Where the Fnord's Linger

2009-03-29T11:39:00.003-05:00

WE CAN SEE THROUGH THE MACHINES

I am very pleased to announce I've finished the first "readable" draft of my tenth novel, We Can See Through the Machines. The first rought draft was finished about a month ago on 2/24/09. It is the 7th novel in the Incarnations of the Americas series- all of which I hope to release by the end of the year.

Before the big 7 book re-edit- I am going to be turning my short story trilogy "Kenny G Must Die" into a short novel- probably about 75,000 words or so. It will expand and change the storyline a bit with much more details about the oddly familiar world of Aliester Crewley- data entry engineer by day, powerful sorcerer by night.

More at www.williamhrdina.com

2008-11-07T22:47:00.003-06:00

The Darkness and the Light- Election Day 2008 in America

The election went down- the most historic electoral event of my lifetime. Barack Obama was elected President of the United States.

Like millions of others, I don’t know what the future brings. But, for the first time in eight very long, very hard to deal with years- I feel hope.

I listened to a woman talking today at my job- I work in a hospital- she was talking about the difference between hopes and wishes.

Her name is Dr. Dr. works with the parents of dying children. She told the story of a girl in a wheelchair- dying of cancer- eight days after this conversation, the girl was dead.

As part of her research, Dr. asked the girl, “What are you hoping for?”

The girl answered, “I’m hoping I’ll get up and I’ll be able to dance around, that my legs will carry me again and I’ll be able to fly through the air like a bird. All my friends and family will be able to sit in a theatre and watch me while I dance good enough to make Baryshnikov blush.”

The girl stopped. She considered for a moment. She said. “You know what, that’s not what I hope. That’s what I wish. There’s a difference you know. A wish is something I want to happen that’s impossible in the world as it is.”

She paused, and then continued, “In the world as it is... I’m going to die. But in the world as it could be- I can dance- my legs are strong- I’m going to get better. But that’s just a wish. What I hope for- what I think is possible- in the world as it is- is that I will feel less pain and be able to sleep better.”

Hope and wishes are different. Hope is real, wishes are not. You hope for things in the world as it is. Wishes require the world to become something new.

That’s the truly astounding thing about democracy- what makes it the greatest system humans have yet invented to govern themselves.

With a single collective action we turned a wish into a hope- a political alchemy of the most profound sort. With a single ballot we turned our backs on the past 8 years and as President Elect Obama said in his nomination speech, “Enough.”

We really are incredibly lucky to have such an opportunity. Literally billions have died without it over the years.

We could say, we demand an end to the Iraq war. We want tax relief to someone who isn’t rich or have Inc. at the end of their name. How about some Supreme Court nominees who’ve actually read the Constitution, or at least care what it says.

Before November 4th- these things were wishes. The world where they happened was impossible. Universal healthcare was as likely during the Bush administration as the Banks being able to regulate themselves without causing an economic meltdown. Or leprechauns.

But now, just like that, because of the mysterious brilliance of the simple collective will of a people, these impossible things, these wishes, are hopes again. I suddenly live in a world where my country doesn’t believe in wars without cause- or torture- or extreme rendition- or the philosophy that says the rich should see all of the spoils for the simple act of being rich. I live in America again, a place I can hope. And it’s all because of democracy.

But all things have a flipside- the Tao shows us that. Things are dual natured. Even democracy. Even wishes and hopes.

Because on the same day we did this wonderful thing, electing Barack Obama, in that same breath in the state of California- a single vote turned a hope back into a wish for an entire group of people. Like Cinderella at midnight, the protection of equal rights for homosexuals turned back into a pumpkin. People who were married- married- legally- in front of a justice of the peace. Now, magically, these people are no longer married. Human beings choosing to dedicate their lives to each other are banned because people think it’s icky or because they think it’s a sin. It’s disgusting. And yet, it too is democracy.

All of the rights that go along with marriage- stolen- mostly because of Mormon carpetbaggers and people who think the earth is 6,000 years old. While one wound healed, we tore one open a new one, fresh. Banning a right you’ve not yet granted is appalling enough (as they did – banning gay marriage in 2 other states), but giving a right, and then taking it away- that’s almost worse. That’s coldness and cynicism on a level even I, a cynical person, can only look at with utter astonishment.

