Quote of the Week

"Posterity: you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it."

- John Quincy Adams

I think he'd be pretty disappointed with us, particularly if he was aware of the "Patriot Act".


Click on President Adams' picture for a brief biography.

Michelle Malkin Hates Mexicans

She also thinks she's white. That's what I got out of it. Your results may vary. Check it out here and...here.

Things You Need to Believe to be a Republican

• Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush's daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him and a bad guy when Bush needed a "we can't find Bin Laden" diversion.

• Trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is communist, but trade with China and Vietnam is vital to a spirit of international harmony.

• The United States should get out of the United Nations, and our highest national priority is enforcing UN resolutions against Iraq.

• A woman can't be trusted with decisions about her own body, but multinational corporations can make decisions affecting all mankind without regulation.

• Jesus loves you, and shares your hatred of homosexuals and Hillary Clinton.

• The best way to improve military morale is to praise the troops in speeches while slashing veterans' benefits and combat pay.

• If condoms are kept out of schools, adolescents won't have sex.

• A good way to fight terrorism is to belittle our longtime allies, then demand their cooperation and money.

• Providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy. Providing health care to all Americans is socialism.

• HMOs and insurance companies have the best interests of the public at heart.

• Global warming and tobacco's link to cancer are junk science, but creationism should be taught in schools.

• A president lying about an extramarital affair is an impeachable offense.

• A president lying to enlist support for a war in which thousands die is solid defense policy.

• Government should limit itself to the powers named in the Constitution, which include banning gay marriages and censoring the Internet.

• The public has a right to know about Hillary's cattle trades, but George Bush's driving record is none of our business.

• Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a conservative radio host. Then it's an illness, and you need our prayers for your recovery.

• You support states' rights, which means Attorney General John Ashcroft can tell states what local voter initiatives they have the right to adopt.

• What Bill Clinton did in the 1960s is of vital national interest, but what Bush did in the '80s is irrelevant.

Feel free to pass this on.
Friends don't let friends vote Republican.

Many thanks to Dad for sending this to me in an e-mail.

If you want to see a funny cartoon on becoming Republican, click here.

Holy Frijoles !

You could've knocked me over with a feather when I heard Bush saying this:

"As we debate the immigration issue, we must remember there are hardworking individuals, doing jobs that Americans will not do, who are contributing to the economic vitality of our country."

I never thought I would've seen the day when the commander-in-thief and I actually agreed on something.

World Water Day

On Tuesday this past week, an organization known as Corporate Accountability International conducted a "Tap Water Challenge". The challenge took place in the following cities across the United States:

• Austin
• Baltimore
• Minneapolis
• Philadelphia
• Portland, OR
• San Francisco
• Seattle

The challenge consisted of seeing if people could tell the difference between regular tap water and bottled waters such as Dasani and Aquafina. Water was placed in cups on a table. The cups were labeled A,B,C, and D. Two of the cups contained tap water, and two held the bottled stuff. Could people tell the difference? Nope. In the San Francisco test, only three out of 32 testers were able to correctly identify the water in the cups.

So why do we pay for bottled water when we can't tell the difference between it and ordinary tap water? According to Corporate Accountability International, it's the result of slick marketing campaigns by the likes of Coca-Cola Co. (Dasani), and PepsiCo Inc. (Aquafina) aimed at making the public believe that bottled water is somehow better-tasting and healthier for you than tap water.

Here's a good comparison to put things in perspective. In Philadelphia, a gallon of the city's tap water will cost you a half cent. After Coca-Cola Bottling Co. filters that same water and bottles it, a half gallon bottle of Dasani will run you $1.59.

Cha-ching!

(And no, I couldn't find a reason to blame George Bush for this, but I'm working on it.)

Hey, Everybody! Look at the Government We Set Up in Afghanistan!

The man pictured on the right is Abdul Rahman. He lives in Afghanistan. Abdul has decided that he wants to convert from Islam to Christianity.

The only problem is that it's against the law to convert from Islam to another religion in Abdul's part of the globe. The punishment...execution.

