Well, isn't this interesting. I thought the government had denied this?
Let's see if any major news stations pick this up as an issue.
Rumsfeld says Flight 93 was ’shot down’
By John Byrne | RAW STORY Editor
In either a gargantuan slip of the tongue or a momentous gaffe departing from the Bush Administration-approved timeline, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld told troops in Iraq that the Sept. 11 flight over Pennsylvania was “shot down,” RAW STORY has discovered.
Monday, December 27, 2004
Friday, December 24, 2004
My wife and I thought it would be a good idea to battle the consumerist side of the season with an act of compassion.
Carry some extra goodies in your car. Bottled water, canned food, home made food, blankets or clothing, anything useful will do. There is no need to wrap it.
Next time you see a homeless person give him/her something. No cash. Give something that took at least a little thought.
"hmm, that person looks hungry. A lunchables for him". "That woman looks cold. That blanket we don't need any longer would sure be a nice gift".
Remember to make it something that will actually be useful to a homeless person. Clean water and food. Clothing and portable bedding. If you have some old blankets or jackets you were thinking of donating, carry one or two of them with you tomorrow.
I may not be Christian, but the idea of this holiday is not lost on me. If everyone who gets this gives just one homeless person one gift. That would make a miracle.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Dan and Zoe Hoffman
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
The Holidays are upon us !!!
Well, I am just jotting down some thoughts on the holiday season and my inability to escape the commercialization of x-mas. As I watch the endless commercials, sit-coms and dramas playing into the holiday fever I just want to puke. And here come the news stories telling (again) how much retailers are hurting because people aren't spending enough.
Arrrgghhh..
People aren't spending enough because they don't have it to spend. Most people charge it.
Check out the fed stats here.
You will see there is currently about $788.9 Billion in revolving credit floating around out there. People are paying interest on it and the balance just keeps growing as we buy more stuff we can't afford.
That got me to look up the TOTAL current population of the US. - 295,025,845 !!!
Let's do some math. That's approximately $2,674 of revolving debt (credit cards) for every man, woman and child in the US right now. That includes babies who don't have any credit cards yet.
Also, I found out that the US gains 1 net life every 11 seconds. That means that even with the death rate factored in, we are growing by one person every 11 seconds. That does not include population growth through immigration.
Hmmm.
Well, I am all warm and cozy now. Time for bed.
Merry ...... yeah... just don't buy me anything. We have lot's of mouths to feed and interest to pay.
Cheers.
Arrrgghhh..
People aren't spending enough because they don't have it to spend. Most people charge it.
Check out the fed stats here.
You will see there is currently about $788.9 Billion in revolving credit floating around out there. People are paying interest on it and the balance just keeps growing as we buy more stuff we can't afford.
That got me to look up the TOTAL current population of the US. - 295,025,845 !!!
Let's do some math. That's approximately $2,674 of revolving debt (credit cards) for every man, woman and child in the US right now. That includes babies who don't have any credit cards yet.
Also, I found out that the US gains 1 net life every 11 seconds. That means that even with the death rate factored in, we are growing by one person every 11 seconds. That does not include population growth through immigration.
Hmmm.
Well, I am all warm and cozy now. Time for bed.
Merry ...... yeah... just don't buy me anything. We have lot's of mouths to feed and interest to pay.
Cheers.
Thursday, December 09, 2004
Wrestling as meditation
It's been over three months since I last attended any type of grappling workout. Since I had some free time today, I made it down to the R-1 and did some wrestling in the morning. After an awkward start (I never spent much time at grappling, and after three months since my previous go I was really busy in my head trying to remind myself of the environment) I started to loosen up and have fun. The guy I was working with was good and encouraged me all the way. It's great to have good training partners. It makes you leave feeling good no matter how you performed.
Anyway, things were going along fine for a while. I felt like things were getting smoother and I was moving better than at the beginning. But when we started going a bit harder, I found out just what kind of shape I was in; not great! Things were going along ok until I just started gassing out. Sometimes you hit that point where you know your going to pay a heavy price the next day and wonder "should I push it"? Well, I decided not to on two occasions. I figured I could take it to a certain point and stop (which I did) and I would not have the (I haven't done this for a while and I over did it) pain that we all get when jumping back in with both feet after a break. Well, I mis-calculated that stopping point. I was feeling great after the workout. You always do. But man, I am sore as heck tonight. Zoe and I had Yoga this evening and I thought I was going to fall asleep, until the pain woke me up. That's were part of the "wrestling as meditation" comes in. The wrestling induced a feeling of euphoria offset by pain that kept me in a constant state of detached awareness while doing yoga. A very interesting feeling I haven't had since spending the weekend at a Buddhist Monastery in Taiwan 12 years ago.. 4AM chanting in the hall with all the monks and students... I am also now working on detaching from the pain while being aware of the fact I am writing this blog entry.
It was a lot of fun today. I hope I survive work tomorrow.
Anyway, things were going along fine for a while. I felt like things were getting smoother and I was moving better than at the beginning. But when we started going a bit harder, I found out just what kind of shape I was in; not great! Things were going along ok until I just started gassing out. Sometimes you hit that point where you know your going to pay a heavy price the next day and wonder "should I push it"? Well, I decided not to on two occasions. I figured I could take it to a certain point and stop (which I did) and I would not have the (I haven't done this for a while and I over did it) pain that we all get when jumping back in with both feet after a break. Well, I mis-calculated that stopping point. I was feeling great after the workout. You always do. But man, I am sore as heck tonight. Zoe and I had Yoga this evening and I thought I was going to fall asleep, until the pain woke me up. That's were part of the "wrestling as meditation" comes in. The wrestling induced a feeling of euphoria offset by pain that kept me in a constant state of detached awareness while doing yoga. A very interesting feeling I haven't had since spending the weekend at a Buddhist Monastery in Taiwan 12 years ago.. 4AM chanting in the hall with all the monks and students... I am also now working on detaching from the pain while being aware of the fact I am writing this blog entry.
It was a lot of fun today. I hope I survive work tomorrow.
Property Details - 2747 E 139th Place - Thornton
Anyone looking for a house in Denver, CO???
2747 E 139th Place - Thornton
2747 E 139th Place - Thornton
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
Two more great foreign films.
Monday, December 06, 2004
BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Bomb wrecks Thai 'peace offering'
Well, it sounded like a good idea at the time ....
Imagine the signal you should be sending by dropping a whole bunch of origami birds made by school kids. Should send a fairly clear message that would have even the leader of the KKK thinking twice about that weekend cross burning. Or would it??
BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Bomb wrecks Thai 'peace offering': "Thailand's troubled south has been hit by fresh violence, just hours after army planes dropped 100m origami birds as a peace offering."
Imagine the signal you should be sending by dropping a whole bunch of origami birds made by school kids. Should send a fairly clear message that would have even the leader of the KKK thinking twice about that weekend cross burning. Or would it??
BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Bomb wrecks Thai 'peace offering': "Thailand's troubled south has been hit by fresh violence, just hours after army planes dropped 100m origami birds as a peace offering."
Thursday, December 02, 2004
BBC NEWS | Technology | Anti-spam plan overwhelms sites
Poetic Justice? I don't like screensavers, but this might be interesting.
BBC NEWS | Technology | Anti-spam plan overwhelms sites: "Anti-spam plan overwhelms sites
Screengrab of Lycos screensaver homepage, Lycos
The screensaver uses idle computers to tackle spam sites
A plan to bump up the bandwidth bills of spammers seems to be getting out of control."
BBC NEWS | Technology | Anti-spam plan overwhelms sites: "Anti-spam plan overwhelms sites
Screengrab of Lycos screensaver homepage, Lycos
The screensaver uses idle computers to tackle spam sites
A plan to bump up the bandwidth bills of spammers seems to be getting out of control."
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
BBC NEWS | Americas | US extends troops' time in Iraq
US extends troops' time in Iraq
As the election swings in Bush's favor, I read this news story.
I wonder how the absentee ballots from the military will swing?
Also, I can't help but wonder what people are thinking. It doesn't make sense that anyone who has been paying attention could possibly vote for Bush. (not that Kerry is that great... but compared to Bush he is much less harmful to the country).
I will be keeping my fingers crossed as I sleep.
As the election swings in Bush's favor, I read this news story.
I wonder how the absentee ballots from the military will swing?
Also, I can't help but wonder what people are thinking. It doesn't make sense that anyone who has been paying attention could possibly vote for Bush. (not that Kerry is that great... but compared to Bush he is much less harmful to the country).
I will be keeping my fingers crossed as I sleep.
