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<entry>
<itemid>28679</itemid>
<eventtime>2007-12-03 11:50:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2007-12-03 16:57:41</logtime>
<subject>Your Memory Has Just Been Sold</subject>
<event>
The <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2007/11/29/DI2007112901384.html">Klingons</a> now own your <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/03/technology/03deal.html?ref=technology">livejournal.</a> Of course, no good technology firm would <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/03/technology/03deal.html?ref=technology">ever</a> use your content in an <a href="http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/blogspotting/archives/2005/07/is_blog_plagiar.html?campaign_id=rss_blog_blogspotting"> inappropriate</a> manner, nor would they ever <a href="http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2149550/microsoft-changes-stance">censor</a> your blogs or anything. Its not like Russia is a <a href="http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-23076651.html">Kleptocracy</a> or anything. I'm probably keeping my political stuff here, but anything creative is gonna be moved somewhere else. Not sure where yet, but the Klingons aren't getting my poetry.
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<entry>
<itemid>28963</itemid>
<eventtime>2007-12-07 12:44:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2007-12-07 17:47:45</logtime>
<subject>I knew I didn't like Harry Reid</subject>
<event>
And now I know why. I used to like the man, but his absolute cowardice (until now) at standing up to Bush has been, quite frankly, totally pathetic. Now I KNOW I don't like him. He's using Senate votes to help Hillary Clinton. (<a href="http://www.thebarackobamareport.com/the_barack_obama_report/2007/12/reid-in-collusi.html">Read about it here.</a>) In other matters... I'm thinking about a very long and important post that I've been meaning to make for a while, but the words are still brewing in my head. Today is a date that will live in Infamy; December 7, 1941 (the day Japan Attacked Pearl Harbor.) I have my own day of infamy. A mantra I have been bouncing around in my mind for months, and (If I can get away with it) will be passed from my children, to my children's children's children. April 26th, 2007. But that is not a post I'm making today.
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<entry>
<itemid>29322</itemid>
<eventtime>2007-12-13 12:03:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2007-12-13 18:01:05</logtime>
<subject>April 26, 2007 - The Day my Spirit Died</subject>
<event>
Spiritual Death is defined by the LDS church as separation from God the Eternal Father, and is considerably worse than physical death which is overcome by a universal resurrection achieved by the atonement of Jesus Christ. In the LDS faith, Spiritual Death is basically achieved by not being Mormon. One can go to a variety of heaven, but one cannot return and dwell in the presence of the father. Furthermore, to the degree one publicly opposes the LDS church, one condemns one's self to spiritual death. Thus, one can understand the proper context of the quote by Joseph Smith that says, "When you join the Church of Jesus Christ, you leave neutral ground forever behind." What a remarkably convenient way of neutralizing people that leave the church and then condemn it. So I am going to play their game, and yet not play it. On October 26th, 2007, My wife and I formally left the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. <lj-cut>Dictionary.com defines church as "church /tʃɜrtʃ/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[church] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –noun 1. a building for public Christian worship. 2. public worship of God or a religious service in such a building: to attend church regularly. 3. (sometimes initial capital letter) the whole body of Christian believers; Christendom. 4. (sometimes initial capital letter) any division of this body professing the same creed and acknowledging the same ecclesiastical authority; a Christian denomination: the Methodist Church. 5. that part of the whole Christian body, or of a particular denomination, belonging to the same city, country, nation, etc. 6. a body of Christians worshipping in a particular building or constituting one congregation: She is a member of this church. 7. ecclesiastical organization, power, and affairs, as distinguished from the state: separation of church and state; The missionary went wherever the church sent him. 8. the clergy and religious officials of a Christian denomination. 9. the Christian faith: a return of intellectuals to the church. 10. (initial capital letter) the Christian Church before the Reformation. 11. (initial capital letter) the Roman Catholic Church. 12. the clerical profession or calling: After much study and contemplation, he was prepared to enter the church. 13. a place of public worship of a non-Christian religion. 