I'm visiting an old friend for a weekend in Asheville and Charlotte, North Carolina. Both places are way cool. Asheville is a majorly bohemian town that is far more liberal and hippie than even New York City. I can't believe I'm in the South. There are a lot of folks in need of a bath. The mountains are gorgeous. There are lots of outdoor sports and great restaurants. I was supposed to go rafting, which would have been great, but it fell through. Asheville isn't too hot, it isn't too cool, it's some damn good porridge. I can see myself here.
Charlotte is a bit more urban and less progressive, but still pretty nice. I went to Carowinds and rode a lot of roller coasters, which I haven't done in a while. Carowinds has a massive number of coasters, including one you lay down on. I felt like Superman on mushrooms. It was weird. I got to eat at Waffle House twice, which always kicks ass. They have some killer chicken sandwiches, and of course, the waffles are king. I always miss the House. I had a brick oven pizza in Charlotte with fresh mozzarella at a place called Bricks that was fantastic.
While in Charlotte I saw Michael Moore's Sicko. It was a staggering work where MM slays all the boogeymen: hatred of the French, Cuba, the "evils" of socialized medicine et al. I love the man's balls, not literally, and there is scant material to coherently argue with in the movie. The backlash will doubtlessly be "Michael Moore hates America" or "Michael Moore wants socialism" woooo boooo raaah monster ahead or some other not very good scare tactic masquerading as argument. The state of American health care is sad. Last year I had Pacificare and was going to pay out of pocket to see a gastro last summer, and an initial consultation was $500. Thanks for that. This movie shows how and why and where health care is better. People like my man Bruce Bateman will have a heart attack at the ideas in this movie, but Bruce probably has a good medical plan post heart attack. Many don't.
I saw a guy in the airport as I was waiting to come here, and he was doing yoga and sticking his head between his legs doing all kinds of crazy stretching exercises. I had two thoughts: First I'd prefer not to see someone that in touch with himself at the airport. Second, it is a good thing I never did yoga or got that limber as a teenager. I might not have left the house.
I'm going back to Chicago tomorrow to see my sister in law, and I'll be going to Wrigley Field on Monday. I miss my family terribly.
Also, reading the local papers has me very depressed about what I expect to be a rough year in Saipan with the state of the economy.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Three more reasons this week why W is loathsome
Last week we had Scooter Libby's get out of jail free card, but this week we have three more reasons to loath George W. Bush. I'll give him this, he is Dimaggio like in his consistency in doing awful things. He can always be counted on to screw up. It is quite an effort to keep up with how awful he is.
Since Bush knows everything, why listen to anyone else? The war is going so well, and it is so cheap at $12 billion a month, so why change anything. Imagine the constructive things that could be done for $12 billion a month, and $620 billion since he invaded the wrong country post 9/11. Next there are more attempts at hiding the truth.
The central problem with W is that he thinks he owns everything in the government, that it exists for him, not the people, and that loyalty to him, not the people, is priority one. How else to explain trying to make the people's doctor, the surgeon general, beholden to his stupid ideas and not the truth. Here is another simply awful move: Refusing to let a doctor be a doctor, and trying to turn him into your partisan hack. Let's forget the unpopularity and stupidity of blocking stem cell research, loathsome enough alone, but to muzzle the nation's top doctor, like they muzzled the top climatologist on global warming, is just so contemptible. Let's put it the way it is, they not only censored the top doctor, they tried to stop a scientist from speaking on an issue, climate change, that eventually could lead to the literal end of life on this planet. They are pro-global genocide in today's political speak, and they think they are above oversight, as is evidenced here:
Forcing your underlings to be in contempt of Congress to hide the fact that you fired prosecutors who wouldn't file bogus charges against political adversaries is truly disgusting. It was bad enough that the Republican Congress investigated Bill Clinton's Christmas Card list, but not Halliburton's profiteering or the lies used to justify this war, but now that there is someone performing actual oversight, they are trying to shred the Constitution. There is indeed more to being president than not getting a blowjob, and more to voting for a president than "can I have a beer with him" or will he bash gay people enough or offer some phoney pious comments on "faith."
"Rebuffing Congress, President Bush on Tuesday said he would not give in to
ever-mounting calls to start drawing U.S. troops home from Iraq."
Since Bush knows everything, why listen to anyone else? The war is going so well, and it is so cheap at $12 billion a month, so why change anything. Imagine the constructive things that could be done for $12 billion a month, and $620 billion since he invaded the wrong country post 9/11. Next there are more attempts at hiding the truth.
"The first U.S. surgeon general appointed by President George W. Bush accused the administration on Tuesday of political interference and muzzling him on key
issues like embryonic stem cell research."
"The problem with this approach is that in public health, as in a
democracy, there is nothing worse than ignoring science, or marginalizing the
voice of science for reasons driven by changing political winds. The job of
surgeon general is to be the doctor of the nation, not the doctor of a political
party," Carmona added. Carmona said Bush administration political appointees
censored his speeches and kept him from talking out publicly about certain
issues, including the science on embryonic stem cell research, contraceptives
and his misgivings about the administration's embrace of "abstinence-only" sex
education.
The central problem with W is that he thinks he owns everything in the government, that it exists for him, not the people, and that loyalty to him, not the people, is priority one. How else to explain trying to make the people's doctor, the surgeon general, beholden to his stupid ideas and not the truth. Here is another simply awful move: Refusing to let a doctor be a doctor, and trying to turn him into your partisan hack. Let's forget the unpopularity and stupidity of blocking stem cell research, loathsome enough alone, but to muzzle the nation's top doctor, like they muzzled the top climatologist on global warming, is just so contemptible. Let's put it the way it is, they not only censored the top doctor, they tried to stop a scientist from speaking on an issue, climate change, that eventually could lead to the literal end of life on this planet. They are pro-global genocide in today's political speak, and they think they are above oversight, as is evidenced here:
President Bush directed former aides to defy congressional subpoenas, claiming
executive privilege and prodding lawmakers closer to their first contempt
citations against administration officials since Ronald Reagan was
president. It was the second time in as many weeks that Bush had cited
executive privilege in resisting Congress' investigation into the firings of
U.S. attorneys.
