why?

why did we invade iraq?
why did we allow our leaders to lie to us?
why are we not punishing our leaders for lying to us (we HAVE PROOF)?
why are we allowing our leaders to continue in office?
why did we allow 4,098 of our men and women die in iraq?
why did we allow goddess knows how many (innocent) iraqis die?
why did we allow goddess knows how many (innocent) iraqis to become displaced?
why did we allow our troops to (unjustly, immorally, illegally) invade a country without proper protection (armor, armored vehicles, etc)?
why are we allowing our troops that physically come home lay in squalor or limbo if they need medical help (including that of the mind)?
why?
why?
why?
why?
why?

Key Iraqi Leaders Deliver Setbacks to U.S.
Premier Rejects Terms of Proposed Pacts; Cleric Reactivates Militia

By Amit R. Paley and Karen DeYoung Washington Post Foreign Service
BAGHDAD, June 13 -- The Bush administration's Iraq policy suffered two major setbacks Friday when Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki publicly rejected key U.S. terms for an ongoing military presence and anti-American Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called for a new militia offensive against U.S. forces.
During a visit to Jordan, Maliki said negotiations over initial U.S. proposals for bilateral political and military agreements had "reached a dead end." While he said talks would continue, his comments fueled doubts that the pacts could be reached this year, before the Dec. 31 expiration of a United Nations mandate sanctioning the U.S. role in Iraq.
The moves by two of Iraq's most powerful Shiite leaders underscore how the presence of U.S. troops has become a central issue for Iraqi politicians as they position themselves for provincial elections later this year. Iraqis across the political spectrum have grown intolerant of the U.S. presence, but the dominant Shiite parties -- including Maliki's Dawa party -- are especially fearful of an electoral challenge from new, grass-roots groups. ,,,,,,,,

i personally CAN'T F**KING

believe (this)
so unless your religion has a cross in it, YOU DON'T COUNT

SC first to get 'I Believe' license plates

Bills allow SC residents to get 'I Believe' license plates, pray at meetings

SEANNA ADCOX

South Carolina's lieutenant governor announced Thursday that he is willing to put up $4,000 of his own money so his state can become the first in the nation to issue "I Believe" license plates with the image of a cross and a stained glass window.

The legislation allowing the plates was one of several religious-themed bills to became laws in the closing days of the state's legislative session.

The bills mean South Carolinians attending local government meetings could soon see the Ten Commandments and the Lord's Prayer posted on walls, pray without fear of being sued and drive home in cars with the "I Believe" plates.

Civil rights groups are considering lawsuits. An attorney for the New York-based American Jewish Congress, Mark Stern, said the bills are an obvious endorsement of religion by legislators in an election year. His group is looking to sue over the plates.

Gov. Mark Sanford allowed the license plate bill to become law without his signature, noting the state already has a process to allow special plates for any cause as long as enough people come together and put up the money needed to buy them

federico fellini

is my favorite director in the whole wide world. i love his images. i love his celluloid thoughts, fears, visions. i love the starkness of some of his scenes and i love the scenes where he goes overboard (which certainly outnumber the former). i love how MOST of his movies are autobiographical. i love gieulietta massina. i love nino rota (i have a TON of his music on my mp3 player. i can hear the music to giulietta now....)

a while ago i saw a few minutes of a film called Federico Fellini: Sono un gran bugiardo (fellini: i am a born liar). yesterday i was lucky enough to catch the tail end of it on showtime or hbo or cinemax (one of 'em). it's a documentary. an interview with fellini which occurred toward the end of his life, interspersed with scenes from his films and interviews with people fellini worked with.

i'm NOT going to name all of his movies. you should know most of them. if not, it is YOUR loss. and i mean that most sincerely. i AM going to mention my particular favorite; giulietta degli spiriti (juliet of the spirits). the star of the movie was guilietta masina, his wife. she starred in a lot of his movies. this was their masterpiece together though. i remember the first time i saw this movie. i was transfixed. i couldn't move. one of the great regrets of my life is i never got to meet him.

karen salazar sounds like a FINE teacher to me

'too afro-centric'? wtf???????????

where is she teaching? norway? nope. watts
(shout out to jeff for the story)

School rallies around dismissed Watts teacher deemed too 'Afro-centric.'

Karen Salazar was let go from Jordan High. Other instructors say they plan to resign or transfer in protest.

By Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
Students and fellow educators are rallying behind a fired Jordan High School teacher they say was sacked for encouraging political activism among her students.

About 60 students rallied Wednesday at the Watts campus, while a colleague of the fired teacher said he and 15 other instructors planned to resign or transfer to other schools to protest the dismissal of Karen Salazar, a second-year English teacher.

