VICE VOICES

Axl Rose & Kris Kross

2012-01-24T23:51:00.000-08:00

... for a contest here: http://www.regretsy.com/2012/01/24/new-contest/

Adding to the meme.

2011-11-24T22:00:00.001-08:00

Feel free to share.

Sexy Parts

2010-06-10T01:32:00.001-07:00

Infer what you will about the building trades, but they know how to name stuff! Is there another sector with such healthy interests? And, refreshing sense of humor? Nothing stodgy and self-important about hardware store. I love hardware stores, the old ones with deeply worn, squeaky wood floors, narrow aisles with bins, and the smell of galvanized metal parts. It smells like: what I need, to do what I want to do, is in there. The old town hardware store has the part I need, like a needle in a haystack. A gloriously obscure haystack. But, I know the needle is there. I should have went there first.

Available on shirts and the usual swag on vicevoices or kbilltv (links in sidebar).

George Bush said, what?

2010-06-04T01:36:00.000-07:00

George Bush said, what? He said the the thing he regretted most about his presidency was not privatizing Social Security. That was the one thing. Not the trillion-dollar disaster in the middle-east. Not partying it up as New Orleans drowned. Not sitting there like a dummy for 7 minutes in the classroom when informed of 9/11. Not 9/11. What he regretted most was not doing away with SSI. Not nailing that SSI cash cow for the cronies. Because, to The Cronies Everlasting, we are the help; our sole purpose is to provide for them. That the masses pay out and the cronies don't get a cut is abhorrent to them. It's un-American to them.

The state of "the market" when Bush left office was "bearish," to be "correct." It was an unfortunate downturn that nobody could have predicted. Unquote. No malfeasance in the housing bubble, just a bunch of rogue lenders out for their commissions, duping management with their secret, wily shenanigans.

The concept of "shareholders first," with banks, leaves the banks customers as "second," or "last," if you're counting. Weren't banks supposed to be places people let hold their money, for a fee? Yeah, I remember that. That's how it used to be when "We the People" meant us citizens with flesh bodies, as opposed to us citizens with marble bodies. Before the Roberts Court. Scalia's court. Reagan's court. Before Reaganism swept across the land and issued in the End Times.

SSI was created for a reason, because people get old, can't work any more, and run out of money. The anti-SSI never wants old folks to fade away somewhere, that would be rude, they can go to charities. And beg. Forget any dignity from having worked all their lives, they have "no right to my money." Never mind they may have actually fought for the country, "they have no right to what I've earned." (Wave flag here.)

SSI is the most civilized thing about this country. Public school is up there, but it's cut off at college, which is just to price out the riff raff. Universal healthcare would be way civilized, but it would be admitting that Europeans are right, and fuck that shit. Manly man countries don't need nothin' from nobody, and keep your hands off of my stack.

That's why it's so easy to sell "every man for himself," it's way sexier than reality. Reality is that no man ever survived for very long going it absolutely alone. And, America has always been a barn-raising, pull-together, never leave a man down, UNITED states country. Somebody's been watching too many cowboy movies. Hospitals were born in this country in poor houses. This is literal, they were born in poor houses, which were funded by the government.

We have always looked out for one-another, that is our history. The "I don't owe you nothin'" motto is a sad motto for a country. Does it get any less unified than that? Any less civilized? Any more doomed to fail?

Memorial Day

2010-06-01T01:45:00.000-07:00

Memorial day is to honor men who fell in battle. One word you hear everywhere on Memorial Day is, "freedom." Most often in the context of "for our freedom." As in, "fighting for our freedom." Ironically, "freedom," on Memorial Day, is most loudly bantered by Americans who are the first to side with the move to take away another freedom because "something has to be done..." The first to get all riled up over the ____ menace. The first to equate civil liberties with Willy Horton. The first to mock and deride the ACLU. The first to speak out against gay marriage and enjoy a good lesbian love show. The first to opine against the legalization of marijuana. The first to want to put an end to this "women's right to choose." The first to vote for the rights of the corporate person. The first to support the war, a war, any war against the Faraway people, who must be evil, and never mind that they have marketable timber, it's that they're evil. They have rape rooms! The first to agree that government is too big in the boardroom, but not big enough in the bedroom. The frightened. The scared. Ironically, the loudest voices against big government are from those who most need to feel it's warm, protective embrace in their immediate life. To protect them from the neighbor's car stereo. To protect them from the weather. To do something about what we have to do something about.

Your freedom comes at the cost of the other guy's. The cost of yours is his. Taking his takes a piece of yours. That's the price every rock singer wonders aloud about. You can't take your neighbors freedom away without taking a little of yours with it. But, I digress...

I choose to honor the fallen, as having fallen in the defense of freedom, by enjoying as much freedom as I can. By making noise whenever I feel any freedom is being taken away. To me, so many have died for me to be free, to accept anything less than freedom is to dishonor them. To stand quiet when I watch another little chunk of freedom chipped away would be to dishonor them. To listen to another sheep accede to another freedom chipped away and not remind them of Jefferson's, "I'd rather suffer the inconveniences of too much liberty than those accompanying too little of it," would be to dishonor them. To see another wreath avatar with the obligatory, "support our troops" caption and not put something down about what the fallen fell for would be to dishonor them.

They fell for us, you and I to be free. To live as free people. Together. For us to enjoy the American way; which in their minds was for us to enjoy prosperity and pursue happiness in our own way. If I'm wrong in that assumption, lemme know. They fell fighting for freedom. That's what they were told, that's what they believed. To accept anybody else's definition of freedom that differs from your own would be to dishonor them. Freedom, was described as "God-given" in our founders' writings. I take that to mean that we know what it means, inherently. It can't be quantified. We can agree that it "ends at the other guy's nose," and that's where it should end.

And, they fought for our prosperity. For the "American way of life." Which again, unless I'm mistaken, was in the soldier's mind as a home, car, job... a secure path to the end.

Our fallen soldiers died for us have the life that TV showed us we had. Or, at least, a little better than the life our family had, that we grew up in. For us who live on to sleep with any credibility, it's on us to hold onto what they died for us to have. It's the least we can do.

The Christian Ownership Society, v1.0

2010-04-21T01:46:00.000-07:00

The Crusades. The Inquisition. The Salem Witch Trials. Jesus, dude, you let your message get out of hand.

The enlightened vision you laid out for us has been perverted. Your ambassadors have taken the hammer over the wine.

Give me super-powers and I'll fix this shit.

Amen.

Love Is a Piano

2010-04-21T01:41:00.000-07:00

Love hits you like a ton of bricks that fell from the sky while you were just passing by.

Bead Catcher

2010-01-22T23:12:00.000-08:00

She's super, she's the Bead Catcher of Bourbon Street. The arrives every Mardi Gras. Fat Tuesday. The Quarter. Her rack is unmatched in it's glory. Her rack is Gorgon; like Medusa, her rack has the power to turn men to stone, without the snake hair. Without being heinously hideous. The opposite. Okay, it doesn't literally turn men to stone, but rivets them. And, compelled beyond their control to bestow the best and biggest beads upon her. The BCofBS always wins. She is the Queen of Mardi Gras.

Leaping Skeleton Warrior

2010-01-02T10:34:00.000-08:00

Happy with how this came out.

Mortality

2009-12-28T02:02:00.000-08:00

About 5 years or so ago it hit me that I was going to die. Yes, we all know we're going to die. But, for most of our lives it's an abstract concept. Unreal. For most of our lives we think death is way off in the unforeseeable future. But, that day, 5 years ago, it hit me that I was going to die, and it was real, and it would come at a time of it's reckoning, not mine.

At the time, I was at the cusp of young and old. Perhaps it's the milestone of young and old; the acknowledgment of the inevitable. The inevitable is always there, but our acknowledgment of it is incremental. As the clock ticks, the weight of it descends. We dance beneath it; at first oblivious, then defiant, then negotiating. First, we offer up our vices, as sacrifice, for time. Then our diet.

A rambling

2009-11-28T01:51:00.000-08:00

My Thanksgiving day was a usual day, as usual happens to be lately. Cassie wakes me up to let her out, I change the channel to something even more boring, so I can go back to sleep. I can't go back to sleep, get up, get on the computer, check email, facebook, sales, in that order. Then go poo. Then check email, facebook and sales again, again, in that order. Then, I try in vain to remember the brilliant t-shirt idea I was certain was so brilliant I could never forget it so put off writing down when Cassie woke me up to let her out. It's right there, but I cannot grasp it. I go back to the last thing I was working on, finish it and put it up on some shirts. Coffee should be ready. I think I should have a cigarette, but am now a non-smoker, I remind myself. I entertain the notion that non-smokers suck. Drink my coffee, with purpose. The purpose of coffee being a substitute for the vaporous comfort I have lived my life in absolute comfort with up until this ridiculous notion of it being necessary to quit smoking slipped in. Seriously, I like the being able to move around without becoming out of breath and on the brink of a heart attack, but seriously, I'm happiest and living life to the fullest when I'm intellectully stimulated and engaged, so who needs to be able to move around physically? Yes, this is a reaction to being home alone, with my Hugstable afar. The lonliness a tangible weight that lives in the shadows beyond the glow of my lamp. Sneaking in as I focus this way and that. Always attached to me at some point beyond my peripheral vision. But, I digress.

Rugged Outdoorsmen

2009-07-31T09:37:00.001-07:00

"It's not a gang, it's a loose association of rugged outdoorsmen." Grungy lettering with motorcycle graphic, b/w. Available on t-shirts & gifts, here and here.

Skullusion

2009-07-31T07:36:00.001-07:00

Optical illusion with two girls holding pieces of cloth and two sidewalks with seated babies, forming a pirate skull and crossbones. Available on t-shirts and gift items here and here.

Max Fuckus

2009-07-28T13:25:00.001-07:00

In The Beginning

2009-07-23T21:39:00.000-07:00

Genesis 1

The Beginning

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.

God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness.

So, that the Heavens and the Earth were created before there was light raises questions. Why did He wait, and create the Heavens and Earth in the darkness? To lend a more challenging degree-of-difficulty? So it would be more impressive? Have more "bang" when considered? I've heard of that theory. Was one hand tied behind His back, as well? Or, is that still available for the next God to use to one-up Him, and be that much more awesome? Perhaps, in some other plane it is already so! Did He work in the darkness to not be hindered by aesthetics; to not get hung up on, and slowed down by appearances? Or, because it was more fun to be surprised when the light came on? Or, He just hadn't thought of it yet? It was all a spur-of-the-moment thing? No planning? Just had the idea and ran with it? Got 'er done in a week? When you're inspired it goes like that. I know, I'm an artist.

And, when He let there be light and saw what He'd wrought, He saw that it was good. It was the same throughout creation; each thing He made came out good enough on the first try. When you're hot on a home project it goes like that. I know, I'm a man.

And, you know He's a man, because when the Heavens and Earth were created and the light came on, a woman would've rearranged everything, not just said, "It is good," and moved on to the next phase. She'd've tried moving the land and water around to a more pleasing arrangement. The colors would've been all wrong, too. Instead of seeing that "it was good," it would've been, "okay for now." And then she'd've made the fruit on the trees hang lower; everything would be reachable, without a ladder, or a tall man. Earth would be cleaner too, with a lot less dirt to track in across the nice clean floor. Or, non-stick dirt. And more kid-safe! Softer rocks. Flame-retardant leaves. No pointy sticks! No tar-pits! No quicksand. Mice and rats? No. Effing. Way.

But, seriously, WTF? Why work in the dark when you could've let there be light first? Seems like a pretty fundamental flaw in planning. And, if light was an idea that came 3rd, what was the plan to know it all without light? To touch and feel the universe? I'm not sure when sound was installed, or especially taste, but I'm glad light was thought up before my lifetime! Great big fingers groping around my pitch-black 1/4 acre of Paradise, and the occasional, colossal tongue getting a taste of what it is to be human? Not cool, G! It sounds haphazard, more "stumbling forth" than "intelligent design."

Busker Bones

2009-07-07T01:53:00.001-07:00

Today we did this nice seated skeleton busker. It's original size is appx 14" high, but various shirt printers machinery limits the size they can print. Skreened prints the largest I've found in POD's yet, with the drawing filling up the front of a shirt. If only they printed on dark shirts... But, you can choose from all of their products, and all colors, without the artist having to set a design on each of them manually. Zazzle looks like it prints larger than cafepress, but I haven't figured out how to determine the size, in inches, a design is set to. It's probably affected by the size of the shirt. I dunno. Cafepress shows the print size in inches; it will print to 10" high on most shirts, 12" on women's plus-size tees.

See it on stuff: Skreened, Zazzle, Cafepress

Cut Healthcare Costs

2009-07-05T21:03:00.001-07:00

One bold move could reduce health-care costs drastically. Eliminate the the lobbying costs , ("upward of $1.4 million dollars per day"), and the 7-figure + bonus + options/perks revolving board. Eliminating the $1.4 mil/day & CEOs & board cut, would cut a round $2mil/day ($700mil/yr) of waste out of the system. "But, we don't want gov't bureaucracy between us n' our doctors!" What? The health insurance industry isn't a bureaucracy?The health insurance industry has become all the bureaucracy + the "auto-refusal" worst of both worlds, mix of big biz and big gov. I, for one, would take the big gov version. Throw it in there with the rest of my taxes, at a rate proportional to my earnings. Cut the military budget until health-care comes in at a break-even-to-the-taxpayer, and everybody's happy.