Monday, November 01, 2004
An email message I got that is supposed to be from Michael Moore:
Subj: "One Day Left" by Michael Moore
Date: 11/1/2004 9:40:37 AM Pacific Standard Time
From: maillist@michaelmoore.com
To: jdnewsie@aol.com
Sent from the Internet (Details)
11/1/04
Friends,
This is it. ONE DAY LEFT. There are many things I’d like to say. I’ve been on the road getting out the vote for 51 straight days so I haven’t had much time to write. So I’ve put together a bunch of notes to various groups all in this one letter. Please feel free to copy and send whatever portions are appropriate to your friends and family as you spend these last 24 hours trying to convince whomever you can to show up and vote for John Kerry.
Here are my final words…
To Decent Conservatives and Recovering Republicans:
In your heart of hearts you know Bush is a miserable failure. From having no plan on what to do in Iraq once he conquered Baghdad to the 380 missing tons of explosives that could be used to kill our brave young men and women, this guy doesn’t have a clue how to fight and win a war. You should see the mail I’ve been getting lately from our troops over there. They know how much the Iraqi people hate them. They are sitting ducks anytime they go out on the road. Many believe we are not that far away from a Tet-style offensive inside the Green Zone with hundreds of Americans and Brits killed.
Bush refused to go after and capture Osama bin Laden. He fought, every step of the way, the investigation into the 9/11 attacks. Who on earth would oppose such a thing? If 3,000 people died at your place of work and your boss said we don’t need to find out why or how it happened, he’d be thrown out on his ear. Bush’s behavior after this great tragedy alone is reason enough for his removal.
You already know that George W. Bush is the farthest thing from a conservative. He’s a reckless spender who has run up record-breaking deficits and the biggest debt in our history. He believes in having the government pry into everything from your library records to your bedroom. He has hit you with hidden taxes with his tax cuts for the rich.
I know many of you don’t like Bush, but are unsure of Kerry. Give the new guy a chance. He won’t raise your taxes (unless you are super-rich), he won’t take your hunting gun away, and he won’t make you visit France. He risked his life for you many years ago. He’s asking for the chance to do it again. Scott McConnell at The American Conservative magazine has endorsed him. What more do you need?
To My Friends on the Left:
Okay, Kerry isn’t everything you wished he would be. You’re right. He’s not you! Or me. But we’re not on the ballot – Kerry is. Yes, Kerry was wrong to vote for authorization for war in Iraq but he was in step with 70% of the American public who was being lied to by Bush & Co. And once everyone learned the truth, the majority turned against the war. Kerry has had only one position on the war – he believed his president.
President Kerry had better bring the troops home right away. My prediction: Kerry’s roots are anti-war. He has seen the horrors of war and because of that he will avoid war unless it is absolutely necessary. Ask most vets. But don’t ask someone whose only horror was when he arrived too late for a kegger in Alabama.
There’s a reason Bush calls Kerry the Number One Liberal in the Senate – THAT’S BECAUSE HE IS THE NUMBER ONE LIBERAL IN THE SENATE! What more do you want? My friends, this is about as good as it gets when voting for the Democrat. We don’t have the #29 Liberal running or the #14 Liberal or even the #2 Liberal – we got #1! When has that ever happened?
Those of us who may be to the left of the #1 liberal Democrat should remember that this year conservative Democrats have had to make a far greater shift in their position to back Kerry than we have. We’re the ones always being asked to make the huge compromises and to always vote holding our noses. No nose holding this time. This #1 liberal is not the tweedledee to Bush’s tweedledum.
To Nader Voters:
See the above note.
Ralph’s own party, the Green Party, would not endorse his run this year. That’s because those of us who want to build a third party in this country know that the only way to do this is to build bridges with those who believe in the issues Nader believes in. But not one of those people will sacrifice the chance to remove George W. Bush from the White House on Tuesday. The choice here is clear: do we join with our friends, or do we piss on them?
After the debacle of 2000, the Democrats got smart and abandoned the conservative wing of their party. That’s why 8 of the 9 Democrats in the primaries this year were from the liberal wing. Ralph should take credit for that and declare victory. It’s so sad that he doesn’t realize the good he’s accomplished. But for reasons only known to him, he’s more angry at the Democrats than he is at Bush. He has lost his compass. I worry he has lost his mind. But he still gives a great speech!
And Lila Lipscomb, the mother from Flint who lost her son in Iraq, she still grieves -- as do the mothers of 1,120 others (not to mention the mothers of the 100,000 Iraqis who have died because of Bush’s war). That’s what this election is about. Not Ralph proving some point. Almost none of us on his 2000 advisory group are supporting him this year. His total lack of respect for his best friends should tell all of you something about what he really thinks of you, too.
To the Non-Swing States:
Stop listening to how your vote doesn’t count in this election and that your state is already decided for Kerry or Bush. It is critical that you vote because we not only need to give Kerry the electoral win, but he needs to have a HUGE mandate with an ENORMOUS popular vote victory as well. It will be impossible for him to get anything done for four years if there is no clear mandate. We must not only defeat Bush, we must put a stake in the heart of the right-wing, neo-con movement. If you live in New York, California, Illinois, Texas, the Northeast or the Deep South, you need to vote and you need to bring ten people with you to the polls. If you live in a state where we have the chance to elect the Democrat to the Senate or the House, you need to vote. Turn off the TV. Quit listening to news media that has a vested interest in repeating to you over and over that your vote does not count. It does.
If you have friends or relatives who live in the 30-plus non-swing states, call them and remind them how important it is that Kerry gets a massive popular vote victory.
To Non-Voters:
I understand why you stopped voting. Politicians suck. Nothing ever seems to change. You’re only one vote.
Yes, politicians suck. But so do car salesmen – and that hasn’t stopped you from buying a car. Politicians only respond to the threat of the angry mob also known as the voting public. If most people don’t vote, that’s good news for them ‘cause then they don’t have to answer to the majority.
Almost fifty percent of Americans don’t vote. That means you belong to the largest political party in America – the Non-Voting Party. That means you hold all the power to toss George W. Bush out of the Oval Office. How cool is that?
I believe that we are going to have the largest election turnout in our lifetime tomorrow. You don’t want to miss out on that. The lines at the polls are going to be long and raucous and fun. It is an historic election. You won’t want to say that you were the only one who wasn’t there. Promise me you’ll vote, just this one time.
To All First-Time Voters:
Welcome to the longest running, uninterrupted democracy on earth! You own it. It’s yours.
A few words about how messy it’s going to be tomorrow. The lines are going to be long. Bring your iPods. Better yet, bring a friend or two. The election officials have no clue just how many millions are going to show up at the polls. This will be the largest turnout in our lifetime. They don’t have enough machines. They are going to have to send for more ballots.
And they are going to make it difficult for you to vote. The new law says if this is your first time voting you must bring ID with you that matches the address you are registered at.
If for some reason they can’t find your name on the voting rolls, you have the right to ask for a provisional ballot, which you can fill out and then sort things out later.
If you have any problems at the polling place, please call 1-866-OUR-VOTE. The people there can tell you how to find the precinct where you should be voting, get you legal help if you are denied the right to vote, or answer any other questions you may have.
If you need any help figuring out the ballot, don’t be afraid to ask. If you screw up your ballot, you can ask for another one. In fact, the law allows you to screw up your ballot two times before you finally have to submit your final ballot! Be careful to vote on the line that says John F. Kerry/John Edwards. Don’t vote for more than one Presidential, Senate or House candidate or you ballot won’t be counted. If your polling place has a stub or a receipt from your ballot, make sure they give you one.
Thanks for joining us. Democracy is not a spectator sport. It only works when we all come off the bench and participate.
To African Americans:
First of all, let’s just acknowledge what you already know: America is a country which still has a race problem, to put it nicely. Al Gore would be president today had thousands of African Americans not had their right to vote stolen from them in Florida in 2000.
Here is my commitment: I will do everything I can to make sure that this will not happen again. And I’m not the only one making this pledge. Thousands of volunteer lawyers are flying to Florida to act as poll watchers and intervene should there be any attempts to deny anyone their right to vote. They will NOT be messing around.
For my part, I have organized an army of 1,200 professional and amateur filmmakers who will be armed with video cameras throughout the states of Florida and Ohio. At the first sign of criminality, we will dispatch a camera crew to where the vote fraud is taking place and record what is going on. We will put a big public spotlight on any wrongdoing by Republican officials in those two states. They will not get away with this as they did in 2000.
In Ohio, the Republicans are sending almost 2,000 paid “poll challengers” into the black precincts of Cleveland in an attempt to stop African Americans from voting. This action is beyond despicable. Do not let this stop you from voting. I, and thousand of others, will be there to fight for you and protect you.
To George W.:
I know it’s gotta be rough for you right now. Hey, we’ve all been there. “You’re fired” are two horrible words when put together in that order. Bin Laden surfacing this weekend to remind the American people of your total and complete failure to capture him was a cruel trick or treat. But there he was. 3,000 people were killed and he’s laughing in your face. Why did you stop our Special Forces from going after him? Why did you forget about bin Laden on the DAY AFTER 9/11 and tell your terrorism czar to concentrate on Iraq instead?
