, I personally find the Hitler-Bush comparisons to be absolutely fitting. Of course, that's an emotional, not a rational, response. And it'd be nice if there were more rationale in this world. God knows there isn't much in politics.

Farenheit critique

Not that I claim to be fair and balanced here, but here's a pretty good critique of Farenheit. The writer points out, among other things, that Moore's depiction of pre-war Iraq is a little absurd.

In defense of MM, there are some nice out-of-context quotes about Moore's assessment of the stupidity of the American people.

This seems to be the problem with Moore's work as well. Lack of context, and twisting until it fits.

As an update to the Kerry email situation down a few posts, Bo seems to have caught me in some sloppy blogging.

Ray Bradbury pissed at Moore

Surprise! Somebody ELSE is pissed off at Michael Moore!

Apparently MM didn't bother asking or even mentioning to Ray Bradbury about his documentary title referencing his 1953 book. Oh well. I'm not sure if Bradbury's objections are political or artistic in nature.

I haven't seen Farenheit yet, but I am worried that it's too far over on the Left end to bring any moderates away from the Dark Side. Of course, Republicans ripped on BfColumbine for being nutso Left when it was actually reasonably moderate in its approach and at least somewhat avoided pointing fingers for the most part. And no matter how many times Pubs try to say MM was dirty when he was picking on Charleton Heston, I'm not going to believe it. Getting Alzheimer's doesn't make you a hero. It doesn't make you suddenly not responsible for a lifetime of advocacy for destructive causes. And CH seemed pretty with it in that interview anyway.

Looks like I'll get to see Farenheit 9/11 on Wednesday night at the Kentucky Theatre. Exciting enough. I just hope MM didn't fabricate or twist things so much that the film loses its ability to truthfully demonstrate its fundamental point--that the Bush administration has made the world a more dangerous place for Americans with its botched War on Terror.

bush-cheney campaign going nuts

So I get an email from Mary-Beth Cahill (who sends out all the John Kerry mailing list emails) that says this:

as she says, disgusting. It's the clickable video clip.


Dear Garrett,

Yesterday, the Bush-Cheney campaign, losing any last sense of decency, placed a disgusting ad called "The Faces of John Kerry's Democratic Party" as the main feature on its website. Bizarrely, and without explanation, the ad places Adolf Hitler among those faces.

The Bush-Cheney campaign must pull this ad off of its website. The use of Adolf Hitler by any campaign, politician or party is simply wrong.

We sent you a fundraising plea earlier this morning. But when this came up, we decided it was important to show you just what we're up against: a presidential campaign that is willing to do or say absolutely anything to win. You're our only line of defense against these underhanded tactics.

mary-kate being treated for anorexia.

so there's a toss-up here. mary-kate said in another article that maybe her problems will help other girls get treatment. this article is worried that the number of imitators will lead to an increase in the disorder. i have no clue. i just know, even though i'm a fat kid who obviously doesn't have this problem, it's sad when women find themselves in this position, even if this might be the only time in my life I'll have any sympathy for an Olsen-twin (except for when Danny got mad at Michelle for placing long-distance phone calls to Japan.)

Further signs of the apocalypse

Microsoft has patented the use of the human body as a power conduit or data bus.

Wowsers.

Wal-Pox Blanket

A great article linked from Raw Story about whether Wal-Marts in communities are like small pox blankets.

As I said, I'm not inane enough to think the Wal-Mart business model should be restricted. But Wal-Mart bashing should be a team sport. It's just fun, if not senseless.

Wal-Mart vs. 1.6M female workers

I don't hate Wal-Mart because they screw over small businesses. A liberal, yes. A communist, no. I do hate Wal-Mart because they're the oppressors. And now, the oppressed are gonna take that shit down.

Actually this is why I am so pro-Meijer, and why I am glad to live in the only Walmartless town that I know of in the entire midwest.

Bush: Ideology over Science

Kerry starts saying smart things he should keep saying, hammering home the point that, instead of looking forward in science, Bush panders to the religious right by refusing to overturn the federal ban on stem cell research.