The dust-up has gone digital as well. Salazar backers have posted videos on the website YouTube. The postings, which have attracted thousands of hits, intersperse music, outraged protesters and interviews, as well as statements from the outspoken educator.

"You embody what it means to be a warrior-scholar, a freedom-fighting intellectual," she told students through a bullhorn in one video. "You are part of the long legacy, the strong history, of fighting back."

In another instance, Salazar rips the Los Angeles Unified School District, saying, "This school system for too long has been not only denying them human rights, basic human rights, but doing it on purpose in order to keep them subservient, to subjugate them in society."

A union official said the critique against Salazar included a statement that her teaching was too "Afro-centric." An assistant principal, in his evaluation of a particular lesson, accused Salazar of brainwashing students, according to Salazar and others.

Her course materials include "The Autobiography of Malcolm X," which is approved for students. Salazar, 25, also sprinkles in lyrics of slain rapper Tupac Shakur and the poetry of Langston Hughes..........

here is a link to more information and you tube videos on ms salazar
a facebook group

(note: i'm NOT a big fan of tupac's. ok, i'm NOT a fan at all. in any way shape or form. however, i think it's important all students should learn about malcolm x AND hear/read the words of langston hughes. malcolm x in the beginning of his conversion preached separation and unkindness to people whose skin color was different than his. at the end of his life, he realized that wasn't the way to go. he was a part of american history and we should ALL know about him. like him or not)

what do hitler, the blob (movie) and 'the family'

have in common? turns out A LOT and it's scary as shite. who needs horror movies when reality is WORSE?

Worse Than Fascists: Christian Political Group 'The Family' Openly Reveres Hitler
By Lindsay Beyerstein, AlterNet

Did you know that the National Prayer Breakfast is sponsored by a shadowy cabal of elite Christian fundamentalists? Jeff Sharlet's new book, "The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power," offers a rare glimpse of this remarkable network, which is known variously as the Family, the Fellowship and the International Foundation.
The Family was founded 70 years ago by Abraham Vereide, a Norwegian immigrant evangelist based in Seattle. In 1935, Vereide said, God appeared to him in a vision and revealed where Christianity had gone wrong: preoccupation with the poor, the weak and the suffering.
The down-and-out were in no position to bring about the Kingdom of God, Vereide realized. Some Christians believe that the rapture is imminent, but not the Family. They're convinced that Jesus won't return until we get our collective house in order. If they were to wait for the down-and-out to remake the world in God's image, we could be here forever.
Besides, in Seattle in the 1930s, union agitators were making a play for the down-and-out. Christianity promised rewards in the hereafter, but workers in the Pacific Northwest were starting to wonder why they had to wait so long. Instead of competing for market share with the Industrial Workers of the World, Vereide sought a different niche.
His new plan was to target men who were already powerful and turn them to God -- and wouldn't you know it, God hated unions, too.
Through personal relationships and small group encounters, Vereide united captains of industry and politicians as a Biblical bulwark against the increasing power of organized labor..........

you MUST watch this

it's a SCREAM. i saw it yesterday (had the day off and watched the repeat of the night before) and was laughing my big ol' butt off

Colbert Report: The elitist menace among us

David Edwards and Muriel Kane

In light of recent accusations of elitism being hurled against Barack Obama, Stephen Colbert decided it was time to examine "the elitist menace among us."
"Recently, polls have Senator Obama slightly ahead of John McCain," Colbert began. "However, there's still a major obstacle standing in his way -- he thinks he's so smart. ... There is a word for people like Barack Obama -- and in this election, you're hearing it everywhere."
Colbert then played a montage of John McCain, Hillary Clinton, and various media pundits saying, "elitist ... elite opinion ... elite candidates ... Gucci-wearing, latte-drinking ... latte liberal ... elite, effete snobs."............

kinda cool - kinda funny

Crosswalk Countdown - GuerilLA from Kelly Herrington on Vimeo.

from urban prankster via bifurcated rivets

yet again i MUST ax,

'is someone ON CRACK?'
Justice Department Official Awards $500,000 Grant to Golf Group
Former Staffer Tells ABC News Anti-Crime Funds Given to Programs With The "Right" Connections.
By BRIAN ROSS, ANNA SCHECTER, and MURRAY WAAS
A senior Justice Department official says a $500,000 federal grant to the World Golf Foundation is an appropriate use of money designed to deal with juvenile crime in America.