There he was, OBL, all tan and rested and on videotape (hey, did you get the feeling that he had a bootleg of my movie? Are there DVD players in those caves in Afghanistan?)
Speaking of my movie – can I ask you a personal question before we part ways for good on Tuesday? Why did you and your friends fund SIX “documentaries” trashing me -- but only ONE film against Kerry? C’mon, he was the candidate, not me. What a waste of your time and resources! Sure, I know what your pollsters told you, that the film had convinced some people to vote you out. I just want you to know that that was not my original intent. Funny things happen at the movies. Hope you get to see a few at the multiplex in Waco. It’s a great way to relax.
To John Kerry:
Thank you.
And don’t worry – none of us are going away after you are inaugurated. We’ll be there to hold your hand and keep you honest. Don’t let us down. We’re betting you won’t. So is the rest of the world.
That’s it. See you at the polls – and at the victory party tomorrow night.
Yours,
Michael Moore
www.michaelmoore.com
MMFlint@aol.com
Subj: "One Day Left" by Michael Moore
Date: 11/1/2004 9:40:37 AM Pacific Standard Time
From: maillist@michaelmoore.com
To: jdnewsie@aol.com
Sent from the Internet (Details)
11/1/04
Friends,
This is it. ONE DAY LEFT. There are many things I’d like to say. I’ve been on the road getting out the vote for 51 straight days so I haven’t had much time to write. So I’ve put together a bunch of notes to various groups all in this one letter. Please feel free to copy and send whatever portions are appropriate to your friends and family as you spend these last 24 hours trying to convince whomever you can to show up and vote for John Kerry.
Here are my final words…
To Decent Conservatives and Recovering Republicans:
In your heart of hearts you know Bush is a miserable failure. From having no plan on what to do in Iraq once he conquered Baghdad to the 380 missing tons of explosives that could be used to kill our brave young men and women, this guy doesn’t have a clue how to fight and win a war. You should see the mail I’ve been getting lately from our troops over there. They know how much the Iraqi people hate them. They are sitting ducks anytime they go out on the road. Many believe we are not that far away from a Tet-style offensive inside the Green Zone with hundreds of Americans and Brits killed.
Bush refused to go after and capture Osama bin Laden. He fought, every step of the way, the investigation into the 9/11 attacks. Who on earth would oppose such a thing? If 3,000 people died at your place of work and your boss said we don’t need to find out why or how it happened, he’d be thrown out on his ear. Bush’s behavior after this great tragedy alone is reason enough for his removal.
You already know that George W. Bush is the farthest thing from a conservative. He’s a reckless spender who has run up record-breaking deficits and the biggest debt in our history. He believes in having the government pry into everything from your library records to your bedroom. He has hit you with hidden taxes with his tax cuts for the rich.
I know many of you don’t like Bush, but are unsure of Kerry. Give the new guy a chance. He won’t raise your taxes (unless you are super-rich), he won’t take your hunting gun away, and he won’t make you visit France. He risked his life for you many years ago. He’s asking for the chance to do it again. Scott McConnell at The American Conservative magazine has endorsed him. What more do you need?
To My Friends on the Left:
Okay, Kerry isn’t everything you wished he would be. You’re right. He’s not you! Or me. But we’re not on the ballot – Kerry is. Yes, Kerry was wrong to vote for authorization for war in Iraq but he was in step with 70% of the American public who was being lied to by Bush & Co. And once everyone learned the truth, the majority turned against the war. Kerry has had only one position on the war – he believed his president.
President Kerry had better bring the troops home right away. My prediction: Kerry’s roots are anti-war. He has seen the horrors of war and because of that he will avoid war unless it is absolutely necessary. Ask most vets. But don’t ask someone whose only horror was when he arrived too late for a kegger in Alabama.
There’s a reason Bush calls Kerry the Number One Liberal in the Senate – THAT’S BECAUSE HE IS THE NUMBER ONE LIBERAL IN THE SENATE! What more do you want? My friends, this is about as good as it gets when voting for the Democrat. We don’t have the #29 Liberal running or the #14 Liberal or even the #2 Liberal – we got #1! When has that ever happened?
Those of us who may be to the left of the #1 liberal Democrat should remember that this year conservative Democrats have had to make a far greater shift in their position to back Kerry than we have. We’re the ones always being asked to make the huge compromises and to always vote holding our noses. No nose holding this time. This #1 liberal is not the tweedledee to Bush’s tweedledum.
To Nader Voters:
See the above note.
Ralph’s own party, the Green Party, would not endorse his run this year. That’s because those of us who want to build a third party in this country know that the only way to do this is to build bridges with those who believe in the issues Nader believes in. But not one of those people will sacrifice the chance to remove George W. Bush from the White House on Tuesday. The choice here is clear: do we join with our friends, or do we piss on them?
After the debacle of 2000, the Democrats got smart and abandoned the conservative wing of their party. That’s why 8 of the 9 Democrats in the primaries this year were from the liberal wing. Ralph should take credit for that and declare victory. It’s so sad that he doesn’t realize the good he’s accomplished. But for reasons only known to him, he’s more angry at the Democrats than he is at Bush. He has lost his compass. I worry he has lost his mind. But he still gives a great speech!
And Lila Lipscomb, the mother from Flint who lost her son in Iraq, she still grieves -- as do the mothers of 1,120 others (not to mention the mothers of the 100,000 Iraqis who have died because of Bush’s war). That’s what this election is about. Not Ralph proving some point. Almost none of us on his 2000 advisory group are supporting him this year. His total lack of respect for his best friends should tell all of you something about what he really thinks of you, too.
To the Non-Swing States:
Stop listening to how your vote doesn’t count in this election and that your state is already decided for Kerry or Bush. It is critical that you vote because we not only need to give Kerry the electoral win, but he needs to have a HUGE mandate with an ENORMOUS popular vote victory as well. It will be impossible for him to get anything done for four years if there is no clear mandate. We must not only defeat Bush, we must put a stake in the heart of the right-wing, neo-con movement. If you live in New York, California, Illinois, Texas, the Northeast or the Deep South, you need to vote and you need to bring ten people with you to the polls. If you live in a state where we have the chance to elect the Democrat to the Senate or the House, you need to vote. Turn off the TV. Quit listening to news media that has a vested interest in repeating to you over and over that your vote does not count. It does.
If you have friends or relatives who live in the 30-plus non-swing states, call them and remind them how important it is that Kerry gets a massive popular vote victory.
To Non-Voters:
I understand why you stopped voting. Politicians suck. Nothing ever seems to change. You’re only one vote.
Yes, politicians suck. But so do car salesmen – and that hasn’t stopped you from buying a car. Politicians only respond to the threat of the angry mob also known as the voting public. If most people don’t vote, that’s good news for them ‘cause then they don’t have to answer to the majority.
Almost fifty percent of Americans don’t vote. That means you belong to the largest political party in America – the Non-Voting Party. That means you hold all the power to toss George W. Bush out of the Oval Office. How cool is that?
I believe that we are going to have the largest election turnout in our lifetime tomorrow. You don’t want to miss out on that. The lines at the polls are going to be long and raucous and fun. It is an historic election. You won’t want to say that you were the only one who wasn’t there. Promise me you’ll vote, just this one time.
To All First-Time Voters:
Welcome to the longest running, uninterrupted democracy on earth! You own it. It’s yours.
A few words about how messy it’s going to be tomorrow. The lines are going to be long. Bring your iPods. Better yet, bring a friend or two. The election officials have no clue just how many millions are going to show up at the polls. This will be the largest turnout in our lifetime. They don’t have enough machines. They are going to have to send for more ballots.
And they are going to make it difficult for you to vote. The new law says if this is your first time voting you must bring ID with you that matches the address you are registered at.
If for some reason they can’t find your name on the voting rolls, you have the right to ask for a provisional ballot, which you can fill out and then sort things out later.
If you have any problems at the polling place, please call 1-866-OUR-VOTE. The people there can tell you how to find the precinct where you should be voting, get you legal help if you are denied the right to vote, or answer any other questions you may have.
If you need any help figuring out the ballot, don’t be afraid to ask. If you screw up your ballot, you can ask for another one. In fact, the law allows you to screw up your ballot two times before you finally have to submit your final ballot! Be careful to vote on the line that says John F. Kerry/John Edwards. Don’t vote for more than one Presidential, Senate or House candidate or you ballot won’t be counted. If your polling place has a stub or a receipt from your ballot, make sure they give you one.
Thanks for joining us. Democracy is not a spectator sport. It only works when we all come off the bench and participate.