14. any non-Christian religious society, organization, or congregation: the Jewish church." Wow. That's a lot of meanings, but the point is that the word church can mean a lot of things. The LDS theocracy will define church as "What we say it is", but since I am no longer interested in their opinions, let me state that I am defining church in this case as "The theological doctrines taught by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints as they should be practiced, not as they are practiced." I am not going to attack the church as it is supposed to exist on paper; I AM going to mention my reasons for leaving the LDS Church and my utter contempt for those who run it. Having established these very narrow parameters, let me now state my primary reason for leaving. Here is a scripture that states for me the basic tenets of anyone baptized into the LDS church. It is the oath they take and the covenant that they make upon accepting babtism. "8 And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light; 9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life— 10 Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?" - Mosiah 18: 8-10 (From the Book of Mormon) The part of that scripture that applies here is, "Stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things and all places that ye may be in." Thus it is that I write here as a witness on December 13, 2007 with all of the spiritual surity that I possess, and the knowledge that Jesus Christ is my savior that Gordon B. Hinkley, Thomas S. Monson, and James E. Faust are sniveling weasel crotch lickers who have deliberately enabled evil for their own personal political agenda; and that as a result of personal prayer and research, I also testify that virtually all of those who have held the title of Apostle in the entire history of the church are also sniveling weasel crotch lickers. Fact #1: Dick Cheney is an evil man. Fact #2: The LDS Prophet is revered throughout the LDS community and from a young age we are taught to emulate his every action. These are facts. I am not going to argue about them here. For Fact #1, see the rest of my blog entries, and for Fact #2 open any lesson manual of any kind in any LDS meeting house in the entire world. There, in dozens of different languages, you will find language saying that while yes, the Prophet is a man, we are to pay attention to his words AS IF THEY COME FROM THE LORD HIMSELF, AND THAT HE DOES NOT NEED TO SAY 'THUS SAYETH THE LORD' FOR THEM TO BE CONSIDERED AS BINDING AS SCRIPTURE. There is a heirarchy of LDS revelation and the purity thereof. Anything with the full authorization of the First Presidency (current living) and the Quorum of the Twelve is at the top of that list, but every little thing is still condemnation against you if you do not abide by it. On April 26th, 2007 Dick Cheney spoke by invitation at the BYU commencement. All three members of the first presidency were in attendance. The shock of this act forced me to begin researching the church's past, primarily in the books "Under the Banner of Heaven" by Jon Krakau and "The Mormon Heirarchy" by D. Michael Quinn. The latter book is a secular history of the leadership of the LDS church told by someone excommunicated, and yet who still believes. The source material on this book is as thick as its material and the sources are all publicly available and not easily disputed. Understand, that April 26th, 2007 was not the reason I left the church. It was merely when other sources outside of the church became more believable than LDS sources. Gordon B. Hinkley has given talks about the need, "to focus on the positive and not focus on the negative aspects of an instutition." This only goes so far. Ignoring minor errors would be one thing. But some things cannot be ignored, including: 1)Joseph Smith destroyed the Navoo Expositor for publicly stating that he was having sex with other men's wives. The LDS church denies this, but after April 26, 2007, I believe other people before I believe the LDS church. 2)Henry D. Moyle publicly encouraged and created Baseball Babtisms in which young children were encouraged to join the church and be babtized 'so they could be part of an athletic club.' Not rogue missionaries, not insane bishops obsessed with numbers, but a member of the first presidency. The church will deny this, but after April 26, 2007, I believe other people before I believe the LDS church. 3)Joseph Smith taught that the office of Presiding Patriarch was central to the spiritual well being of the church. He also taught without the office of Presiding Patriarch, dire spiritual consequences would befall the church. Joseph F. Smith was the last president to treat this office with respect. Others phased it out because they were jealous of its power. Modern day LDS leaders say the office is now unnecessary. The last major spiritual scripture added was a vision received by Joseph F. Smith. Modern prophets do not talk about visions or other unearthly things. The church will deny this, and say that I am taking things out of context, but after April 26, 2007, I believe other people before I believe the LDS church. 4) Those pioneers we're always honoring? They formed conspiracy after conspiracy. The early history of the church is rife with murder, political intruige and sabotage, secret combinations which are warned against in the Book of Mormon. Including my name sake, Thomas E. Ricks. The church will deny this, and say that I am taking things out of context, but after April 26, 2007, I believe other people before I believe the LDS church. 