There is no doubt in my mind in 20 years, maybe more, hopefully much less, society will look at what happened in California in horror. And there’s also no doubt in my mind some new group of people will be the new boogeyman- the new thing for the fearful to see going bump in the night. It seems there’s a never ending supply of things to be afraid of- but

But, as long as democracy keeps working, it means we’ll get another chance next time. Society will have time to heal, and to learn, and there will be another vote. Let’s not take 300 years this time though, okay?

2008-11-04T22:26:00.001-06:00

Obama's winning a landslide.

We Did It.

Good job America.
Ya did good.

Woo hoo!

2008-10-20T08:09:00.003-05:00

Sarah Palin on SNL

I just watched the clips of Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live and I'm just sorta stunned. It wasn't playful or satirical in the normal, safe SNL sense. Instead, it was wonderfully, wonderfully, visciously mean. And Sarah just sorta went with it. I mean they shot a fuckin moose while she sat bobbing her head- yelling out Eskimos, which to my understanding, isn't what the Inuit prefer to be called anymore- that can't play well back home. They rapped (and it was all white people rapping around her- which I think was meant as another little dig) "I built a bridge and it didn't go nowhere"- meanwhile Sarah Clueless sat in the middle of it and bobbed her head. Alec Baldwin mocked her to her face and she made some lame remark about the born again Baldwin in retort. The bit Tina Fey was doing about her was as usual spot on- and again- really mean.
It should be mean, and not just because I disagree with her on the issues. It should be mean because Sarah Palin is offensive. She represents something that I find legitimately disgusting in American culture - fear of intelligence and the championing of the ignorant. Palin is offensive just as Bush is offensive. Why do the Republicans keep foisting morons into the position of the presidency? Okay, so McCain reversed the equation- just like Poppy Bush did with Danny Potatoe. It seems the Republicans think the President is the country's head cheerleader- that the decision's the President makes don't have real consequences. In other words, the Republicans don't think being President REQUIRES intelligence. She's had plenty of time to be coached- the idea this woman is going to be so close to the Presidency is horrifying- she's never gotten through a single interview where follow-up questions weren't allowed. She can repeat a talking point, but if you push, she's even less capable of presenting a rational statement than Bush is.
I realize the whole SNL thing was scripted- but wow- what were McCain's people doing letting her do that? They should've expected it- they never should've returned the calls. If they were going to let her do it they shoud've written her a part where she makes some witty intelligent comeback/explanation as to why she's not dealing with the press- at least a reference to the "Liberal media" or something- but nadda- zip- zilch. She just stood there while people made fun of her straight to her face.
Unbelivable.

2008-03-05T13:44:00.003-06:00

Thanks alot Texas and Ohio (and to a lesser extent, Rhode Island)

(Before reading this you should know I don't really like Obama any more than I like Hillary- but I do have a strong dislike of McCain and its my concern over his being elected that prompts the following)
Well, the Democrats have managed to do it again. Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. All I could do was watch and shake my head in annoyance as 2 1/2 states managed to magically overrule a 12 state winning streak in the eyes of the media. If I didn't know better, I'd think they had a stake in the horse race continuing... oh, wait.
So, since the people in Texas and Ohio are apparantly too racist to vote for Obama or at the very least too stupid to know what letting Hillary win would mean (for the primary race- if the situation was reversed and Obama was behind I'd feel the same way), the race now drags out for another month or so with both candidates turning more and more negative- while McCain continues to get himself serviced by our hooker media.
This reeks of Mondale/Hart and it makes my head hurt. The Democratic establishment is clearly afraid of Obama and they're going to crucify him- even if it means ruining either candidates chances of winning in the process. I'm not really sure what they're so worried about- it certainly isn't his positions on the issues- which means it probably goes back to the one thing that seems to rule everything in our broken democracy- the MONEY! Obama, like Dean before him, is raising money from people, not from the rich- and there's nothing the establishment hates more than ordinary people or candidates who are actually appealing to us.
And clearly Hillary doesn't give a fuck- she wants to be president and she'll flame the whole party if that's what it takes. The past few weeks has made it pretty obvious there's no limit on how far she'll go- which you'd think would worry the establishment- but it doesn't seem to- which is weird.
Anyway, prepare for months of Obama is a Muslim innuendo and watch as our prestige in the rest of the world finds an even lower opinion of us. Good job Ohioian Texans- the rubes win again!