To African Americans:
First of all, let’s just acknowledge what you already know: America is a country which still has a race problem, to put it nicely. Al Gore would be president today had thousands of African Americans not had their right to vote stolen from them in Florida in 2000.
Here is my commitment: I will do everything I can to make sure that this will not happen again. And I’m not the only one making this pledge. Thousands of volunteer lawyers are flying to Florida to act as poll watchers and intervene should there be any attempts to deny anyone their right to vote. They will NOT be messing around.
For my part, I have organized an army of 1,200 professional and amateur filmmakers who will be armed with video cameras throughout the states of Florida and Ohio. At the first sign of criminality, we will dispatch a camera crew to where the vote fraud is taking place and record what is going on. We will put a big public spotlight on any wrongdoing by Republican officials in those two states. They will not get away with this as they did in 2000.
In Ohio, the Republicans are sending almost 2,000 paid “poll challengers” into the black precincts of Cleveland in an attempt to stop African Americans from voting. This action is beyond despicable. Do not let this stop you from voting. I, and thousand of others, will be there to fight for you and protect you.
To George W.:
I know it’s gotta be rough for you right now. Hey, we’ve all been there. “You’re fired” are two horrible words when put together in that order. Bin Laden surfacing this weekend to remind the American people of your total and complete failure to capture him was a cruel trick or treat. But there he was. 3,000 people were killed and he’s laughing in your face. Why did you stop our Special Forces from going after him? Why did you forget about bin Laden on the DAY AFTER 9/11 and tell your terrorism czar to concentrate on Iraq instead?
There he was, OBL, all tan and rested and on videotape (hey, did you get the feeling that he had a bootleg of my movie? Are there DVD players in those caves in Afghanistan?)
Speaking of my movie – can I ask you a personal question before we part ways for good on Tuesday? Why did you and your friends fund SIX “documentaries” trashing me -- but only ONE film against Kerry? C’mon, he was the candidate, not me. What a waste of your time and resources! Sure, I know what your pollsters told you, that the film had convinced some people to vote you out. I just want you to know that that was not my original intent. Funny things happen at the movies. Hope you get to see a few at the multiplex in Waco. It’s a great way to relax.
To John Kerry:
Thank you.
And don’t worry – none of us are going away after you are inaugurated. We’ll be there to hold your hand and keep you honest. Don’t let us down. We’re betting you won’t. So is the rest of the world.
That’s it. See you at the polls – and at the victory party tomorrow night.
Yours,
Michael Moore
www.michaelmoore.com
MMFlint@aol.com
Friday, October 29, 2004
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
MSNBC - Taiwan calls Powell speech ?big surprise?
OK.. Yesterday was my birthday and I was really sick. I thought that would just ruin it and make me miserable. But my wife came in and took care of me. It was really touching. The way she looked after me made me remember how lucky I am. And even though I am still sick and miserable, I know my wife really cares about me.
And she is now a U.S. citizen.
On another front: Powell shoots his mouth off again. The Bush administration seems to be in favor of unification yet enjoys the profits in selling defensive arms to Taiwan.
Doesn't it seem a bit strange that on one hand they call for a unification they know is not possible under current situations.
It is obvious that this is a game being played for profit. Each time the U.S. can raise tensions between China and Taiwan over the one China policy, China talks tough with Taiwan, and often demonstrates its might. In turn Taiwan buys more defensive weapons from..... The U.S.A.!!! Boy, imagine if you had customers who could be manipulated in this way?
Sadly, they are playing with fire. If they are not careful, they may someday get their wish and a war between China and Taiwan will occur before the two sides have a chance to work out a peace plan that works for their needs.
That's my two cents for the day. If I took more time I could write a paper on this issue of western manipulation of cross-straight issues, but who would read it?
MSNBC - Taiwan calls Powell speech ?big surprise?: "TAIPEI, Taiwan - Secretary of State Colin Powell has angered Taiwanese officials and lawmakers by making unusually strong comments denying that the island is an independent nation and suggesting Taiwan should unify with China. "
And she is now a U.S. citizen.
On another front: Powell shoots his mouth off again. The Bush administration seems to be in favor of unification yet enjoys the profits in selling defensive arms to Taiwan.
Doesn't it seem a bit strange that on one hand they call for a unification they know is not possible under current situations.
It is obvious that this is a game being played for profit. Each time the U.S. can raise tensions between China and Taiwan over the one China policy, China talks tough with Taiwan, and often demonstrates its might. In turn Taiwan buys more defensive weapons from..... The U.S.A.!!! Boy, imagine if you had customers who could be manipulated in this way?
Sadly, they are playing with fire. If they are not careful, they may someday get their wish and a war between China and Taiwan will occur before the two sides have a chance to work out a peace plan that works for their needs.
That's my two cents for the day. If I took more time I could write a paper on this issue of western manipulation of cross-straight issues, but who would read it?
MSNBC - Taiwan calls Powell speech ?big surprise?: "TAIPEI, Taiwan - Secretary of State Colin Powell has angered Taiwanese officials and lawmakers by making unusually strong comments denying that the island is an independent nation and suggesting Taiwan should unify with China. "
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
Roasted Pomegranate Chicken Recipe - Home Cooking
Roasted Pomegranate Chicken Recipe - Home Cooking
Well, I think this is going to be my next experiment. My wife will no doubt boycott, as she is a veg-head. But, the recipe should delight my mother and father. We shall see. Maybe I will try it soon.
Meanwhile, the in-laws are still in town for one more day. It has been an OK visit without too many misunderstandings. But the fact is that my folks can't communicate well with them do to the language barrier. Also, it's just in-laws... All you married folks know what I mean.
Anyway, I really like them. The only bad part is the constant eating. I am feeling really bloated (strange word for a man to use) from all the eating and driving and eating... OMG.
Bolemia, here I come.. JK. But seriously folks, I will be glad to get back to a normal schedule. But I will miss them, a little.
Cheers.
Well, I think this is going to be my next experiment. My wife will no doubt boycott, as she is a veg-head. But, the recipe should delight my mother and father. We shall see. Maybe I will try it soon.
Meanwhile, the in-laws are still in town for one more day. It has been an OK visit without too many misunderstandings. But the fact is that my folks can't communicate well with them do to the language barrier. Also, it's just in-laws... All you married folks know what I mean.
Anyway, I really like them. The only bad part is the constant eating. I am feeling really bloated (strange word for a man to use) from all the eating and driving and eating... OMG.
Bolemia, here I come.. JK. But seriously folks, I will be glad to get back to a normal schedule. But I will miss them, a little.
Cheers.
Thursday, October 07, 2004
CNN.com - Cheney slip sends Net surfers to anti-Bush site - Oct 6, 2004
This is funny:
CNN.com - Cheney slip sends Net surfers to anti-Bush site - Oct 6, 2004: "Cheney slip sends Net surfers to anti-Bush site
Wednesday, October 6, 2004 Posted: 5:11 PM EDT (2111 GMT)
WASHINGTON (AP) -- All he wanted were the facts. But Dick Cheney ended up generating confusion-- and lots of it."
Talk about a booboo....??? Doh!.
Thanks Dick!.. Was this an accident or a carefully planned "Freudian slip"???
You decide.
CNN.com - Cheney slip sends Net surfers to anti-Bush site - Oct 6, 2004: "Cheney slip sends Net surfers to anti-Bush site
Wednesday, October 6, 2004 Posted: 5:11 PM EDT (2111 GMT)
WASHINGTON (AP) -- All he wanted were the facts. But Dick Cheney ended up generating confusion-- and lots of it."
Talk about a booboo....??? Doh!.
Thanks Dick!.. Was this an accident or a carefully planned "Freudian slip"???
You decide.
Expo Comida Latina - Los Angeles
Just finished the Expo Comida Latina - Los Angeles.
It was a very interesting show to participate in. Although the show did not go as smooth as it should have, it was fun. There was a lot of free food, including some veggie products. There were wine samples, beer and tequila as well. Not that I tried any of them. But they were there for those who do partake.
Anyway, I am just getting back into life and have my in-laws here from Taiwan. I am taking them around now and trying to get things done at the same time. But they are fun.. overall.
Dan.
It was a very interesting show to participate in. Although the show did not go as smooth as it should have, it was fun. There was a lot of free food, including some veggie products. There were wine samples, beer and tequila as well. Not that I tried any of them. But they were there for those who do partake.
Anyway, I am just getting back into life and have my in-laws here from Taiwan. I am taking them around now and trying to get things done at the same time. But they are fun.. overall.
Dan.
Wednesday, September 29, 2004
GOING UPRIVER | Home
GOING UPRIVER
The Long War of John Kerry: "
'KERRY'SAPOCALYPSE NOW!Butler can be a powerful storyteller. What stares you in the face is the anquish and grief of men who put their lives in the line of fire for a government that undertook a pointless war, mismanaged it, kept it going out of hubris and then abandoned it.Watch this and try not to weep.'