5) Gordon B. Hinkley personally led the effort to destroy the ERA. But not just the ERA, but ALL issues being discussed advocating the rights of women being discussed in the feminist groups that they destroyed. The church will deny this, and say that I am taking things out of context, but after April 26, 2007, I believe other people before I believe the LDS church. 6) Ezra Taft Benson was closely tied to the John Birch society, which was the close political ally and patron of Senator Joseph McCarthy, a figure who I despite with loathing that even exceeds my distate for Andrew "Hickory" Jackson, the genocidal maniac. Ezra Taft Benson was often in outright REBELLION against the other leaders of quorum, but WAS NOT EXCOMMUNICATED. In his later years, he 'was moderate' but he did not apologize for his associations with people who thought McCarthy was a great guy either. These are the people who are fueling Ann Coulter, who is a McCarthy apologist. This is the leader of the LDS church. The church will deny this, and say that I am taking things out of context, but after April 26, 2007, I believe other people before I believe the LDS church. There are more but these are the big ones. I am never going to discuss this with a mormon. I am never going to argue with them about it. I had a testimony. I know that this is not a question of rational argument. Spiritual truths do not come from intellectual treatise. I had an argument with a friend of mine who is a member of the church. In that discussion he said, "If 99% of that book is true, if even 1% of it is false then it is a lie and cannot be relied upon." Which I immediately turned around and said, "If 99% of what the church says is true, if even 1% of it is false, then it is a lie and cannot be relied upon." Furthermore, to which of the two shall we hold the higher standard? The academic treatise and history by a mortal man, or the Kingdom of God on Earth, with Sentinels against the darkness appointed by power, priesthood and prophesy? Sure the Prophet is supposed to be merely a man, but at the same time he possesses all the keys of the kingdom, all of the spiritual gifts of god, and acts as a prophet, seer and revelator. A Seer is an office in which the holder bearsa seer stone, in which all things past, present and future pertaining to the mysteries of God are revealed before them. Furthermore, Joseph Smith himself taught, "And he answered: Yea, Lord, I know that thou speakest the truth, for thou art a God of truth, and canst not lie." Ether 3:12. And furthermore, "46 And verily, verily, I say unto you, that whatsoever you seal on earth shall be sealed in heaven; and whatsoever you bind on earth, in my name and by my word, saith the Lord, it shall be eternally bound in the heavens; and whosesoever sins you remit on earth shall be remitted eternally in the heavens; and whosesoever sins you retain on earth shall be retained in heaven. 47 And again, verily I say, whomsoever you bless I will bless, and whomsoever you curse I will curse, saith the Lord; for I, the Lord, am thy God." Doctrine and Covenants 132: 45-46. Finally, THIS scripture I believe sums it all up nicely: "11 Suffer not yourself to be led away by any vain or foolish thing; suffer not the devil to lead away your heart again after those wicked harlots. Behold, O my son, how great iniquity ye brought upon the Zoramites; for when they saw your conduct they would not believe in my words." Alma 39: 11, in which the prophet Alma condemns his son for his wickedness which caused others to lose their faith in the word being taught by the other prophets. On April 26th, 2007 Gordon B. Hinkley cavorted with demons, and was not struck dead by God for it. Thus, the inevitable conclusion is that he is not a prophet, but a tool of the Adversary. There is no 'middle ground' in LDS theology. I KNOW Dick Cheney is evil, so therefore those who honor him, those who shower him with honorary degrees, CANNOT be the wardens and servants of God. But even then, even then I still prayed. I wanted to be sure. So for six months I waited and prayed patiently with my wife. And the Lord confirmed to me that Hinkley is not a prophet. I still feel the spirit of Christ. I still believe in him, but I do not believe that Gordon B. Hinkley or any other leader of the current Church of Jesus Christ has ever been authorized to act as an arbiter of God's will on Earth. And even, somehow, if I were wrong in that belief, they lost it the moment they honored the genocidal war criminal. And since an LDS testimony is one given by emotions and spiritual insight rather than rational well thought out beliefs based on empirical and verifiable evidence, let me give another testimony based on spiritual insights, not from proof but from Truths given me by God, to the extent that my god given intuition and rationality can provide those insights. I testify that Mitt Romney is part of a hidden order within the LDS church destined by a hidden prophesy that one of their number will become president, hence why the father and now the son has tried this, and I believe the son and his son and his son after him will try until they succeed. I testify that it is because of this secret order that Gordon B. Hinkley and the other leaders of the LDS church have set aside common decency, and 'in the greater good' made a deal with Dick Cheney to honor him at BYU in return for the secret support of George H.W. Bush in the 2008 Presidential election. I testify