Sudan, God strikes again.

I was impressed by CBS's "60 Minutes" story on the Sudan and the atrocities that are occurring there. I knew something was going on there, but I had no clue as to how bad it actually was. I searched around the internet and found little on the subject from American sources. I found a story about Condoleezza Rice visiting Sudan and talking things out with the Sudanese government. Here is a country that is doing far worse to their own people than ever done by Saddam. Yet her conversations with them seems to be of such a casual nature it was as if she was visiting France.

Rice said "I said to the Sudanese government that they had a credibility problem with the international community, because there are promises that have not been kept. But it is a new day in Sudan as well. I just met, as you know, with [Vice President] John Garang. There is a peace agreement between north and south. They are forming a national unity government with people who also lived in terrible conditions at one time in this country. And so we have to support that process while insisting that the unified Sudanese government do everything that it can to improve the situation."

A credibility problem!! They are bombing villages and sending in the Janjaweed to finish of the survivors.

Darfur has been decimated and has been almost completely destroyed by the Janjaweed with support from the Sudanese government.

Rice's understatement of the realities there makes me think something more must be going on there. Everything she said about US effort was said by Colin Powell just over a year ago, yet 300,000 people have died since then. We have done little to end the violence.

The stories told by the refugees was of the most horrifying kind: Rape, murder and racial cleansing.

What could possibly cause people to do such heinous acts? Religion! Again and again I come to the conclusion that religion is the ultimate evil. Death and destruction to the infidels in the name of God, the one true God, God is on our side. How long can we live with people who think this way? How long will intolerance, ignorance and arrogance rule the minds of the religious?

Yes, I am saying that all religion is bad. It is divisive, anti-intellectual and used to manipulate the masses to the point of murder, rape and all out war for the powerful few in the name of God.

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The American Taliban - Seriously Disturbed People

This is the most disturbing site I have ever seen:The American Taliban.

If these people do not scare you to your bone or you agree with an ideas put forth on this page you need have your head examined. I hate to resort to name calling but I am so angry I feel like resorting to violence! These people are so un-American that if the founding fathers heard their nonsense the would rise up and kill them as traitors to the cause they for which they fought so hard.

These people are trying to take over America and take away our religious and personal freedom!

I do not want to deny anyone the right to practice their religion, but I will do all I can do the deny them the right to enforce their values on me.

I see a war coming. It will be the closed minded religious right against those of use with reason, science and a real sense of patriotic duty to support the freedoms for which our forefathers died.

These people using Christianity to propagate hate and intolerance.

We people of reason need to get angry and speak loudly lest we become a Fascist Theocracy!

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San Francisco

I just got back from a wedding in San Francisco. I live there for five years before I moved back to the New York area. It amazes me how much I miss living out there. I really feel at home there. There is a certain vibe in the air that just doesn't exist in NYC. I saw several shows/performances, went to several bars and visited my old neighborhood.

I love the weather there! Some folks would hate 60 degrees in the summer and constant fog, I find it perfectly comfortable.

The wedding was a great event. Well planned and all around good people. I was in the wedding party so I felt quite special.

No political rants just pleasant memories today. I had a really good time and all is well with the world for five minutes.

I have avoided reading my usual news sources this morning.

Have you ever just wanted to give it all up and live the Bohemian lifestyle? The grass is always greener, I know, but once in a while you just want to run your fingers through your neighbors lawn.

God said I have a right to be here!

I don't fully understand the circumstances behind the Gaza evacuation or even the whole Palestine vs. Israel conflict. I am not sure anyone outside that region really does. But I got taste of the madness that takes over peoples' mind that are be behind all this violence.

A woman that was being forcibly removed from here home in Gaza screamed "God said we have a right to this land and no one has the right to live on this land except for Jews". That statement is just as insane as someone saying "Kill all infidels". People who think they have a right to something because God told them they do are extremely dangerous. It is exactly that mentality that leads to killing in the name of God.

Religion has the strange side effect of giving good people excuses to do bad things. Religion was used to justify torture. Religion was used to justify slavery. Religion was and is still used to justify capitol punishment. Religion is being used to justify destroying the environment and starting wars to hasten the end times. Religion is used to justify terrorism. Religion is used to stifle scientific progress. Religion is used to repress women. In my opinion, religion is a VERY dangerous thing in the wrong hands.