Frank Rich,
THE NEW YORK TIMES
'ANYONE WHO SEESGOING "
++++++++++++++
OK.. I am no great fan of Kerry's, even though I like him better than Bush. But this movie sounds like it may be pushing it. I will probably go see it, just to know how they are trying to frame Kerry for the upcoming election.
I you see it, post your comments. But please, no name calling. Just review the MOVIE and refrain from any FOX-like tactics.
Cheers.
The Long War of John Kerry: "
'KERRY'SAPOCALYPSE NOW!Butler can be a powerful storyteller. What stares you in the face is the anquish and grief of men who put their lives in the line of fire for a government that undertook a pointless war, mismanaged it, kept it going out of hubris and then abandoned it.Watch this and try not to weep.'
Frank Rich,
THE NEW YORK TIMES
'ANYONE WHO SEESGOING "
++++++++++++++
OK.. I am no great fan of Kerry's, even though I like him better than Bush. But this movie sounds like it may be pushing it. I will probably go see it, just to know how they are trying to frame Kerry for the upcoming election.
I you see it, post your comments. But please, no name calling. Just review the MOVIE and refrain from any FOX-like tactics.
Cheers.
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
Time To Vote | Voter Leave Laws
Working? Not sure if you can make it to the Polls? Read:
Time To Vote | Voter Leave Laws: "STATE VOTER LEAVE LAWS
The following states have laws giving employees the right to take time off from work to vote. Many states require employees to give employers notice about taking leave before Election Day and some states require employees to provide employers with proof of voting. In addition, while employers cannot prevent employees from voting, most states give employers the right to specify the time during the day that leave can be taken.
NOTE: This information is for background purposes only. Readers should seek legal advice before taking any specific action. "
Time To Vote | Voter Leave Laws: "STATE VOTER LEAVE LAWS
The following states have laws giving employees the right to take time off from work to vote. Many states require employees to give employers notice about taking leave before Election Day and some states require employees to provide employers with proof of voting. In addition, while employers cannot prevent employees from voting, most states give employers the right to specify the time during the day that leave can be taken.
NOTE: This information is for background purposes only. Readers should seek legal advice before taking any specific action. "
Monday, September 27, 2004
Sunday, September 26, 2004
Black Box Voting |
If you plan to vote, or even give a darn about democracy, check this out:
+++++++++
Black Box Voting |: "Chimpanzee demonstrates erasure of voting system log
Submitted by Bev Harris on Sat, 08/28/2004 - 18:52. News Articles
News clip: ***NEW*** Chimp video
Download: chimpanzee hacking Diebold audit log
'Impossible.' -- David Bear, Diebold
Simply by double-clicking the file, we opened a real Diebold audit log file, using real Diebold software. We then highlighted the records we wanted to obliterate. (Baxter, the chimp, has difficulty handling a mouse.)
What the chimp did: Baxter then hit the 'Delete' key, erasing the audit log records, and then the 'Enter' key, confirming the command."
++++++++
I am not sure, but I have heard that most polling places using the touch screen machines will also have paper ballots if requested.
You could also vote abscentee if you polling place does not give you the option.
+++++++++
Black Box Voting |: "Chimpanzee demonstrates erasure of voting system log
Submitted by Bev Harris on Sat, 08/28/2004 - 18:52. News Articles
News clip: ***NEW*** Chimp video
Download: chimpanzee hacking Diebold audit log
'Impossible.' -- David Bear, Diebold
Simply by double-clicking the file, we opened a real Diebold audit log file, using real Diebold software. We then highlighted the records we wanted to obliterate. (Baxter, the chimp, has difficulty handling a mouse.)
What the chimp did: Baxter then hit the 'Delete' key, erasing the audit log records, and then the 'Enter' key, confirming the command."
++++++++
I am not sure, but I have heard that most polling places using the touch screen machines will also have paper ballots if requested.
You could also vote abscentee if you polling place does not give you the option.
Friday, September 24, 2004
Sniffer rats seek out quake survivors. 23/09/2004. ABC News Online
Is this really a good idea???
:::::::
Sniffer rats seek out quake survivors. 23/09/2004. ABC News Online: "Scientists in the United States are teaching rats how to track down human scents and have identified the brain signals that are generated when they do.
Electrodes implanted in their brains will send signals to a radio transmitter pack strapped to the animal's back.
Rescuers on the surface will be able to track the signal and locate any survivors. "
:::::::
Could you imagine being buried in rubble after a disaster, crying for help, hungry and scared. And just when you start to calm down, here comes a rat with a little helmet and a backpack. Now it starts squeaking at you and turning in circles. You think you are dying and start to weep again. Now, the rescuers know where you are, but you only think you are hallucinating. You are seeing a big rat with a helmet and a backpack that hiked into your little personal hell and began to try and talk to you.
OMG!!!.
But it gets worse. You are pinned and can't really move. After all that work, the rat is getting hungry.. And you are bleeding and can't move.
Shall I describe what happens next? Just hope the scientists remembered to pack a cheese lunch for the little rat.
The scientists would be on the surface looking at the brain monitor...
"Look, our little friend seems to have found a human. Oh, and it seems something else is going on in his little brain. Hey John, what does this mean?.... Oh, it looks as though he found something to eat."
DOH......
:::::::
Sniffer rats seek out quake survivors. 23/09/2004. ABC News Online: "Scientists in the United States are teaching rats how to track down human scents and have identified the brain signals that are generated when they do.
Electrodes implanted in their brains will send signals to a radio transmitter pack strapped to the animal's back.
Rescuers on the surface will be able to track the signal and locate any survivors. "
:::::::
Could you imagine being buried in rubble after a disaster, crying for help, hungry and scared. And just when you start to calm down, here comes a rat with a little helmet and a backpack. Now it starts squeaking at you and turning in circles. You think you are dying and start to weep again. Now, the rescuers know where you are, but you only think you are hallucinating. You are seeing a big rat with a helmet and a backpack that hiked into your little personal hell and began to try and talk to you.
OMG!!!.
But it gets worse. You are pinned and can't really move. After all that work, the rat is getting hungry.. And you are bleeding and can't move.
Shall I describe what happens next? Just hope the scientists remembered to pack a cheese lunch for the little rat.
The scientists would be on the surface looking at the brain monitor...
"Look, our little friend seems to have found a human. Oh, and it seems something else is going on in his little brain. Hey John, what does this mean?.... Oh, it looks as though he found something to eat."
DOH......
'Betel nut beauties' given cover up order. 20/09/2004. ABC News Online
After I got my first motorcycle in Taiwan, the roads were a new experience. You can't appreciate the burbs and the mountain roads from a bus. And the best thing of all was the scenery! And now, that is about to change.
'Betel nut beauties' given cover up order. 20/09/2004. ABC News Online
Now, I know what you are thinking.. AhDoGa, you are a pig. Well, Oink Oink...
I always thought it was stupid to have a half naked woman selling some product primarily used by men.. Oh.. Wait, I forgot about American T.V.. Beer, Cars, Jeans, Shoes and Cigs in the magazines.
Well, I say that if we can do it on T.V. in the states, let them bare all for work in Taichung.
Well, those long distance rides will never be the same... Bye bye girls.
At least I won't be as likely to chew Betel Nut.
ADG
'Betel nut beauties' given cover up order. 20/09/2004. ABC News Online
Now, I know what you are thinking.. AhDoGa, you are a pig. Well, Oink Oink...
I always thought it was stupid to have a half naked woman selling some product primarily used by men.. Oh.. Wait, I forgot about American T.V.. Beer, Cars, Jeans, Shoes and Cigs in the magazines.
Well, I say that if we can do it on T.V. in the states, let them bare all for work in Taichung.
Well, those long distance rides will never be the same... Bye bye girls.
At least I won't be as likely to chew Betel Nut.
ADG
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
Prince Roy's Realm
Prince Roy's Realm
My good buddy Prince Roy has some good food stories up now.
On a similar note, Zoe has been experimenting with a new book on vegetarian cooking. I have been eating well lately. Between the Zuchinni corn fritters, Thai style fritters, mushroom soba soup and veggie chili (my recipe)... oh.. I need to watch my weight.
My good buddy Prince Roy has some good food stories up now.
On a similar note, Zoe has been experimenting with a new book on vegetarian cooking. I have been eating well lately. Between the Zuchinni corn fritters, Thai style fritters, mushroom soba soup and veggie chili (my recipe)... oh.. I need to watch my weight.
Saturday, September 18, 2004
Netflix: Rabbit-Proof Fence
Netflix: Rabbit-Proof Fence: "Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)"
My wife and I watched this movie last night. It was great.