Fortunately for Mr. Rahman, the United States has set up a democratic form of government in Afghanistan, much like our own, where people have the freedom to practice any religion their hearts desire.

Oops. Wait a minute. No, that's not exactly true. While BushCo has created a puppet leader in Hamid Karzai, they forgot that there is NO separation of church and state in the Middle East. They are one and the same. So, Abdul most likely will unfortunately face execution for his decision to embrace Jesus.

But, maybe we here in America should look on the bright side. We absolutely adore executions, being one of the few nations left in the world who practice human execution on a regular, barbaric basis. Let's face it. We love to kill, kill, kill. It's evident in everything this country has been involved in. From our slaughter of indigenous Americans, through our fire-bombing of Dresden, to our dropping of Weapons of Mass Destruction on Japan, and on to our carpet-bombing of Vietnam (and let's not forget the wonderful "Shock and Awe" of killing countless thousands of Iraqi citizens.)

Yes, people the world over are jealous of our country and crave the democracy that we have. Look at the wonderful things we've done as a nation.

I've got an idea. Since Arnold Schwarzenegger, being the governor of California, feels so cozy with execution, maybe we could do a media promotional deal and have Arnold give the order to execute Mr. Rahman. Or maybe even do the execution himself, Terminator-style. Fox News could carry the whole thing. Maybe even charge for Pay-Per-View. Jesus knows Americans love their Pay-Per-View. Right Jesus?

Right again, PT !!

I found an interesting statement from Muslim intellectual Shahnawaz Farooqui in Asia Times Online in which he said, "I saw President Bush's statement in which he asked to honor the universal principle of freedom. This is not a question of social liberty or social rights or freedom, this is a question for the affirmation of truth and nobody will be allowed to distort the truth. No society can give people the right to distort the truth or play around with it. As far as execution is concerned, I have the same questions for the West."

He went on to say, "Western countries have occupied nations, destroyed their political and social systems and killed thousands of people so that people would conform to their civilization or their pattern of thinking ... While doing so, why did they not bother about 'honoring the universal principle of freedom'?"

Good question.

Quote of the Week

"The great masses of the people will more easily fall victims to a big lie than to a small one."

- Adolf Hitler

Recognition

I was talking to a fellow employee at work a couple of weeks ago. Both of us had just recently started working at this new job, so we were getting to know each other. I found out that he has two children; a son who plays soccer and little league baseball, and a daughter who loves to sing and dance. I also found out that he loves to eat potato chips and/or corn chips with his lunch. Really nice guy. I'm going to enjoy working with him.

He asked me what I like to do in my spare time. I told him about how I love to barbecue, practice Tai Chi, and make homemade brews. I also mentioned that I like to paint signs and post them on the freeway. He looked at me with a puzzled expression and said, "Huh?... Signs? ... What kind of signs?" I told him that they were mostly political signs, to which he replied, "You mean like, 'Bush Lied'?"

I said, "Oh, so you've seen my work." with a smile across my face as wide as a city bus. It always feels good to know that you art is at least looked at, even if it's not always appreciated.

This is What Democracy Looks Like

I headed downtown to San Francisco yesterday, while nursing my St. Patrick's Day hangover, to participate in the protest of the third anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

Pictured above is what puts the PT in PTCruiser. I'm a big advocate of public transportation, not just for the benefits of the environment but for my own health benefits as well. Anything that gets me out of the car and pounding the pavement is a good thing in my estimation.

There was no shortage of protestors there, and many different causes, from the Green Party backing their latest candidate to a group pushing for the freedom of Mumia Abu-Jamal. But everyone was ultimately there for one thing...to show the world that we are sick and tired of the Bush administration putting our country in the position of being the most deplorable war-mongering nation on Earth.

We currently live under a government that has no problem with sending one of our most precious resources, our young men and women in uniform, to die in a war based on lies against a supposed enemy that was never a threat to our nation to begin with and which has proven to have had no ties whatsoever to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

In the meantime, the real enemy goes freely about the world making videotapes and organizing for their next attack on us, unhindered, while here at home, our government can't even pull its collective head out of its own ass long enough to deal with a natural disaster inside our own borders.