Anyone who believes that their religion is the one true religion and that they are somehow "chosen people" should think about how they came to that conclusion and what impact that very conclusion has had on the world. They should examine the origins of their holy books. Seek out evidence, any concrete evidence, that they are right. Words on a two thousand year old scroll do not count as evidence.

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Are we living in a Fascist State?

I have found this repeated several times over on the internet. I am repeating it because it needs to be. The American people need to understand that we are living under a fascist regime. The pendulum needs to start moving left.


FOURTEEN CHARACTERISTICS OF FASCISM

Dr. Lawrence Britt, a political scientist, wrote an article about fascism which appeared in Free Inquiry magazine, a journal of humanist thought. Dr. Britt studied the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia), and Pinochet (Chile). He found the regimes all had 14 things in common, and he calls these the identifying characteristics of fascism. The article is titled "Fascism Anyone?," and appears in Free Inquiry’s Spring 2003 issue on page 20.
The 14 characteristics are:

1.. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism – Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.

2.. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights – Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to ‘look the other way’ of even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.

3.. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause – The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe; racial, ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists; terrorists, etc.

4.. Supremacy of the Military – Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.

5.. Rampant Sexism – The government if fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.

6.. Controlled Mass Media – Sometimes the media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or through sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in wartime, is very common.

7.. Obsession with National Security – Fear is used as a motivation tool by the government over the masses.

8.. Religion and Government are Intertwined – Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government’s policies or actions.

9.. Corporate Power is Protected – The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders in power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.

10.. Labor Power is Suppressed – Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely or are severely suppressed.

11.. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts – Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.

12.. Obsession with Crime and Punishment – Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses, and even forego civil liberties, in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.

13.. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption – Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions, and who use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability.

14.. Fraudulent Elections – Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against (or even the assassination of) the opposition candidates, the use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and the manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

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Why Buy Citgo Gasoline?

I stumbled across a web page that talks about Citgo Corp. The parent company is Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA).

This means that buy purchasing gas from Citgo you are not supporting Saudi Oil and the money goes primarily to Venezuela.

Jeff Cohen writes
"Instead of using government to help the rich and the corporate, as Bush does, Chavez is using the resources and oil revenue of his government to help the poor in Venezuela. A country with so much oil wealth shouldn't have 60 percent of its people living in poverty, earning less than $2 per day. With a mass movement behind him, Chavez is confronting poverty in Venezuela. That's why large majorities have consistently backed him in democratic elections. And why the Bush administration supported an attempted military coup in 2002 that sought to overthrow Chavez."

From my research it looks like the Bush administration did not directly support the coupe. But it is quite obvious that the did not directly oppose it. US oil companies have a lot to lose if they are kicked out of Venezuela and the Bush administration has made it obvious that they will do anything to support US oil companies.

I have been to Venezuela and I have seen the poverty first hand. It is a serious disgrace that US oil companies are taking money out of the hands of the desperate people to line there pockets. It is true that these companies helped to build the infrastructure that allows oil production, but that debt has long since been paid.

Of course we should be directing our efforts towards renewable resources and using mass and human powered transportation. But if you are buying gas you might as well direct your money towards a better cause.

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Global Warming Still Under Investigation

The last comment I heard President Bush say about global warming is "We are investigating the possibility of Global warming. We cannot make policy on theories."

Ok, here are the latest headlines that I quickly gleaned from various news sites:

• Climate warning as Siberia melts
  11 August 2005
  NewScientist.com news service
  Fred Pearce
  
• 2005 Hurricane Season Will Be Stronger Than Projected
  Willie Drye
  for National Geographic News
  August 8, 2005
  
• Drought, heat wave taking toll in Spain
  Tracy Wilkinson
  Los Angeles Times
  August 12, 2005
  
• Ice Shelf Disintegration Threatens Environment, Queen's Study
  Queen's News Center
  August 03, 2005
  

This is the news we are bombarded with on a daily basis. All of these articles are from just the past two weeks. Why does the President fail to see the obvious? Why do the folks to my right consistanlty fail to act on such a serious matter as our global climate? Simple, they are hoping this will all just go away so they can continue to line their pockets and the pockets of their cronies. If they "believed" in Global Warming then they would have to take action that would affect the bottom line of the companies that paid the get them in office.