2008-02-20T18:37:00.003-06:00

Hunter S. Thompson 2.0

If you like the way Hunter Thompson (RIP you nutty bastard) wrote about politics, and you aren't reading Matt Taibbi- you're really missing out. Mr. Taibbi writes for Rolling Stone- Thompson's old rag- and he does just as good a job of cutting through the bullshit and laying bare the decrepit bones of American Politics. In a rare bit of corporate largesse- you can read a lot of his stuff for free on the RS website.
A link to his latest piece here. It's about the Democrats and not ending the war- telling us the soldiers have to keep dying for no reason until 2009- when presumably the country will have elected more democrats.
The final 2 paragraphs are as follows:
"How much of this bullshit are we going to take? How long are we supposed to give the Reids and Pelosis and Hillarys of the world credit for wanting, deep down in their moldy hearts, to do the right thing?
Look, fuck your hearts, OK? Just get it done. Because if you don't, sooner or later this con is going to run dry. It may not be in '08, but it'll be soon. Even Americans can't be fooled forever. "
Amen brother.

2008-01-27T10:23:00.000-06:00

WOW

John McCain was just on Meet the Press talking about his immigration policy. McCain said he would "round up" the 2 MILLION illegal aliens who have committed a crime- and deport them. He said it casually, offhandedly, like, ho-hum, I'm gonna raid 2 MILLION houses and "round up" people.
Yikes.

Keep in mind this is the same guy who said he wants to be in Iraq for 100 years. No matter who wins the democratic nomination- they should play that clip, along with the one about how McCain professes an ignorance about economics. Just play them, alternating, on a loop until November.

Oh, and to anyone who's all yippy skippy about the "tax refund" checks- you're dumb.

2008-01-09T11:07:00.000-06:00

Hillary Wins

Oh well, that's the problem with prognostication- I was WRONG WRONG WRONG. I don't understand where Clinton's support is coming from- do people really not remember how NOT progressive the Clinton's were?
Do people really want 28 years of Clinton/Bush?
I guess everyone else was shocked too- but still- as of now- it's all wide open.
For what its worth my current guess:
Clinton vs. Guliani with Clinton winning in November. Big whoop.
We'll see.
Edwards isn't dropping out quite yet and I still very much have my fingers crossed.

2008-01-08T14:10:00.000-06:00

Vote for Edwards!!

So here's what I see happening as of the early afternoon of January 8th, the day of the NH primary.
Barack will win- probably by as much as 10 points- which is going to hurt the Hilary campaign pretty badly- and may very well spin her out of contention- especially if she sticks to her current plan of running on the atrocious record of Bill Clinton as her "record of change."
There are certainly "centrist" democrats who look fondly back at the Clinton years, but most of look back and see a series of horrible mistakes- NAFTA, GATT, bombing aspirin factories, overseeing the creation of our "service" economy, the Telecommunications Act of 96, his "crime" bill, the total failure to make any headway on health insurance reform. Sure, none of it is as bad as what Bush has done, but it's NOT GOOD EITHER.
But Barack is really no different than Hillary. He's trying to make himself into a figure like JFK or Martin Luther King, in fact, he got a little flack on the news this morning for comparing himself to exactly those people- but what I think he doesn't understand, what I don’t think anyone understands, it that NO ONE will ever be JFK or MLK again. The reason is simple, the free ride the media used to give to people over their foibles is OVER- and has been for a couple of decades. Sure, while the whole thing is glamorous and everyone's caught up in the excitement of the horserace they'll be some overlooking- it certainly happened with Bush- but the truth is, not even JFK and MLK were JFK and MLK. Those figures were legends, like Wild Bill Hickok- they weren't people. Legends don't survive in 2008 because the media (rightly in my opinion) doesn't let them. So it's just a matter of time before the free ride ends and the media starts to point out Barack's rhetoric doesn't match his actual policies, as Clinton has been so desperately pointing out since Iowa.
I don't know if Barack really will implode, but if it happens, and I really do think it will, I really hope its sooner and not later. I don't want his eventual demolition to take place after the nomination- where the result could be something as depressing as President McCain- or god help us- President Huckafuckabee. I'd rather see the backlash start now.
Anyone who thinks the free ride will continue through November is naïve in the extreme. Believe me, there's going to be thinly veiled racism and Osama jokes galore. If Obama was a true progressive then I think he could weather the storm and keep the base- but he's not. He's a very smart, very lucky, very talented politician who can never live up to his rhetoric because the simple truth is- the Republicans will NEVER work with him. And it's not because their racist. It's because THEY DON'T WANT CHANGE!!! Why should they? They're rich, their buddies are rich. Why would they want to move the country forward when its current position is serving them so well? Every time Obama says he's going to work with both sides, he's really saying he will DO NOTHING.
There's only one candidate that understands this with a viable shot to win- John Edwards.
Edwards is telling it straight- if we want change, we need to elect someone who is fully aware going in that EVERY SINGLE PROGRESSIVE VICTORY IS GOING TO BE A BATTLE ROYALE IN A DIRTY FIGHT THAT IS GOING TO REQUIRE BITING, KICKING, AND PROBABLY A LITTLE CHEATING.
We need a fighter, not a uniter. Don't you remember? Bush was a uniter not a divider and look how that turned out. The problem is, I think Obama is being honest when he says it- which tells me he's not fit to serve. We need a guy who's going to take all of Bush's executive power and use it with the same intensity for good as Bush used it for evil. We need a guy who's willing to go straight at corporations, the media, and lobbyists. Someone who isn't afraid to force the hand of what will surely be a democratic congress. Edwards is talking like a man who knows exactly what he's up against and he's itching for a fight. Never mind pretty words, fighting words are what warms my heart and gives me the kind of hope no amount of rhetorical flourish from Obama can.

