Happy Father's Day to all of you Fathers out there....

Like it or not and for better or worse, you guys are pretty irreplaceable, which really varies the outcome of this fatherhood thing to a frightening degree. I'm not so sure that continuing this gene line was prudent, but here we are!

We play it down around here because I tend to do the fathering and mothering...though I hear that Im not doing such a good job of either lately (...thats an adolescent talking from the depressed dungeon of his 13th year on this planet...most of 'em without a father,) so we will maybe just try not to mention it.

I appreciate all of those good fathers and even some of the not so good ones who mean well....and I hope that the day goes by really quickly and with little drama!
Mostly Im glad that Im not a kid anymore...nor in my 20's...or even 30's....It's all a blur, but somehow the diminished sight of over 40 makes it all more bearable....hindsight is really something more like 20/10 with reading glasses.

Have a great day guys and enjoy your cookouts, gadgets from Sharper Image, and ties....

Here is a little movie in honor of carnival season and the Greeks, who managed to take $80 off of me in about half an hour of "fun":

The Non-indictment of Rove...

I woke up this morning to the news that Karl Rove will not be indicted by Patrick Fitzgerald. After a certain amount of depression and coffee, and then some reasonable thought about it, my view has pivoted and, rather than look at this as some big defeat that will pump up Bush's numbers, I'm watching the political maneuvering, and trying to figure out what it means and what is next.
I was unfortunate enough to hear Imus and his lame crew celebrating about Rove getting "off," and it seemed like all so much bluster over a failing administration that will parade this around as if it means that Rove didn't actually out Plame. Instead it means that Fitzgerald likely didn't have an airtight case, and in the atmosphere around Washington DC, trying and losing would be worse than not trying at all. The other really interesting issue is how much time Rove spent being called back and interviewed. It begs speculation about a possible deal that we may not be privy to right now. Why would Fitzpatrick interview Rove so many times?
Of course, as Chris Matthews just said matter-of-factly, when these things happen, the higher ups turn on the lowest in the pecking order (i.e. Scooter Libby,) to take the fall. But, we know that Libby isn't all so hot to take the fall for this, and wants to make a deal. Libby's lawyers have made it clear that they intend to call Rove to the stand, and it seems like there is some talk of implicating Cheney and Rove in this.
We are also seeing two Bush job-approval polls with CBS showing Bush down by 2 points, and Gallup has him up 2 points......2 points in either direction make no difference; the numbers are low and he would have to get a huge bump to make any difference in how the country feels about him. It still looks bad for the Bushies, and no amount of Rovian doublespeak can save them now. Rove was notified that he was off the hook on his way to a Repug fundraiser where he continued with his Democrat bashing lies.
Bush is flying over Iraq, and man, he just cant catch a break.
The only break hes getting is from the press, which is featuring the Rove non-indictment as a "Rove is cleared" story, when Im not so sure that is true. I have not seen any national network news show expand the story to add that there was evidence and that Rove spent an incredible amount of time having to answer questions about what exactly went on.
The tone of the regular news is all "Yay! Rove is innocent!!" The fact that Rove is a liar who can be proven wrong point by point and who manipulates everything he touches is well known in the press. But, now we will see everyone shrink back a bit while Rove tries to puff himself back up to his former size, like a puffer fish in a net. The thing is that the net is alot smaller now, and the fisherman is unimpressed. Of course, we have to wait until the mainstream press gives itself permission to tell an actual story, before we hear the report on the lack of clothing in this kingdom.
Of course, when the Democrats get the House and/or Senate back in the midterms there will be hearings about all of this because there is ample evidence there, and the stories just don't add up. There are also reports that Joe Wilson will launch a civil suit, which stands a good chance of winning because the burden of proof is different. In a way, Im looking more forward to that, if Wilson and Plame can pull it off.
It is far more damning for this administration that the atmosphere in our government is such that a special prosecutor has to know that, even with ample evidence, certain cases cant be tried right now.
But that doesn't let out later.
Finally, I was on my way to get some teacher gifts at Borders Bookstore (yes, its winding down!) and the bird store (see my new baby below!) and Laurence O'Donnell was on Al Franken's show. His best comment was that its pathetic that the biggest celebration that the Bush Administration can have is that one of their top operatives got out of being indicted! Karl Rove not being indicted is the best thing that has happened to Bush in a very long time!
Thanks Larry...I feel much better now.
And thanks to Wonkette for this from a while back but just as meaningful now as it was then. Sometimes you just have to laugh at all of this crap!