Forcing your underlings to be in contempt of Congress to hide the fact that you fired prosecutors who wouldn't file bogus charges against political adversaries is truly disgusting. It was bad enough that the Republican Congress investigated Bill Clinton's Christmas Card list, but not Halliburton's profiteering or the lies used to justify this war, but now that there is someone performing actual oversight, they are trying to shred the Constitution. There is indeed more to being president than not getting a blowjob, and more to voting for a president than "can I have a beer with him" or will he bash gay people enough or offer some phoney pious comments on "faith."
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Musings on Chicago and elsewhere
Wow. I said in my letter in the Variety and my blog post that I hoped the Bishop would say something about that Taotao Tano protest. Today he did. I'm sure I'm not the reason, but this is great news and it is encouraging to see. Add the bishop to that long list of Taotao Tano protest critics I posted and continue to update here.
Rep. Ramon A. Tebuteb is also a new member on that list. It should be noted that an apology is now in order from Taotao Tano so they can get back to the good ideas they started out with and have some meaning as a civic group.
***
I'm guessing there must be more vice principals than principals and that would explain this: "Of the 20 principals, seven are now considered highly qualified for passing Praxis 1 and 2. Among the vice principals, 15 have already passed both tests."
***
I went to two concerts over the weekend: Rush and the Dave Matthews Band. This was the 11th time I saw Rush and the second for the DMB. The Rush concert was great. They played a lot of songs they seldom play. They showed great humor in their video clips, and the light/stage show was great. The playing, of course, brilliant, and the theater designed for such an event. It was fantastic in every way, and worth the relatively cheap these days ticket price of $100. I paid $20 less than face for a good seat. The Police are charging up to $300 in their reunion tour. Concerts are pricey as hell these days.
The Dave Matthews Concert was disappointing. Some of his song choices left something to be desired. He didn't have much of a stage show at all, and the Toyota Park Stadium in Illinois, a soccer stadium, wasn't designed for a concert and it was obvious. Naturally, they made it difficult to go to and from my seats, and being not all that tall, it was hard to see much much. It is also basically in a residential area, and the roads aren't designed for a stadium. Dave mumbles a lot to the crowd. Interaction is something I usually like in a concert, but I didn't know a word he said. It wasn't that loud, either.
The DMB gets a much hotter looking crowd than Rush, which is a total sausage fest of frustrated musicians and people who actually read the lyrics and generally know something about the instruments. The DMB are every bit the virtuosos Rush are, and that is saying something, but the DMB gets a crowd of college girls in full Bacchanalian mode. Normally, I would think this a positive since I thought I missed out in college because I was actually studying and being serious and stuff, and now I remember why I did what I did instead of getting drunk and laid more like everyone else. Yeah, maybe that's why I still have an edge. The obsession and fixation with drinking mass quantities of beer was and is such a juvenile turn off that I couldn't put up with it even then, even with the carrot of proximity to hot young coeds. Seeing that again yesterday for the first time in a while reminded me how vulgar it is.
I told my wife Cynthia recently I would be Carl's roommate, our ten year old, when he goes off to college, but he will have to get a real college roommate now. I'm sure he'll appreciate that. She starting crying at the mere idea that Carl would grow up one day, leave us and go off to college. My promise to go with him wasn't a factor in the tears.
There was this guy named Rusty who lived in the dorms with us then young folks at the University of South Carolina circa 1993. He was like 45 years old, grey hair, on like his fourth degree and putting off the real world like the plague. I remember distinctly him saying this to me of the girls in the dorm, "Man, these girls come up to me for advice like I'm Yoda or something, but I just want to get in their pants. They see me as their dad." Rusty seemed pretty cool back then, and he was a good ally for putting a good word in for you with the women, since he knew them all, but I won't be that guy.
***
Out in Illinois bikers are not required to wear helmets. They seem to take this freedom to the limit, as no one wears a helmet. It would seem prudent to wear a helmet, you know, just in case, and now that you "don't' have to" and no one does, you don't have much to rebel against other than your own stupidity. Sure enough, I've seen tons of bikers and not one helmet. A brain trauma ward doesn't seem like such a fun place or a fair trade, but I guess I'm getting old.
***
I drove my sister's car to the DMB concert and the front lights come on automatically. I thought this meant they all did. They didn't. The rear lights were off. I get pulled over by an Illinois cop, he asked for my license, said he was going to give me a ticket. The thought of taking off for a drive in a mall like Jake and Elwood was tempting, but not practical. He went back to his car, probably realized booking a ticket for a Saipan license was going to be a hassle, like we can't order stuff online because MP is missing half the time, so he let me off. Cheers for my Saipan license.
Rep. Ramon A. Tebuteb is also a new member on that list. It should be noted that an apology is now in order from Taotao Tano so they can get back to the good ideas they started out with and have some meaning as a civic group.
***
I'm guessing there must be more vice principals than principals and that would explain this: "Of the 20 principals, seven are now considered highly qualified for passing Praxis 1 and 2. Among the vice principals, 15 have already passed both tests."
***
I went to two concerts over the weekend: Rush and the Dave Matthews Band. This was the 11th time I saw Rush and the second for the DMB. The Rush concert was great. They played a lot of songs they seldom play. They showed great humor in their video clips, and the light/stage show was great. The playing, of course, brilliant, and the theater designed for such an event. It was fantastic in every way, and worth the relatively cheap these days ticket price of $100. I paid $20 less than face for a good seat. The Police are charging up to $300 in their reunion tour. Concerts are pricey as hell these days.