2008-01-01T17:59:00.001-06:00

ANOTHER BOOK DONE!!!!

I just finished my 8th book today, the first day of 2008 after driving home from a New Years Party- there's a blizzard outside and I finished with a nice view of the snow covering the trees in my front yard. The book is called Bang and is another volume in the Incarnations of the Americas series.
This book is really exciting for me because it was while I wrote this book that I really started getting into comics- and seeing how certain aspects of comic universes could be adopted into the novels I'm writing (and written) in ways I've never come across anywhere in fiction. I'm now going to embark on a big project, recording all of my books as audiobooks and making some detail changes to incorporate my ideas.
If I can make good time, by June I hope to be able to offer paperbacks of all 6 books bundled together with my specially designed audiobooks which will finally take the text into consideration. My goal is to make switching from the text to the audio book on your Ipod extremely easy.
For those keeping score, the following 6 books comprise the Incarnations of the Americas series:

Portal
Ialtaboath
The Clearing at the End of the Path
The Music of Dreams
Bang
Exodus Enisode

Here's hoping everyone had a happy New Year and Thanks to those of you out there who've been supportive of me and my efforts thus far. Cheers.

2007-12-28T16:21:00.000-06:00

The Best Movies of 2007

· Zodiac- Spooky, interesting, good acting, the scene in the basement scared the hell out of me. Of all the movies I saw this year, Zodiac was the most "complete" film I saw
· Black Snake Moan- The BLUES- on celluloid. Underrated movie because no one could get past Ricci's scantily clad performance- but since when wasn't the blues sexy?
· Hot Fuzz- From the kids that brought us Shaun of the Dead- this action movie send-up was better than any of the actual big budget movies that came out this year. And it has a priest with a machine gun- what else could you ask for?
· I'm Not Here- Reinvents the Biopic. For such an arty film, infinitely watchable, interesting take on the Bob Dylan Legend. Even Cate Blanchett works even though she's doing the most obvious "impression" of Dylan- which works because she's playing him during the "amphetamine daze" days- and isn't every junkie a parody of themselves?
· I Am Legend- Fraught with weaknesses on its face- The more time that passes the richer the allegory becomes in my mind. Cancer as Communism, Cure as Al Queda, Will Smith as the US and the dog as the innocent bystander.
· The Simpsons- Finally, on the big screen and as chock full of gags as the best of the TV episodes.
· The Bourne Ultimatum- Genius trilogy- action the way it should be done and seldom is.
· Superbad/Knocked Up- Both movies by Judd Apatow made me laugh until I nearly peed.
· Harry Potter- A franchise that manages to get better each movie. The horrible woman that play Umbridge deserves an Oscar- just looking at her makes you want to punch her in the nose. Hrmph indeed.
· Ratatouie- A great movie about a foodie rat- who woulda thought? Brad Bird is a genius with a visual style that just makes you shake your head with its richness.
· Dan in Real Life- FINALLY a love story where people I'm supposed to care about don't cheat on their spouses- I can't stand the "romantic comedies" where you're supposed to excuse the main characters infidelity just because their spouse is portrayed as a lout.
· The Last Mimzy- A kid's movie for smart kids- FINALLY!
· 2nd Half of DeathProof- First half is boring even though Kurt Russel is clearly having a great time- the stunt work in the second half is some of the best I've ever seen in any movie ever- I don't know how the stuntwoman stayed on that car!
· Ocean's 13- Makes the list just for the scenes in the Mexican Dice Factory and the unforgettable line, "The nose plays"
· Sicko- Michael Moore, as usual, picking them up and knocking them down. Maybe a bit of an easy target considering the need to bring attention to less known problems.
· Talk To Me- I really like the way they portrayed the riots after MLK's assassination- Don Cheadle was great.