Here is my baby girl Jardine Parrot. She is 9 weeks old and so sweet. I was doing some research on Amazons and came across this type and realized that this was the bird for me! After a few days of researching, (and I couldn't find all that much online,) I asked Laurie who owns Parrots and Company what she knows about them, and it turned out that she had just gotten in 2 little babies...That they aren't often available and she usually only gets a couple in spring. I had my hand on this one and was waiting to meet her brother when he was snatched away by a very good home. He was the bigger one and I usually go for the smaller one anyway.
So, Jardines are African parrots, a bit smaller than an African Grey, and every bit as good of a talker. The great thing about them is that they are clowns with great, outgoing personalities. They are also very cuddly, and have a tendency to lay on their backs...sometimes playing dead, for some reason. The colors come in later, but they vary a bit and these parrots are really about personality!
So, I am very happy...My animal family grows, and that is a reason to celebrate!




I have a little movie that I will try to get up tomorrow....and I need name suggestions, if anyone has any.
I am thinking of Kitten, Rita, Claire (after my great friend in Sweden,) Sally (after my grandmother).....I dont know. Right now she is just so sweet and helpless that its hard to know what to call her. Her personality will start to come out pretty soon...in th emovie I made she was climbing on Peach and Tweet4's carrying case and trying to get them to feed her.)
And of course, Kitten is already an Indian Ringneck parrot who will hopefully get a good home soon. So, I can probably take that name back.
Please leave suggestions in the comments section below!!

Left Behind...Yearly Kos and God

Sunday again and I've been lost in the depths of the Yearly Kos panels all weekend. Man, that is my kind of convention. I may have to go next year if I can pull it off. The columnists who wrote from there, and the bloggers who blogged it live, along with those on the panels and asking the questions...All of it streamed online...were just great and gave me a little bit of hope for things and the changing tide of the dissemination of information.Its so great to hear smart people talking from alot of different angles and points of view, and the feeling was that its OK to have differences of opinion as long as we all pull together to try to take back the government. It gave me a little hope and I was wishing that there was more of it and that the stream was better. Dean gave a fantastic speech that reminded me why I was a Deaniac in the first place and voted for him in the primary, even knowing that Kerry would win. And again, under the heading of how fantastic the internet is, alot of the convention panels and speeches are available thanks to Link TV.

Yes, its Sunday again, as I said, which is as good a time as any to think about religion in America. Why? Well, there is alot of nonsense going round in my mind so I thought I might just dump it here and maybe get a good night's sleep for once.
Reports are coming in that the international box office totals of The DaVinci Code Movie has surpassed The Passion of the Christ with $642 million, as opposed to Christ's $623 Million. The fact that domestically Mel Gibson's ode to Catholic punishment far outearned the Code, is probably another piece of this country's troubling slide into religious fundamentalism. Are even the extreme fundamentalists so numb that they have to flock to screenings of what amounts to an S&M whip-fest in order to be able to really feel the metaphorical pain of Jesus' last day?...and haven't they ever heard of metaphor?

Its been raining for something like 40 days and 40 nights here and though I like the rain most of the time and am happy that its cool out, I'm a little tired of the mud and flooding basement, and certain little dogs who don’t like to pee with wet feet, much less get their fur even a little wet. The whole Gore movie thing (which I haven't seen yet,) adds a feeling of biblical revenge of some sort, and the promise that this thing is happening alot quicker than we ever could have imagined.