The Dave Matthews Concert was disappointing. Some of his song choices left something to be desired. He didn't have much of a stage show at all, and the Toyota Park Stadium in Illinois, a soccer stadium, wasn't designed for a concert and it was obvious. Naturally, they made it difficult to go to and from my seats, and being not all that tall, it was hard to see much much. It is also basically in a residential area, and the roads aren't designed for a stadium. Dave mumbles a lot to the crowd. Interaction is something I usually like in a concert, but I didn't know a word he said. It wasn't that loud, either.
The DMB gets a much hotter looking crowd than Rush, which is a total sausage fest of frustrated musicians and people who actually read the lyrics and generally know something about the instruments. The DMB are every bit the virtuosos Rush are, and that is saying something, but the DMB gets a crowd of college girls in full Bacchanalian mode. Normally, I would think this a positive since I thought I missed out in college because I was actually studying and being serious and stuff, and now I remember why I did what I did instead of getting drunk and laid more like everyone else. Yeah, maybe that's why I still have an edge. The obsession and fixation with drinking mass quantities of beer was and is such a juvenile turn off that I couldn't put up with it even then, even with the carrot of proximity to hot young coeds. Seeing that again yesterday for the first time in a while reminded me how vulgar it is.
I told my wife Cynthia recently I would be Carl's roommate, our ten year old, when he goes off to college, but he will have to get a real college roommate now. I'm sure he'll appreciate that. She starting crying at the mere idea that Carl would grow up one day, leave us and go off to college. My promise to go with him wasn't a factor in the tears.
There was this guy named Rusty who lived in the dorms with us then young folks at the University of South Carolina circa 1993. He was like 45 years old, grey hair, on like his fourth degree and putting off the real world like the plague. I remember distinctly him saying this to me of the girls in the dorm, "Man, these girls come up to me for advice like I'm Yoda or something, but I just want to get in their pants. They see me as their dad." Rusty seemed pretty cool back then, and he was a good ally for putting a good word in for you with the women, since he knew them all, but I won't be that guy.
***
Out in Illinois bikers are not required to wear helmets. They seem to take this freedom to the limit, as no one wears a helmet. It would seem prudent to wear a helmet, you know, just in case, and now that you "don't' have to" and no one does, you don't have much to rebel against other than your own stupidity. Sure enough, I've seen tons of bikers and not one helmet. A brain trauma ward doesn't seem like such a fun place or a fair trade, but I guess I'm getting old.
***
I drove my sister's car to the DMB concert and the front lights come on automatically. I thought this meant they all did. They didn't. The rear lights were off. I get pulled over by an Illinois cop, he asked for my license, said he was going to give me a ticket. The thought of taking off for a drive in a mall like Jake and Elwood was tempting, but not practical. He went back to his car, probably realized booking a ticket for a Saipan license was going to be a hassle, like we can't order stuff online because MP is missing half the time, so he let me off. Cheers for my Saipan license.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Musings on Guam Airport revised and revisited
I sent this to a few of the edgier journals out there, and a tamer version to a few others. I was greeted mostly with silence. I don't have national media contacts, and certainly don't have the patience or slavish demeanor to beg them to run something I know is better than 2/3 of the safe, dull, middle of the road stuff they print. I also don't have the published writer's requisite skill of dealing with rejection or indifference very well. If you can link to this from some type of webzine with an audience that likes edgy, humorous stuff with a political bent, please link to this, as I feel it deserves a wider audience. Jeff
Out in Micronesia, just a small radar blip in the Pacific, sits Guam International Airport. Like many airports, it is a vast, packaged, neon vestibule of unhealthy, overpriced fast food, the mind boggling curiosity of duty free shops, and a more common currency: aggravated Asian travelers. One notable difference is that Guam is an America much closer to Hong Kong and Tokyo than New York or Los Angeles .
Guam is a full blown U.S. territory like Puerto Rico and a common transfer hub for Asian travelers to Hawaii, Australia and other locales. Guam has two well known monikers. Fiscal conservatives noting the federal dole that Guam, and other Pacific Islands survive on, say Guam stands for Give Us American Money, while retired military expats familiar with the more lascivious, neighboring locations of Thailand and the Philippines say Guam stands for Give Up And Masturbate.
A traveler doesn’t have to visit Guam, a popular beach vacation site for Japanese honeymooners, to feel the hysteria post 9/11. A mere transfer will suffice for this dog to bite as America continues to expand global alienation on a more personal front: airport security. I speak from recent personal experience.
I get off the plane in Guam after getting a quite thorough screening at Palau International Airport. Palau is one of the most renowned scuba diving locations on the planet, its main tourist draw and the one that brought me there, and is in Free Compact of Association with the United States, which basically means Palauans can enter the United States without visa issue, and the U.S. provides them with economic aid. The U.S. in return gets a claim on a place that is famously part of the “Coalition of the Willing” from Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11.
The first thing I have to do in Guam right off the plane from Palau at 4 am: Welcome to the United States. “Take your shoes off sir, belt, all metals, and are your nuts still attached, if not, please place them in this basket for inspection.” I might need them, so they are staying connected, sorry, use the wand, and tickle a little bit since it's 4 am, I'm on the redeye from hell, I'm stuck in your shithole airport and I need a cheap thrill. I just got off an airplane, I didn't go anywhere near an unchecked civilian, so this begs the obvious question of why do I have to go through the shoe routine again, not to mention another x-ray, take off your belt, shave your pubes routine in case you're hiding some well placed plutonium in your sac region? Why again!!!! Is Guam security so much more thorough than the last TSA manned airport? One idiot tried something with his shoes years ago and people the planet over have to go through these shoe theatrics without end in sight. Please. I've had times when there have been three shoe checks for one trip. The only real threat my shoes offer is the one they hold to pleasant smells. I saw one Transportation and Security Administration (TSA) officer examine my flip flops with the wrapt attention of Howard Carter opening King Tut's tomb.