As you can see, it was a beautiful day out and there was a multitude of protest signs. I really enjoy seeing the homemade signs. They show what people are really feeling in their hearts. Most of them are very creative and some of them are flat out hilarious.

And as with any organized event in downtown San Francisco, there were many unusual characters. Here are a few that I got photos of...

This guy actually was giving out free food, mainly to get people to come over and look at his political cause, although to be honest with you, I don't remember what it was. But then, I didn't partake in any of the free vittles, so I don't really feel so bad.

Some of the photos you can click on to get a larger image. I took all of the pictures myself with the exception of the one at the top of the post, which I swiped from the San Francisco Chronicle.

Even though I enjoy going to these anti-war rallies, I sincerely hope that I don't have to go to another one next year to commemorate the fourth anniversary of this nation's atrocities. But if I do, I'll take pictures and post them here. Thanks for reading, everyone.

Quote of the Week

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace."

- Jimi Hendrix

Click on Jimi's picture for a biography.

Happy St. Patrick's Day !

An Irish Toast for all of my readers to enjoy on this day:

May your glass be ever full.
May the roof over your head be always strong.
And may you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you're dead.

Slainte.

Click on St. Patrick's picture for a brief biography.

Cats and Dogs

The rain has been pretty heavy here in the Bay Area lately, but I wasn't about to let it stop me from doing a little freewayblogging. Painting signs in between showers and prepping signs indoors when it just won't stop coming down, I've been able to at least put a few signs up here and there. Just throw on a raincoat, grab some duct tape and a bungee cord, and I'm good to go.

Pictured above is one of my favorite places to hang a sign, along Highway 280 in San Francisco, because of how long they stay up after hanging them there. This is my first of many two-panel signs. Nice and big and easy to read from the road, as you can see. Fortunately I haven't hung any signs upside-down, yet. But I'm sure one of these days, in the excitement of the moment, I'll do it. When I do, I'll be sure to get a picture of it for laughs.

Oh, and for the guy taking down the signs, please be environmentally responsible and recycle the cardboard. Those signs endured rain and cold weather so that thousands of Bay Area commuters could read them. At least give them the dignity of a proper burial in the recycle bin. Thank you.

The GOP Showing Their True Colors

Bush's Approval Rating Falls to New Low
By RON FOURNIER, AP Political Writer

More and more people, particularly Republicans, disapprove of President Bush's performance, question his character and no longer consider him a strong leader against terrorism, according to an AP-Ipsos poll documenting one of the bleakest points of his presidency.

Nearly four out of five Americans, including 70 percent of Republicans, believe civil war will break out in Iraq — the bloody hot spot upon which Bush has staked his presidency. Nearly 70 percent of people say the U.S. is on the wrong track, a 6-point jump since February.

The positioning is most intense among Republicans facing election in November and those considering 2008 presidential campaigns.

This is how these scumbag republicans operate. When the Bush wave is riding high, they've all got their surfboards waxed and are rushing into the surf to ride it, and when there's a shift in tide, this is what happens. Bear in mind that the election year is rearing it's ugly head.

This whole thing makes me think about the time I was watching a nature piece on TV in which a wildebeest is taken down by a cheetah and the rest of the herd glance back and then proceed to put as much distance between them and the cheetah as possible.

Quote of the Week

"You will kill 10 of our men, and we will kill 1 of yours, and in the end it will be you who tire of it."

- Ho Chi Minh

Click on picture for a brief biography.

And the Oscar Goes To...

Saddam ! ...no, ...wait...Osama? I keep getting the two of them mixed up. Which one was responsible for 9/11? Was it this guy, or the other guy? Well, that's really not important now, is it? Let's give him a warm round of applause and congratulate him...

Kite-Flying Terror Alert

Pakistani kite-flyers warned of terror trials
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) -

Flying a kite in Pakistan is a dangerous pastime.

Already it's banned for all but 15 days of the year but a provincial minister warned kite-flyers this week that any who cause injury or death with string made from metal or coated with glass could be tried under anti-terrorism laws.