In times like this I have always turned to Air America Radio for some sort of sanity and to remind me that I'm not crazy and that the world is still turning. There is something comforting in the voices of a few of those people, and it sort of centers me.
Janeane Garafolo, who in her now part time position at Air America Radio's Majority Report, has been fighting rabidly with co-host Sam Seder about a third return visit to the show of the 9-11 firemen, who feel that the cleansing technology that scientology has provided to them has been helpful. These guys have been on 3 times already and the money that they raise with these appearances goes to Scientology, not 9-11 firemen in general. At first I was very disappointed to hear thaJaneanene was "doing some strange Scientology thing…Maybe her new boyfriend is a Scientologist, or she was becoming one…"”( as the gossip went.)
I really dislike cults and all that they stand for. I also dislike all organized religion, so I'mybe Im not the person to jump into this. But it seems like in the endless search for what the point is, organized religion is a little too easy of an answer. To me its more like a a sociological study in human fear and frailty,and I don't like the idea that people want to give up responsibility for choosing what is right and ethical. But I always have to hand it to anyone who has a belief in a God-like figure besides nature, because its something that I don’t understand and probably am incapable of, especially when it involves the paranormal, like Scientology… oh and Christianity too. The harder row is over here with the non-believers who have to look at the stark worms and dirt oI'mit, so Im not going to deny anyone anything that provides comfort in this hard world or that which might make anyone happy.
But, I really thoughtJaneane Jeaneane than Scientology, because it's such an aggressively horrible money drainer on the backs of publicists like these 9-11 fire fighters who get it for free. Just like all treatments that purport to make black tar ooze out of your feet (or where a shaman pulls a chicken gizzard from your belly button,) to me it'’s a bunch of crapola. And her ongoing fight with Sam about it has been a little upsetting because though she is one of the smartest people on radio when she lets herself just be, and doesn’t turn into a grating hag out of anger and frustration, (and oh, I can imagine that she must be a mean drunk and able to tear any opponent limb from limb in an argument. Stay in AA or whatever is keeping you sober, Jeaneane!) her argument on this issue doesn'’t hold water.
She says that these firemen deserve to be on the show to raise money because they are no different that the Fighting Dems series that they have on over and over. Sam'’s point is that they have different candidates on in the Dems series, and it is a political issue, so makes more sense in the context of the show. Jeaneane feels that there is no difference between giving money to Scientology if it benefits the 9-11 firemen, than giving to a Mormon children'’s charity if it benefits children, as opposed to Scientology or the Mormons.
That'’s where I was brought up short. See, I would NEVER give to a Mormon charity because, the money, of course, runs through the church. Unless it's the charity that helps the displaced blackballed young men who get thrown from the compounds in their early teens when the older men feel that there is too much competition for the younger girls.
I don’t fund any religious based charity unless 100% of the funds goes to the exact charitable piece that is beinJaneaneed.
Would Jeaneane give to a factory farming child care charity, even though the kids were being raised to be butchers? No, I doubt she would.
Ive started to feel like she has grabbed hold of this in her stubborn way just to win a fight with Sam, because Sam just doesn’t like scientology and Jeaneane may not like it or organized religion either, but she likes these firemen and she wants to have them on, even if it may end up promoting a cult that drains the financial resources of everyone who joins unless they are rich; then they will take a percentage.
The real story here is that the city and government have failed the first responders to 9-11 and a whole group of New Yorkers in downtown Manhattan (my Mom included,) who were lied to about the air quality and the danger, even as strange dust is still collecting all over Manhattan and numbers of respiratory ailments and cancers are skyrocketing.
Why are these two most brilliant liberal radio hosts fighting like cats and dogs about Scientologist 9-11 Firemen when the problem is that no one is helping many of the responders and the government lied about the dangers posed to the people of the city and rescuers in the pit?