that is NO ACCIDENT that the 'mormon speech' that Mitt Romney gave last week was in College Station Texas, home of Texas A&M and also home of the George H.W. Bush presidential library. I testify that it is no accident that Jeb Bush supports Mitt Romney, and that the Lord was severely displeased by Jeb's actions regarding Terry Shiavo. I further testify that so displeased was the lord by these actions that he condemns Jeb Bush and the entire Bush family unto the fourth generation lest they repent and condemn the actions of the unrighteous father. I further testify that these sins and that this curse is associated and extended to any advocated by Jeb Bush who doth not turn around and condemn the weasel crotch licker for the animal thing that he is instead of accepting Jeb's praise. I testify that George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, Donald Rumsfeld, Condeleza Rice, and anyone in the Project For the American Century will be answerable both to God and an an earthly tribunal and that I believe that tribunal will be the International Criminal Court (which they all condemned) and that they will all be tried as war criminals; not for their conduct in Afghanistan, but for the advocation and tolerance of torture and other war crimes in the country of Iraq. I further testify that if Mitt Romney is elected President of the United States of America, a curse shall come upon this nation so dark and so black that none, not even the republican minority that refuses to acknowledge the sins of their leaders shall fail to see the Hand of God at work. I say this in the Name of Jesus Christ, my lord and savior. Amen. </lj-cut>
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<entry>
<itemid>29441</itemid>
<eventtime>2007-12-14 11:23:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2007-12-14 16:50:29</logtime>
<subject>The Wasted Year</subject>
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I have an embarrassing truth to admit, but I'm going to come right out and say it. I was one of those people who, immediately after 9/11 thought, "Wow, I guess I'm glad that George W. Bush is president." Now, fortunately, I was not so foolish as to vote for the man (I was so foolish as to vote for Ralph Nader, but I didn't have the knowledge of his 2004 campaign at the time so that's an excuse.) That sentiment lasted entirely one month, when a key member of the US Senate tried to ram through a bill to open <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_National_Wildlife_Refuge">ANWAR</a>. It was obvious to me then that the Rephuklycans were not interested in political compromise for the good of the nation; they just wanted to exploit it for all it was worth. Now, political fury isn't created over night. It took one abuse after another to get me to the point I am now, and the major turning points would be Valerie Plame, Terry Shaivo, Hurricane Katrina, and the absolute failure of Bush to protect the archaeological treasures in Iraq during the invasion vs. the oil. But now here we are. We have the hindsight of 7 years and can examine things from history's lens. Above all, we now know that 2008 is going to be a year in which very little will happen. It is a year in which we will find ourselves wishing for it to be over. True, that's been the case for a while, but this is different. Already the conference in Bali is showing how stupid Bush is. He isn't going to change. We can't remove him from office. His Sniveling Weasel Crotch Licker lackeys in the senate won't change either, and until we have a new president there will be no change in this country. Odds are good for a Democrat (or anyone else but a Bush Clone) to win, but not a given. But there is a lesson to be learned from history. What if Gore had been President? What would be different? Would 9/11 have happened? Realistically, probably yes. But the aftermath would have been different. Gore is not a wimp. Thus, we WOULD have invaded Afghanistan. Any president that didn't do that would be removed from office so fast his chair wouldn't spin all the way around. We wanted the people who did this, and we were going to get Osama Bin Laden. Furthermore, we have a competent military. The president's job in that area is largely to push the 'click' button, and say 'go do this', and then get out of the way and not screw it up. Let us also be fair, we would probably have the Patriot Act. The FBI and other law enforcement agencies wanted this badly, not just the Sniveling Weasel Crotch Lickers. Al Gore is married to Tipper Gore, who is a close political ally of Sniveling Weasel Crotch Licker Leiberweisel and believes that banning violent video games is a productive use of Tax Payer money. Now...here is what we would NOT have had. There would be no Guantanamo Bay. Thus greatly preserving our international prestige. There would be no war in Iraq. We might have bombed Saddam, but we did that all the time anyway. There might have been some economic threat of Saddam switching to the Euro, but with all the new political international capital we would have had from leading the global fight on terrorism and NOT invading Iraq, NOT having an Axis of Evil we could assuredly have persuaded the other OPEC members to stay with the dollar and apply the thumbscrews to Saddam. Chavez would not be anywhere near as popular without Bush as a foil. Which