I believe that no action will be taken by the US Government until: Florida had been destroyed by hurricanes, crops fail in the midwest, NYC has to build dikes to keep out the rising water and... well you see the pattern here, they will not take action until it cost them money directly. This could possibly be an end to the way of life we are used to. Our children will look back at our inaction and stuburn ignorance and perhaps learn a lesson. That is the only good that can come of this.

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Xootr Scooters

Xootr Scooters are awesome products. I have owned two this past year. I ride them fast and hard. So much so that I usually damage them within about six months. I use it to ride to the PATH train in the morning from my condo in Hoboken. It is seriously the best way to get around in NYC. It is just like snowboarding on pavement.

I highly recommend a Xootr to anyone who has to get around a city and needs to go only few miles.

A few things to know about Xootrs before you go order one:

• You have to get the optional rear fender unless you don't mind getting splashed with God knows what from gutters.
  
• Steve in the warehouse is the best! He is honest and supports his product.
  
• Know what size bump or pothole you can jump or you will be doing a nose dive into pain
  
• These things are tough but not indestructable. A six inch curb is about all you should try to jump.
  
• If you don't get the rear fender test the wear on your shoes when you brake. You can ruin a pair of shoes very quickly.
  

Let me know if you get one or have one. I would like to hear other peoples' opinions, problems, tips and tricks.

Death

There comes a time when we all think of death. I think of it all the time and none of the time. It intrigues me yet I cannot believe that it exists. I know it exists for other people but how can I die? I have always been here as long for as I have been here.

Then I think of the 15 billion years that passed before I existed and I wonder if that is what death is like. Is death like the time I was put under to get an operation? Time did not exist, it wasn't blackness or pain or heaven, just nothing. Where was I at the moment of the big bang? Where was I when the first creature asked "Why am I here?" Where was I when Jesus died on the cross? Where was I when my parents met?

I am the miracle at the end of a trillion trillion trillion accidents and coincidences. We have all already won the lottery a trillion times over just by being here now. We are ephemeral. We are prescious. When we die it is sad.

But at least we were here.

Spa Magic

After four years of working for a spa marketing company and hearing nothing but spa talk, I decided it was time for me to have a spa experience. I was apprehensive. After all, Spas are for women, right?

I was far from the only man there. At least a third of the customers were men. I immediately felt relieved. OK, so I’m not the only guy here and everyone has been very welcoming so far, but what about the actual massage? My biggest fear was that some big hairy guy name Günter was going be my masseuse, so I requested a female.

I was handed a robe and some slippers and lead to the men’s changing room. I was a little self conscious about walking out and about in nothing but a robe, but everyone else was dressed that way and I soon forgot there was but one thin velour belt between my birthday suit and the rest of the world.

I sat in the “Relaxation Room” — a room with magazines, water and dried fruit — for a few minutes with other robe clad folks until Tiffany came in and asked for me to follow her. As we walked down the hall I began to notice how wonderful this place smelled. It wasn’t perfumed or incensed, but clean and refreshing with a slight hint of burning candle. The lights were dim and the candlelight made the shadows dance on the walls in rhythmic motion with the soft mood music that was playing just loud enough to tickle your ears.

As we walked into the treatment room I realized that I somehow had to get under a towel on the table. I guess it would have been fine to disrobe in front of a complete stranger, but I was happy to hear her say “I’ll be right outside while you get on the table and cover yourself.”

Then it began. Her hands were warm and created a symphony of movement. I was surprised at the multitude of variations in her technique. I didn’t say a word, I was almost afraid to move as it might break the magic. I was never in danger of falling asleep, but I was in an altered state of consciousness. I was floating. My thoughts were of happy times. Images of my wedding day, flashes of my honeymoon and the memories of the time I had the lead role in a college play meandered through my mind. I never entertained one inappropriate thought. That surprised me more than I’d like to admit.