It takes place during a harsh period in Australia's history. The situation in similar to the treatment of Natives in the U.S.. But this movie tells the story of how three young mixed girls ("half-caste", as they were called) beat the odds and escaped the torture of forced assimilation. I recommend this to all my friends who like thought provoking movies.
This morning I worked out with my friend Will at R-1 Gym. It was a great workout. Really fun. We worked on submission wrestling and I was surprised that my back did not give me too much pain. The back is getting better, slowly. I won't be able to do any really hard workouts for a while, but I can train.
This afternoon I went to a coffee making class with my wife. It was fun, but there was not as much focus on how to make different types of coffees as I hoped. Mostly, it was a course in how to make the basic starbucks-type drinks. I was hoping to learn the different grinds and methods. Such as French press coffee, Turkish, Perk and boiled. I guess that will have to wait. But the class was still fun, and I left wired off my head. It is 10PM and I am still a bit jacked... Yeah BABY........
Now to find something to do... maybe a game of Diablo II?????
My wife and I watched this movie last night. It was great.
It takes place during a harsh period in Australia's history. The situation in similar to the treatment of Natives in the U.S.. But this movie tells the story of how three young mixed girls ("half-caste", as they were called) beat the odds and escaped the torture of forced assimilation. I recommend this to all my friends who like thought provoking movies.
This morning I worked out with my friend Will at R-1 Gym. It was a great workout. Really fun. We worked on submission wrestling and I was surprised that my back did not give me too much pain. The back is getting better, slowly. I won't be able to do any really hard workouts for a while, but I can train.
This afternoon I went to a coffee making class with my wife. It was fun, but there was not as much focus on how to make different types of coffees as I hoped. Mostly, it was a course in how to make the basic starbucks-type drinks. I was hoping to learn the different grinds and methods. Such as French press coffee, Turkish, Perk and boiled. I guess that will have to wait. But the class was still fun, and I left wired off my head. It is 10PM and I am still a bit jacked... Yeah BABY........
Now to find something to do... maybe a game of Diablo II?????
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
Yahoo! News - White House voices concern at Putin's moves to strengthen powers
Yahoo! News - White House voices concern at Putin's moves to strengthen powers: "Bush said he had expressed his concerns to Putin in a phone conversation.
'Great countries, great democracies have a balance of power between central government and local government, a balance of power within central government between the executive branch and the legislative branch and the judicial branch,' Bush said.
'As government fight the enemies of democracy they must uphold the principles of democracy.'"
Are we forgetting about the Patriot Act? Hello????
Beautiful!
'Great countries, great democracies have a balance of power between central government and local government, a balance of power within central government between the executive branch and the legislative branch and the judicial branch,' Bush said.
'As government fight the enemies of democracy they must uphold the principles of democracy.'"
Are we forgetting about the Patriot Act? Hello????
Beautiful!
Thursday, September 02, 2004
VVA Press Release
Yep, in a show of respect for the military rivaled only by Bush's proposed $25 billion cut to the VA budget, RNC delegates trivialize the purple heart in a vane attempt to snipe at John Kerry.
Read the statement below.
VVA Press Release
"Purple Heart" Band-aids a Mockery of service
A Statement from Thomas H. Corey, National President, Vietnam Veterans of America
(Washington, D.C.) ? Vietnam Veterans of America has received reports of delegates at the Republican National Convention disseminating and wearing "Purple Heart" band-aids in mockery of one of nation?s most distinctive honors, the Purple Heart medal.
The Purple Heart is one of the oldest military awards, first introduced in 1782 by Gen. George Washington to honor the service and sacrifice of the common soldier and recognize the spirit of volunteerism and selfless dedication. It was reinstated in 1932. The Purple Heart is awarded to members of the armed forces who are wounded by the enemy.
The spirit of the award recognizes the personal sacrifice of our troops without regard to the severity or nature of the wound. It is the wounding itself that merits the honor. To demean the decoration and the sacrifice it symbolizes demeans all veterans and the patriots who honor them.
With our nation?s sons and daughters at war to protect global freedom, demeaning military service in this way is especially hurtful. Vietnam Veterans of America urges all Americans to decry this type of outrageous, disrespectful, and infantile behavior.
###
Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) is the nation's only congressionally chartered veterans service organization dedicated to the needs of Vietnam-era veterans and their families. VVA's founding principle is ?Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another.?
Read the statement below.
VVA Press Release
"Purple Heart" Band-aids a Mockery of service
A Statement from Thomas H. Corey, National President, Vietnam Veterans of America
(Washington, D.C.) ? Vietnam Veterans of America has received reports of delegates at the Republican National Convention disseminating and wearing "Purple Heart" band-aids in mockery of one of nation?s most distinctive honors, the Purple Heart medal.
The Purple Heart is one of the oldest military awards, first introduced in 1782 by Gen. George Washington to honor the service and sacrifice of the common soldier and recognize the spirit of volunteerism and selfless dedication. It was reinstated in 1932. The Purple Heart is awarded to members of the armed forces who are wounded by the enemy.
The spirit of the award recognizes the personal sacrifice of our troops without regard to the severity or nature of the wound. It is the wounding itself that merits the honor. To demean the decoration and the sacrifice it symbolizes demeans all veterans and the patriots who honor them.
With our nation?s sons and daughters at war to protect global freedom, demeaning military service in this way is especially hurtful. Vietnam Veterans of America urges all Americans to decry this type of outrageous, disrespectful, and infantile behavior.
###
Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) is the nation's only congressionally chartered veterans service organization dedicated to the needs of Vietnam-era veterans and their families. VVA's founding principle is ?Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another.?
AhDoGa's Daily Brain Farts
Just got this in the mail. Check it out in the Chicago Tribune.
In case there' still some doubt as to whom is telling the truth:
`This is what I saw that day'
By William B. Rood
Chicago Tribune
Published August 22, 2004
There were three swift boats on the river that day in Vietnam more than 35 years ago--three officers and 15 crew members. Only two of those officers remain to talk about what happened on February 28, 1969.
One is John Kerry, the Democratic presidential candidate who won a Silver Star for what happened on that date. I am the other.
For years, no one asked about those events. But now they are the focus of skirmishing in a presidential election with a group of swift boat veterans and others contending that Kerry didn't deserve the Silver Star for what he did on that day, or the Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts he was awarded for other actions.
Many of us wanted to put it all behind us--the rivers, the ambushes, the killing. Ever since that time, I have refused all requests for interviews about Kerry's service--even those from reporters at the Chicago Tribune, where I work.
But Kerry's critics, armed with stories I know to be untrue, have charged that the accounts of what happened were overblown. The critics have taken pains to say they're not trying to cast doubts on the merit of what others did, but their version of events has splashed doubt on all of us. It's gotten harder and harder for those of us who were there to listen to accounts we know to be untrue, especially when they come from people who were not there.
Even though Kerry's own crew members have backed him, the attacks have continued, and in recent days Kerry has called me and others who were with him in those days, asking that we go public with our accounts.
I can't pretend those calls had no effect on me, but that is not why I am writing this. What matters most to me is that this is hurting crewmen who are not public figures and who deserved to be honored for what they did. My intent is to tell the story here and to never again talk publicly about it.
I was part of the operation that led to Kerry's Silver Star. I have no firsthand knowledge of the events that resulted in his winning the Purple Hearts or the Bronze Star.
But on Feb. 28, 1969, I was officer in charge of PCF-23, one of three swift boats--including Kerry's PCF-94 and Lt. j.g. Donald Droz's PCF-43--that carried Vietnamese regional and Popular Force troops and a Navy demolition team up the Dong Cung, a narrow tributary of the Bay Hap River, to conduct a sweep in the area.
The approach of the noisy 50-foot aluminum boats, each driven by two huge 12-cylinder diesels and loaded down with six crew members, troops and gear, was no secret.
Ambushes were a virtual certainty, and that day was no exception.
Instructions from Kerry
The difference was that Kerry, who had tactical command of that particular operation, had talked to Droz and me beforehand about not responding the way the boats usually did to an ambush.
We agreed that if we were not crippled by the initial volley and had a clear fix on the location of the ambush, we would turn directly into it, focusing the boats' twin .50-caliber machine guns on the attackers and beaching the boats. We told our crews about the plan.
The Viet Cong in the area had come to expect that the heavily loaded boats would lumber on past an ambush, firing at the entrenched attackers, beaching upstream and putting troops ashore to sweep back down on the ambush site. Often, they were long gone by the time the troops got there.
The first time we took fire--the usual rockets and automatic weapons--Kerry ordered a "turn 90" and the three boats roared in on the ambush. It worked. We routed the ambush, killing three of the attackers. The troops, led by an Army adviser, jumped off the boats and began a sweep, which killed another half dozen VC, wounded or captured others and found weapons, blast masks and other supplies used to stage ambushes.