Git yer Joe poster or shirt here or here.

H.R. 397

2009-07-05T20:16:00.001-07:00

Self-righteous politicians, led by R. Forbes, R, Va, 'R' at it again with H.Res. 397, which purports to honor our christian heritage, and tip-toe another step toward demolishing the wall of separation between church and state. To respond to the "America is founded on christianity" declaration that keeps coming back and coming back, The Founding Fathers spelled it out, flatly and clearly, in the Treaty of Tripoli, 1797, signed by President John Adams, unanimously ratified by congress, with no record of dissent from the American public. Article 11 starts thusly: "As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion..."

Wiki it.

The poster above, and a modified-for-t-shirts version, is available for you here and here.

Creationists Still At It

2009-07-05T19:43:00.001-07:00

It seems the Creationists will not go away, and will continue to foist the absurd theory of man and dinosaur living together in perfect harmony, until the second coming. So, I will continue to help illustrate it for them, and the world, to wear, with a straight face.

Get yers, here, here, or here.

Wall St. D.C.

2009-07-05T18:54:00.001-07:00

Since everybody knows Wall St. is the real government, why not make it official with an official seal that looks as old as it's been so? Think Washington might get jealous and grow a pair?

Available on t-shirts and gifts items here, here, and here.

Universal US Flag Peace Hand Sign Emblem Symbol

2009-07-05T18:27:00.001-07:00

An updated version of the 60's-70's flag-peace-hand-sign patch, that I too had sewn onto a pair of bell-bottom blue jeans. Too cool to let slip away. Available at any of the fine ViceVoices & kBilltv online t-shirt jubilees.

I Descended Upon Fremont

2009-07-04T12:33:00.001-07:00

Thousands of zombies descend on Fremont

Posted by Geeky Swedes on July 3rd, 2009

As many as 5,000 zombies are expected to descend upon Fremont tonight in an attempt to break a world record. And when they’re done walking, they’ll dance to Michael Jackson’s Thriller and watch the flick, “Shaun of the Dead.” Fremont Universe has the schedule, and later tonight, the gruesome photos.

10:45 p.m. They set a new world record with 3,848 zombies and counting.

(Above from www.myballard.com)

Pics

Commemorative souvenir t-shirts & gift items (sample tee shown above) available here and here.

Bongzac™

2009-05-24T00:53:00.001-07:00

Wondering what it would be like if pot were legal. There would be branding. Point-of-purchase ads. Promises. Hype. Written by stoners. The new Bongzac™, relieves symptoms, n' shit!

Spread the word and relieve some symptoms n' shit by wearing the t-shirt, here! Or here! Or here! n' shit!

Baroque Obama

2009-05-23T20:55:00.001-07:00

Today we did our official Presidential portrait, v1.2. We feel it is by far the most baroque portrait of President Baroque Obama ever, and therefor should win. Here, President Baroque Obama is enjoying a humorous missive, doubtlessly from Good King Wenceslus, of Xanastan, (which neighbors Xanadu, on the funny side).

Of course, you needn't wait for the official sanction of the U.S. Gov't to be enjoying this most baroque of Baroque Obama portraits in your own home! Simply click here, and in no time at all you'll be baroquifying your home, or self, basking in a bounty of baroque style!

Happyzac™

2009-05-23T20:51:00.001-07:00

Hey! That's what I call it, too!

That's what I did today. And, you could be wearing it in no time, by scoring your own here! Or here! Or, perhaps, here!

Epic Fail

2009-04-20T22:49:00.000-07:00

Thomas Jefferson wrote: "I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our monied corporations which dare already to challenge our government to a trial by strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country."

If he were to revisit today, no doubt he would say to us, "Epic fail." If he were in the south, he would say, "Epic fail, y'all." In California he'd say, "Epic fail, dudes." North Dakota, "Epic fail, eh?" Wherever, we have failed epically in crushing the aristocracy of the monied corporations.

Money talks, microphones are there to pick it up and amplify it into a million voices. No-money talks, but it makes no sound. Money talks 24 hours a day on cable, it's a cable cabal.

The artwork: Jefferson was drawn on a pen tablet with photoshop and cleaned up in illustrator. The coloring was done with the airbrush in photoshop and "cracking" done by a previously drawn line-pattern as a mask.

This is the poster version, the t-shirt version is without the coloring, cracks and rectangular border. All versions are at our new political tee shop, Op-Ed.

Seed Owning

2009-04-11T00:19:00.000-07:00

My O'Lady's way into gardening. I'm drawn into gardening by need for a hole-digger, rock mover and raised-bed-planter builder, among other miscellaneous assistances. We're building raised-bed boxes now, in between rains. They're 2 x 10 fir, about 8' x 4' x 30" high, with a 2 x 6 rim for sitting and putting stuff on. 2 x 4 vertical bracing. Copper tape under the rim to combat snails and slugs. She found an obscure article on wood-preservation for planter boxes which recommended mixing charcoal with linseed oil as the folk-lore ultra-secret magic eternal preservative for wood used in dirt. We'll see about that.

FYI: home planter box planners: cedar does not last signifigantly longer than fir for planters. It needs air to circulate around it for its durability components to function. Don't waste your money.

Being into gardening as she is, I hear a lot about MonSatan, the agri-giant bent on owning the commercial rights to all life on Earth. You've heard of them. Or, maybe some of a neighbor who's a client of theirs pollen has blown on the wind into your fields and you've been sued by them. Or, perhaps you read of them in "Dune," they're refered to as the "Harkonans." Their mantra is, "Who controls the spice controls the universe!"

Apparently, they're knee-deep in operation, "Own All Seed ASAP" Google a bit and be riled.

The good anti-authoritarian has no choice but to save every seed that comes their way. The casual gardner has no choice but to save every seed that comes their way. The educated farmer has no choice but to save every seed that comes their way. Homeys up in the hood be savin' every seed that comes their way. Parents out in the burbs pass their bank to their children. Life will not be owned by men playing monopoly with all reality. We the people will not be dismissed. This is not an arena for gaming.

Shirt available in many colors and styles here.

Total Hydra Championates

2009-04-01T13:48:00.001-07:00

Go Olympians!

Get the t-shirt.

Obama Disappointment #1

2009-04-01T00:08:00.000-07:00

During his campaign, President Obama stated: "I would not have the Justice Department prosecuting and raiding medical marijuana users. It's not a good use of our resources." His response to the #1 topic on his recent web-conference, the legalization of marijuana, "I don't know what this says about the online audience" has me thinking about what this says about Obama.

I heard that the President said something to effect of: legalizing marijuana won't solve our fiscal problems. Of course there's not one solution, but legalization would be net gain by any honest accounting. The internet is full of facts about all the uses of the plant, from medical to plastics, to paper to food, building materials to a good laugh and buzz. All as good as or better than our current raw material for the same-function product. For example, paper: an acre of hemp produces the pulp that 4 acres of trees produce. And, hemp pulp paper can be recycled 8 times before being pounded into uselessness, compared with 3 times for wood pulp. For a buzz, cheap booze will incapacitate a man for the following day, compared to no hangover at all from a previous evening of bonging. And, on cheap booze, a man may conclude that what you need is a good ass-whipping, and decide to drive right on over to give it to you. On weed, nah. You're cool. Google "hemp" for many more fun facts.

The continued dismissal of legalization is ridiculous stubbornness. The rulers are like bad parents in their "because I said so," arms-folded, lower jaw thrust, not budging stance. That's the underlying reason marijuana isn't legal. Power said no and that's final. And, the disobedient children have been spanked but haven't learned their lesson: that nobody is allowed to actually grow up and live as grown-ups, and make their own decisions. We are the children of G.O.D. -Government Obsessive Dominance.

But, Obama? I thought he got it. His admissions of having inhaled, "that was the point." His statement of position on medical marijuana quoted above. I thought a threshold had been crossed. I'm not denying that one has, many have with his ethnicity alone, never mind his bringing a 3-digit IQ back to the Whitehouse, but I had expections one notch higher. I hoped we'd achieved enlightenment. We'd achieved drug policy sanity. It's disappointing, more and more, because drug policy sanity is getting less and less likely in my lifetime with every election.

The legalization of marijuana is long overdue. It won't solve all of society's problems, but it'll generate tax money, stop the outflow of billions of $USD, and relieve our prison system of hundreds of thousands of political prisoners. De-fund gangs. De-fund law enforcement agencies, and the politicians and cronies who run them, and that's who's fighting tooth and nail, the prohibition profiteers. But, then law enforcement could focus that 75% of their attention on real crime; stuff that harms others. Wall Street Bankers, for example. Sense-of-entitlement businessmen who pay themselves from what's left of their clients deposits from what they redistributed to their cronies. But, I digress.

Legalize marijuana.

Get the t-shirt.

The Cost of Freedom

2009-03-05T10:34:00.001-08:00

"The cost of your freedom is mine, and vice-versa" refers to the idea that when one of us isn't free, neither are the rest of us.

What is the cost of freedom? Freedom has many costs, not the least of which is other people's freedom. What that means is that while you may not approve of others' pursuits of happiness, if their pursuits don't harm you in a real way, (as opposed to it bothering you) then they should be free to go about their business. If your life affords you the freedom to concern yourself with the comings and goings of others, you should be grateful for your good fortune, and look to giving some of that free time to charity, not meddling in the private affairs of your neighbors.

When we begin to curtail the freedoms of others, we start down the slipperiest of slopes, in which one-by-one we start chipping away at the foundation of freedom until we have a law governing everything we can possibly do, say, and think. It's like the proverbial snowball, a chip here, a chip there, the ball gets rolling and everything in its way is gathered into it and nothing is left behind.

Of course, the adage that one's freedom ends at the other's nose, refers to a punch in the nose, not an unpleasant, but harmless aroma. And, it's a legitimate concept. There are limits on freedom; for example, I'm not free to punch you in the nose. Neither am I free to con you out of your life savings in a Wall Street Ponzi scheme. Nor should I be free to take your money in absurdly inappropriate salaries and bonuses while the service I provide fails to deliver. That is a punch in the nose. Our government exists to provide for the common welfare, to keep us from harm, from without and within. Not to protect the interests of one group at the expense of another. It is to guard our right to the pursuit of happiness, not to impose the morality of one group upon an other. Government does belong in the boardroom, not peeking in the bedroom window. Nor the livingroom or den.

See the above design on that shirt, and other t-shirts, sweats, buttons, mugs, etc. here.

Nietzche

2009-03-01T10:27:00.001-08:00

"For art to exist, for any sort of aesthetic activity to exist, a certain precondition is indispensible: intoxication." -Friedrich Nietzche

Intoxication is what ViceVoices is founded on. What, you thought "Vice" was referring to something like "Vice President?" You thought "Voices" didn't refer to the ones in our heads, which sing while we're intoxicated?

The name "ViceVoices" came from our one-time band. Well, more of a regular drunken midnight choir jam session than a real band. The gigs we played were at whoever was hosting the night's session's house. The band moved apart back in the 90's, as we moved on with our separate lives. (ie; some of us got new girlfriends who disapproved of loud, all-night get-togethers, others went on to new levels of intoxication that the rest of us could not keep up with.)

Though I could not keep up with the escalating tastes of others, I haven't gone all righteous person of temperance and virtue. And smug. I enjoy wine and when its there, weed. At the end of the day, when the work is done. Some days I look forward to the day being done more than others. And it takes me to a place that is a haven. A happy place, where the unhappy shit on the horizon sets with the sun. A new horizon appears, where all things are possible again.

But, for others, the days never change. The horizon remains the same, and the shit sails forward, docks and boards. Suicidal tendencies crop up, violent streaks emerge, the need for higher and higher levels of intoxication takes hold, and intoxication becomes for intoxication's sake. Not for creativity, not for keeping on in this river of many currents, but like a demon inhabiting the person, feeding itself, with the person fully signed on as driver. Fully resigned as driver.

But, for many of us, intoxication remains a portal to the great stream of ideas, when it's gotten lost in the days, faded day by day, lost in the cacophony of white noise spewing from mundanity. Not that we always choose the best ideas that stream into our intoxicated receptors, but being in the stream again is well worth the following day's pain and lethargy. And, still in the stream we stay for another few days, beyond the pain, in the gain. No pain, no gain.

Posters, t-shirts and gift items of the above ViceVoices original artwork are, as always, available at the ViceVoices online jubilee of wonderment.

Social Security

2009-02-28T20:15:00.001-08:00

I originally had "Do Not Mess With It" below "It's like this," but my o'lady advised me to remove it. I may put it back. It's the sentiment behind designing an appropriate logo for the appropriate logo-less, yet oh so beloved Social Security Agency, this evening. It'll be available on a t-shirt. Click here.

We can't forget the republic party's attempted use of George Bush to try and hand the Wall Street Cronies the cash cow of SSI. If they'd had their way, SSI would be broke today. Bonuses would have been paid, retreats to the Caribbean would have been jaunted, secret offshore accounts would have been stuffed. SSI would be bankrupt. Grover Norquist would be ecstatic, but the other 90% of the generation would not. I would not.

Social Security is a safety net. It's not a personal savings account. It's a social contract in which we agree to band together for the common purpose during our primes, and will then make sure we all have a minimum of existence beyond the prime. Semper fi. That's patriotism. Semper fi.