Then it was over. After getting dressed I met up with my companions in the Relaxation Room. They were still in their robes, sipping lemon water. Sitting next to them I realized I felt uncomfortable fully dressed.

Intelligent Design?

What is all this hubbub about Intelligent Design?

Either you believe that God designed the universe or you don't. Well, it really is a lot more complicated than that. I am having a major battle in my mind about this. I, from the bottom of my heart believe in a higher power. I feel God like I feel happiness, sadness or love. Those things are real to me, so God is real to me.

On the other hand, I am a firm subscriber to the scientific method. As imperfect as it is, it is the best tool we have for understanding the universe and progressing human achievement for the betterment of mankind.

So, how does one rectify these seemingly opposing views. This goes back to my search for real magic. I am hoping science will prove the existence of God just by doing their thing. I am thinking that this will never happen and I will be doomed to reading endless arguments back and forth.

The scientists do have an advantage. They are not trying to do anything but understand the universe while the ID folks have specific idea they have to prove.

There is one fact that no one can deny; The Universe Created Us.

Wake Up America!

I have heard nothing on the news about the recently passed energy bill. I wonder why? This total farce of a bill does nothing but give subsidies to oil companies. I did a little research and found out that Exxon Mobile Corp just made 7.64 billion last quarter. Why in hell are they getting tax subsidies! I pay nearly half of my salary to these bozos in Washington and they hand it over to the military to take over oil rich countries and give it back to their buddies in the oil industry. These politicians/Oil moguls have no shame and get away with this because the media refuses to cover these atrocities. Why aren't people getting pissed off?

We now live in a Fascist country. Yes, Fascism is alive and well in America. I have to face that fact. The corporations have control of the country and the media. When we question them they call us "unpatriotic". The most patriotic thing we can do is question and even abolish a government that fails to serve the people it is supposed to represent.

From the declaration of Independence:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."

It goes on to say that it is our duty to abolish such a government.

It is spooky to read the complaints about King George and compare these to what is going on today with our current King George.

Our rights are slowly being eaten away. The peoples opinions are begin shaped by a controlled media. I am sure King George Bush would love to put me in jail for quoting the Declaration of Independence and saying we need to abolish the government and start over.

Wake up America! We have been usurped by the powerful corporations and we must tear them down.

Politics will kill us all!

Don't you just hate when you see a Senator towing the party line no matter how obviously wrong it is? That drives me crazy! Rather than being rational they twist the truth or outright lie just to stick to the party propaganda.

Take Bill Frist for example. Everything this man says is regurgitation of daily Republican party newsletter that spells out how to phrase certain sensitive issues with euphemisms. Have you ever noticed that every Senator/Representative or anyone on the White House staff uses exactly the same phrasing? This is not a right or left wing tactic. It is a political tactic that prevents politicians from accidentally saying anything that would go against their party. Or expose the agenda behind the rhetoric. Frist is a doctor and yet he danced around a direct question about AIDS being transmitted by tears and petting causing pregnancy because it went against a religious right wing publication. He does not try to rectify misinformation in order to stand by his party! This goes against the Hippocratic oath! After repeated pressure from the interviewer he finally said "Yes" to the direct question "Do you agree that the information in the publication is incorrect?" He said "Yes" quietly and quickly and proceded to ramble on about something totally unrelated. How can he live with himself?

This is but one small example of the madness that one falls into when one becomes a professional politician.

My View of the world and why I am writing this.

Is there magic in this universe? Is there anything that can't be explained by science but confirmed by my own experience? This is what I need to investigate and what I need to discover.

A little about my views:

I care about the environment and think that we should do all we can to preserve it. I think that nature and business can co-exist. We need not sacrifice one for the other.
I think the current Fascist Regime in theWhite House needs to be ousted.
I think that corporations should not be able to contribute to candidates and all campaign expenses should be paid by the taxpayers.
I think that we should stop spending billions of dollars on making war and use those billions to develope renewable resources.
I am against abortion on moral grounds but I do not believe in passing laws to strictly prohibit it.
I think the IRS is an abomination and should be dismantled immediately. We need to greatly simplify the tax code and relieve the terrible tax burden that lies on the backs of most Americans.