Leaving Palau, the existence of shaving cream in my checked, not carry on, luggage caused a literal ten minute investigation. I might be the only one with a toothbrush coming from Palau, but I can't be the only one who shaves. Throughout Micronesia locals suffer massive dental issues from their love of a tree fruit called betel nut, which is generally stuffed with cigarette pieces, mixed with powdered lime to break it down for easier chewing, and wrapped in a pepper leaf to provide a nice buzz. There are probably more cigarettes chewed than smoked in Micronesia. Betelnut is a common addiction in Micronesia and has similar health, dental and aesthetic issues as chewing tobacco.
The war on terror, I mean hygiene continues, though. I had deodorant in my carry on, which is legal, but that still entailed a Nuremberg type deliberation since somehow Old Spice equals Al Qaeda. At some point someone needs to snap and say, “Use some sense, you soulless automaton!” I’m convinced they must electroshock all vestiges of independent thought and common sense out of these people at TSA Academy.
After the foiled UK plot a few months back, the liquid and hygiene situation is the latest overreaction. The silliness over water continues unabated. If you can drink it, and demonstrate that it isn't some Mission Impossible liquid bomb, let it go. It's water, like 80 percent of the human body. Chill out Nurse Ratched. We don't examine most any cargo coming into the states, but three shoe checks and no water, so we’re supposed to think we're safe. What a bunch of babies we’ve become, not to mention that this American airport in Asia is as welcoming as a punch to the stomach.Then Guam security sets up this rope to subdivide the airport and actually block you from your gate. This is designed so they can give the new arrivals the stare for the Battan style march to the slaughter at the pointless Guam immigration check in counter, and if you, the already harassed, step on the wrong side at the wrong time, they threaten you with a fresh round of shoe checks, X rays and quite possibly a trip to Guantanamo Bay. Even an American traveler like me feels cowed from asking the obvious question of why do I have to clear immigration in Guam when I am not staying there, or not be able to head to my gate yet because others need to go through this ridiculous routine? Doesn’t my name go down on the easily identifiable “previously manhandled” list?
With all this security you’d think Guam International Airport would be a hub for all travelers, but nope, they won't let Filipinos, and others from less prosperous countries, transfer through without a full blown U.S. Visa.
It is still the middle of the night, I've got a long layover in Hades, and there is hardly anyone in the place, so sleep seems in order. I'm not expecting the Ritz Carlton, just to sack out in peace on their mangy carpet. Naturally, sleep is hard to come by with a blaring announcement over the loudspeaker every fifteen minutes not to leave your bags unattended and to report any suspicious activity to the Guam Gestapo.
These security pros clearly find travelers annoying, so they briefly held me hostage on my initial layover. I couldn't exit without a Continental representative to walk me through immigration like it was my first day of kindergarten. I ate at the lousy food court, so I wasn’t exiting completely within the allotted time. Since this was inconvenient to security, I had this bozo airport cop on a power trip interrogating me on whether my green tea in a cup was beer. What am I twelve, what if it was? His invented regulation: “You can't take green tea out onto the streets of Guam sir.” I'm sure the teeming masses of Guam appreciate that kind of protection. I was going to mention that I saw one guy with an apple, and if he could stop him, he might get a Homeland Security appointment in the Bush administration, but I really wasn’t in any mood to undergo extraordinary rendition and be re-routed for less comfortable questioning in Syria, so I merely smiled and sheepishly surrendered my $3.00 beverage before heading out of the Taliban’s new headquarters.
Guam Airport is the United States government in microcosm: reactionary, bullying, lacking common sense and self-important. The terrorists have already won since we are a bunch of drunk on fear ninnies, alienating both Americans and citizens of the world’s fastest growing economies with our bullshit.
Out in Micronesia, just a small radar blip in the Pacific, sits Guam International Airport. Like many airports, it is a vast, packaged, neon vestibule of unhealthy, overpriced fast food, the mind boggling curiosity of duty free shops, and a more common currency: aggravated Asian travelers. One notable difference is that Guam is an America much closer to Hong Kong and Tokyo than New York or Los Angeles .
Guam is a full blown U.S. territory like Puerto Rico and a common transfer hub for Asian travelers to Hawaii, Australia and other locales. Guam has two well known monikers. Fiscal conservatives noting the federal dole that Guam, and other Pacific Islands survive on, say Guam stands for Give Us American Money, while retired military expats familiar with the more lascivious, neighboring locations of Thailand and the Philippines say Guam stands for Give Up And Masturbate.
A traveler doesn’t have to visit Guam, a popular beach vacation site for Japanese honeymooners, to feel the hysteria post 9/11. A mere transfer will suffice for this dog to bite as America continues to expand global alienation on a more personal front: airport security. I speak from recent personal experience.
I get off the plane in Guam after getting a quite thorough screening at Palau International Airport. Palau is one of the most renowned scuba diving locations on the planet, its main tourist draw and the one that brought me there, and is in Free Compact of Association with the United States, which basically means Palauans can enter the United States without visa issue, and the U.S. provides them with economic aid. The U.S. in return gets a claim on a place that is famously part of the “Coalition of the Willing” from Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11.
