This is an extremely important speech. Read it. Seriously.

http://peopleforchange.com/commentaries/goregore

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MICHAELSON: Mr. President, if there were a vacancy in the Supreme Court and you had the opportunity to fill that position today, who would you choose and why?
BUSH: I'm not telling.
[laughter]
I really don't have -- haven't picked anybody yet. Plus, I want them all voting for me.
[laughter]
I would pick somebody who would not allow their personal opinion to get in the way of the law. I would pick somebody who would strictly interpret the Constitution of the United States.
Let me give you a couple of examples, I guess, of the kind of person I wouldn't pick. 
I wouldn't pick a judge who said that the Pledge of Allegiance couldn't be said in a school because it had the words "under God" in it. I think that's an example of a judge allowing personal opinion to enter into the decision-making process as opposed to a strict interpretation of the Constitution.
Another example would be the Dred Scott case, which is where judges, years ago, said that the Constitution allowed slavery because of personal property rights. 
That's a personal opinion. That's not what the Constitution says. The Constitution of the United States says we're all -- you know, it doesn't say that.* It doesn't speak to the equality of America. 
And so, I would pick people that would be strict constructionists. We've got plenty of lawmakers in Washington, D.C. Legislators make law; judges interpret the Constitution. 
And I suspect one of us will have a pick at the end of next year -- the next four years. And that's the kind of judge I'm going to put on there. No litmus test except for how they interpret the Constitution. 
Thank you.

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An agnostic person is one who believes the existence of a higher power cannot be proven.
An atheist is a person who doesn't believe in a higher power at all.
The United States is home to Agnostics, Atheists, Christians, Jews, Protestants, Episcopalians, Mormons, and so many other groups with their own religious and non-religious beliefs.
This country is magnificent because we can all live here and practice our beliefs in freedom. Or can't we ?

In the beginning, the fathers of the Constitution didn't have it quite right. And so we have amendments. The first 10 amendments: The Bill of Rights. And more amendments after that, still.
The First Amendment is the one declaring freedom of speech and freedom to practice any religion. Bonus. That's why we're Americans, right ?!

On June 25th, 2002, the 9th Circuit Federal Court of Appeals ruled that the Pledge of Allegiance is “unconstitutional” and cannot be recited in public schools because it contains the words “under God.” That ruling was made since those words in the pledge violate the First Amendment, which says that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion."

The original Pledge wasn't for all of us. For agnostics, for atheists, it was unfair. Still, even today, our country's motto "In God we trust" which is branded on our money is not correct. No doubt, that too will someday be removed to make way for a good government which protects all US citizens-- a government that will never "engage in the purveyance of religious dogma."
First and foremost, the responsibility of government, courts, and law is to accommodate all citizens. Then, correct governing may begin from there.

... So, when George Bush said that he wouldn't pick a Supreme Court justice that gets hung up on the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance, I can't understand his shortsightedness and am, once again, seriously displeased. He want to take steps backward! His continual blending of government with personal beliefs makes makes his statements such a paradox.

Now, I did a little research (something we all should do when we get run into something we don't understand) and found that the Pledge was written by a Christian Socialist Baptist minister by the name of Francis Bellamy in August 1892.
The pledge was modified several times to accommodate changes in the times.

1892: I pledge allegiance to my flag and to the Republic for which it stands: one Nation indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.
1923: I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States and to the Republic for which it stands: one Nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
1924: I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
1954: I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
It is important to note that "under God" was added at the height of the "Red Scare" and amongst anti-Communist fervor just after WWII had ended.
As written in the New York Times: 'It was a petty attempt to link patriotism with religious piety, to distinguish us from the godless Soviets. But after millions of repetitions over the years, the phrase has become part of the backdrop of American life, just like the words "In God We Trust" on our coins and "God bless America" uttered by presidents at the end of important speeches.'

I do not think it could be a right thing to impose any sort of pledge on children to recite in schools all over the country-- and before those children ever knew exactly what the words meant-- AND especially before those children knew what their own beliefs were. I, myself, can remember students at my high school, Our Lady of Mercy, reciting over the loud speaker "one nation, under God, in the invisible, with liberty and justice ..." And that was high school ! (sad, sad, sad.)

Thankfully, the words have been removed and that change was for the good of a sound government and for the good of minorities in the United States. Thank GOD.
Personally, I believe that there is a God, a higher power, an overseer. But I also believe in a society where freedom is of the utmost importance. Unprejudiced government is absolutely critical.

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So, Bush stands before us, doing what he always does. He gives his opinions -- ill-informed, narrow-minded, and BAD. As for the rest of his statement, the bungled words speak for themselves.
I like what Ron Reagan Jr. has to say about our president's speeches:
      "... watching Bush flounder when attempting to communicate extemporaneously, one is left with the impression that he is ineloquent not because he can't speak but because he doesn't bother to think."
[ article ]

Right on.