Movies I have not seen- and would probably make the list:
· Darjeeling Limited
· Assasination of Jesse James
· Michael Clayton
· No Country For Old Men
· Southland Tales
· King of Kong- A Fistful of Quarters
· The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
· The Wind That Shakes the Barley

Biggest Disappointments

The big budget movies just really sucked this year!!!
Spiderman 3
Transformers
Live Free or Die Hard
Pirates 3

Movie Trend That Freaks Me Out the Most
Torture Porn- Hostel, etc. I like a good horror movie- but torture as entertainment is a scary trend for a country that practices torture for real.

2007-11-27T13:10:00.000-06:00

Battlestar Galactica Theory- Post Razor

Assumptions
· The "Old School Cylons" are the creators of the final 5
· The Old School Cylons were split off from the rest of the Cylons (as shown in Sodes and explained by Athena) for 40 years. During this time they were doing their own thing in their own time and they developed the final 5 and sent them out way earlier than the remaining "skin jobs" which is how Tye could be around for so long. The regular Cylons have stories of this "lost tribe of Cylons" but they don't know much about them- which explains the mystique the Cylons have of the final 5.
· It makes sense the "skin jobs" would call the Old School Cylons an "evolutionary dead end" if they are seen as being human-centric. (And especially if they really are human-centric)
· Lee is the last of the final 5 (A highly suspect thing to hang one's hat on- but still)
· The Final 5 aren't evil- they are protecting humanity for some "hybrid" purpose that hasn't happened yet but surely has something to do with earth. We know 4 of the Final 5 have worked pretty diligently to help humans along- the whole leadership of the occupation of New Caprica was from the Final 5, etc etc.

So, take these suppositions and add the line Starbuck says about the way Lee keeps "almost getting Starbuck killed" as discussed at the very end of Razor. What if he really is trying to "neutralize" Starbuck because he's a 5 and he knows at some subconscious level Starbuck actually is going to cause some horrible downfall of humanity. What if Lee's romance with her is another attempt at dragging her away from her destiny?
So when the Hybrid offers Kendra "forgiveness" he means that by telling humans about Starbuck she'll be warning the fleet of the danger Starbuck poses- which, while not as good as killing her- at least offers humanity a chance- thus giving Kendra salvation for the harm she's caused.