Social Security is a safety net. It's not a personal savings account. If you don't need it you shouldn't qualify for it. Yes you paid in, but it's an insurance policy, not a savings account. You pay fire insurance, no fire, no collect. SSI is poor insurance; not poor, no collect. John McCain collects SSI, despite being worth $100 mil. That's wrong. John McCain should not qualify for SSI, and is a huge asshole for having filed for it. Yeah, he was a POW, that's not a lifetime pass to be an ass. He ditched is first wife for the beer heiress, has been a career politician (public service is very lucrative at his level), and is just plain loaded. He dosn't need SSI, he's just on the dole because he can. As are every senior, need it or not. This is wrong. It should be something you qualify for, and the qualification should be liberal. Middle class would qualify, upper class, not. Under the ViceVoices plan John McCain would definitely not qualify.

SSI is a generational bond; we bring up the young, we were brought up by the old. We were always there for each other. SSI is that inherent pact, that human agreement, acknowledged and shared among us as a whole.

SSI is civilization epitomized. It is not a commodity to be gamed by wall street. It is not a bunch of lazy, old bums. it is the continuum of fathers and sons, mother and daughters, fathers and daughters... mothers and sons... aunts and uncles... It's society, it's civilized. It's human.

SSI is a pay as you go agreement between generations. As that, it is and will remain secure. As it should be.

Doggy Style, "The Coed Look"

2009-01-26T16:41:00.001-08:00

We got the girl at about 6 mos, from a rescue about 200 miles away, and 200 miles back, for $200. She's a great dog; non-destructive, no puddles or piles in the house, growls more than barks, can "go lay down" quietly for an hour in between romps in the yard.

Dobermans aren't easy to find in this corner of the world. We keep a constant eye out for a companion for her, and as it's been, we'd have to go farther than the 200 miles we went to get her. Which we will, when we're absolutely ready, which we aren't now, but we keep a finger on the pulse anyway. I more than my o'lady. My o'lady's fully in the maternal mode of providing nourishment and comfort and that sort of thing. I'm more in touch with the girl's spiritual needs. I take her on walks. I slap-box with her. She needs a playmate. But, she needs more of a playmate than my old bones can be. The neighbors have a couple of dogs, we stop by on our round-the-block walks, and she lights up. "At last! Friends who can run as fast me!" Their house is her favorite place to go.

We still wonder why she was dropped off in the night at the rescue people's home, at 6 mos. She's such a great dog. One reason may be that she is on the small size for a Doberman, at about 55 lbs, at 1.5 yrs old. -Both the weight and age are guesses, as the rescue people couldn't pinpoint exactly how old she was when she was dropped off, and my o'lady isn't a fan of bathroom scales... lately...

Another reason might be that her tail was cropped a knuckle or two too short. See exhibit "B" below.
But, that's just fine with me. She looks great in a tight sweater. Great ass. Check it out. Perfectly symmetrical spiral tan-on-black booty-spot. -Sorry fellas, she's been "fixed!" ;) And, I don't like the kennel-club-accepted tail-crop-length anyway, it looks like a penis. A penis that makes me insanely jealous. Imagine if you had a wag-able penis. King of the world. I hate those Doberman tails. Hers is perfect. Not a super-boner running around wagging. In your face. A "Hedwig." An angry inch. Nothing to be envious of. Perfect. We don't have that as an issue. No walls. Our relationship is pure. Man and dog. That's all there is to it, nothing here to see, keep it moving, folks.

Insert irrelevant sentence here, to insulate the following. Didn't keep it moving, eh? Okay, seriously, I don't now where else to take this. We went through innocent, red-blooded dog bonding to beastial feelings to penises to low-brow sub-pop-culture references in a relatively short time. All to try and raise a smirk. I see no other ending, than a train wreck, from here. The End.

-Pedro del Amor de las Perras

Class Warfare

2008-10-17T21:02:00.000-07:00

It's awesome that the notion of the American Middle Class getting the breaks for a change is deemed "Class Warfare" by the republic party. That Obama's tax-breaks all skew to the hourly wage earners, (as opposed to the annual salaried + bonus), can be construed as "redistribution of the wealth" and "Class Warfare" is, actually, true. As true as it's been with the skewing to the wealthy class of the last 30 years. But, the "Class War" is eternal. It was never conceded by either side, and it never will be.

In my life I have seen a continual downward slide in quality of life for the 95%ers. My stepfather bought a 3br house on 3/4 acres, for... it doesn't matter what he paid, but you couldn't buy a new car today for what he paid. What matters is that he was the manager of the sporting-goods department of a local department store, and he could buy a house.

In those days CEOs made 100 times what a vagabond dishwasher in the Chelsea Hotel made. That's what it's about, the disparity. Nowadays, the disparity has grown to absurd proportions. Jabba the Lee raymond of Exxon, getting a half-billion dollar severance parachute is absurd. It's Class Warfare.

Class Warfare has been ongoing and stealthily perpetrated against the Working Class for as long as I can bear witness. And the Working Class has been deceived into believing there was no war, as it is that there is no war, until the breaks are now coming their way. Our way.

This is not to condemn all people who are among the wealthy. There are a great many of those born to privilege with humility and decency. This is to condemn those who proclaim themselves "the most productive in society," when in fact the basis of this claim is their letting their money work for them, "investing." Investing is good, but get over yourselves, you, yourselves, aren't producing a god-damned thing. You're enabling Joe Creative to bring his idea into reality, through blood, sweat and tears. You're, -maybe-, going to meetings, and dealing with market trends, margin calls, traffic and annoying people. You're not anywhere near the most productive. And, you've had your run at raking it in while Joe the Plumber thinks he's got it great at $65k/yr average. And Joe Sportinggoodsmanager struggles to pay the rent on his 1br apartment. -If there's any justice in this world.

Yeah, the Class War is eternal. The fundamentalist, as always is the enemy. In America, the fundamentalist capitalist is the enemy. America is a meritocracy, and that's good. I've read the Constitution a few times, and I can't recall coming upon "capitalist" or "capitalism" anywhere in it. I do recall the phrase, "promote the general welfare," however. And, who can forget the opening, "We, THE PEOPLE?" And, as I understand, we're a "republic," as in "we, the... PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC..." of America.

It's always awesome when a hard-working man condemns socialism. Like socialism is a bad thing. We're plenty socialist when it comes to war; "calling all young and able." But, when the young and able come home, older and hurtin for certain, it's back to every man for himself fundamentalist capitalism. And, awesomely, Joe Vet, takes up as best he can, and toes the fundamentalist line. He fought for freedom, after all. And freedom = fundamentalist capitalism, as Jabba the Lee Raymond hath spaketh.

"One day, I could be rich!"

And then what, you can be rid of everyone you've known and drank to? Is that the American dream? Is that the freedom you/we fought for? No.

You/we fought for U.S. Interests. The "freedom" we're told we're fighting for is the freedom of what were U.S. corporations to do business in the disputed territory. I say "what were U.S. Corporations" because with globalization, tax-relief for business, and the mass exodus of jobs, "us" aren't fighting and dying for anything much we benefit from anymore. We fight them there, but we come home to be fought by the ones who sent us there, in expecting any kind of life this country once held as a promise. The life that once was being able to own a home on an hourly salary. From a job that had medical insurance that covered anything and everything with no deductible. That allowed monthly saving, after car insurance, and the bills. And a night out.

The wife not -having to- work.

I hate to put my hopes into a politician, but I have hopes for Barack Obama. He's historical. History will scrutinize him with the glass of the "first." I hope he'll operate from that knowledge, that awareness. His speeches are all about fighting for the working class. I want to believe he'll live up to it. My dream is that he'll shine at it. America will work back to where a Sporting goods manager will be able to buy a house, drive a new car, and his kids will have college as a legitimate option.

The class war, one side isn't fighting for much, it's awesome, the condemnation of those goals.

Of course, this doesn't begin to cover it.

It's just a couple of glasses of vice's thoughts.

Tom Robbins

2008-10-17T20:33:00.000-07:00

ViceVoices recommends reading books. ViceVoices prefers fiction over non-fiction. Non-fiction provides facts. Fiction provides insights. Fiction demands an imagination. It will grow one in the one without one, if one is persistent in one's reading.

Tonight, ViceVoices had a re-acquaintance with an old favorite author: Tom Robbins. We first read "Still Life With Woodpecker." It hooked us. Enjoy, and be enticed into allowing life to provide some delight in this plane of existence, by reading a full tale, with these few passages from Tom Robbins:

“When we're incomplete, we're always searching for somebody to complete us. When, after a few years or a few months of a relationship, we find that we're still unfulfilled, we blame our
partners and take up with somebody more promising. This can go on and on--series polygamy--until we admit that while a partner can add sweet dimensions to our lives, we, each of us, are responsible for our own fulfillment. Nobody else can provide it for us, and to believe
otherwise is to delude ourselves dangerously and to program for eventual failure every relationship we enter.”

“Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just won't adhere to any rules. The most any of us can do is to sign on as its accomplice. Instead of vowing to honor and obey, maybe we should swear to aid and abet. That would mean that security is out of the question. The words "make" and "stay" become inappropriate. My love for you has no strings attached. I love you for free.”

“Our Similarities bring us to a common ground; Our Differences allow us to be fascinated by each other”

“There is no such thing as a weird human being, It's just that some people require more understanding than others”

“Religion is not merely the opium of the masses, it's the cyanide.”

There are many things worth living for, a few things worth dying for, and nothing worth killing for.”

“Disbelief in magic can force a poor soul into believing in government and business.”

“Humanity has advanced, when it has advanced, not because it has been sober, responsible, and cautious, but because it has been playful, rebellious, and immature.”

“The highest function of love is that it makes the loved one a unique and irreplaceable being.”

“Politics is for people who have a passion for changing life but lack a passion for living it”

“When life demands more of people than they demand of life - as is ordinarily the case - what results is a resentment of life almost as deep-seated as the fear of death”

“Who knows how to make love stay?
Tell love you want a memento of it and obtain a lock of its hair. Burn the hair in a dime-store incense burner with yin/yang symbols on three sides. Face southwest. Talk fast over the burning hair in a convincingly exotic language. Remove the ashes of the burnt hair
and use them to paint a mustache on your face. Find love. Tell it you are someone new. It will stay.

“There are two kinds of people in this world: those who believe there are two kinds of people in this world and those who are smart enough to know better.”

I can't find an other favorite passage, but it went something like this:
"Hawaii had a rat problem; they brought in snakes to rid them of the rats. The snakes ate the rats, but then Hawaii had a snake problem. They brought in mongooses to rid them of the snakes. Then they had a mongoose problem. LA had a crime problem, they brought in cops."

-We'll be doing some art for some of these, which you will find available for t-shirt strutting at our online jubilee of wonderment.

I Go Obama

2008-10-09T20:49:00.000-07:00

Ingrid, apparently you weren’t a smoker, or at least not for long. But, don’t worry, tobacco doesn’t cloud the judgment, and I’m sure Mr. Obama hasn’t hit the bong in many years. Nor, indulged any other recreational drug, as you implied. If he has, and got where he is, he’d be super-awesome sober! McCain, however, looks to have a hangover, usually. I could be wrong.

This country IS too good, freedom is a wonderful thing. And, too many have died for the personal freedom we enjoy. To give up any of that freedom is a slap in the face those dead. They died for us to have it, it’s on us to enjoy it and recycle the effort to be sure our children have it, too.

The last eight years, that freedom has been chipped away. The Republican paradigm has been proven to be an authoritarian, imperialist, fascist entity. McCain-Palin looks like Caesar/Grand Inquisitor for president. Or, little old aneurism - crazy church lady for president.

Though we have a democrat congress now, it’s not by enough to get anything done. The president can veto anything and everything they put forth, and they don’t have the plurality to override the veto. So, to put any failure of action on the democrats is to misplace it. For 6 years we had a republican president AND a republican congress. A -deregulation- congress. Everything they wanted done got done. That’s where the failure lies.

I don’t support Obama because I’m a sheep. I support Obama because I believe he has my interests at heart. The guilt-by-associations that are thrown around are lame and already disproved. The emphasis on his middle name is as appropriate as nailing JOHN McCain with the JOHN Wayne Gacy coincidence.

I think that the one-time-only position Obama may hold, of being the first president with African lineage, puts the weight of microscopic history on his shoulder. I believe he will rise to the unique situation and do his utmost to make a mark that history will treat kindly.

McCain, on the other hand, I don’t believe has anyone’s interests other than those in his country club and who can help him achieve what he feels entitled to, at heart. His history is corruption, mediocrity and infidelity. His life is privileged and gated. His proposals are what Bush would approve, they “give to the (working class) with one hand and take away with the other,” Social Security is an “entitlement” he still wants to give to Wall Street, and his team is K-Street.

I work for a living. Unions, pretty much across the board, stay with Democrats. Being without trust-fund, the only hope of representation I have is with the Democrats, at this time.

Peace allows freedom. Peace out.

Prez Palin

2008-09-16T02:02:00.000-07:00

Preparing for informal discussions with Soviet Prez Medvedev on Russia's Venezuelan fighter training exercises, President Palin unveils brilliant new strategy. Accompanying the official photo was this statement from the Oval Office: "It's not my choice for negotiation options, don'tcha know, but you betcha, I'm willing to go the extra mile for National Security!"