Meanwhile, Kerry ordered our boat to head upstream with his, leaving Droz's boat at the first site.
It happened again, another ambush. And again, Kerry ordered the turn maneuver, and again it worked. As we headed for the riverbank, I remember seeing a loaded B-40 launcher pointed at the boats. It wasn't fired as two men jumped up from their spider holes.
We called Droz's boat up to assist us, and Kerry, followed by one member of his crew, jumped ashore and chased a VC behind a hooch--a thatched hut--maybe 15 yards inland from the ambush site. Some who were there that day recall the man being wounded as he ran. Neither I nor Jerry Leeds, our boat's leading petty officer with whom I've checked my recollection of all these events, recalls that, which is no surprise. Recollections of those who go through experiences like that frequently differ.
With our troops involved in the sweep of the first ambush site, Richard Lamberson, a member of my crew, and I also went ashore to search the area. I was checking out the inside of the hooch when I heard gunfire nearby.
Not long after that, Kerry returned, reporting that he had killed the man he chased behind the hooch. He also had picked up a loaded B-40 rocket launcher, which we took back to our base in An Thoi after the operation.
John O'Neill, author of a highly critical account of Kerry's Vietnam service, describes the man Kerry chased as a "teenager" in a "loincloth." I have no idea how old the gunner Kerry chased that day was, but both Leeds and I recall that he was a grown man, dressed in the kind of garb the VC usually wore.
The man Kerry chased was not the "lone" attacker at that site, as O'Neill suggests. There were others who fled. There was also firing from the tree line well behind the spider holes and at one point, from the opposite riverbank as well. It was not the work of just one attacker.
Our initial reports of the day's action caused an immediate response from our task force headquarters in Cam Ranh Bay.
Congratulatory message
Known over radio circuits by the call sign "Latch," then-Capt. and now retired Rear Adm. Roy Hoffmann, the task force commander, fired off a message congratulating the three swift boats, saying at one point that the tactic of charging the ambushes was a "shining example of completely overwhelming the enemy" and that it "may be the most efficacious method of dealing with small numbers of ambushers."
Hoffmann has become a leading critic of Kerry's and now says that what the boats did on that day demonstrated Kerry's inclination to be impulsive to a fault.
Our decision to use that tactic under the right circumstances was not impulsive but was the result of discussions well beforehand and a mutual agreement of all three boat officers.
It was also well within the aggressive tradition that was embraced by the late Adm. Elmo Zumwalt, then commander of U.S. Naval Forces, Vietnam. Months before that day in February, a fellow boat officer, Michael Bernique, was summoned to Saigon to explain to top Navy commanders why he had made an unauthorized run up the Giang Thanh River, which runs along the Vietnam-Cambodia border. Bernique, who speaks French fluently, had been told by a source in Ha Tien at the mouth of the river that a VC tax collector was operating upstream.
Ignoring the prohibition against it, Bernique and his crew went upstream and routed the VC, pursuing and killing several.
Instead of facing disciplinary action as he had expected, Bernique was given the Silver Star, and Zumwalt ordered other swifts, which had largely patrolled coastal waters, into the rivers.
The decision sent a clear message, underscored repeatedly by Hoffmann's congratulatory messages, that aggressive patrolling was expected and that well-timed, if unconventional, tactics like Bernique's were encouraged.
What we did on Feb. 28, 1969, was well in line with the tone set by our top commanders.
Zumwalt made that clear when he flew down to our base at An Thoi off the southern tip of Vietnam to pin the Silver Star on Kerry and assorted Bronze Stars and commendation medals on the rest of us.
Error in citation
My Bronze Star citation, signed by Zumwalt, praised the charge tactic we used that day, saying the VC were "caught completely off guard."
There's at least one mistake in that citation. It incorrectly identifies the river where the main action occurred, a reminder that such documents were often done in haste and sometimes authored for their signers by staffers. It's a cautionary note for those trying to piece it all together. There's no final authority on something that happened so long ago--not the documents and not even the strained recollections of those of us who were there.
But I know that what some people are saying now is wrong. While they mean to hurt Kerry, what they're saying impugns others who are not in the public eye.
Men like Larry Lee, who was on our bow with an M-60 machine gun as we charged the riverbank, Kenneth Martin, who was in the .50-caliber gun tub atop our boat, and Benjamin Cueva, our engineman, who was at our aft gun mount suppressing the fire from the opposite bank.
Wayne Langhoffer and the other crewmen on Droz's boat went through even worse on April 12, 1969, when they saw Droz killed in a brutal ambush that left PCF-43 an abandoned pile of wreckage on the banks of the Duong Keo River. That was just a few months after the birth of his only child, Tracy.
The survivors of all these events are scattered across the country now.
Jerry Leeds lives in a tiny Kansas town where he built and sold a successful printing business. He owns a beautiful home with a lawn that sweeps to the edge of a small lake, which he also owns. Every year, flights of purple martins return to the stately birdhouses on the tall poles in his back yard.
Cueva, recently retired, has raised three daughters and is beloved by his neighbors for all the years he spent keeping their cars running. Lee is a senior computer programmer in Kentucky, and Lamberson finished a second military career in the Army.
With the debate over that long-ago day in February, they're all living that war another time.
Copyright ? 2004, Chicago Tribune
In case there' still some doubt as to whom is telling the truth:
`This is what I saw that day'
By William B. Rood
Chicago Tribune
Published August 22, 2004
There were three swift boats on the river that day in Vietnam more than 35 years ago--three officers and 15 crew members. Only two of those officers remain to talk about what happened on February 28, 1969.
One is John Kerry, the Democratic presidential candidate who won a Silver Star for what happened on that date. I am the other.
For years, no one asked about those events. But now they are the focus of skirmishing in a presidential election with a group of swift boat veterans and others contending that Kerry didn't deserve the Silver Star for what he did on that day, or the Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts he was awarded for other actions.
Many of us wanted to put it all behind us--the rivers, the ambushes, the killing. Ever since that time, I have refused all requests for interviews about Kerry's service--even those from reporters at the Chicago Tribune, where I work.
But Kerry's critics, armed with stories I know to be untrue, have charged that the accounts of what happened were overblown. The critics have taken pains to say they're not trying to cast doubts on the merit of what others did, but their version of events has splashed doubt on all of us. It's gotten harder and harder for those of us who were there to listen to accounts we know to be untrue, especially when they come from people who were not there.
Even though Kerry's own crew members have backed him, the attacks have continued, and in recent days Kerry has called me and others who were with him in those days, asking that we go public with our accounts.
I can't pretend those calls had no effect on me, but that is not why I am writing this. What matters most to me is that this is hurting crewmen who are not public figures and who deserved to be honored for what they did. My intent is to tell the story here and to never again talk publicly about it.
I was part of the operation that led to Kerry's Silver Star. I have no firsthand knowledge of the events that resulted in his winning the Purple Hearts or the Bronze Star.
But on Feb. 28, 1969, I was officer in charge of PCF-23, one of three swift boats--including Kerry's PCF-94 and Lt. j.g. Donald Droz's PCF-43--that carried Vietnamese regional and Popular Force troops and a Navy demolition team up the Dong Cung, a narrow tributary of the Bay Hap River, to conduct a sweep in the area.
The approach of the noisy 50-foot aluminum boats, each driven by two huge 12-cylinder diesels and loaded down with six crew members, troops and gear, was no secret.
Ambushes were a virtual certainty, and that day was no exception.
Instructions from Kerry
The difference was that Kerry, who had tactical command of that particular operation, had talked to Droz and me beforehand about not responding the way the boats usually did to an ambush.
We agreed that if we were not crippled by the initial volley and had a clear fix on the location of the ambush, we would turn directly into it, focusing the boats' twin .50-caliber machine guns on the attackers and beaching the boats. We told our crews about the plan.
The Viet Cong in the area had come to expect that the heavily loaded boats would lumber on past an ambush, firing at the entrenched attackers, beaching upstream and putting troops ashore to sweep back down on the ambush site. Often, they were long gone by the time the troops got there.
The first time we took fire--the usual rockets and automatic weapons--Kerry ordered a "turn 90" and the three boats roared in on the ambush. It worked. We routed the ambush, killing three of the attackers. The troops, led by an Army adviser, jumped off the boats and began a sweep, which killed another half dozen VC, wounded or captured others and found weapons, blast masks and other supplies used to stage ambushes.
Meanwhile, Kerry ordered our boat to head upstream with his, leaving Droz's boat at the first site.
It happened again, another ambush. And again, Kerry ordered the turn maneuver, and again it worked. As we headed for the riverbank, I remember seeing a loaded B-40 launcher pointed at the boats. It wasn't fired as two men jumped up from their spider holes.