Jesse and Jessica break up

If you watched the Bachelor last season, as I was suckered into doing, you know what I'm talking about.

Pat Buchanan writing an anti-Bush book

I feel so dirty rooting for Buchanan. So it goes.

from the article:
Publishing insiders say Buchanan's thoughts on the 43rd president
are surprisingly out of character.
"They could put Michael Moore on the jacket of this book, and people
would believe he wrote it," one said.

Amazing.

signs of the apocalypse

Fox News gives Farenheit a shining review.

the secret life of newt gingrich

crack dealer? super hero? no, amazon.com book reviewer!

just for nostalgia, back when newt was speaker of the house, I was uber-Republican, fundamental christianity and all! I had Newt quotes from Newsweek taped up on my locker!

The Times, They Are A'Changin

donkey kong megasite

some serious fun.

"a clear violation of the Geneva Conventions"

Donald Rumsfield, embarassment to America extraordinairre. Rummy's been holding prisoners off the books.

the elusive female Viagra?

Proctor and Gamble says that recent tests of its Intrinsa testosterone patch increased frequency of sexual arousal in women in post-menopausal states.

But let's face it kids. Women are complex, and as a researcher in this article very correctly notes, research on women is always behind research on men in health related fields. A female friend of mine noted a few weeks ago that if she has dirty laundry on the floor, she can't get off. When's the last time a guy had that problem? Well, it happens, but in a guy, it's pathological, in a woman, it's just being a woman. I'm all for better lives through expensive pharmaceuticals and all that jazz, but this isn't going to replace candles, roses, and not being an asshole. Sorry guys.

Happy Bloomsday!

100 years of Poldy, Stephen, and Molly.

Elliot Spitzer takes on Paxil

GlaxoSmithKline has been naughty, says Mr. Spitzer. The link between suicidal behavior and use of Paxil in younguns seem to have been suppressed by GSK, and Elliot seems rip-roaring mad about it.

As a Paxil user, I think the stuff should be put in the water supply. Just make the kids drink Dasani or something.

sketchiness in the White House

a possibly apocryphal but intriguing article on Jim Sharp, Bush's lawyer and personal scumbag.

AMA for Plan B

I was pissed when the FDA decided not to offer Plan B contraception OTC. Glad to see the AMA jumped on the pissing wagon too.

Bush Country Ketchup

No seriously, I mean it. Bush Country Ketchup. No really, stop laughing.

SBC pulls out of the World Alliance

Further proving that my exit from the SBC was absolutely necessary, the SBC pulled out of the World Alliance, which includes other Baptist denominations, of which the SBC is the largest.

Paige Patterson, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, said the SBC should not give money or endorsement to an organization that includes liberals. How loving.

Read the article to understand why I refer to myself as a recovering Baptist.

btw, Pistons-Lakers tonight, 9:00 EST on ABC

Tayshaun only moved to the greater-Detroit area a year before I did. I remember the kid standing in line for KFC and stuff at Blazer and talking to his much shorter girl on his cell phone on the 3rd floor of White Hall. Such is the value of a public education in the Bluegrass :)

Eli Manning for president?

Bo found some funny Bush-Kerry pics. The link is on his site.

speaking of Evil Empires

A Walmart union? Don't worry neo-cons. It's in Canada. You won't have to pay living wages anytime soon. Wipe your brows.

Moore unhappy over 'R' rating for Farenheit

"It is sadly very possible that many 15- and 16-year-olds will be asked and recruited to serve in Iraq in the next couple of years," Moore said in a weekend statement. "If they are old enough to be recruited and capable of being in combat and risking their lives, they certainly deserve the right to see what is going on in Iraq."

It is also sad that Michael Moore won't be able to buy a new Jaguar because of revenue lost from these ill-fated 15- and 16 year olds not coming to see his movie. I feel for him.