The first thing I have to do in Guam right off the plane from Palau at 4 am: Welcome to the United States. “Take your shoes off sir, belt, all metals, and are your nuts still attached, if not, please place them in this basket for inspection.” I might need them, so they are staying connected, sorry, use the wand, and tickle a little bit since it's 4 am, I'm on the redeye from hell, I'm stuck in your shithole airport and I need a cheap thrill. I just got off an airplane, I didn't go anywhere near an unchecked civilian, so this begs the obvious question of why do I have to go through the shoe routine again, not to mention another x-ray, take off your belt, shave your pubes routine in case you're hiding some well placed plutonium in your sac region? Why again!!!! Is Guam security so much more thorough than the last TSA manned airport? One idiot tried something with his shoes years ago and people the planet over have to go through these shoe theatrics without end in sight. Please. I've had times when there have been three shoe checks for one trip. The only real threat my shoes offer is the one they hold to pleasant smells. I saw one Transportation and Security Administration (TSA) officer examine my flip flops with the wrapt attention of Howard Carter opening King Tut's tomb.
Leaving Palau, the existence of shaving cream in my checked, not carry on, luggage caused a literal ten minute investigation. I might be the only one with a toothbrush coming from Palau, but I can't be the only one who shaves. Throughout Micronesia locals suffer massive dental issues from their love of a tree fruit called betel nut, which is generally stuffed with cigarette pieces, mixed with powdered lime to break it down for easier chewing, and wrapped in a pepper leaf to provide a nice buzz. There are probably more cigarettes chewed than smoked in Micronesia. Betelnut is a common addiction in Micronesia and has similar health, dental and aesthetic issues as chewing tobacco.
The war on terror, I mean hygiene continues, though. I had deodorant in my carry on, which is legal, but that still entailed a Nuremberg type deliberation since somehow Old Spice equals Al Qaeda. At some point someone needs to snap and say, “Use some sense, you soulless automaton!” I’m convinced they must electroshock all vestiges of independent thought and common sense out of these people at TSA Academy.
After the foiled UK plot a few months back, the liquid and hygiene situation is the latest overreaction. The silliness over water continues unabated. If you can drink it, and demonstrate that it isn't some Mission Impossible liquid bomb, let it go. It's water, like 80 percent of the human body. Chill out Nurse Ratched. We don't examine most any cargo coming into the states, but three shoe checks and no water, so we’re supposed to think we're safe. What a bunch of babies we’ve become, not to mention that this American airport in Asia is as welcoming as a punch to the stomach.Then Guam security sets up this rope to subdivide the airport and actually block you from your gate. This is designed so they can give the new arrivals the stare for the Battan style march to the slaughter at the pointless Guam immigration check in counter, and if you, the already harassed, step on the wrong side at the wrong time, they threaten you with a fresh round of shoe checks, X rays and quite possibly a trip to Guantanamo Bay. Even an American traveler like me feels cowed from asking the obvious question of why do I have to clear immigration in Guam when I am not staying there, or not be able to head to my gate yet because others need to go through this ridiculous routine? Doesn’t my name go down on the easily identifiable “previously manhandled” list?
With all this security you’d think Guam International Airport would be a hub for all travelers, but nope, they won't let Filipinos, and others from less prosperous countries, transfer through without a full blown U.S. Visa.
It is still the middle of the night, I've got a long layover in Hades, and there is hardly anyone in the place, so sleep seems in order. I'm not expecting the Ritz Carlton, just to sack out in peace on their mangy carpet. Naturally, sleep is hard to come by with a blaring announcement over the loudspeaker every fifteen minutes not to leave your bags unattended and to report any suspicious activity to the Guam Gestapo.
These security pros clearly find travelers annoying, so they briefly held me hostage on my initial layover. I couldn't exit without a Continental representative to walk me through immigration like it was my first day of kindergarten. I ate at the lousy food court, so I wasn’t exiting completely within the allotted time. Since this was inconvenient to security, I had this bozo airport cop on a power trip interrogating me on whether my green tea in a cup was beer. What am I twelve, what if it was? His invented regulation: “You can't take green tea out onto the streets of Guam sir.” I'm sure the teeming masses of Guam appreciate that kind of protection. I was going to mention that I saw one guy with an apple, and if he could stop him, he might get a Homeland Security appointment in the Bush administration, but I really wasn’t in any mood to undergo extraordinary rendition and be re-routed for less comfortable questioning in Syria, so I merely smiled and sheepishly surrendered my $3.00 beverage before heading out of the Taliban’s new headquarters.
Guam Airport is the United States government in microcosm: reactionary, bullying, lacking common sense and self-important. The terrorists have already won since we are a bunch of drunk on fear ninnies, alienating both Americans and citizens of the world’s fastest growing economies with our bullshit.
Proud of the response
I was a little worried no one but me would react to that racist display by Taotao Tano the other day, but this community has really done the right thing and I believe this group has been marginalized, deservedly, in a matter of days. I'm not sure I've seen this type of rebuke on anything before. Angelo said it well, they have a lot of good ideas, but they ruined it with racism. Today a bravo goes out to Roselle Calvo, the young NYU I believe, student who is quite the fireball. Here is what she said today:
"Calvo said she decided to leave the group not because it did not support the recall petition but because of “its racist agenda and dictatorial way.” She said she was disappointed with the street protest on Saturday when Taotao Tano members waved placards denouncing Dekada, a group of alien workers who have been in the CNMI for over five years now. “I do not want to be a part of the group of people who act first before they think,” she said. She added that she does not like to be involved in a group with a “racist agenda.”
Beyond that, Boni let them have it, as did Angelo, Bree, The Colonel Alexander Sablan, Harry Blalock, Jose Dela Cruz , John Del Rosario , Bishop Thomas Camacho, Rep. Ramon Tebuteb and Roselle Calvo resigned and blasted them today. Ambrose Bennett resigned the other day as well. Bravo to everyone really. Racism deserves that kind of rebuke.