Kite-flying in Pakistan and neighbouring India often involves aerial duels in which participants try to bring down each other's kites using string coated in a sticky paste of ground-up glass or metal.

Every year, Pakistani media report dozens of deaths and injuries caused by kite flying, mainly of children and motorcyclists whose throats are sometimes cut by metal or glass-coated string.

I believe that elevates our own terror alert level here at home from Bert to Ernie. Please lock your doors and seal them with duct tape. Then take anything that might remotely resemble kite string and destroy it before it falls into the wrong hands or the feds come banging at your door.

John Murtha...Clearly Not on Drugs

General's Assessment of Iraq Questioned

By PAULINE JELINEK, Associated Press Writer

The Pentagon's top general acknowledged Sunday that "anything can happen" in Iraq, but he said things aren't as bad as some say. "I wouldn't put a great big smiley face on it, but I would say they're going very, very well from everything you look at."

The comments drew criticism that Gen. Peter Pace is glossing over problems in the three-year-old U.S. campaign.

"Why would I believe him?" asked Rep. John Murtha D-Pa., a major critic of the Bush administration's handling of the war. "This administration, including the president, (has) mischaracterized this war for the last two years."

"We have a situation where our military is in such bad shape, it couldn't deploy to a second front," Murtha said. "And the Iranians know this. North Korea knows it. China knows it. We're depleting our resources in Iraq."

"The only people who want us in Iraq are Iran and al-Qaeda," Murtha said on CBS's "Face the Nation" political talk show. "And I talked to a top-level commander the other day and he said China wants us there also. Why? Because we're depleting our resources ... our troop resources and our fiscal resources.

"... The war on terrorism is worldwide. In Iraq, it's a civil war."

Now that sounds far more realistic than General Pace's lunatic opinion in the post below this one. John Murtha passes the stringent PTCruiser drug screening with flying colors.

From Beyond the Stratosphere...

General: Iraq's Not on Verge of Civil War
By PAULINE JELINEK, Associated Press Writer

Iraq is not on the verge of civil war, the Pentagon's top general said Sunday, though he acknowledged that "anything can happen" in the beleaguered nation.

"I do not believe it has deep roots," Pace said of the insurgency. "I do not believe that they're on the verge of civil war."

Silly me. I was absolutely certain for all these years that the U.S. military was conducting drug screening on it's soldiers (including the top brass). At least they were when I was in the service.

Perhaps they've extended the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy to include hallucinogenic drug use.

I just have one question for the General: "What color is the sky on your world?"

The Other Lap Dog

Bush Makes Surprise Afghanistan Visit
(CBS/AP)

President Bush made a brief, unannounced visit to Afghanistan on Wednesday and said he remains confident terrorist leader Osama bin Laden "will be brought to justice" five years after the hunt began.

" Listen up, Hammy. I need Osama's head on a platter before the end of my term or else you and the other monkey in Pakistan are going to become permanent decorations at my ranch in Crawford when I have your heads stuffed and mounted on my living room wall. Heh heh heh."

Quote of the Week

"It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees."

- General Emiliano Zapata





Click on picture to read a biography of General Zapata

I'm George W. Bush and I Approve This Manipulation

"Hi, Buddy. Did you happen to catch me stabbing you in the back in India the other day? I completely own your ass now. Just keep smiling and obeying me like the obedient lap dog you are and maybe when this is all over, I'll try to prevent your countrymen from assassinating your sorry ass. Heh heh heh."

That's Bullshit !!!

Japanese Make Gasoline From Cattle Dung
By KOZO MIZOGUCHI, Associated Press Writer-

Scientists in energy-poor Japan said Friday they have found a new source of gasoline — cattle dung.

Sakae Shibusawa, an agriculture engineering professor at the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, said his team has successfully extracted .042 ounces of gasoline from every 3.5 ounces of cow dung by applying high pressure and heat.

"The new technology will be a boon for livestock breeders" to reduce the burden of disposing of large amounts of waste, Shibusawa said.

About 551,155 tons of cattle dung are produced each year in Japan, he said.

Maybe we could set up a similar operation right here in our own White House. There's certainly no shortage of dung there.