"We need something really attractive to engage the gangs and the street kids, golf is the hook," said J. Robert Flores, the administrator of the Justice Department's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

The Justice Department, in a decision by Flores, gave the money to the World Golf Foundation's First Tee program, even though Justice Department staffers had rated the program 47th on a list of 104 applicants. The allegations were first reported earlier this year by the trade journal Youth Today. ...........

so, you're going to get the bloods and the crips and the latin kings and the sharks and the jets to put down their guns and knives and carry golf clubs? really, i mean it. PUT DOWN THE CRACK PIPE AND BACK AWAY SLOWLY

hey catholic church

(if you all feel like this that is) and especially bishop lorenzo chiarinelli - F**K YOU HARD

i thought i had heard it all. how little i know

Impotent paraplegic told: no church wedding
An Italian bishop has reportedly told a young paraplegic he cannot have a church wedding because he is impotent, despite his fiancee being aware of the problem.
Salvatore de Ciuco, spokesman for Bishop Lorenzo Chiarinelli of Viterbo in central Italy, told SkyTG24 television: "No bishop, no priest can celebrate a wedding when he knows of admitted impotence as it is a motive for annulment" of the marriage..........

hey king george

if you're NOT going to listen to me (and you're not - that's fo sho), how about listening to Tom and Romayne McGinnis ?

Medal Of Honor Recipient’s Father: Bush Must Sign The GI Bill If He Wants To Show Appreciation For Troops»


Last week, President Bush presented Tom and Romayne McGinnis with a posthumous Medal of Honor for their son, Private First Class Ross Andrew McGinnis. Ross was killed in Iraq in December 2004 when he threw his body in front of a grenade to protect four of his fellow soldiers, saving their lives. Bush praised Ross’s heroism, and pledged to “never forget” the soldiers “who came forward to bear the battle” for “freedom and security” in Iraq:
The day will come when the mission he served has been completed and the fighting is over, and freedom and security have prevailed. America will never forget those who came forward to bear the battle. America will always honor the name of this brave soldier who gave all for his country, and was taken to rest at age 19.
Ross’s father, Tom McGinnis, is holding Bush to his word. The next day, McGinnis called on Bush to sign the 21st Century GI bill, while speaking at the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes induction:
Our troops when they get home also need our support. … They need to be able to continue their education where they left off. And so I say thank you to the Senate and House who have helped to pass the new GI bill. Now this GI bill only needs the signature of the President of the United States to become law. And I think it’s time that George Bush can sign this bill and make it law to show his appreciation for the support these loyal youth have given him............

lions and tigers and bears

and dennis kuchinich and larisa alexandrovna
once again, SOMEONE has stones. once again someone has a soul. once again someone has a moral compass. once again someone is attempting to protect MY liberty and MY country (while most of the rest of our lawmakers sit on their big fat asses)

Kucinich presents Bush impeachment articles
David Edwards and Mike Sheehan
An Ohio Democratic lawmaker and former presidential candidate has presented articles of impeachment against President George W. Bush to Congress.
Thirty-five articles were presented by Rep. Dennis Kucinich to the House of Representatives late Monday evening, airing live on C-SPAN.
"The House is not in order," said Kucinich to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), upon which Pelosi pounded her gavel.
"Resolved," Kucinich then began, "that President George W. Bush be impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors, and that the following articles of impeachment be exhibited to the United States Senate. ...
"In his conduct while President of the United States, George W. Bush, in violation of his constitutional oath to faithfully execute the office of president of the United States, and to the best of his ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has committed the following abuses of power..."
The first article Kucinich presented, and many that followed, regarded the war in Iraq: "Article 1 - Creating a secret propaganda campaign to manufacture a false case for war against Iraq."
On several occasions, Kucinich referenced RAW STORY and its noted investigative news chief, Larisa Alexandrovna, as source material for the articles. Two of the RAW STORY pieces Kucinich mentioned are viewable here and here.............

Kucinich - Update 3 - MSM picks up impeachment story...
Kucinich's bombshell - me?
I had no idea until the entire planet started to call me to congratulate me for being part of the Articles of Impeachment. I missed it (while I went to get coffee) and came back to chaos in the household. Here are some snips from RS article on Dennis Kucinich's articles of impeachment speech on the House floor today (RS also has the footage):
"An Ohio Democratic lawmaker and former presidential candidate has presented articles of impeachment against President George W. Bush to Congress.
Thirty-five articles were presented by Rep. Dennis Kucinich to the House of Representatives late Monday evening, airing live on C-SPAN.
"The House is not in order," said Kucinich to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), upon which Pelosi pounded her gavel.
"Resolved," Kucinich then began, "that President George W. Bush be impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors, and that the following articles of impeachment be exhibited to the United States Senate. ...;...........

do you know what today (june 10th) is?

it's the 45th anniversary of the equal pay act. what is the equal pay act? it is a law that says an employer has to pay ME the same wage as a man who does the same work. it doesn't though. i, on average earn only 77 cents to each dollar a man earns.