"Calvo said she decided to leave the group not because it did not support the recall petition but because of “its racist agenda and dictatorial way.” She said she was disappointed with the street protest on Saturday when Taotao Tano members waved placards denouncing Dekada, a group of alien workers who have been in the CNMI for over five years now. “I do not want to be a part of the group of people who act first before they think,” she said. She added that she does not like to be involved in a group with a “racist agenda.”
Beyond that, Boni let them have it, as did Angelo, Bree, The Colonel Alexander Sablan, Harry Blalock, Jose Dela Cruz , John Del Rosario , Bishop Thomas Camacho, Rep. Ramon Tebuteb and Roselle Calvo resigned and blasted them today. Ambrose Bennett resigned the other day as well. Bravo to everyone really. Racism deserves that kind of rebuke.
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Stepping into the time machine
I originally set it up a storage shed in Pennsylvania, where it's cheaper, "for a year" when I went to teach English in Korea in 2000. I've been paying on this SOB for almost seven years now -- yikes. I have all kinds of things in there from my previous life -- everything I own really -- a ridiculous number of baseball cards, books, cds and photographs, my high school diploma and numerous other things.
I paid my annual visit today. Going there is like stepping into a time machine. I have mail and papers from 2000 sitting on my old furniture. Mementos of things past galore. My high school yearbook was funny because people said things that were pretty relevant and true today about me being political and opinionated and a muckraker and that type of thing. I was that way -- even then. The hair on Jersey girls in the 80s was even more frightening than one would imagine.
I picked up a bag that has letters from the time I was 15 to 24. I haven't seen these things since God knows when. I read some of the letters from old girlfriends back in the day. My jaw dropped. Apparently I was not a nice guy back then. Some would say I'm not now. Ha ha. I get it. From my main college girlfriend, the good to bad letter ratio was about 1 to 3 or worse. I don't remember it being as bad as those letters made things sound, but apparently it was.
I was so shocked I sent her an email and told her if we'd met today, I'd have been a nicer person, and apologized for being harsh in those years and that I'm glad we're both happily married to other people.
This time machine experience got me thinking about a lot. Leaving the states was a hard decision, and my family did their level best to stop it. It was quite the bone of contention for a while. I remember wrestling with this issue for a long time. It was the hardest decision I ever made. In hindsight, I'm damn glad I did it. The places I've gone and the things I've done overseas have enriched my life dramatically
My twenties, in particular those six years after college were an incredibly tough time. I had three career changes, a series of bad relationships and poor health. I found the corporate culture loathsome, and I expected more immediate success after doing well in high school and college. I developed a disease then that is still a thorn in my side. My fitness level was even worse, and I looked at pictures today, and I look significantly younger now than ten years ago. That is mostly a product of being bald instead of balding, or maybe it is just the aura of being much happier now.
Anyway, this time machine brought me to a place that wasn't too good, and it made me realize how fortunate and happy I am now. I have a great family, a good education, a great community, a decent job, one that isn't really serious enough or intellectually challenging enough, but it is one I can and do make a difference in. Other than my family, the thing I'm happiest about is that I have a wealth of life experiences that traveling and living abroad allows from scuba diving in Palau to seeing the museums of Paris to eating great Thai food in Bangkok.
I paid my annual visit today. Going there is like stepping into a time machine. I have mail and papers from 2000 sitting on my old furniture. Mementos of things past galore. My high school yearbook was funny because people said things that were pretty relevant and true today about me being political and opinionated and a muckraker and that type of thing. I was that way -- even then. The hair on Jersey girls in the 80s was even more frightening than one would imagine.
I picked up a bag that has letters from the time I was 15 to 24. I haven't seen these things since God knows when. I read some of the letters from old girlfriends back in the day. My jaw dropped. Apparently I was not a nice guy back then. Some would say I'm not now. Ha ha. I get it. From my main college girlfriend, the good to bad letter ratio was about 1 to 3 or worse. I don't remember it being as bad as those letters made things sound, but apparently it was.
I was so shocked I sent her an email and told her if we'd met today, I'd have been a nicer person, and apologized for being harsh in those years and that I'm glad we're both happily married to other people.
This time machine experience got me thinking about a lot. Leaving the states was a hard decision, and my family did their level best to stop it. It was quite the bone of contention for a while. I remember wrestling with this issue for a long time. It was the hardest decision I ever made. In hindsight, I'm damn glad I did it. The places I've gone and the things I've done overseas have enriched my life dramatically
My twenties, in particular those six years after college were an incredibly tough time. I had three career changes, a series of bad relationships and poor health. I found the corporate culture loathsome, and I expected more immediate success after doing well in high school and college. I developed a disease then that is still a thorn in my side. My fitness level was even worse, and I looked at pictures today, and I look significantly younger now than ten years ago. That is mostly a product of being bald instead of balding, or maybe it is just the aura of being much happier now.
Anyway, this time machine brought me to a place that wasn't too good, and it made me realize how fortunate and happy I am now. I have a great family, a good education, a great community, a decent job, one that isn't really serious enough or intellectually challenging enough, but it is one I can and do make a difference in. Other than my family, the thing I'm happiest about is that I have a wealth of life experiences that traveling and living abroad allows from scuba diving in Palau to seeing the museums of Paris to eating great Thai food in Bangkok.
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Scraping Rock Bottom
Today is another new low in the corrupt assault on justice and the constitution by President Shit for Brains. Today, without a Justice Department review, he commuted the sentence of Scooter Libby, the one time Chief of Staff for Cheney who took the fall for the Dark Lord, who had his cronies out CIA undercover agent Valerie Plame because her husband, Joseph Wilson, called these corrupt people out in a New York Times column on their bullshit story about Iraq trying to get nuclear weapons material in Niger.