Does anybody else even remember Bowling for Columbine even coming out at the theatre? I remember when Nick my Ukrainian peace corps friend saw it in Nashville, and it was like this total underground thing, and here we are now.

I would only agree w/ the R rating if dumbass parents weren't allowed to talk to their children about politics. For all of Moore's questionable methods, I think his brand of political insanity is still safer than the hatred instilled in so many children by the so-called loving religious right while they're brainwa... I mean home-schooling them.

Study: Fat people tend to vote Republican

this is some funny stuff. i guess that ketchup-as-vegetable thing reagan tried to pull back in the 80's still helps the Evil Empire.

on a related note, this fat kid votes democrat. of course, he is from a mountain region, so that seems consistent with this "study."

sex trade in Japan

Japan "has a huge problem with slavery, particularly sex slavery, a tremendous gap between the size of the problem and the resources and efforts devoted to addressing the problem," senior State Department adviser John Miller said Monday.

lost in translation? maybe not.

love is blind?

the wonderful world of neuroimaging tells us how subjective feelings of love suppress parts of the brain involved in evaluating the character of others, and other such neurofun.

and don't worry kids, just because you can explain something with science doesn't mean it doesn't feel good anymore :)

Moore "just kidding"

so no anti-Blair documentary. gosh darn golly.

bloomsday breakfast

how i wish i were a dubliner.

historical lobotomy

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Idiot Christian Sighting of the Week

I've found this link a few times this week, and decided it was time to finally blog it.

Apparently a group in South Carolina wants all Christians to move there so they can form an independent constitutional country separate from the United States. There are too many jokes I can make here, so I will refrain to some extent. Things I don't know: if BJU will be in its jurisdiction as the state university, or if they will set up camp at Fort Sumter.

Among the reasons for the proposed succession:

-Abortion continues against the wishes of many states (really? what state? denial?)
-Children may not pray in our schools (didn't know we had a thought police)
-The Bible is not welcome in schools except under strict federal guidelines
-The 10 Commandments remain banned from public display
-Sodomy is now legal and celebrated as 'diversity' rather than perversion (leaving this alone as too easy)
-Preaching Christianity will soon be outlawed as 'hate speech' (haven't seen this legislation yet)
-Gay marriage will be foisted upon us in the very near future (not people who love each other getting health care! no!!! the future of the family is in danger!)

I hate to say it, but I wish this plan would work. Then maybe Cowboy could find a use for some of those A-bombs he keeps wanting to drop on the Brownies.

Love of Labour Lost

After "Farenheit," Michael Moore apparently will be working on an anti-Blair movie. He might be wasting his time, after local elections in Britain show that Brits don't particularly have much patience for the Great Sell-Out either. I don't particularly understand the British political parties, but rewarding the Conservative party for Blair's asininity seems a little counterproductive. But maybe the British Conservative party doesn't go Arab hunting w/ those cute little foxes on weekends like our cowboy does.

Iraqis Paying 5 Cents a Gallon for Gas

Well, at least somebody's getting cheap gas.

Hundred Years of Bloomsday

16 June 1904. Poldy walks by the Liffey. Stephen gets drunk and pisses in the garden. Molly gets off.

That's Ulysses, all the plot you can get out of it. And it's all the more fabulous for it.

Haven't read the thing since freshman year of college, but the Dublin fetish it produces is sorta hard to shake. Check out the festivities.

Back in KY

OK I've become a rather sour blogger. Maybe I was avoiding saying bad things about Reagan that I might regret when I turn 50 and decide to run for president of the world. Chances are it's cuz my fiancee and I are frolicking around in love, or something equally disgusting as that.

BTW, I just saw Blair With Project for the first time last night. I am behind.

Back in Ann Arbor

around midnight Friday. Saw the 10:00am Harry Potter this morning, fabulous. But come back to find out that Madstone Theatres has closed! How does the theatre at the mall close? It was cheap and had indie stuff!

I'm totally out of current events. I'll get caught up tomorrow. Go Pistons!