CONGRESS MUST ACT TO CLOSE THE WAGE GAP FOR WOMEN
More than forty years ago, President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act (EPA)1 into law, making it illegal for employers to pay unequal wages to men and women who perform substantially equal work. The following year, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was enacted, making it illegal to discriminate, including in wages and pay, on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, and national origin. At the time of the EPA’s passage in 1963, women earned merely 59 cents to every dollar earned by men.2 Although enforcement of the EPA as well as other civil rights laws has helped to narrow the wage gap, significant disparities remain and need to be addressed.
In addition, the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. severely limited workers’ ability to vindicate their rights under federal anti-discrimination laws. To reverse the Supreme Court’s harmful decision, in 2007 the House of Representatives passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Lead sponsor Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) has introduced this act in the Senate. To further strengthen current laws against wage discrimination and require the federal government to be more proactive in preventing and battling wage discrimination, lead sponsors Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) have introduced the Paycheck Fairness Act.3 Similarly, lead sponsors Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) have introduced the Fair Pay Act to ensure equal pay to those with comparable jobs. Strengthening of equal pay laws is critical to help realize the decades-old promise of equal pay for equal work.
The Gender Wage Gap Persists
The wage disparities are of particular concern in light of the present state of the economy. The majority of Americans say that they are worried about the economy and 85 percent believe the economy is getting worse.4 Women are feeling particularly anxious about the economy (67 percent), and their concern is well-justified.5 Although the general population has suffered because of the economic downturn, women have had a greater loss of jobs and a greater loss in wages than men during this period.6
■ Women working full-time, year-round earn only about 77 cents for every dollar earned by men, virtually the same amount women earned in 2005. In 2006, the median annual earnings of women ages 15 and older working full-time, year-round were $32,515, compared to $42,261 for their male counterparts.7.............................

this is a nice find

a guitarist's notebook

(via bifurcated rivets

(george benson little train, part i)

does anyone know what these are?

a big fat HUH?

Bibi reportedly eyeing Rove's services
Benjamin Netanyahu may hire former White House adviser Karl Rove.
Citing sources close to Netanyahu, Israel's Channel 10 reported Thursday that Rove's name has come up on a roster of strategic consultants that the Israeli opposition leader is thinking of hiring as he prepares for a possible leadership challenge against the embattled Prime Minister Ehud Olmert......

i know about tory bowen

i've even corresponded with tory. i didn't believe what happened to her (being raped IN the COURTROOM that is) and i don't believe what is happening all across the country. yes, one is innocent until proven guilty BUT BOTH sides must be given the SAME rights. if someone is accused of being a thief, judges don't say you can't use the words THIEF or ROBBERY or STEALING in the trial. if someone is accusing someone else of SEXUAL ASSAULT OR RAPE those words MUST BE ALLOWED TO BE USED. i'm fine with using the word 'alleged' before the accusatory word(s). what the hell is wrong with us?

Judge’s ban on the use of the word ‘rape’ at trial reflects trend
By TONY RIZZO
The Kansas City Star
It’s the only way Tory Bowen knows to honestly describe what happened to her.

She was raped.

But a judge prohibited her from uttering the word “rape” in front of a jury. The term “sexual assault” also was taboo, and Bowen could not refer to herself as a victim or use the word “assailant” to describe the man who allegedly raped her.

The defendant’s presumption of innocence and right to a fair trial trumps Bowen’s right of free speech, said the Lincoln, Neb., judge who issued the order.

“It shouldn’t be up to a judge to tell me whether or not I was raped,” Bowen said. “I should be able to tell the jury in my own words what happened to me.”

Bowen’s case is part of what some prosecutors and victim advocates see as a national trend in sexual assault cases.

“It’s a topic that’s coming up more and more,” said Joshua Marquis, an Oregon prosecutor and a vice president of the National District Attorneys Association. “You’re moving away from what a criminal trial is really about.”

In Jackson County, Senior Judge Gene Martin recently issued a similar order for the trial of a Kansas City man charged with raping a teenager in 2000. Despite the semantic restrictions, the Jackson County jury last week found Ray Slaughter guilty of forcible rape and two counts of forcible sodomy.........

yes

cv rick i DID see it

famous photographs

recreated in legos here is the whole flickr set

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the surface of the Moon in 1969 - Photograph by Neil Armstrong
(shout out to make magazine)

A Lego recreation of Malcolm Browne's 1963 photograph of Thich Quang Duc's self-immolation in protest over persecution of Buddhists in South Vietnam.