The Trojan Moose

2008-09-12T18:25:00.001-07:00

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/8/29/163234/559/495/579213
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chip-berlet/what-is-dominionism-palin_b_124037.html
http://wordpress.com/tag/sarah-palin-dominionist/
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3883263

http://www.conceptualguerilla.com/

2008-05-19T00:13:00.000-07:00

This just bears repeating/spreading:

Have you got three minutes? Because that’s all you need to learn how to defeat the Republican Right. Just read through this handy guide and you’ll have everything you need to successfully debunk right-wing propaganda.

It’s really that simple. First, you have to beat their ideology, which really isn’t that difficult. At bottom, conservatives believe in a social hierarchy of “haves” and “have nots” that I call “corporate feudalism” They have taken this corrosive social vision and dressed it up with a “respectable” sounding ideology. That ideology is pure hogwash, and you can prove it.

But you have to do more than defeat the ideology. You have to defeat the “drum beat.” You have to defeat the “propaganda machine,” that brainwashes people with their slogans and catch-phrases. You’ve heard those slogans. ““Less government,” “personal responsibility” and lots of flag waving. They are “shorthand” for an entire worldview, and the right has been pounding their slogans out into the public domain for getting on forty years.

So you need a really good slogan – a “counter-slogan” really, to “deprogram” the brainwashed. You need a “magic bullet” that quickly and efficiently destroys the effectiveness of their “drum beat.” You need your own “drum beat” that sums up the right’s position. Only your “drum beat” exposes the ugly reality of right-wing philosophy – the reality their slogans are meant to hide. Our slogan contains the governing concept that explains the entire right-wing agenda. That’s why it works. You can see it in every policy, and virtually all of Republican rhetoric. And it’s so easy to remember, and captures the essence of the Republican Right so well, we can pin it on them like a “scarlet letter.”

Is there really a catch phrase – a “magic bullet” – that sums up the Republican Right in such a nice easy-to-grasp package. You better believe it, and it’s downright elegant in its simplicity.

You want to know what that “magic bullet” is, don’t you. Read on. You’ve still got two minutes.

Right-Wing Ideology in a Nutshell

When you cut right through it, right-wing ideology is just ““dime-store economics” – intended to dress their ideology up and make it look respectable. You don’t really need to know much about economics to understand it. They certainly don’t. It all gets down to two simple words.

“Cheap labor.” That’s their whole philosophy in a nutshell – which gives you a short and pithy “catch phrase” that describes them perfectly. You’ve heard of “big-government liberals.” Well they’re “cheap-labor conservatives.”

“Cheap-labor conservative” is a moniker they will never shake, and never live down. Because it’s exactly what they are. You see, cheap-labor conservatives are defenders of corporate America – whose fortunes depend on labor. The larger the labor supply, the cheaper it is. The more desperately you need a job, the cheaper you’ll work, and the more power those “corporate lords” have over you. If you are a wealthy elite – or a ““wannabe” like most dittoheads – your wealth, power and privilege is enhanced by a labor pool, forced to work cheap.

Don’t believe me. Well, let’s apply this principle, and see how many right-wing positions become instantly understandable.

Cheap-labor conservatives don’t like social spending or our “safety net.” Why. Because when you’re unemployed and desperate, corporations can pay you whatever they feel like – which is inevitably next to nothing. You see, they want you “over a barrel” and in a position to “work cheap or starve.”

Cheap-labor conservatives don’t like the minimum wage, or other improvements in wages and working conditions. Why? These reforms undo all of their efforts to keep you “over a barrel.”

Cheap-labor conservatives like “free trade,” NAFTA, GATT, etc. Why? Because there is a huge supply of desperately poor people in the third world, who are “over a barrel,” and will work cheap.

Cheap-labor conservatives oppose a woman’s right to choose. Why? Unwanted children are an economic burden that put poor women “over a barrel,” forcing them to work cheap.

Cheap-labor conservatives don’t like unions. Why? Because when labor “sticks together,” wages go up. That’s why workers unionize. Seems workers don’t like being “over a barrel.”

Cheap-labor conservatives constantly bray about “morality,” “virtue,” “respect for authority,” “hard work” and other “values.” Why? So they can blame your being “over a barrel” on your own “immorality,” lack of “values” and “poor choices.”

Cheap-labor conservatives encourage racism, misogyny, homophobia and other forms of bigotry. Why? Bigotry among wage earners distracts them, and keeps them from recognizing their common interests as wage earners.

The Cheap-Labor Conservatives’ “Dirty Secret”: They Don’t Really Like Prosperity

Maybe you don’t believe that cheap-labor conservatives like unemployment, poverty and “cheap labor.” Consider these facts.

Unemployment was 23 percent when FDR took office in 1933. It dropped to 2.5 percent by time the next Republican was in the White House in 1953. It climbed back to 6.5 percent by the end of the Eisenhower administration. It dropped to 3.5 percent by the time LBJ left office. It climbed over 5 percent shortly after Nixon took office, and stayed there for 27 years, until Clinton brought it down to 4.5 percent early in his second term.

That same period – especially from the late forties into the early seventies – was the “golden age” of the United States. We sent men to the moon. We built our Interstate Highway system. We ended segregation in the South and established Medicare. In those days, a single wage earner could support an entire family on his wages. I grew up then, and I will tell you that life was good – at least for the many Americans insulated from the tragedy in Vietnam, as I was.

These facts provide a nice background to evaluate cheap-labor conservative claims like “liberals are destroying America.“In fact, cheap-labor conservatives have howled with outrage and indignation against New Deal liberalism from its inception in the 1930’s all the way to the present. You can go to “Free Republic” or Hannity’s forum right now, and find a cheap-labor conservative comparing New Deal Liberalism to “Stalinism.”

Cheap-labor conservatives opposed virtually all of the New Deal, including every improvement in wages and working conditions.

Cheap-labor conservatives have a long and sorry history of opposing virtually every advancement in this country’s development going right back to the American revolution Cheap-labor conservatives have hated Social Security and Medicare since their inception. Many cheap-labor conservatives are hostile to public education. They think it should be privatized. But why are we surprised. Cheap-labor conservatives opposed universal public education in its early days. School vouchers are just a backdoor method to “resegregate” the public schools.

Cheap-labor conservatives hate the progressive income tax like the devil hates holy water. Cheap-labor conservatives like budget deficits and a huge national debt for two reasons. A bankrupt government has a harder time doing any “social spending” – which cheap-labor conservatives oppose, and . . .

Wealthy cheap-labor conservatives like say, George W. Bush, buy the bonds and then earn tax free interest on the money they lend the government.[Check out Dubya’s financial disclosures. The son of a bitch is a big holder of the T-bills that finance the deficit he is helping to expand.] The deficit created by cheap-labor conservatives while they posture as being “fiscally conservative” – may count as the biggest con job in American history. “Free Trade,” globalization, NAFTA and especially GATT are intended to create a world-wide “corporate playground” where national governments serve the interests of corporations – which means “cheap labor.”

The ugly truth is that cheap-labor conservatives just don’t like working people. They don’t like “bottom up” prosperity, and the reason for it is very simple. lords have a harder time kicking them around. Once you understand this about the cheap-labor conservatives, the real motivation for their policies makes perfect sense. Remember, cheap-labor conservatives believe in social hierarchy and privilege, so the only prosperity they want is limited to them. They want to see absolutely nothing that benefits the guy – or more often the woman – who works for an hourly wage.

So there you have it, in one easy-to-remember phrase. See how easy it is to understand these cheap-labor conservatives. The more ignorant and destitute people there are – desperate for any job they can get – the cheaper the cheap-labor conservatives can get them to work.

Try it. Every time you respond to a cheap-labor conservative in letters to the editor, or an online discussion forum, look for the “cheap labor” angle. Trust me, you’ll find it. I can even show you the “cheap labor” angle in things like the “war on drugs,” and the absurd conservative opposition to alternative energy.

Next, make that moniker – cheap-labor conservatives – your “standard reference” to the other side. One of the last revisions I made to this article was to find every reference to “conservatives,” “Republicans,” “right-wingers,” and “righties,” and replace it with “cheap-labor conservatives.” In fact, if you’re a cheap-labor conservative reading this, you should be getting sick of that phrase right about now. Exxxxcellent.

If enough people will “get with the program,” it won’t be long before you can’t look at an editorial page, listen to the radio, turn on the TV, or log onto your favorite message board without seeing the phrase “cheap labor conservatives” – and have plenty of examples to reinforce the message. By election day of 2004, every politically sentient American should understand exactly what a “cheap labor conservative” is, and what he stands for.

Now if you stop right here, you will have enough ammunition to hold your own with a cheap-labor conservative, in any public debate. You have your catch phrase, and you have some of the facts and history to give that phrase meaning.

But if you really want to rip the heart out of cheap-labor conservative ideology, you may want to invest just a little bit more effort. It still isn’t all that complicated, though it is a bit more detailed than what we have covered so far.

To explore that detail, just click one of the links below.

““Less Government” and Cheap Labor."

The Public Sector and Private Fortunes.

““Personal Responsibility” and Wages.”:http://www.conceptualguerilla.com/wagesandresponsibility.htm

Now go find some “cheap labor conservatives,” and pin that scarlet moniker on them.

2008-04-14T20:06:00.000-07:00

Ben Smith posts (quote below) Rep. Geoff Davis' (R-KY) apology* for using the word "boy" in referring to Obama. (*Read some of the comments there at the link-to, they are sadly amusing.)

"Rep. Geoff Davis, moving to contain the damage of a Saturday night reference to Barack Obama as a "boy" whose finger shouldn't be on the nuclear button, has apologized.

In a letter to Obama, which a Davis aide provided to Politico, Davis apologized for his "poor choice of words."

"I offer my sincere apology to you and ask for your forgiveness," he wrote.

The letter makes no reference to the substance of Davis's remarks, that Obama's behavior in a classified exercise had convinced Davis the Illinois Senator is unready to b president.

"Immediately upon arriving back in Washington, D.C. today, Congressman Davis personally delivered a letter of apology to Senator Obama's office," said Davis campaign manager Jeremy Hughes.

The furtherance of this apology strikes me as a tactical, Rovian whisper campaign. The questions that immediately arise are: Did Obama request an apology? What is the specific failure Davis alleges against Obama that causes him to state he can't trust him with his finger on the button? It strikes me as a total set-up, in which the media gloms onto the apology and the sub-plot allegation is spread with it, unchallenged.

Davis' grand apology is too grand. Yes, "boy" is inappropriate, but it's trite and will pass. The personal delivery is obvious BS, and attention-getting. But, the underlying fear-mongering meme of Obama failing a simulated response to a nuclear attack will stick. And, what is the substance of this meme? That Davis isn't happy with Obama's response. I may have missed it, but was Obama's response graded by anybody other than Davis? Is there a standardized response to nuclear attack test? What's the scenario? How did McCain do? Hillary? Bush? Cheney? What was everybody's response to what?

Reading the comments on the above-linked site, I was struck by the feeling they were shilled. "Yoshefa" is so transparently drunken frat-boy bigotry I felt a little apologetic... enough to have to say that we're not all that stupid. A recurring theme and recurring writing "voice" appears under various aliases, it' says that we're all doomed if Obama is elected! But it gives nothing other than Davis says so.

This is the comment I posted on the site:

"I didn't hear Obama complaining about this, and wonder what prompted Davis to apologize so grandly? Neither did I hear any details about this alleged simulation failure, and doubt I will. Sounds like a load of smear BS, to me. Obama isn't the racist here, the racism is being thrown up around him in situations like this, and he's having to deal with it. And, I commend him highly for his handling of it. Again, this hoopla over "boy" is just a vehicle to push the vague allegation that Obama failed a simulation, with no details about the alleged failure, just the usual fear-mongering meme that we're all doomed. Doomed, (you) tell (me)! Transparent Rovian whispering BS. Nice try."

And, I stand by it.

Of course, the above PrOBama image is available on t-shirts, buttons and things, here.

Lyrics and music

2008-02-21T00:50:00.000-08:00

Music is a metaphor for all creativity, in that all creativity can be categorized as either poetry or instrumental. Both connect straight to the heart; one through the brain, the other, the lower extremities.

When poetry and instrumentalism merge it is awesome.

McCain't Reaches Around For Bush Support

2008-02-17T15:59:00.001-08:00

Roiders, 2-16-08: Groping for all the support he can get his campaign's hands on, presidential hopeful, John McCain reached out to current resident, George W. Bush today, in front of a cheering crowd of Log Cabin Repugnicants at a rally held at NY's Fire Island. "I can really feel the love here, my friends!" McCain't whispered huskily to front row. Responding to which, resident Bush pronounced masterfully, "Behold! I am still the Decider!"

Get Cheeky With It!

2008-02-05T05:11:00.000-08:00

by Biff Van Der Cash

The next President of The Party will be John McCaint!