Wilson was the guy who went there and investigated this issue and said it was BS. Cheney used the issue in the run up to war to scare everyone, and W put it in the State of the Union without proper vetting. The Mushroom Cloud Joseph Wilson debunked was the main point of fear mongering this administration used to let them start this war and give oil companies record profits. These people ended the career of someone leading a double life for the CIA, really fighting the terrorists, because they were mad at her husband. That's essentially treason. Not even the Mob goes after your family, but that is what the Bush Administration did, and now they let this convict off with a slap on the wrist.
This is from the New York Times editorial: "Within minutes of the Libby announcement, the same Republican commentators who fulminated when Paris Hilton got a few days knocked off her time in a county lockup were parroting Mr. Bush’s contention that a fine, probation and reputation damage were “harsh punishment” enough for Mr. Libby."
The best defense the Republicans can come up with is "Clinton did it, too," which is irrelevant, and for the record, Clinton was acquitted by the Senate, not convicted like Libby, whose punishment was "too harsh," yet Clinton was impeached and the country brought to a halt because he hid the fact that he got a blowjob so his wife wouldn't find out in a ridiculous civil case that was thrown out of court. Even more absurd, and who better than David Brooks for inept Republican spin is this: "As Joe Wilson was an absurd man with a plain name, Scooter Libby was a plain man with an absurd name. "
The sound of his name is plain. Are you kidding me? What's absurd about him, that he isn't a dickless suck up to the powerful like the grotesque David Brooks . This is the guy whose retort to Al Gore's book is that he is a Vulcan devoid of emotion. I know the Times needs a Republican stooge to fill out their editorial page, but can't they do better than him.
The end result is so much for equal justice -- not if you are a White House official doing the dirty work for a dirty administration. Another new grab at rock bottom for the worst president in U.S. history. There is no blowjob involved here, so it won't be around the clock news like Monica Lewinski, just treason, corruption and a bending over of lady justice. The fault lies with all of us, not just the jackass dwelling in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Most of America will blow this off and watch American Idol or obsess about Paris Hilton. That's why Bush is a direct implication of our mangled priorities and not something we can dismiss and think we have nothing to do with.
Wilson was the guy who went there and investigated this issue and said it was BS. Cheney used the issue in the run up to war to scare everyone, and W put it in the State of the Union without proper vetting. The Mushroom Cloud Joseph Wilson debunked was the main point of fear mongering this administration used to let them start this war and give oil companies record profits. These people ended the career of someone leading a double life for the CIA, really fighting the terrorists, because they were mad at her husband. That's essentially treason. Not even the Mob goes after your family, but that is what the Bush Administration did, and now they let this convict off with a slap on the wrist.
This is from the New York Times editorial: "Within minutes of the Libby announcement, the same Republican commentators who fulminated when Paris Hilton got a few days knocked off her time in a county lockup were parroting Mr. Bush’s contention that a fine, probation and reputation damage were “harsh punishment” enough for Mr. Libby."
The best defense the Republicans can come up with is "Clinton did it, too," which is irrelevant, and for the record, Clinton was acquitted by the Senate, not convicted like Libby, whose punishment was "too harsh," yet Clinton was impeached and the country brought to a halt because he hid the fact that he got a blowjob so his wife wouldn't find out in a ridiculous civil case that was thrown out of court. Even more absurd, and who better than David Brooks for inept Republican spin is this: "As Joe Wilson was an absurd man with a plain name, Scooter Libby was a plain man with an absurd name. "
The sound of his name is plain. Are you kidding me? What's absurd about him, that he isn't a dickless suck up to the powerful like the grotesque David Brooks . This is the guy whose retort to Al Gore's book is that he is a Vulcan devoid of emotion. I know the Times needs a Republican stooge to fill out their editorial page, but can't they do better than him.
The end result is so much for equal justice -- not if you are a White House official doing the dirty work for a dirty administration. Another new grab at rock bottom for the worst president in U.S. history. There is no blowjob involved here, so it won't be around the clock news like Monica Lewinski, just treason, corruption and a bending over of lady justice. The fault lies with all of us, not just the jackass dwelling in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Most of America will blow this off and watch American Idol or obsess about Paris Hilton. That's why Bush is a direct implication of our mangled priorities and not something we can dismiss and think we have nothing to do with.
Monday, July 02, 2007
Revolting
After seeing a picture of multiple people holding signs saying, "Go home, this is our land," I just felt sick. I was trying to let that picture go, but it is just too revolting to let slide without comment. I wrote about Taotao Tano the other day and was trying to be charitable. Taotao Tano's agenda is much clearer now, and Ambrose Bennett's two letters on that subject make complete sense. I'd like to say to those sign holders: Filipinos didn't do anything to you. They are churchgoing folks who live here, raise children and do their best, usually without much money, like most people here -- probably a lot like most of you holding those signs. They fix our cars, teach our children and care for us in the hospital. I bet all of you go to church here, this is Saipan after all. I wonder if you found "Go home, this is our land" in your bible. Somehow I doubt it. I'd love to see the Bishop say something about this immoral act. If you, the signholders, continue to go to church with the attitudes expressed in those signs, you are hypocrites to your faith. The bible talks about loving your brother, not "go home, this is our land."Why are you picking on these people and trying to make them scapegoats for the islands' many problems? It isn't their fault the government people like you the signholders empowered, flooded the labor pool with workers, kept your minimum wage low for so long, and hired lobbyist Jack Abramoff, now a convicted criminal, for more than $6 million of your tax money to keep it that way. The "cash strapped" government is about to renew the contract of another lobbyist
to try to keep it going, yet you are mad at people who did nothing to you. This is not the spirit of the Saipan people I have come to know over the years. You have also limited your role as a civic group because anyone putting their name with you now is putting their name with this kind of disgusting, racist display. You should be ashamed of yourselves!"The members of Taotao Tano staged a rally on Saturday against a group of alien workers seeking to improve their immigration status.Taotao Tano president Greg Cruz was joined by over a dozen other individuals during a protest action
at the Microl intersection on Beach Road that started at 10 a.m. Most of them held placards denouncing Dekada, a group of nonresidents who have been in the CNMI for at least five years."