2007-11-19T16:11:00.000-06:00

Beowulf- The World of Cinema Changes Forever

As a film, Robert Zemekis's new film Beowulf is okay- maybe even a little bad. The CGI on the human characters still suffers from the "Polar Express" syndrome- instead of life-like they come across as a bit stiff and creepy and the entire film is just Talk, Fight Grendal, Naked Angelina Jolie, Talk, Fight Dragon, credits.
Still, as I sat in the theatre Friday night I could only think one thing- I'm watching the 21st century's Citizen Kane. Not because of the plot- or even because of the CGI in general. No, Beowulf is a massively important movie because of the leap forward it represents in immersive 3-D. And yes, I am fully aware of and willing to wallow in the irony of using one of the world's oldest stories as the vehicle for an unprecedented technological breakthrough.
I know IMAX has been making these 3-D movies for a while now and this summer's Harry Potter's finale was in 3-D too. But in these cases the 3-D hasn't been all that different from what they did when I was a kid. The best example was the Creature from the Black Lagoon. It was broadcast on TV and you would wear glasses you bought with a Slurpee at the 7-11.
The thing that marked these films as 3-D was a clunky process where you were basically dealing with 3 layers of field. The foreground, mid ground, and background. The foreground would be used for things suddenly sticking out at you (popular in such movies as Jaws 3-D) the mid-ground is where all the actual movement takes place, and the background was static. Even this summer's Harry Potter basically stuck to this mode- although they were able to stretch out the mid-ground by using the stark black, silver, and blue color palette of the Ministry of Magic.
Beowulf is entirely different. In Beowulf, there are many more layers visible. Instead of just 3 layers of 3D- they're now able to create a full depth of field so that when you are looking into the mead-house- you are looking INTO the mead-house- each layer of tables has a 3-D appearance, all of the cups and plates and people in the room also have a 3-D appearance. There is genuine depth of field- something that has eluded every other 3D presentation I've ever seen.
But that's not all- in addition to creating these unprecedented number of visual layers, Zemekis's team has also managed to get the characters to move between these layers with stunning fluidity- especially considering the newness of this technology. The battle scenes show off this aspect the best- and indeed- the film glories in them. There are five or six shots where Grendel takes a hapless soldier and hurls him from the background into the foreground- just to see the effect at work. The dragon fight at the climax also features stunning examples of such transitions.
Beowulf is good enough that you can begin to see the potential of such a technology. More than anything it makes my mouth salivate for James Cameron's Avatar and the first time Pixar steps into the realm of digital 3D.
Sure there are flaws to the process visible in Beowulf- characters occasionally "ghosted" out where you could see thin translucent phantoms on the screen- and some of the transitions were clumsy- but overall it looked fantastic. I think in 50 years we'll look back on Beowulf in the way they look back on Citizen Kane or Birth of a Nation - both of which were remarkable technical achievements- despite one being a tad boring and the other being an atrocious racist screed- but still they are recognized as milestones that- once passed- you can never come back from.
Hail Beowulf- the first film in an all new generation of cinema.

2007-07-18T13:31:00.000-05:00

CHICKENHAWK COLLEGE REPUBLICANS

I believe the children are our future...
What a bunch of assmonkeys.

2007-05-31T14:27:00.000-05:00

QUICK LOST THEORY AFTER PONDERING THE SEASON FINALE

About the references in the newspaper article Jack was holding in the finale and the Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. (WARNING: IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE DARK TOWER AND PLAN TO- PLEASE STOP READING- SPOILER ALERT!)
The very first shot in the first Season of Lost was of Jack's eye. Judging from the sudden "leap forward" in the timeline as well as the various references to altering timelines- is it possible the writers have just tipped their hats as to the final ending of the show?
In the Dark Tower Series, Roland goes through the entire adventure only to get flipped back to the beginning of the first book after it is revealed he cannot "win" the Tower without a horn that he actually lost before the narrative begins. The story of the Dark Tower is the story of Roland trying to improve/avoid/fix the mistakes of his past attempt and move closer to the goal of finally truly saving the Dark Tower. It is directly implied that Roland has been through the loop of the story told in the books several times and we, the readers, are only getting a single iteration. For instance, as the "reboot" occurs at the end of the last book, Roland's newest lifetime finds him in possession of the horn (the assumption being that he'd leared enough to come one step closer to a final resolution to his story).
I think Lost might be working on a simlilar track. Thus, it may turn out that Jack (or Kate- or really any of the characters) are trying to set the right combination of factors in motion so that everything "works out" in a way that prevents them all from looping back and starting over again? (In the Dark Tower, as in Lost, neither Roland, nor our Losties are aware this is what they are doing)
Will the last shot of Lost be the same as the first shot?
A close up of Jack's eye?

2007-04-24T14:03:00.000-05:00

IT'S ABOUT TIME!!!

Finally, after waiting for far too long, an investigation is being launched into Karl Rove by an obscure governmental organization known as "The Office of the Special Counsel." And even better, it is being initiated not by the Democrats, but by a Bush Appointee!!
Slip that noose suckers!
Full Story Here
Basically, they'll be looking into a wide variety of Rove-related scandals including the US Attorney firings, and what makes me the happiest, Rove's "Republicans Forever" (my name- not his) campaign whereby political appointees and departments have been briefed about how to act in such a way as to further the Republican Agenda.
Have a nice time in jail Rovey.

2007-04-19T11:58:00.000-05:00

SNAFU

A little information is a dangerous thing. As such, I don't claim to have any "unique" insight into warfighting, but I've read a few books on military history, and now that I'm a little over half way into the nearly 800 page history of the Iraq War called, Cobra 2- I have to say, if we were able to "win" the war in a couple of weeks after screwing up nearly every single aspect of every single stage of the non-civil war portion of the Iraq war, I would love to see how quickly we might've won if the equipment we were using actually worked or if the people in charge knew their asses from their elbows.