As is obvious by John's inherited storage-capacity cheeks, he will be an economic-conservative Party president. Not a spend-crazy Bushite. -But, is an economic-conservative what The Party needs now? The "Bush Revolution" garnered The Party a lot of long-sought treasure. The Party is all but exculpated from the rabble's affairs, but The Party doesn't yet have a couple of cash cows that are left unclaimed. The Party still has hopes Dubya will put the full-court press on with his "lame-duck" period, and the sympathetic dems will step up and get it through. It's doable, but it ain't done. That's why The Party needs McCaint to get in! If the dems get in, they could reverse all of the gains The Party's made toward correcting the distribution of wealth that occurred during the last democrat rule. The 90's, the "boom." That hurt The Party, but Dubya almost corrected it. He still may, but The Party cannot count on it. The Party must assure a follow-up to set it in stone. This time is pivotal. The Party could lose it all if Diebold fails. Show up and vote, just in case! And talk to exit-pollsters!

And, support Cheeky, by adorning yourself with the above campaign propaganda, here!

Mannequintessence

2008-01-31T00:17:00.001-08:00

by Biff Van Der Cash

Mannequintessent Rebublicon presidential hopeful, Nit Romnobot, has slipped further from The Party's nomination for the Presidency this November. Washington insiders are baffled and horrified, and can only attribute this failure to: either a fatal glitch in the Diebold Preprogrammed Tabulating Systems, or the system being hacked. -As Nit was assembled by* Diebold PTS, he should have been a shoo-in! I mean, they were a linked system! Neither prospect bodes well for November. If The Party cannot control the vote, it's very likely that a -democrat- will inhabit the White House come 2009. Diebold assured me, Biff Van Der Cash, here guest-blogging at VV, that they are working feverishly to address the failure, and fully expect to have the system fully functional for November. They also assured me that although McCaint ain't mannequitessently down with The Party, he's down enough, and is certainly more of a downer than Billary Obama. And, that The Party will be safe from taxation; taxes will remain a debt for the rabble to divide among themselves as they may, upon his coronation.

Though the amendment allowing an income tax may be unconstitutional (according to The Constitution), the idea of only taxing "capital gains" is repulsive to those of The Party whose "job" is to receive capital gains. Why should The Party be liable for the rabble's self-incurred problems? Just because they fight the wars and make the stuff The Party sells, that is their lot in life. Not The Party's. The Party makes it possible for them to serve The Party. -That- is the end of The Party's social obligation.

The argument that income is an exchange of service for money, and not always an equal exchange, therefore not a "gain," is also repugnant. Taxes are for the rabble, they're the ones fighting the wars, let them pay for them. They're the ones needing Medicare, The Party has doctor children, who The Party couldn't have with taxes on capital gains. Do you know how high med-school tuition has gotten lately? But, it's necessary, to keep out the riff-raff. What is one to do? Nit would want it this way. Are you listening, JMcC?

I'm also assured that he's pro The Party getting it's hands on that Social Security cash cow! Dude, there's a heckuva bonus to be had there! SS is not a bad thing, IMO, but for it to be 'Merican, the only thing missing is an 8-figure $alary board! Then it would be all-'Merican! Not the Socialist Commie thing it is now, where nobody wins, except the rabble. Imagine... if it were up to Aunt Val and Grampa Bill to deal with their own retirement fund, how easy would it be for them to make "unwise" investments? Whose fault would it be? The Party'd be well on our way to fixing this redistribution of the wealth from the wealthy to the rabble experiment! Middle class? Who needs one? All The Party needs is good, cheap, help.

But, I digress. Nit's out, show up at the polls to tell the pollsters you voted for McCaint, so the Diebold PTS election has credibility. You don't have to actually vote or anything. It's taken care of, I'm assured.

*Parts imported from various outsources, by The Party.

Evolution and Biblical Timelines

2008-01-13T20:40:00.001-08:00

by Noah Zarkian

It's a done deal that evolution happened, the Earth didn't pop into existance 6,000 years ago. But, that doesn't mean dinosaurs were not around in biblical times! Scholars tell us that life-expectancy changed dramatically after the Great Flood. Though figuring the Earth's age by reverse-engineering biblical lineage references in Genesis based on today's post-flood lifespans would put the Earth at 6000 yrs old, if one opens one's mind to His Truth, all those begats could have been a 100,000 years each! That would prove science supports the Bible, and Jesus died for our sins! Our sins are going to Heaven! Science! Bible! In synch! Irrefutable! The picture above is just another evidence of truth! And you can wear it! See below!

Image ©vicevoices 2008. (Available on t-shirts 'n stuff here!)

A Huckford Retreat

2008-01-13T18:15:00.000-08:00

Roiders: As George Bush has Crawford Ranch in Texas, Mike Huckabee has Huckford Chalet in Appalachia. Here we see Mike "of the Beast" in front of Huckford, having just returned from a healthy jog with his dog, "Black." Now, Black ain't too happy here, having lost one of his shoes. Checking his time, Mike is pleased!

Here we find Mike dispensing his citified wisdom on the subject of evolution. Nobody can argue with Mike, and evolution is found to be lacking in scientific deficiency, 'round these parts!

Here we see Mike returning to the roots of his musical talent. What? You thought he used to be in Led Zeppling? And he's a mighty fine picker for sure!

Here's Mike with the twins, after a bit of a disagreement with the local authorities. Not optiminal for publickity, but, it's the only shot we got with the brothers all in one place! That's Carl (the "handsome one") on the left, Earl (the "Earl of Hurl") in the middle, and Mike ("The Mike of the Beast") there on the right, as usual. You can add your own caption if you want, but what Mike was really sayin' was, "This Photographer said he wasn't gonna vote for me," and the twins don't cottom much to Librals or smart-asses!

And that was the last photo I received from Ansel, my photographer on this assignment to Huckford. There may be more, but Ansel seems to have gone incognito, or something. More when he gets back in touch. Peace and happiness out!

Old Dogs

2007-07-20T20:19:00.001-07:00

Life has been hectic lately, with many huge changes for us. The big one, includes that we will be in a new home where we can at last have a dog... or two. In preparation for this, we've been searching and learning. Adoption is no small matter, and we want our new member to be right for us, and vice-voices... (Sorry) In our searching and learning I came across this, which touched me so deeply I have to put it forward.

ONE BY ONE
"One by one, they pass by my cage...
too old, too worn, too broken, no way.
Way past his time, he can't run and play.
Then they shake their heads slowly and go on their way.
A little old man, arthritic and sore.
It seems I'm not wanted in this world anymore.
I once had a home, I once had a bed,
a place that was warm, and where I was fed.
Now my muzzle is grey, and my eyes slowly fail.
Who wants a dog so old and so frail?
My family decided I didn't belong,
I got in their way, my attitude was wrong.
Whatever excuse they made in their head,
can't justify how they left me for dead.
Now I sit in this cage, where day after day,
the younger dogs all get adopted away.
When I had almost come to the end of my rope,
you saw my face and I finally had hope.
You saw thru the grey and the legs bent with age,
and felt I still had life beyond this cage.
You took me home, gave me food and a bed,
and shared your own pillow with my poor tired head.
We snuggle and play and you talk to me low,
you talk to me dearly, you want me to know.
I may have lived most of my life with another,
but you outshine them with a love so much stronger.
And I promise to return all the love I can give to you, my dear person,
as long as I live.
I may be with you for a week or for years,
we will share many smiles, you will no doubt shed tears.
And when the time comes that God deems I must leave,
I know you will cry and your heart, it will grieve.
And when I arrive at the Bridge, all brand new,
my thoughts and my heart will still be with you.
And I will brag to all who will hear,
of the person who made my last days so dear."

Author unknown

I think I will change my attitude of "puppies only."

http://search.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=1497475

unconditional love

2007-06-21T21:55:00.000-07:00

The "unconditional" really means that forgiveness will always be available.

Forwarding Crap

2007-05-23T22:30:00.003-07:00

Like everybody, I get the occasional, anonymous forwarded essay I disagree with. Occasionally I'll respond to the sender, and sometimes it takes follow-ups to clarify. Parts of my response may be incongruous, as I responded to follow-up points made by the person who forwarded to me, whose privacy I will respect by not posting their comments here.

The original, anonymous forwarded essay:

"This is a very sobering email and food for
serious thought. We certainly can't deny any of
the facts related, the incredible statistics, and
the tragic results that followed each period of
peaceful inactivity.
** *_The Peaceful Majority_*

I used to know a man whose family was German
aristocracy prior to World War Two. He owned a
number of large industries and estates. I asked
him how many German people were true Nazis,
and the answer he gave has stuck with me and
guided my attitude toward fanaticism ever since.

"Very few people were true Nazis "he said," but
many enjoyed the return of German pride, and
many more were too busy to care. I was one of
those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of
fools. So, the majority just sat back and let it all
happen. Then, before we knew it, they owned us,
and we had lost control, and the end of the world
had come. My family lost everything I ended up in
a concentration camp and the Allies destroyed
my factories."

We are told again and again by "experts" and
"talking heads" that Islam is the religion of peace,
and that the vast majority of Muslims just want to
live in peace.

Although this unqualified assertion may be true,
it is entirely irrelevant. It is meaningless fluff, meant
to make us feel better, and meant to somehow
diminish the specter of fanatics rampaging across
the globe in the name of Islam. The fact is that the
fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history.

It is the fanatics who march. It is the fanatics who
wage any one of 50 shooting wars worldwide. It is
the fanatics who systematically slaughter Christian
or tribal groups throughout Africa and are gradually
taking over the entire continent in an Islamic wave.
It is the fanatics who bomb, behead, murder, or
"honor kill." It is the fanatics who take over mosque
after mosque. It is the fanatics who zealously spread
the stoning and hanging of rape victims and
homosexuals. The hard quantifiable fact is that the
"peaceful majority" is the "silent majority" and it is
cowed and extraneous.

Communist Russia comprised Russians who just
wanted to live in peace, yet the Russian Communists
were responsible for the murder of about 20
million people. The peaceful majority were irrelevant.
China's huge population was peaceful as well, but
Chinese Communists managed to kill a staggering
70 million people.

The average Japanese individual prior to World War II
was not a warmongering sadist. Yet, Japan murdered
and slaughtered its way across South East Asia in an
orgy of killing that included the systematic murder of
12 million Chinese civilians; most killed by sword,
shovel, and bayonet.
And, who can forget Rwanda , which collapsed into
butchery. Could it not be said that the majority of
Rwandans were "peace loving"?

History lessons are often incredibly simple and blunt,
yet for all our powers of reason we often miss the most
basic and uncomplicated of points:

Peace-loving Muslims have been made irrelevant by
their silence.

Peace-loving Muslims will become our enemy if they
don't speak up, because like my friend from Germany,
they will awake one day and find that the fanatics own
them, and the end of their world will have begun.

Peace-loving Germans, Japanese, Chinese, Russians,
Rwandans, Serbs, Afghans, Iraqis, Palestinians,
Somalis, Nigerians, Algerians, and many others have
died because the peaceful majority did not speak up
until it was too late.

As for us who watch it all unfold; we must pay attention
to the only group that counts; the fanatics who threaten
our way of life.

Lastly, I wish to add: At the risk of offending someone,
I sincerely think that anyone who rejects this as just
another political rant, or doubts the seriousness of this
issue or just deletes it without sending it on, is part of
the problem. Lets quit laughing at and forwarding the
jokes and cartoons which denigrate and ridicule our
leaders in this war against terror. They are trying to
protect the interests and well being of the US and it's
citizens. Best we support them in that effort.

My (clarified) response:

1. Right out of the gate, we get the classic invocation of Hitler and the Nazis. In this case, he focuses on the citizenry's silence allowing the Nazis to come to power.

2. Ironically, he immediately follows invoking the Nazis with declaring the people of a certain religious group evil. (-Oy!)

3. He raises the specter of these evil ones "rampaging across the globe." (A little fear, anyone?)

4. He gives us three more examples of "peaceful majorities... silent majorities" allowing their leaders to go fanatic, with the Russians, Chinese and Japanese. (Okay, the message I'm getting is: remaining silent and allowing one's leaders to 'go fanatic' is bad. -I get it, what should I do?)

5. Ironically, he wraps up his argument with the contradictory: "Best WE" shut up and support OUR leaders in the fight against the evil ones. (-Huh??? But, I thought you just said...)

That all Islamists aren't fanatics is not "meaningless fluff, meant to make us feel better." It's the truth, which hopefully will keep us from becoming fanatical posse's, fanatically lynching innocent people who wear scarves. Or, sending crusading armies across the globe to rid the world of the _______ menace.

The moderate majority has not been rendered irrelevant, any more than we citizens are irrelevant to our... government... uh... hmm... But, to say they're irrelevant is to embolden the fanatics, and further instill a sense of dis-empowerment in the moderate majority.

Apparently this anonymous author's whole point is that we should give our government unquestioned loyalty in the fight against the ________ menace. I don't think this request is anything new; there's always been an unspeakably evil menace of some sort, and we should always stand back and allow our hallowed leaders to protect us, unquestioned. But as he/she points out, that has always worked out badly.

That peaceful, moderate Muslims aren't speaking out, is not true. They are speaking out, but as always, the fanatics are screaming out and drowning out the moderates. And, as always, moderate voices are boring, fanatics are exciting, so the media will air the fanatics more, and the fanatics will just naturally have a bigger impact on us, helping us to forget the moderates having spoken out.

I do agree that fanatics of all stripes are a threat. "The whole shitaree." I think "fundamentalist" and "fanatic" are interchangeable. I think we should be wary of all ideologies that can be described as "fundamentalist." Especially "neocon."