We called Droz's boat up to assist us, and Kerry, followed by one member of his crew, jumped ashore and chased a VC behind a hooch--a thatched hut--maybe 15 yards inland from the ambush site. Some who were there that day recall the man being wounded as he ran. Neither I nor Jerry Leeds, our boat's leading petty officer with whom I've checked my recollection of all these events, recalls that, which is no surprise. Recollections of those who go through experiences like that frequently differ.
With our troops involved in the sweep of the first ambush site, Richard Lamberson, a member of my crew, and I also went ashore to search the area. I was checking out the inside of the hooch when I heard gunfire nearby.
Not long after that, Kerry returned, reporting that he had killed the man he chased behind the hooch. He also had picked up a loaded B-40 rocket launcher, which we took back to our base in An Thoi after the operation.
John O'Neill, author of a highly critical account of Kerry's Vietnam service, describes the man Kerry chased as a "teenager" in a "loincloth." I have no idea how old the gunner Kerry chased that day was, but both Leeds and I recall that he was a grown man, dressed in the kind of garb the VC usually wore.
The man Kerry chased was not the "lone" attacker at that site, as O'Neill suggests. There were others who fled. There was also firing from the tree line well behind the spider holes and at one point, from the opposite riverbank as well. It was not the work of just one attacker.
Our initial reports of the day's action caused an immediate response from our task force headquarters in Cam Ranh Bay.
Congratulatory message
Known over radio circuits by the call sign "Latch," then-Capt. and now retired Rear Adm. Roy Hoffmann, the task force commander, fired off a message congratulating the three swift boats, saying at one point that the tactic of charging the ambushes was a "shining example of completely overwhelming the enemy" and that it "may be the most efficacious method of dealing with small numbers of ambushers."
Hoffmann has become a leading critic of Kerry's and now says that what the boats did on that day demonstrated Kerry's inclination to be impulsive to a fault.
Our decision to use that tactic under the right circumstances was not impulsive but was the result of discussions well beforehand and a mutual agreement of all three boat officers.
It was also well within the aggressive tradition that was embraced by the late Adm. Elmo Zumwalt, then commander of U.S. Naval Forces, Vietnam. Months before that day in February, a fellow boat officer, Michael Bernique, was summoned to Saigon to explain to top Navy commanders why he had made an unauthorized run up the Giang Thanh River, which runs along the Vietnam-Cambodia border. Bernique, who speaks French fluently, had been told by a source in Ha Tien at the mouth of the river that a VC tax collector was operating upstream.
Ignoring the prohibition against it, Bernique and his crew went upstream and routed the VC, pursuing and killing several.
Instead of facing disciplinary action as he had expected, Bernique was given the Silver Star, and Zumwalt ordered other swifts, which had largely patrolled coastal waters, into the rivers.
The decision sent a clear message, underscored repeatedly by Hoffmann's congratulatory messages, that aggressive patrolling was expected and that well-timed, if unconventional, tactics like Bernique's were encouraged.
What we did on Feb. 28, 1969, was well in line with the tone set by our top commanders.
Zumwalt made that clear when he flew down to our base at An Thoi off the southern tip of Vietnam to pin the Silver Star on Kerry and assorted Bronze Stars and commendation medals on the rest of us.
Error in citation
My Bronze Star citation, signed by Zumwalt, praised the charge tactic we used that day, saying the VC were "caught completely off guard."
There's at least one mistake in that citation. It incorrectly identifies the river where the main action occurred, a reminder that such documents were often done in haste and sometimes authored for their signers by staffers. It's a cautionary note for those trying to piece it all together. There's no final authority on something that happened so long ago--not the documents and not even the strained recollections of those of us who were there.
But I know that what some people are saying now is wrong. While they mean to hurt Kerry, what they're saying impugns others who are not in the public eye.
Men like Larry Lee, who was on our bow with an M-60 machine gun as we charged the riverbank, Kenneth Martin, who was in the .50-caliber gun tub atop our boat, and Benjamin Cueva, our engineman, who was at our aft gun mount suppressing the fire from the opposite bank.
Wayne Langhoffer and the other crewmen on Droz's boat went through even worse on April 12, 1969, when they saw Droz killed in a brutal ambush that left PCF-43 an abandoned pile of wreckage on the banks of the Duong Keo River. That was just a few months after the birth of his only child, Tracy.
The survivors of all these events are scattered across the country now.
Jerry Leeds lives in a tiny Kansas town where he built and sold a successful printing business. He owns a beautiful home with a lawn that sweeps to the edge of a small lake, which he also owns. Every year, flights of purple martins return to the stately birdhouses on the tall poles in his back yard.
Cueva, recently retired, has raised three daughters and is beloved by his neighbors for all the years he spent keeping their cars running. Lee is a senior computer programmer in Kentucky, and Lamberson finished a second military career in the Army.
With the debate over that long-ago day in February, they're all living that war another time.
Copyright ? 2004, Chicago Tribune
Wednesday, September 01, 2004
BBC NEWS | Health | Why we enjoy telling people off
BBC NEWS | Health | Why we enjoy telling people off
OK... This article from BBC science pages may explain just why so many people like to listen to Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity even though they don't keep much touch with reality.
-----"Writing in Science, the researchers said telling someone off activated a part of the brain which is linked to enjoyment and satisfaction.
The researchers said it might explain why many people choose to reprimand others if they break the rules or abuse their trust. "-----
I always wondered why people watch/listen to these types of compaint based, insult slinging shows. It's not as if they are actually news shows.
Well, here you have it.
D.
OK... This article from BBC science pages may explain just why so many people like to listen to Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity even though they don't keep much touch with reality.
-----"Writing in Science, the researchers said telling someone off activated a part of the brain which is linked to enjoyment and satisfaction.
The researchers said it might explain why many people choose to reprimand others if they break the rules or abuse their trust. "-----
I always wondered why people watch/listen to these types of compaint based, insult slinging shows. It's not as if they are actually news shows.
Well, here you have it.
D.
Monday, August 23, 2004
Yahoo! News - North Korea Says Talks with U.S. Are Pointless
Yahoo! News - North Korea Says Talks with U.S. Are Pointless
Well, this is a news story I found amusing. It seems that world leaders are a bunch of twits. We have our twit, and they have theirs.
Oh well... Maybe if Bush would have not pulled out of the original non-proliferation agreement we would not be here now???
Funny.
Well, this is a news story I found amusing. It seems that world leaders are a bunch of twits. We have our twit, and they have theirs.
Oh well... Maybe if Bush would have not pulled out of the original non-proliferation agreement we would not be here now???
Funny.
Tuesday, August 10, 2004
Sunday, August 08, 2004
Peru 2004
I finally got in touch with some of the people Zoe and I met in Peru.
We went there in June for an early anniversary celebration. 5 years, we've been married now.
Peru 2004
We were surprised how nice the people were. We spent 3 days in Lima and 6 days in the Sacred Valley.. I will try to post some pictures soon.
One of the high lights of the trip was a Incan festival called Inti Raymi. It was a bit tailored to foreigners in a way, but very neat to see from our perspective. We climbed onto the hillside across from the ruins at Sacsayhuaman. Amazing. Thousands of locals clinging to a hillside in the drizzling rain to see their festival. The bleacher seats are sold to foreigners for more than locals can afford, which means the locals don't get to sit up close to see their own festival. They cling to a hillside and see what they can. The people were fascinating and the kids were great to play with. For those who are venturous you can always find an adhoc game of street soccer to join. Wish we would have had more time...
I will start adding to the page listed above.
Dan.
We went there in June for an early anniversary celebration. 5 years, we've been married now.
Peru 2004
We were surprised how nice the people were. We spent 3 days in Lima and 6 days in the Sacred Valley.. I will try to post some pictures soon.
One of the high lights of the trip was a Incan festival called Inti Raymi. It was a bit tailored to foreigners in a way, but very neat to see from our perspective. We climbed onto the hillside across from the ruins at Sacsayhuaman. Amazing. Thousands of locals clinging to a hillside in the drizzling rain to see their festival. The bleacher seats are sold to foreigners for more than locals can afford, which means the locals don't get to sit up close to see their own festival. They cling to a hillside and see what they can. The people were fascinating and the kids were great to play with. For those who are venturous you can always find an adhoc game of street soccer to join. Wish we would have had more time...
I will start adding to the page listed above.
Dan.
Drumming up business
Hoffman Technologies - Network Security and Web Development
Well, I am offering free classes now. Seems like a good way to help people learn how to protect themselves while drumming up business.
We shall see how it works. Anyone interested in teaching a class or sponsoring one of mine, let me know.
Well, I am offering free classes now. Seems like a good way to help people learn how to protect themselves while drumming up business.
We shall see how it works. Anyone interested in teaching a class or sponsoring one of mine, let me know.
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