means our influence in South America would be considerably higher. Europe would not have been upset by Bush and Rumsfeld and so our alliance with them would be much closer. Nato's involvement in Afghanistan would be considerably higher, and thus our focus on Pakistan and the like would mean that Al Queda would be more diminished than it was. The war on Terror would be a minor issue rather than a daily news item. We would have Osama Bin Laden in custody. By now, he would probably be dead. (This would create recruits from his Martyrdom but not enough to matter.) Russia and China, I propose, would be far more likely to move towards real democracies, Russia in the case of the fact that Putin is involved with Realpolitik and would not see the US as a falling power as he sees it now and thus allow SOME opposition to occur. He'd still be a tyrant, but more like Chavez and less like...Putin is currently acting. Gore/Clinton have always had good relations with China, and with the Olympics coming and the US retaining its political clout from Afghanistan, we can pressure them for true democratic reforms. Realistically this won't happen everywhere, but it may be possible to have true reform in Hong Kong which is a start and model for the rest of the country. Things are better in Myanmar because we have the moral authority to get China on our side. Things are better in Darfur because we're not distracted by Iraq. Things are better in Kosovo because Russia is more pliant towards our influence. Tony Blair's career isn't over and he is probably still prime minister. Brown is a toss up but in the end irrelevant to the global scheme of things. This world is not perfect, but it IS vastly different than our own. But the most important difference is the environment. Because now that we understand just how BAD climate change really is, we can turn back the clock 7 years and actually adhere to the Kyoto Protocol. In fact, ironically, the one good thing about Bush becoming president is that Al Gore's "Inconvenient Truth" is the "Uncle Tom's Cabin" of our generation. Finally, people in the mainstream are REALLY paying attention to global warming and the environment. Al Gore becoming president can do a lot of good (and would be reelected in 2004, because a monkey could have been in office in 2000 and been reelected in 2004. The fact that Bush had to work as hard at it as he did shows his true level of incompetence). So the question is, is the true impact of "an inconvenient truth" worth the seven years we'd gain without it? Probably not. The lesson for me in this is that we cannot allow another 2000 to happen. When the Supreme Court declared Bush the president in 2000, there were no mass street protests. There was no mass public outcry. We can't let that happen again. I don't believe in street protests against Rephucklycans because they don't care what people think if they're not paying them money, but the world demands political awareness or political apathy. If you're politically neutral and "uninvolved" in politics then I hope you don't have children, because the stakes are too high now. And if you don't take action now, then your children will hate you for it. I intend to make it my mission in life to make sure that they know exactly who was responsible for allowing the world to go to hell in a handbasket. The time in which apathy was an acceptable way to be a US Citizen is over. You are now either part of the problem or part of the solution. If you're part of the problem, I'm going to make sure that people know about it. This is not rocket science. Politics is messy, yes. Sometimes you have to do the best you can with what you have now and work for the better down the road, but doing SOMETHING is always better than nothing. If 95% of the eligible population voted, then the political landscape would be much better than it is today. If 95% of the eligible population payed ATTENTION and wrote to their congressmen, PAC's would loose a whole lot of their power.
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<entry>
<itemid>29870</itemid>
<eventtime>2007-12-17 10:23:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2007-12-17 15:35:08</logtime>
<subject>Empathy (Or Lack Thereof)</subject>
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I found <a href="http://vacollegerepublicans.blogspot.com/2007/12/writers-strike-needs-to-end.html">this link</a> particularly enlightening. The College Rephuklycans think that the writer's strike is bad. In fact, the most sympathetic of them acknowledged the fact that writer's should get a share of the revenue, but kept his Rephuklycan street cred by saying that they should make individual contracts with the studios instead of belonging to a union. Of course. That's it. That's the solution. Hear that writers? It's not the STUDIOS that are the problem, it's the Union. You should just trust the good graces of your employers, and they will graciously give you a piece of the action. And you know what? They might. If they know you. However, <a href="http://gawker.com/news/not-afraid-to-be-servicey/viacom-just-the-tip-of-the-iceberg-that-is-our-permalance-society-333235.php">recent</a> unionization of many permanent contractors who were getting screwed by Viacom shows that unless employees actually get a clue and start working together, this is never going to happen.