That fundamentalists are committing atrocities, I don't dispute. I dispute that we should be the "silent majority" that "best" give free reign to our government to fight them in any way they deem necessary. Especially this government. This government has already proven itself untrustworthy, incompetent, and outright dishonest about how it goes about fighting them. I believe that "world" problems are for the "world" to deal with, not for America to deal with. There should be some sort of... unity of nations... Yes, we should protect our interests, as with the pirates and the Barbary Coast. But, with "off-shoring" and out-sourcing," and yes, "class-war," we have to question what interests are truly "our" interests.

Rush, the Massive Asshole

2007-04-28T08:29:00.000-07:00

A small response to an incredibly tasteless broadcast:

Rush, the massive asshole,
watch him go down,
on long and hard, from high and far,
in different shades of brown.

Rush, the massive asshole,
drugged alcoholic-ly,
like Monica's harmonicas,
puffs symbolic-ly.

Rush, the massive asshole,
lives a secret life,
the kind he blasts on his broadcasts,
and ne'er leads to a wife.

Rush, the massive asshole,
loves his 'scription drugs
if he says no, and loudly so,
you bet it's what he does.

Rush, the massive asshole,
arrogant and vile,
for you it's time, for him no crime,
entitled in denial.

Rush, the massive asshole,
safe from you and me,
to whine, opine, imbued with slime,
fr'm gated community.

Rush, the massive asshole,
bustin' him some rhyme-es
he gets a pass from fox-o-crats,
unlike that old Don Imus.

Rush, the magic negros,
articulate and clean,
revoke your pass, for lack of class,
from here to Galilee.

Upheaval at the New Cheneypress.com

2007-03-30T01:38:00.000-07:00

The federal Small Business Administration announced earlier this week that all retail outlets of the T-Shirt Guild will now have to register with Corruption Junction, a private subsidiary of Halliburton, Brown & Root, Inc. Dick Cheney held a webleak today, in which he fielded tough questions regarding the privatization of the t-shirt marketplace, and reassured skeptical small business owners worldwide. "Yes, the Corruption Junction board will be well-paid, but that's the business climate we live in. We have to do something about the excessive minimum wage laws. Yes, I will be joining the CJ board when this VP thing is finally over. Yes, I'll be joining several other highly paid boards as well. No, I won't be attending many meetings. No, neither I nor my office had anything to do with the change-over to a private t-shirt marketplace, nor the leaking of Valerie Plame's covert identity. I'm just a superior being, loved by God way more than you. No, our in-depth, blue-ribbon projections indicate that you, the small businessman, will not be adversely affected by this. Yes, we've been 100% wrong all of the time prior to this, but you can trust us on this. We're certain we're right about this, this time. Yes, we may be calling for some sacrifices in the near future, but it's wartime, and you've gotten off easy so far. No, I won't be personally sacrificing monetarily, the opposite in fact, but I'm sacrificing inside. Look! Over there! An interracial gay couple! Okay, bye."

The War

2007-03-10T00:12:00.000-08:00

It's war! The goal is to win! We must win or we lose! Those damn liberals want us to lose! If we lose we'll all be speaking Iraqian! Our women will be dragged off to rape rooms! Our men will have to watch soccer and drink some kind of camel's-milk liquor and wear togas and go to Mosque on Sundays with their new, hairy, toothless, unclean, smelly, domineering, ugly sand-brides! We cannot fail!

Well, that's what I'm gathering the stakes are. If we lose, civilization will crumble, some kinda horribly unimaginable way. But, if we win, we will bring the shining light of... suburban happiness... Scotts-Grow Lawn Joy... to the... sand-people? All this talk of winning the war and I can't call up any exact notion of what winning the war in Iraq is... exactly. I just get this vision of suburbia in my head. If we win, they get lawns. I think it's that when the Iraqis are all happy neighbors we've won. I'm not sure if they have to all register as republicans for us to claim absolute victory, or if there's a mix of democrats in there we still win enough to claim enough victory and come home. It's all kinda vague, this victory thing.

IMO, when Buzh crotched off the copter onto the carrier and stood boldly before the banner, "Mission Accomplished" was absolutely correct. The war was to get Saddam, that was it. He was bombed out, we won. Game over. It wasn't to secure a few acres for a new Walmart as I recall, though that might be the new objective. Nobody seems to know for sure. If they do, they aren't saying.

My military point is: a military war can only be won with an absolute objective. In that regard, we won the day after we started. Planes and bombs win wars. You blow it up, kill 'em, you win. That's a military war. A military war cannot install happiness. You cannot bomb happiness into a people. You cannot authoritarian-occupy happiness into a people. If you could, I'd be very disappointed with my fellow man.

I'm filled with visions of Star Wars, and the Death Star when I think of the Neocon agenda. I see storm troopers blasting happiness to the rebels. I am not optimistic for my children's future. I see "acquiesent obedience" replacing "liberty" in the Pledge. But, I digress.

The premise of this war is based on a bad t-shirt: "The beatings will continue until morale improves."

Somehow, I got transmogrified into the wrong parallel universe.

Deep Ledge Over-Reach Ends

2007-02-23T10:55:00.000-08:00

My bed, Shelley shuns,
Two left legs,
Overnight escapes,
Huff and arrogant,
And two hairy peg-legs,
For witches tans,
One Agent, undergone,
Whiffed liver tea,
and just these four walls.

UN-Censored

2007-02-23T10:43:00.000-08:00

The poster image below has been reconsidered and allowed. Sanity has prevailed! I applaud the decision and those who voted "aye!"

You may now delight in ownership and adorn your wall with it via here.

Censored!

2007-02-20T16:11:00.000-08:00

The website that brings you t-shirts displaying men with their heads blown off, copious displays of anal copulation and oral sex, man and sheep, "fuck you, you fucking fuck" (in many font and color choices), and on and on, seems to have hired the Crazy Cat Lady for the Big Mother, arbiter-of-taste job. While the examples listed above are apparently on the okay side of the good taste boundary, the image shown above was found to be too offensive for the delicate sensitivities of the clientele. Man with bloody stump where his head was and big blood-stain on the wall behind... okay. Googly-eyed, goofy-expressioned hanging cat... too much.

Now, I'm NOT complaining about the designs mentioned above, to the contrary, I believe in free speech and artistic expression. I'm venting my disappointment in what I believe is a decision affecting my free expression, and freedom of commerce, rendered by whom I believe must be the Crazy Cat Lady from up the street. And, venting my further disappointment in yet another personal experience with the oppressive expansion of the power of Big Brother's mom, Big Mother. She will child-safe the world!

2007-02-10T00:22:00.000-08:00

Rodrigo Y Gabriela - Wish you were here

Wag the dog, in a good way.

2007-02-10T00:12:00.000-08:00

Diablo Rojo (Rodrigo y Gabriela)

2007-02-09T23:45:00.000-08:00

Tamacun (Rodrigo y Gabriela)

Wow.

Geordie Hormel

2007-02-06T19:47:00.000-08:00

http://postbulletin.typepad.com/kiger/2006/02/hip_hormel_heir.html

http://mixonline.com/mag/audio_la_grapevine_86/

http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/0127biz-sr-mccune0127.html

Geordie was a good man. I enjoyed a small taste of his generosity. It was a good people circle. Especially the bonita senioritas! His generosity did flo w. It spike d in '95. I'd really like to get a little flo of conversation with anyone of that circle from then. Just to say "hi."

He had me up to his place in Arizona for a weekend. It was casual, just the 3 of us. We pretty much stayed within 1000 of the home's 52,000 sq ft. His office, the piano room and the kitchen. We wandered, on four-wheeled, electric, wheelie-popping scooters, a few times. And, we made it to the Wrigley, where he played a few sets, as we piggie-backed through the disapproving guestery.

Obviously, I'd drifted from the inner-circle, as I just learned today that he died last year. This is just one who was touched by Geordie in a small way's small tribute to the man.

I was a small potatoes peripheral and he treated me with respect and generosity.

I believe this rich man made it through the eye of the camel's needle. And, I'll meet him, and Jean Luq, there, and Geordie will set me up straight therein. And we'll jam a few tunes.

2007-01-16T00:24:00.000-08:00

william burroughs - thanksgiving prayer

Amazing New Wearable Air Guitar!

2006-12-31T18:26:00.000-08:00

ViceVoices announces our latest hit product: The Awesome Amazing, Wearable Air Guitar, Deluxe Neo-Classical Version t-shirts and gift items! Ultra-realistic hardwoods, strings, fret board, and resonance-hole provide a quality, hand-crafted strumming, picking and plucking surface for you to dazzle the dudes and charm the chicks! Other air-guitarists will be holding nothing, while you will not be not without a finely-detailed, tangible, name-brand pseudo- instrument! Never be without an Air-Guitar again, with your Deluxe VV Original, Awesome Amazing Air-Guitar shirt! Rock On Forever!

Our adult-sized shirts come in a pleasing assortment of colors and sizes, and provide ample fingerboard for even the clumsiest of fingers!

Four full frets allow Bmajor & minor, and the full range of open chords!

Amaze your friends by jamming along with any band, any soloist, anywhere, anytime, in any key, at any volume, with amazing precision!

Did you know that the VV Original Air Guitar dog t-shirt can turn your ordinary household dog into a VV Original Air Guitar dog? Why have just an ordinary pet, when you can have an air-playable Downtown Deluxe Dobro dog? Dude!?!

Turn your nothing-but-a-hound and/or Seeing-Eye dog into a Hearing-Ear, Jamming-Down, Red-Hot, Hot-Dog! Dude!!!

And, why have just an ordinary baby when you can have a VV Original extra- ordinary Air- Guitar baby? Just dress him/her in this quality onesie, hold him/her sideways, crank up that stereo, and get down with your bad inner Jimmy Page air- pickin' rock- guitar- god self!

Kids like it too! "Hey, that tickles!" "Raucous laughter!" And, it's probably not child-abuse in your area!*

*(Check with local, state, and national laws prior to use, handle with appropriate care, and never allow strangers to air-play your child!)

Not available in stores, only at the ViceVoices Online Jubilee of Wonderment!

Chain of Command

2006-12-27T16:03:00.000-08:00

Cutaway-view of the structure of "first-world" ruling hierarchy, motive, ends, and means. Inspired by a history of the US military being called in, at the request of business, to quell labor strikes. Link

Click on image(s) to view larger. Image print size: ~10.15 x 34".

Pen and ink drawing, done on 10 sheets of typewriter paper so as to be scannable, and manipulable at the highest resolution possible, in Adobe. Assembled and digitized with Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. Inked with Macron #o5 and "regular" Flair pens, 10.75 x 36" full size.

By your host, aka Kb. Prints available at the ViceVoices Creative Outlet Mini-Mall.

Hope this thousand works-words works in place of a thousand word-words.

Guitar Night

2006-12-22T01:29:00.000-08:00

Being a mediochre amateur guitarist I enjoy the talents of gifted guitarists. Tonight we listen to people treat the guitar like it was a musical instrument.

2006-12-22T01:12:00.000-08:00

Chet Atkins

2006-12-21T23:01:00.000-08:00

Oh Susanna

2006-12-21T22:26:00.000-08:00

shanks pony blues

Obama and the Race Issue

2006-12-18T18:11:00.000-08:00

Compare these audio clips and see if you agree with the critics who are saying that Barack Obama did, on the popular 60's animated adventure series, Johnny Quest, perform the voice of the character, Race Bannon.

Audio 1

Audio 2

"Big" Government

2006-12-18T05:28:00.000-08:00

Just some quick notes on the concept of "Big Brother." I think the concept should be expanded to include the rest of the family:

Big Brother: He's watching you. He's watching out for you. He'll tell on you. He'll stick up for you. He'll punch you for no apparent reason, just to remind you who's boss. He'll embarrass you for the fun of it, and to make himself feel bigger. He'll refuse to let you hang out with him and his "big" friends, and lock you out of his room.

Big Mother: She makes all those "for your own good" rules, like "no smoking." Drinking wrankles Big Mother's panties too, but the time's not right to make a push against it again, yet. She's out to child-proof the world. It's all about the children, and we are all, forever, her children in her eyes. We're never quite adult enough to hear bad words on the radio. To not wear a helmet. I'm sure she put the "walk/don't walk" signs in at the street corners, as we'll never be adult enough to assume responsiblilty for deciding when it's safe to cross the street on our own.

Big Father: He dispenses the spankings, when Big Mother reports our bad behavior.

Big Sister: I'm not settled on her role, but for now: She represents corporate consumerism. She wants us to buy her pretty things, and she will mock and deride us when we lag in keeping up with fashion.

Feel free to help me out in developing these concepts with comments.

No on CA Prop 86

2006-11-01T08:11:00.000-08:00

California's Prop 86, the "cigarette tax" initiative, is insidiously bad on many levels. Prop 86 adds $2.60 in new tax to the existing $.87 tax per pack of cigarettes. California's official voter guide (click here) presents the ballot issue thusly:

Imposes additional 13 cent tax on each cigarette distributed ($2.60 per pack), and indirectly increases tax on other tobacco products.
Provides funding to qualified hospitals for emergency services, nursing education and health insurance to eligible children.
Revenue also allocated to specified purposes including tobacco-use-prevention programs, enforcement of tobacco-related laws, and research, prevention, treatment of various conditions including cancers (breast, cervical, prostate, colorectal), heart disease, stroke, asthma and obesity.
Exempts recipient hospitals from antitrust laws in certain circumstances.
Revenue excluded from appropriation limits and minimum education funding (Proposition 98) calculations.