Freedom to choose one's own religion
Freedom to choose one's own sexual orientation
Freedom to speak out against our foolish, lying cretin of a president.

*Someone send Bush a copy of the Constitution of the United States. He doesn't even know what it says.

There is NO possible way you could actually want this man representing you and your country.

Now, maybe you haven't done your homework like a good American citizen. Maybe you don't like to read the news. Maybe you only get your tips from sensationalistic and exaggerated news stories on the boob tube.
Maybe you think voting won't do you any good because you're just one person. Maybe you just want to live in this country and take all the benefits while doing nothing to get them.

Maybe you like to hear a lot of good news even if NONE of it is the truth. Maybe you enjoy being lied to ?


plenty of video evidence that Bush lies time after time


But, I must say this. I'm sick of it. I'm sick of a public that supports the crimes of our president and his administration and seemingly turns a blind eye.
And I do declare, if you support Bush, you are just as brainless as he is.

If, by chance, you've happened upon this journal and you are still unsure ...
Please. Before you decide. Read up !!

example1 (Bushwacked aka How Bush fucked up the Texas economy before moving on to the US economy)
example2 (The War on Freedom aka How to fool the public into supporting unnecessary war)


VOTE, would you ? We need to get rid of this guy !

'On July 4, Jeff and Nicole Rank went to hear George W. Bush speak in Charleston, West Virginia. Tickets in hand, they found seats ten or 15 rows from the stage. There they sat, quietly, wearing t-shirts that read LOVE AMERICA, HATE BUSH and REGIME CHANGE STARTS AT HOME. Forty-five minutes before the president took the podium, event staffers approached the couple and said, "You need to either take those shirts off or leave." According to The San Antonio Express-News, Jeff Rank replied, "People around us have Bush-Cheney t-shirts, pro-Bush t-shirts. Why can't we express our views?" The staffers left, but a few minutes later, two police officers arrived and told the couple to "cover up, take them [the t-shirts] off or leave completely." The Ranks refused, at which point they were handcuffed, expelled from the event, and briefly thrown in prison.'

Must-read article

Get the coniving misleading president out of office !!
Next thing you know, he'll be trying for a third term without our consent.

"The new message: Evolution should of course be taught. But 'objectively.'"

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.10/evolution.html?pg=5

It's about time to present all theories. Let each person decide for herself/himself.

http://web.archive.org/web/20011219074003/http://www.sgnproductions.com/sotn/songs.htm

It's a funny thing-- looking up your old websites on archive.org

There's nothing else quite like meeting one of your favorite musicians on a sunny day in wine country.

www.bottiology.com

Jazz weekend in Watkins Glen / at Glenora was awesome.
Gorgeous View Motel. Castle Grisch. And, as always, the gorge.

Superb times. Great driving weather :cD

Amazing track list.

They're an inch long, today.




Undercarriage!




They wrestle!

Here's the man !!
Isn't he handsome ?


"Now all I need is my own theme music !"

My Triops hatched this morning!
They look like little white brine shrimp (Sea-Monkeys), right now. They'll just about double in size everyday. Mini horseshoe crabs :) Prehistoric wonderment!

Back to work on my Run Lola Run trailer in Director. woop :)

Finally saved up enough to buy the babies :) Leno (pronounced Leeno, see "Poor Leno" by Röyksopp) and Stitch (or Sitch) have arrived! Leno is a shy female and Stitch is a brave male. Both were born on August 17th. They're awesome and so exciting to watch. Constantly laughing and wrestling and playing - like ferrets do :)

Definitely have raised my spirits. Clean, ferret-proof bedroom has helped, too.

Woo!

'...and I sat and closed my eyes and thought "This thinking has stopped" but because I had to think it no thinking had stopped,...'
-Kerouac

We watched them race today. Fun times! Momz, Cory, Rinz and I drove to Outlet Creek in Penn Yan. Mom wants a kayak now.

The best part is the car trip.

Rinz always makes me laugh until I cry.
She says,
"Rule #1 about Soap Club. Don't tell anyone where you got the fat for Soap Club."
and...
"Mom, where do they grow sugarcane? (then, without waiting for response from Mom) What if someday they discover that inserting sugarcane the proper way into your rectum is the cure for cancer?"

Ha ha! :)

Gotta love it.

The day is supposed to be busy but I'm so tired from working late last night that I really don't have the energy to produce today. It's Sunday anyway. The day of rest, right?
I think I'll call Dad :)

Showertime thought #5.1

Wait for quality.
Don't splurge on something that just does the job, now.
Sure, it works for the time being, but it's better to...
Save up. Wait for quality and buy something that will last.