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<itemid>30280</itemid>
<eventtime>2007-12-18 13:43:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2007-12-18 18:46:52</logtime>
<subject>Creatives: 1 Idiots Running Hollywood: 0</subject>
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Peter Jackson has just been tasked to <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Movies/12/18/film.thehobbit.ap/index.html">produce</a> the Hobbit. Hither to now, the idiots at New Line tried to cheat him. Absolute fan outrage (and stockholder resistance) caused the Execs at New Line to cave. NO ONE who is not a Rephuklycan supports the suits running the Zaibatsu studios. This is a positive sign that eventually the clueless freaks will realize that they should treat people decently. Dolts. The odds are in favor of the WGA on this strike. It is not a given, but the winds blow against them and their 'plans'.
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<itemid>30505</itemid>
<eventtime>2007-12-19 09:42:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2007-12-19 14:45:56</logtime>
<subject>CNN - Fair and Balanced</subject>
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Note the CNN article headlined, "<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/12/19/poll.nh/index.html">Hillary Surges Ahead in New Hampshire</a> in the poll that we put together". Note the other article on the "<a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071219/pl_nm/usa_poll_politics_dc;_ylt=AqkL_E1Jv4kGkSOr8.EFsV0DW7oF">Huckjerk and Ghouliani Tied For Rephuklycan Nomination</a> but if you look down farther it continues to say Obama is well ahead of Hillary. Things that make you go hmmmmmm.....
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<itemid>30934</itemid>
<eventtime>2007-12-20 09:45:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2007-12-20 14:50:28</logtime>
<subject>Binding Arbitration Madness</subject>
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You may, or may not have heard about the woman who was <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071220/ts_alt_afp/usiraqcontractorsrape;_ylt=AgVLZA6mRGKB9gj5Cu272w8DW7oF">raped</a> in Iraq by her fellow contractors. The Department of Justice is doing NOTHING. Her company is doing NOTHING. The Rephuklycans are doing NOTHING. But the worst part is, this poor woman can't even sue the company because of a component of her contract that forces her into BINDING ARBITRATION. In case you were unaware of this lovely thing, it is basically a private court, where the normal rules of the court do not apply. And the guys that run these things defer to corporations in 99.9% of their cases, simply because of the fact that the Zaibatsus are the ones that give them regular work. There should be a law that protects people from being forced into binding arbitration. Binding arbitration can be useful between businesses, but private citizens should not be forced to use it; and in many cases you are. In fact, the odds are that you are already in binding arbitration contracts, and might not even know it. That End User Licensing Agreement you click 'Yes' to when you get a program? Probably binding arbitration. Your cell phone? Binding arbitration. In some states, your HMO, your utility companies and your landlord can all do the same thing. And as long as we have a rephuklycan congress, we're not going to get a law to stop them, because it isn't 'pro business'.