What's so bad about that?

Mainly, it puts the costs of wholly unrelated issues onto the backs of an easily demonized minority. It panders to the "as long as it's not me that has to pay" mentality. It's using government to "price out" an activity that's frowned upon. It's strong-arm authoritarianism, through the back door, with extortion and greed, pandering to the voters' more base, self-serving instincts.

I'm a non-smoker and I don't buy the second-hand smoke health risks as propounded by the vocal minority on the other side of the smoking issue. I don't enjoy a nose-full of somebody's smoke, but I'm not ticking off my life-clock with it either. I think it's a bunch of self-important hooey, played mostly by the self-important who expect a sterile bubble wherever they go. (Of course, the exhaust given off by their huge SUV's is forgiveable, as huge SUV's are necessary to self-important existence). In fact, the whole bandwagon of disallowing smoking everywhere is one I would throw a spike-strip in front of, if I could get my hands on one of those. It's way too authoritarian for this freedom-loving boy.

That the proponents threw "insuring the children" into their selling points, is not noble, it's despiccable. It's meant to give us voters that feel-good warm-fuzzy, to go along with that tough-love, for-your-own-good resolve we're supposed to have, as agents of Big Mother. It's the second win in win-win, baby. Insuring the children is an issue that could and should stand on its own two feet. Using it to throw another tax on smokers, who are generally low on the economic scale already, is just despiccable.

And then there's the exemption of anti-trust laws. This freedom-loving boy's freedom-loving doesn't extend to corporations. It's limited to individuals; government out of the bedroom and into the boardroom; the diametric opposite of today's republican party. No, I don't think any corporation, even a hospital, should be exempt from any financial regulation, and this prop opens that door.

On these points, and others raised by California law enforcement groups, teachers, medical associations, and Go Go's Lawn Service, (click here), I will be voting NO on PROP 86.

Unconditional Love Ramble

2006-10-22T03:39:00.001-07:00

True Love may be unconditional, but ease, comfort and grace are very conditional. Ease, comfort and grace flow from unconditional acceptance. Judgment-free interest in what one has to say. Actually listening. Wanting to listen.

Love and grace are from the same root, but different things. I love few, but have ease, comfort and grace with fewer.

I always hope the few will grow. I expect we all do. But, I hope it will only grow to a degree. My capacity for unconditional is limited. Why? Because loving everybody kind of diminishes the concept. Love means special. If we loved everybody, it could only be superficial. I give everybody the benefit-of-the-doubt respect, until proven unworthy, or worthy of love.

Love is special.

Love is love, and beautiful, but grace is transcendental. Grace is the expression of love.

Love is unconditional, but the expression of love is conditional, and treasured above all.

Love expression is conditional on reciprocities. It is conditional on mutual shared interest.

In one-another, one another's interests, and something wholly different and one's own, and allowing that in the other.

The expression of love is conditional.

On the expression of love.

One takes a hopeful chance, the other flings open its vault, and a snowballing of love happens., or doesn't.

The expression of love can't be lied to. It lives in us, but outside of us. It has its own mind. We can be fooled, but it can't. It is connected to the string. The string only transmits what's real. The false may cry real tears, but the string will not carry them.

The conditions of love are not negotiable. They are not decisions made. They are like gravity; they will make you fall down. Or make you rise up, if they are pure and lighter than air. They are from the thing that makes you cry when you know you are rational and logical and above all that. The thing that instantly nullifies your rational self-image. That thing. You know that thing. You've broken down. You know it.

We know it's real. It exists.

I used to think it was hormones. That chemical instinct that makes teen elk ram horns in the clearing to impress the elk chicks. That thing that makes young animals live for finding a mate above all else. And you know you do or did. Your life was/is primarily centered around finding and possessing a mate. You animal.

You may be in the band, but it's not to make music, first. First, it's to ram horns with the herd for mating rights. You animal, you. You are an animal. As enlightened as you are, you cannot NOT butt horns for mating rights with the herd. Your rational mind cannot override this. Ever.

************

And then there's the God component.

************

God may love us better than the furry animals, but if I was God, I don't know. I like your abstract thoughts, but since I'm not God I don't know how abstract a furry animal's thoughts may be. I'll venture a guess and assume their thoughts are more _basic_... more primal... closer to the essence, unclouded with homo-sapiens duplicity, truer. If I were God, and I'd created life for the sensory experience, there are many species that I might enjoy more than humans.

A common string among religions is the notion that God dwells in us all. That He is in us. That He is in us, is with us through everything, and knows our thoughts as we think them.

If this is so, why? Why are we? Why did God make us and dwelleth then within us?

Because He likes it.

He would therefore be in all the sensate creatures He created. Because he likes it.

Christians say it's to test us. He created us from scratch and is testing us here. We either pass, or fail. I think you know where the pass-fail grading system directs us. This seems flawed to me.

God can't be omnipotent and threatened by Satan. Threatened and omnipotent are mutually exclusive. He didn't create us for the draft.

He created us because he likes it. He is sensate. He is curious, He likes surprises. He gave us free will to choose roads He might not have. So, it is our responsibility to God to take the road less travelled. He gets enough of the travelled road. He does not gain new experiences from sheep. We are more expendable as individuals the more we forsake our individuality. To God. I think.

Sorry, the contemporary Christian explanation of existence falls short of scrutiny. Or is it the loud exploitation of Christianity that turns me so off?

I expect the vast majority to feel as I do. That the Order of Things, God, is unknowable by our generation... x10 down the road. We can only try to live within Its rules, and reap the rewards of swimming with the current, and apply scientific method to what new ideas arise, to work our way forward.

To go for unconditional grace, hope for unconditional love, and allow what's not ours to pass. To pass with our empathy, knowing we all seek the same thing, but knowing love exists in pockets, and knowing those pockets are all conected by a different string to the same thing.

Not finished.

I Am Honored

2006-08-22T07:21:00.000-07:00

Totally Irrelevant at www.totallyirrelevant.com found my tee-shirt design (above) worthy of inclusion on their website. They (he? she?) write or attach poignant essays to tee-shirt designs as they are inspired to. The essays are so well-written and compelling that I am honored, despite the essay not being relevant to motorcycling. But, the name of the site considered, what would I expect? Totally Irrelevant, you made my day! Thank you.

Visit the site and read a while! Good stuff there.

Alice Lake

2006-08-19T09:36:00.000-07:00

My daughter-in-law did an ancestry search and found the following record of my great (x10) grandmother Alice:

Mrs. Alice Lake. Born about 1610 Childwell, Riverpool, Lancester, England. Died June 05, 1648 in Dorcester Massachusetts.

In about 1651, near modern-day Boston, Alice Lake, a mother of five, lost her baby to death. After her baby died, she imagined she saw the baby. Because of that, she was accused and convicted of being a witch, and she was executed. The claim in the town of Dorchester, MA, was that the devil was coming to her in the form of her deceased, beloved child. Records are scant, but they show she had an opportunity to recant her story on the day of her execution and possibly to save her life. She did not recant her story, but she said she knew why God was punishing her: She had engaged in sex prior to marriage, become pregnant, and attempted a self-abortion. She was ruled by two strong, womanly pulls -- guilt and grief.

In the early part of the 20th century, Alice had a descendant who was a medical doctor who spent many years researching her story and trying to track her descendants. This man described Alice's story best:

"Here is a penitent, broken hearted, submissive woman, laying bare the greatest secret of her bosom, asking forgiveness; yet the damnable tactics of the fanatical Christian Church string her up like a miserable tramp."

There is a site on the 'net that considers the sexual implications of the "witch charges." It is not a site intended for children, but in light of that fact that Alice Lake confessed sexual "crimes" in what may have been a confession attempting to save her life, the point of view of the article is worth considering.

I spent the better part of six months trying to figure out Alice's story, and in the end I had no definite answers. The records of her trial are lost; Alice can be seen only in traces and reflections. There is no known record of her from when she still lived. The first the records to show she lived was after she was dead, when the townsmen were trying to figure out what to do with Alice's children since she was dead and her husband had fled. Like most of the women accused of witchcraft, Alice was not well off financially; in today's world, she and her husband would be described as "poor, working class." She was a married woman with at least five children, all presumably fathered by her only known husband, Henry Lake. In 1651, those children would have been a girl about ten, a boy about seven, a boy about five, a child about three who likely was a boy, and an infant. Alice's year of birth is unknown, but because of the ages of her children, she was likely about 30. Like most working class women of the time, she would have worked from sun up till sun down, and likely even after sun down by the light of the hearth fire and by the light of candles she had likely made. She had no conveniences and two little children who would still have been soiling themselves. If she had siblings, parents, or other relatives where she was living, no researcher to date has found them. She carried with her the Puritanical guilt of having had sexual intercourse before marriage, a guilt further complicated because she became pregnant before marriage. Then her youngest baby died.

After her baby died, she told people she saw the baby. Maybe she did. Others who have not been judged insane or witches have claimed to see dead people: Look at the Christian religion. Or, maybe she grieved so much that her mind allowed her to imagine that she saw her baby to ease her grief. Or, maybe she knew she did not see her baby, but claimed she did so as to have something to hold onto. As painful as the death of a loved one is, most recognize a mother's loss of her baby as a special loss. In Alice's case, that grief was compounded because -- while she had lost her youngest baby to a death she did not want -- she knew she had attempted to cause death to one of her other children by attempting an abortion. [From the earliest comment about this self-attempted abortion, it appears she did not succeed with the abortion.]

The Reverend John Hale had been a young boy when Alice was executed. He went on to graduate from Harvard and became a minister. He supported the witch trials until the witch hunters came after his pregnant wife, the last woman accused of witchcraft in Salem in Nov. 1692. The Rev. Hale wrote the following (about Alice?) in 1697:

Another that suffered on that account some time after was a Dorchester Woman. And upon the day of her Execution Mr. Thompson Minister at Brantry, and J.P. her former Master took pains with her to bring her to repentance. And she utterly denyed her guilt of Witchcraft; yet justifyed God for bringing her to that punishment: For she had when a single woman played the harlot, and being with Child used means to destroy the fruit of her body to conceal her sin & shame, and although she did not effect it, yet she was a Murderer in the sight of God for her endeavours, and showed great penitency for that sin; but owned nothing of the crime laid to her charge.

***********************************************************
And the voices that brought this sort of thing to happen back then are still with us today. Of course, not every community church is this fanatical, nor is this level of fanaticism anything but a shrill voice of a small minority. But, I am led to wonder about the people then, who rallied and supported the church in the witch-hunts of the day. Who attended the executions and threw stones. Were they driven of their own fear and hatred to burn somebody alive? Or were they led to it by the authoritarians of the church who used this tactic to bolster their power and authority? Did the men who carried out these abominations truly believe in it? Were they revelling in their power? What about the local politicians who allowed it and accepted the bolstering of their own authority by it? Are we any different today? The loud voice of the fanatical minority is always there to be used by the power-hungry, to influence the indifferent and the frightened, and would gladly sacrifice pawns of today in their quest for more power. Toys and fashion change with time, but does human nature?

In Loving Memory of Alice, I swear to always question the voice of authority, to deny the shrill voice of the puritanical fanatic, and to look more sharply at who's doing the pointing than who's being pointed at.

Zombie

2006-08-11T23:50:00.000-07:00

"Zombie," (Cranberries) below is a powerful "rock anthem" composition, equal to any. It speaks to the blind focus that drives those who've devoted themselves to the call for war. Those who've been propelled by the snow-balling monster of vengeance that's been set in motion by forces far away from their homes, as seems to be the usual case. The call to war did not eminate from my neighborhood, it didn't start with my town council. Not from my mayor. The call for war always starts from far away, and serves the purposes of far away. And, far away always seems to be in a Green Zone, insulated from the effects of the monster far away has itself created. Though not insulated from the profit$ of it. I saw no change in my neighborhood from beginning to end of war, except for a couple of guys not coming home.

2006-08-11T23:46:00.000-07:00

Cranberries - Zombie

"Leaders of the Free World" reminded me of this song, a great song, dig it.

VV Music Review - Elbow

2006-08-11T22:55:00.000-07:00

I wouldn't review if it I didn't love it. I love it. It's complex, moody, full and captivating. Nothing but good to say. The bass-line in here is so grooving it nulls the pain of its goodness in its transportational force-wave essence.

I just came from streaming "Leaders of the Free World parts 1-8." If you like complex rhythms from the rock-opera poetic instramentalist deep end, a visually-stimulating soundtrack you can run in the background of your own headphoned, creative endeavor, or pay close attention to, driving you to live up to the excellence of your contemporaries, Elbow composes rock music. VV recommends giving Parts 1-8 (on Youtube) a listen/view on Youtube. Below are samples, it was a difficult choice of what to put up as samples, but if you like them, you'll like the rest.

Rated: A. Buy the CD.

At least watch "Leaders of the Free World Part 4," ...and 2... and 8... and 2! 2 is awesome, too!

She does go through it all like the prow of a ship. propelled by forces, putting her head down and cutting through the waves.

2006-08-11T22:40:00.000-07:00

Elbow

Tom Waits, King Crimson, Eels. Shake. Pour.

2006-08-11T21:52:00.000-07:00

Elbow - Leaders Of The Free World

Great song. Installed on my soundtrack.