The subtitle of Cobra 2 should probably be called, "Yes, I know we spend BILLIONS of dollars every year on fancy military stuff, but it's almost all total shit." The entire book is just an endless cacophony of broken everything- broken tanks, broken helicopters, broken radios, and broken plans. Nothing works properly, nothing is where it is supposed to be, and I can't tell you how many times you read the phrase "XXXX had lost control of the battle and his troops." The other most popular phrase is "XXXX couldn't get a hold of XXXX by radio or by telephone." I know war is chaotic and requires constant adaptation on the ground, but I cannot believe that it is "normal" to have so much equipment failure not caused by direct fighting.

And that is another thing. The early insurgency should've been predictable. If not before the war- certainly by the second or third day of it. Most of the battles were against Saddam's Fedayin (Too lazy to look up proper spelling) and they were wearing civilian clothes and (for the most part) driving civilian vehicles. From this account, it is clear there was never a real "war" at all. It was a counter-insurgency against an occupying army from Day 1.

The other aspect the book focuses on, planning and intelligence, also shakes out to be a comedy of errors. There's so much wrong I don't even want to get into it. Bottom line, this book should be required reading for anyone interested in the war- and interested in why it went so badly. Even at the point I'm at, half way in, it is clear that Rumsfeld is a total jackass who probably deserves jail for gross incompetence, if not war crimes.

Oh yeah, and the one other thing this book makes crystal clear- they were going to find an excuse to go to war in Iraq from the first day of Bush's presidency. If it wasn't 9-11 it would've been something else. At this point, I really cannot take anyone who says otherwise seriously, too many people speak on record in this book to deny this simple, yet massively damning fact.

2007-04-12T13:38:00.000-05:00

DON IMUS- WHY HATING HIM SADLY MEANS YOU HAVE TO SUPPORT HIM

What is happening to Don Imus is wrong. Up front, I admit, I have never listened to him, never watched him, don't care about him, and I was appalled at the stupidity and truly obnoxious character of his comments.
However, anyone who claims to be progressive should be appalled by the recent developments. Until MSNBC fired him from his TV simulcast (which I have never watched) I wasn't really paying attention. Then they fired him and I was shocked. If they want to slap him on the wrist for PR reasons, I understand, even if I don't agree. But you can't fire the guy for doing what he is paid to do- comment on the world around him. If you don’t like those comments (and I for one do not like his comments at all) THEN DON'T LISTEN.
What has happened to Americans that they keep needing to have this explained to them?
This is a free speech issue.
We have this thing in America. It's called free speech. It means you can say anything you want whenever you want. For example, I can say, I think George Bush is a fucking idiot. I have that right. You can say I'm a fucking idiot for thinking George Bush is a fucking idiot. You have that right too. Indeed, I would fight for your right to call me a fucking idiot.
It seems one of the thorniest issues for people to wrap their heads around is the fact that people who say things that piss you off are the first one's who's speech should be protected. In this vein, it's fine to say that Imus is a dick for what he said, but firing him for being a dick is UNACCEPTABLE in a free country. This man used WORDS. Not actions, words. When the President says things that are stupid, people actually die. Imus is a "shock jock" what he says has exactly ZERO effect on the real world. He said something stupid- not in the context of news reporting, but in his commentary on a show that is (ostensibly), meant to be funny. Now he's out of a job for saying the same dumbass kind of thing that might've garnered universal laughter if it was said by Dave Chappelle.
Imus has the right to say what he wants and we have the right not to listen. If people are turned off by him, and his ratings plummet- THEN you can fire him. That's fair. But more and more we seem to be turning to the police state mentality that says if you say anything I disagree with I will ruin your life. Normally, I often agree with the stuff that Sharpton gets upset about- police brutality, etc. But this time, he's wrong.
Return Don Imus to MSNBC so that I can continue to not watch him. Hopefully no one else will want to either and this problem can be resolved fairly.
Or maybe it'll be you on TV being censored next.

2007-04-10T08:40:00.000-05:00

BRILLIANT

I'm doing some research for the latest novel in the "Incarnations of the Americas" series, and I came across this fantastic culture jamming video. These guys, known as The Yes Men, do all kinds of stuff, but this one is particularly good.
One of the guys is posing as a spokesman for Dow Chemical, who owns Union Carbide, the company responsible for the Bhopal Disaster.
And yes, the new book has decided to force itself out of my head even though I've been half-heartedly been trying to work on the business end of publishing. And yes, culture jamming plays a role in the early chapters of the book. This one in particular is going to be fun because it is, essentially, the origin story of a character from Exodus Enisode, Ron Lowell.