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<itemid>31154</itemid>
<eventtime>2007-12-23 02:32:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2007-12-23 07:50:15</logtime>
<subject>Good Texas, Bad Texas</subject>
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Good Texas, Bad Texas ---------------------- A poem by Redwin Tursor and Emmit Other together I saw a movie today About Charlie Wilson's War A whole lot of politics And a whole lot of guns But what it all came down to Is that we did Some truly amazing things That changed the world And then we dropped the <lj-cut>fucking football In the end game. I see a different kind of snow In my mind's eye The kind that lights my soul With violet fire That makes me scream to the heavens WHY? Why must this be. And I wish I could blind that eye With a fucking flaming mote The size of a telephone book But I can't. And in true Emersonian Fashion Lidless Clockwork Orange Clamps Make me see the world unfold And this snow This fucking snow Swirls around and around Like a christmas snow globe But it isn't really snow Its sand. And the soldier in Iraq fighting a War for another man's Petty Vengeance Wishes he could be home with his family For Christmas. This man is a hero. Descended from a long line of heroes From the minutemen, Whose shot was heard round the world To the poor hapless souls Who died in another wasted war. And we dropped the fucking football there too. How their shades must shake their heads In disgust and consternation At the folly we display Time and time again. These heroes keep dying. They keep dying for us So we can have our Turboman action figures And our Guitar Hero experiences And our re-run of Christmas Story Marathon. There is nothing wrong with these things. But we are wrapped up in them Like a fucking anaconda And it is choking us And blinding us And we're shopping to stop terrorism. Only a few people are awake. Most people just don't know what to do. What can they do? They shout and stomp and stammer And our leaders don't hear. They're afraid to upset the president. They keep giving him air time. And they won't impeach him. I hate Godwin's Law. Sometimes we have to point to someone And say "There's a fucking Nazi!" And it doesn't matter That he isn't running concentration camps. Not all of the Nazis were SS. Not all the evils the nazis did Was behind barbed wire. And it certainly didn't start that way. But it did end that way. And if someone in Germany in 1939 Had stood up And ignored Godwin's Law and said "That guy with the mustach is a fucking nazi" Then maybe we wouldn't have Quite so many graves In Arlington Cemetary. So I see this soldier Looking at the swirling snow That isn't snow And he's dead. And he's floating up amongst a great line of heroes Heroes who want us to keep fighting Even keep fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan Because they're Heroes And Heroes don't quit. But sometimes Sometimes you have to tell the hero to take a break. Because sometimes you've got to come home And clean up the mess you made there first. So you don't make messes around the rest of the world. We keep dropping the fucking football All over the rest of the world. But we've got to take care of the Rephuklycans. And we've got to take care of the Leiberweisels. And we've got to take care of Harry Reid. And we've got to take care of Hillary Clinton. This isn't about politics any more. This is about good and evil. So I see two men Sitting in a bar inside of the Skull State One of them is the idiot governor. He's rigged the election so he can win And his brother won his post By making a pinata out of this dead woman Called Sherry Taivo. And they're sitting in a bar In the eastern part of Texas Where the sand swirls like snow Just like a desert in Iraq. And the saloon doors fly open. And Good Texas walks in. He's the kind of guy that won the alamo. He's the kind of guy that kicks ass And takes names. And these two clowns are on his list. And he takes out his irons And lays them on the table. Cause he doesn't shoot men in cold blood Even though he knows they're snakes. And the two brothers laugh And snicker, and squeal. They've got ten guys with guns Behind the bar Pointed at Good Texas. And Good Texas just looks at them With a glint in his eye And says, "Go ahead and try it." And they do And they miss. And they can't understand it. And Good Texas stands up And tosses a shot glass At the first guy, and breaks his skull And he throws a chair At the second guy And on and on it goes Until all ten guys Are groaning or bleeding Dead on the floor And Good Texas sits back down at the table And says, "Now what's this I hear about you getting Good soldiers killed so You can play soldier boy And land on an aircraft carrier And say, "Mission Accomplished." There is a God And Good Texas is his right hand man Jesus. And he's coming to the Skull State. He's got your number. Do you have his? Lot of people spit on religion But a whole lot of religious people Did stupid things To change the world and make it a better place Its those good religious people That make the world work That make the world safe That understand that love is more powerful than hate. That terrible awful word. Don't hate Texas. Hate Bad Texas. I'm about done here I've gone on and on a lot I wish I didn't see what I see Or write what I write But I have to. I have to just as much as those sands swirl. I'm not Good Texas But I am his dithering deputy. Get out of his way. Better yet Saddle up and join the posse. The minutemen need you. The army needs you. The heroes need you. Help us save them From themselves Before Bad Texas kills them all. Will you join me? Saddle up And Ride.</lj-cut>
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<itemid>31403</itemid>
<eventtime>2007-12-24 22:58:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2007-12-25 03:59:16</logtime>
<subject>Christmas in January</subject>
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On January 20th 2004 Rita Moore gave me my Christmas Miracle when I met Jennifer Wilkins, my future wise. It truly is a wonderful life.
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<itemid>31638</itemid>
<eventtime>2007-12-31 13:01:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2007-12-31 18:01:24</logtime>
<subject>A New Years Goal and a New Start</subject>
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Since the Klingons have invaded Livejournal, I am starting my new novel project on Blogspot. Don't worry fans of my ranting (all 1-2 of you), I shall still post political and philosophical stuff here, but my novel and or short story stuff shall be found at http://tossinggrenadesatwindmills.blogspot.com/
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