Then, besides the second-coming-like, lil' Brangelineita's soft landing into this world, and onto the multi million dollars to charity, exclusive, cover of People Magazine, (and I must say that, though cute, and the spawn of the most fantastically beautiful Mom in the world, little Shiloh cant hold a candle to how beautiful my William was. Im not saying that as a Mom, honest, he was and is a fantastically handsome guy,)


And speaking of handsome, the muscular, shining, supposedly virgin, Jesus of the Left Behind series, is a real killer, and you can do his dirty work for him on your own home PC. Apparently the father(s) of the books and ministry of the Left Behind books have decided to create an authorized computer game where children 13 and over can, after the rapture has sucked all the chosen ones (the usual crowd, you know: Bush, Rummy, Cheney, Condi, Joe Lieberman, Pat Robertson…..) and the babies off the earth, mass murder the infidels with an array of weapons so violent as to make Mortal Combat look tame. The fact that the story takes place in Manhattan implies that all that’s left are the fags and abortionists anyway, but they look like normal people with families walking down the street, and there is something so wrong about a “church” that allows its teens, as in (“Rated T for Teen,)” to strap on a submachine gun and head out to the streets of Manhattan to do the lord'’s work!
Where in the bible or any other religious text did this image of Jesus or God come from? I understand that God is painted as a wrathful being in places, but one would have to extrapolate pretty far to fit into the stoI'm line of this series. Again Im back to metaphor and all that is read into scriptures and used by different groups in different ways.

Rapture watch: A meteorite hit Norway a couple of days ago, and the impact was the size of Hiroshima. Luckily it was not in a populated area.

Lola, Tweet4, and the gang....Standoff...

M




I admit, I've been messing around with my Windows Movie Maker again instead of finishing up my real blog post and getting other stuff done....oh well, I guess I needed some sort of depressurizing mindless activity for a while...
Anyway, I was just getting the dog food ready and in marched the 2 birds on the floor with an escort of dogs....Not my ideal thing to have come walking in, because I'm usually watching like a hawk and so worried that someone will end up as dinner, but it was good to know that Lola didn't take a bite...She's more into licking and nudging anyway. There is something about the flying and wings flapping that makes her crazy....And she really loves them even if it comes out in a way that they sometimes find overwhelming. The rest of them could care less, though Angelina the Puppy could make a mistake easily while playing. In any case I don't expect that anyone is going to ever be trusted, and the birds will long outlive the dogs so we will muddle along as usual hoping that nothign bad happens.
Meantime, Tweet4 taunts Lola every chance he gets, often pulling her whiskers and trying to peck her eyes...But its a good sign because he is a very playful guy and he is not afraid of her. Peach still has some sudden fear, but she is also much more standoffish in general. Laurie and Bill who own Parrots & Co. have huge dogs, a cat, turtles, and a bunny in the store, so most birds there are used to other household pets, but Peach would scream if she even glimpsed the cat or dogs there, so she will need more time to feel comfortable. In this situation a little healthy fear is not a bad thing.
They love this playgym that I built on top of Bruce the Parakeet's cage, back here by the desk...and Tweet4 is spending alot of time trying to play with Bruce, though I don't know if that's how Bruce sees it. Tweet4 is just running after him on top of the cage and Bruce doesn't really react or interact. But I like to think that he is less lonely. He only sings when they are in the other room, so that must mean something.

In other news, I have been researching other Parrots and came across the Jardine's Parrot. This seems like the perfect bird for me! They are a little bigger than what I have already and they are very cuddly and playful. They are as smart as an African Grey and can talk really well...But are not loud squawkers. So I sent days reading about them and finally went to ask Laurie at Parrots & Company if she ever saw any. Well, it turned out that she's got 2 brand new chicks that just came in....They are adorable! So I went by today and amid the din and roar of a ton of new babies and Todd trying to feed them all, looking like his head was gone explode, I spent a little time with the smaller of the two.
What a fantastic bird! I'm sorry to report that I forgot my camera, and the phone camera is just crappy....So tomorrow Ill get some pictures.
Am I crazy to get another bird? One that lives for over 40 years?
I don't know, but I sure love this type...And compared to the other birdies around there I have pretty few. Its the dog population here that's out of hand!
So anyway...Here is my movie...I hope to have another one up soon, but since I spent the weekend glued to the Yearly Kos panels and messing around, I feel the need to get a few things done.