Samuel Clemens, 1910

2006-08-11T16:55:00.000-07:00

Apparently Clemens' word is eternal, too.

Victory of the Loud Little Handful
by Mark Twain

The loud little handful - as usual - will shout for
the war. The pulpit will - warily and cautiously -
object... at first. The great, big, dull bulk of the
nation will rub its sleepy eyes and try to make out
why there should be a war, and will say, earnestly and
indignantly, "It is unjust and dishonorable, and there
is no necessity for it."

Then the handful will shout louder. A few fair men on
the other side will argue and reason against the war
with speech and pen, and at first will have a hearing
and be applauded, but it will not last long; those
others will outshout them, and presently the antiwar
audiences will thin out and lose popularity.

Before long, you will see this curious thing: the
speakers stoned from the platform, and free speech
strangled by hordes of furious men...

Next the statesmen will invent cheap lies, putting the
blame upon the nation that is attacked, and every man
will be glad of those conscience-soothing falsities,
and will diligently study them, and refuse to examine
any refutations of them; and thus he will by and by
convince himself that the war is just, and will thank
God for the better sleep he enjoys after this process
of grotesque self-deception.

Mark Twain, "The Mysterious Stranger" (1910)

Dr. Laura Advice Letter

2006-08-11T16:12:00.000-07:00

I received the following in an anonymous email back in '04. I know that sharing it now, two years later, is not an abomination, for God's word is eternal.

The original, unedited text:

Laura Schlesinger is a US radio personality who dispenses advice
to people who call in to her show. Recently she said that, as an
observant orthodox Jew, homosexuality is an abomination
according to Leviticus 18:22 and cannot be condoned under any
circumstance. The following response is an open letter to Dr.
Laura, penned by a US resident, which was posted on the
Internet.

Dear Dr. Laura:

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's
law. I have learned a great deal from your show and try to share
that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone
tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply
remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an
abomination - end of debate.

I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other
elements of God's laws and how to follow them.

1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male
and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring
nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans
but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own
Canadians?

2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in
Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a
fair price for her?

3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is
in her period of menstrual uncleanliness - Lev.15: 19-24. The
problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking but most women
take offense.

4. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates
a pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev.1:9. The problem is with my
neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I
smite them?

5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath.
Exodus 35:2. clearly states he should be put to death. Am I
morally obligated to kill him myself, or should I ask the police to
do it?

6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an
abomination - Lev. 11:10 - it is a lesser abomination than
homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this? Are there
'degrees' of abomination?

7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God
if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear
reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there
some wiggle-room here?

8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the
hair around their temples, even though this is expressly
forbidden by Lev.19:27. How should they die?

9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig
makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev.19:19 by planting two
different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing
garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester
blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really
necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town
together to stone them? - Lev.24:10-16. Couldn't we just burn
them to death at a private family affair, as we do with people
who sleep with their in-laws? - Lev. 20:14.

I know you have studied these things extensively and thus
enjoy considerable expertise in such matters, so I am
confident you can help.

Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal
and unchanging.

Your adoring fan,
(name withheld)

Motorcyclone-4

2006-08-08T07:47:00.000-07:00

Four of them done, and available for prints, etc, at the cafepress store. For a mere $20 plus the regular price of the product, your bike (with you on it) can replace the bike in the image. It can also say whatever you want it to say. Contact: vicevoices@yahoo.com.

Beautiful Machine

2006-08-06T11:51:00.000-07:00

Found this photo while looking for photos to make the bike in "Motorcyclone-1," and thought I'd share. It's by Tony Cenzi Customs, more of their work can be seen here. It's a work of art, and WHEN I can afford one...

2006-08-06T11:20:00.000-07:00

Harry Nilsson sings Coconut

Hey Doug Hoeffler! You out there? Did I spell your name right? It's been about 20 years, drop me a line!

Proud Moments

2006-08-06T11:06:00.000-07:00

Jules' portfolio submission for job character-designing with Grandpa. He's getting a handle on the show-style, and may just get the job! (If not for those pesky child-labor laws!) (The character is "Dada.") Can a Grandpa be any prouder? Nope!

This morning Jules got up too early and wanted to watch his Grandpa's cartoon! Can a Grandpa be any prouder? Nope!

Motorcyclone-1

2006-08-06T10:45:00.000-07:00

Goofing around with photoshop. Mirrored the background horizontally (so the funnels would fit with the direction of exhaust pipes), then extended it to the right and down (copy paste, move, blend). The bike was "constructed" from photos of 3 different bikes, plus a part or two. Duped and extended the funnel clouds (to make two funnels) to connect with the exhaust pipes. Airbrushed, blended, and face hidden in cloud. First of a series, more Motorcyclones are forecast for this storm season.
original photo credit - Steven Maciejewski

2006-08-06T09:22:00.000-07:00

The Monkees - Randy Scouse Git

2006-08-06T09:09:00.000-07:00

Dusty Springfield - Can I Get A Witness

1964

2006-08-06T08:30:00.000-07:00

Barry McGuire - Eve Of Destruction

2006-08-06T08:22:00.000-07:00

Cat Stevens -

"Matthew & Son"

2006-08-06T07:39:00.000-07:00

Harry Nilsson - Everybody's Talking

How a Man Solves Complex Policy Issues

2006-07-20T22:53:00.000-07:00

President George Bush to Tony Blair, G8 Summit lunch, Monday, 6-17-06:

"The irony is, what they really need to do is to get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this shit, and it's over,"

From "Bushlovertwo" on the Drudge Report:

"aw right...let me be the first....

good job george....tell it like it is baby and just wait for the PUSSIES from the left to try to tear you a new one for straight talk that could stop the killing...but far be it from that for the left to care......if they can blast you for even this straight to the heart of the matter talk.......well....then ......they can just STOP THAT SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love it......a MAN in the white house......"

Apparently, the way a man's man solves a crisis is to suggest that some guys get some other guys to stop doing shit. "And it's over."

The issue here is not that Dubya used the "S" word, it's that the leaders of the free world are just, like, dudes, doing their jobs, like. Which is to have lunch, and, like, solve the world's problems, 'n shit.

"Dude, like it's f*ckin' ironic, huh? Like, all they should do, is like, get those guys to get those guys to stop doing that shit. And, like, it's over! Like, dude, why people gotta be like that? Why can't they just, like, chill?"

Unfortunately, this yacht-club chickenhawk dude mentality that sees the solution in somebody else doing something, will come to see the solution in "the help" (that's you and I) doing something, (use of military force, not "war"), while they throw our money at it, for a reasonable management/oversight fee, of course.

Joe Republican

2006-07-20T05:38:00.000-07:00

Danklife wrote, and I found it on Aphids:

Joe gets up at 6 a.m. and fills his coffeepot with water to prepare his morning coffee. The water is clean and good because some tree-hugging liberal fought for minimum water-quality standards.

With his first swallow of coffee, he takes his daily medication. His medications are safe to take because some stupid commie liberal fought to insure their safety and that they work as advertised.

All but $10 of his medications are paid for by his employer's medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance -- now Joe gets it too.

He prepares his morning breakfast, bacon and eggs. Joe's bacon is safe to eat because some girly-man liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry.

In the morning shower, Joe reaches for his shampoo. His bottle is properly labeled with each ingredient and its amount in the total contents becaus some crybaby liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contained.

Joe dresses, walks outside and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some environmentalist wacko liberal fought for laws to stop industries from polluting our air.

He walks to the subway station for his government-subsidized ride to work. It saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees because some fancy-pants liberal fought for affordable public transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor. Joe begins his work day. He has a good job with excellent pay, medical benefits, retirement, paid holidays and vacation because some lazy liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. Joe's employer pays these standards because Joe's employer doesn't want his employees to call the union.

If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed, he'll get a worker compensation or unemployment check because some stupid liberal didn't think he should lose his home because of his temporary misfortune.

Its noontime and Joe needs to make a bank deposit so he can pay some bills. Joe's deposit is federally insured by the FSLIC because some godless liberal wanted to protect Joe's money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the Great Depression.

Joe has to pay his Fannie Mae-underwritten mortgage and his below-market federal student loan because some elitist liberal decided that Joe and the government would be better off if he was educated and earned more money over his lifetime.

Joe is home from work. He plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the drive. His car is among the safest in the world because some America-hating liberal fought for car safety standards.

He arrives at his boyhood home. His was the third generation to live in the house financed by Farmers' Home Administration because bankers didn't want to make rural loans. The house didn't have electricity until some big-government liberal stuck his nose where it didn't belong and demanded rural electrification.

He is happy to see his father, who is now retired.His father lives on Social Security and a union pension because some wine-drinking, cheese-eating liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Joe wouldn't have to.

Joe gets back in his car for the ride home, and turns on a radio talk show. The radio host keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good. He doesn't mention that the beloved Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Joe enjoys throughout his day.

Joe agrees: "We don't need those big-government liberals ruining our lives! After all, I'm a self-made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like I have."

Midnight Bill Printing

2006-07-03T14:08:00.000-07:00

A film about a politician who printed bills the midnight before other politicians had to vote on them.

Rocketboom- Net Neutrality

2006-06-28T09:34:00.000-07:00

Watch this video.

Mainstream Journalist Reports Relevant Facts

2006-06-28T01:34:00.002-07:00

Stop the presses! A mainstream broadcast media journalist has diverted from the Ministry of Truth's official news for today and spoken aloud of a verboten subject! Catherine Crier, of Court TV, has given shrift to the issue of democracy and individual participation therein. She has gone where no TV reporter (aside from Stewart, Colbert, Olberman and Franken) dared go before: the elections of '00 & '04, and the blatant fraud and official tampering by the republican party in both. What's next? ABC, NBC, CBS? The WSJ?

We are "third world" if the fraud perpetrated in the last two elections stands, as Ms. Crier points out here:

http://www.courttv.com/onair/shows/crierlive/

click on "crier wire 6/21/06"

Happy Purple Heart Republicans

2006-06-27T20:31:00.000-07:00

I saw these pictures of happy civilians wearing bandaids with purple hearts on them today. How dare they?! These arrogant aholes wore bandaids with purple hearts on them, representing how trivial a Purple Heart is. It's that easy. It's that painless. It's bandaid worthy. Laughing, and saying, "Look at me, I have a Purple Heart, too!" I think it was in the intent of diminishing John Kerry's Purple Heart. But, in diminishing Kerry's they diminished the whole concept. They denigrated it. They denegrated everybody whose ever been wounded in battle. They couldn't possibly have even served. How could anybody whose ever served so mockingly wear a Purple Heart bandaid? What arrogance, what isolation from reality they live in. How insulated they must feel to discard the reality of bravery to equate it to a bandaid. What a chickenhawk mentality. What tools we are to them. I am filled with distaste.

Delay Farewell Speech

2006-06-16T20:45:00.000-07:00

Tom Delay in his farewell to the House speech Thursday:

"Liberalism, after all, whatever you may think of its merits, is a political philosophy and a proud one with a great tradition in this country, with a voracious appetite for growth. In any place or any time on any issue, what does liberalism ever seek, Mr. Speaker? More. More government, more taxation, more control over people’s lives and decisions and wallets.

If conservatives don’t stand up to liberalism, no one will."

Liberals are about more taxation? More debt = more taxation. This "conservative" government has rung up more debt than all the "liberal" governments ever. Combined. And it's done more to shift the burden of the debt onto the working class, and it seeks more. More graft, more cronyism, more government (police-state), more taxation (debt repayment), more control over people's personal lives (moral authoritarianism), and decisions (abortion), and wallets (social security).

Florida Gov Signs History Bill

2006-06-16T15:39:00.000-07:00

And boy, is he pissed! He will have your head.

Florida Governor Jeb Bush signed an omnibus education bill last week containing the following:

"The history of the United States shall be taught as genuine history and shall not follow the revisionist or postmodernist viewpoints of relative truth. American history shall be viewed as factual, not as constructed."

"American history shall be viewed as factual, not as constructed." This is law. This, therefore has teeth. The enforcement of this has not been enumerated, but as a law, it is an enforceable resolution. Officers of the law may utilize a device similar to the breathalizer to determine a citizen's views toward the factuality of American history. Citizens found to be in breach of lawful viewing of History may be held in local custody for Freedom Committee evaluation and disposition. A first-offense is to be treated as a misdemeanor, with community service the appropriate punishment.

A second offense for failing to regard the official text of history as factual will carry a sentence of not more than one year in a federal correctional facility, or a fine of $50,ooo, and will be regarded as misdemeanor heresy.

A third offense will carry a mandatory minimum of fifteen years of involutary servitude to the privatised agency applicable to the specific infraction.

Bill O'Really

2006-06-16T09:25:00.000-07:00

Boo.

Coulter

2006-06-15T10:54:00.000-07:00

Boo.

Fox News Report

2006-06-15T08:07:00.000-07:00

Fox News reports that in his recent helicopter visit to Baghdad's green-zone, Tony Snow and others accompanying President Bush wore protective armor. The president however, displayed the same vaunted courage of his Viet Nam service, and wore none. No photos were allowed, but VV has acquired this exclusive, leaked shot of the president as he alit from Chopper One, from an anonymous source at a high-ratings cable news network that would never spread propaganda in the name of fairness and balance.