2007-04-06T12:24:00.000-05:00

This might be the weirdest news story I've ever read- Seriously. (I don't want to say anymore about it.)

Click HERE to read the story.
Hints: It involves Slobodan Milosevic- and Vampires.
Intruiged?

2007-04-02T13:49:00.000-05:00

Dr. Strangelove Throws in the Towel- Sort of...

Henry Kissenger has declared that military victory in Iraq, is, at this point, impossible.

Of course he also says that we cannot pull out- or there will be chaos. Does anyone in this country except John McCain really think Iraq isn't in chaos now? Can he really be serious? I love that McCain went out on a walking tour of Baghdad. In body armor, in armored vehicles under "heavy guard." Now THAT is safe!!

2007-03-27T13:28:00.000-05:00

Go See My Video!!

SEE IT HERE

If you are a fan of Battlestar Galactica (the new series, not the one with Daggut) they are having a video contest (that I have no real hopes of winning) that Vickei and I made a video for. I don't know if its funny for non-fans, but check it out HERE.
My video is called "For Love- Or Toaster" and as lame as it probably sounds, I'm pretty excited to have something I made with a big Sci-Fi Logo written across the top. As a sci-fi writer it gives me a certain amount of nerd pride. Hope you enjoy!!

2007-03-20T18:23:00.000-05:00

Fire the Shrub

Bush spoke today, refusing to allow his employees to testify under oath.
Unless he plans to have them lie- there's no reason to allow an interview and not allow them to speak under oath. Called it a fishing expedition. What an asshole.
The gauntlet has been thown.

The irony of the fact he'll go to court over this, the same branch of government he's being accused of "fixing" politically- and then will say, see, they said we're cool.

I really, really, really really, reaalllyyy hope the pansy ass democrats finally grow a spine, pick up the gauntlet and whack him upside the head with it. At this point it is plain, either Bush is the King of America, answerable to no one, or we should all just drop this silly pretence of democracy and admit we now live in a one-branch governmental bureaucratic dictatorship.

Watch the News Conference

It's true, US Attorneys no longer serve at the pleasure of the President.
Guess what assface.
You serve at the pleasure of us.
30% approval or less.
WE DON'T APPROVE!!!!!!

2007-03-12T13:26:00.000-05:00

FOX SUCKS- ROLLCALL

A nice listing of examples of why Fox News should be called, "Fox- The News Station for Morons."

2007-03-09T11:49:00.000-06:00

Shocking- The FBI Overreaching! Ann Coulter manages to shove her foot further down her own throat.

As linked a couple of days ago, Ann "I'd like to call you Cunter" Coulter has trying to extricate herself from the shitpile she ended up in when she publicly felt the need to refer to Jon Edwards as a faggot. She says, hey, using the term "faggot" isn't a derogatory slander of gay people. It's just meant as "wussy" as if, equating a derogatory term for gays and the definition "wussy" wasn't homophobic at all- which it clearly is.
A distinction she clearly doesn't get.
Also, she's tried to clarify that she wasn't calling Jon Edwards a faggot- that if you look closely at her words, she wasn't calling him anything. Which is true- technically. But that one reminds of Talladega Nights, where Ricky Bobby says, "I said, 'with all due respect' before insulting someone- as if that phrase "I would call him X" served the purpose to say anything. So she didn't call Jon Edwards a faggot- she just wanted to- terrific. Using that logic, I wouldn’t be remiss in saying, "I'd like to call you a stupid money grubbing whore who'll say any fucking thing to get some press because I'm a lonely bitch shitheel with no soul and only the vaguest hint of an intellect- but I won't because it's not nice."

Also, The FBI is up to it's old tricks. Why does America feel more like the 70's everyday?
Some highlights:
The Justice Department's inspector general looked at the FBI's use of national security letters (NSLs), in which agents demand personal and business information about individuals -- such as financial, phone, and Internet records -- without court orders. Civil libertarians have slammed the practice.
In "many instances," it said, the FBI "improperly obtained telephone toll billing records and subscriber information from three telephone companies pursuant to more than 700 'exigent letters' signed by personnel in the FBI's Counterterrorism Division without first issuing NSLs. ... These actions were compounded by the fact that the FBI sometimes used these exigent letters in nonemergency situations."