Sunday, July 01, 2007
New York New York
Anyone who knows me, reads my blog, or has seen my gut, knows I love to cook and eat good food. They also know I find a lot of what American culture has become is embarrassing, and the political culture and leadership is beyond embarrassing -- more to the point of reprehensible and abysmal beyond mere partisan differences or varying opinions. The dark side is openly subverting what it means to be an American and what makes this country different, unique and better. No, I'm not offering another full blown anti-Bush rant today, I'm merely setting a premise fo my amazing day yesterday, where we are, and where we could be.
I can't believe we now live in a country that allows this moron's goons to spy on Americans without a warrrant, torture people or ship them off to countries that torture, shove religion down our throats and hire high ranking justice department officials from Pat Robertson's diploma mill law school, hold suspects without charges or access to a lawyer, spend billions to invade a non-threatening country on false pretenses, run up a $9 trillion debt yet cut taxes for rich people while starting that same war, take four days to get water to disaster victims in the Superdome, manage to leave 46 million without health insurance, stonewall Congress, which never investigated or provided oversight on anything for years anyway since the majority was in the same party as the executive branch, fire prosecutors for not trumping up charges against political adversaries, allows the AG to essentially perjure himself by obviously feigning memory loss, allows Dick Cheney to claim he's not even in the Executive branch to avoid Congressional oversight, and allows this administration to do all this without even really getting elected in the first place.
On the general culture front, celebrity gossip culture runs rampant and sickening fast food is about every ten feet -- making us fat and unhealthy. The mad dog consumer culture is equally ubiquitous with Ipods now in vending machines. Being well educated is a liablilty because you're an "elite." Most television programming is incredibly dumb with people eating disgusting things for my entertainment or quiz shows at the fifth grade level. No one really reads anymore, and if they do, it tends to be more celebrity bullshit or whatever Oprah likes. Movies are remakes, sequels or ninety minutes of mindless explosions and violence. Music scarcely requires an instrument and popular songs are also remakes. I feel so disappointed in what we've become that it wears on me. I'm not all that proud to be an American anymore. Yes, I enjoy and appreciate the advantages being an American offers, but I have higher standards for us, and we don't live up to them anymore.
I spent the day yesterday in Manhattan. I'm not from New York, I'm from New Jersey. People from New York tend to look down on New Jersey -- and most everyone. They radiate a "we're better than you" attitude that is unbecoming. With that said, they are kind of right. Manhattan in better. However, New Yorkers should be gracious enough not to act that way. However, New Yorkers aren't unfriendly people. I've always thought that was a misconception. I asked for help on directions and struck up conversations a handful of times and it was always fruitful.
I've been to a lot of big cities: Paris, Rome, Seoul, Osaka, Tokyo, Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco, Bangkok, Manila, Beijing to name some. Manhattan isn't the best city on Earth, as they often claim. I would grant that title to San Francisco, which has everything Manhattan has, and is significantly more beautiful, but Manhattan is an amazing place. I was walking around the city yesterday, and it just offers so much as to be overwhelming. I took a stroll through Central Park, and it is an enormous natural oasis in a sea of concrete and skyscrapers. It is a welcome respite that is civilizing and reminds you that people actually live here, not just work or come in for the day like us Jersey folks.
I roamed the Metropolitan Museum and gazed at amazing Impressionistic paintings, Ancient Greek pottery and armor, the Egyptian Book of the Dead in original papyrus scroll strung across one long corridor, as well as numerous Egyptian sarcophagi. I saw Ancient Roman coins, busts of Caesar Augustus and others, and quite a bit of impressive American art.
I want to a comedy club and heard relative novices spin out witty and wry observations. I ate at a Cuban Restaurant called Sophies that kicked so much ass I can hardly contain my enthusiasm. Simple rice and beans dressed up with their jalapeno sauce staggered beyond belief into a gourmet feast. The Cuban Sandwich I ate with this exploded with exotic peasant flavors, notably because of the flat crusted Cuban bread. After walking around some more, I had a Masala Tea in an Indian take out place, which had a great looking French Restaurant and a Thai Restaurant next door. The food options stagger. The food is great because most everyone is an immigrant here. They bring their global influences to bear.
In Manhattan, I'm not the oddball I am in Saipan and most places. I'm not even the most blunt guy anymore. It has been a long time since that happened. Most everyone there is cynical, edgy, smart, liberal, political, ethnic, comedic, artistic, competitive, ambitious, interested in culture, food and general quality and competence. I love this about New York. They aren't drunk on fear ninnies who never go anywhere, don't know anything and have nothing to say. I hate to say this, but the vast majority of people are boring. They feel little obligation to bring something to the social table beyond common courtesies and trivial small talk. This New York spirit is what is lacking in other places if you ask me. Yesterday, for the first time in a long ass while, I felt like I was surrounded by people like me, kindred spirits galore.
Manhattan restores my faith in America. New York was the principal target of "the terrorists," yet very few people believed in George Bush's bullshit very long, not that many people do anymore, but they were early to that party. John Lennon sang that great line about people being kept doped on religion and sex and tv. New York isn't doped on religion and tv that's for sure, sex probably. New York is different there, too. People stay out late to party, eat, talk, hear jazz, see live theater, go to comedy clubs, shop, have kinky sex, catch a baseball game, whatever. The women that roam the city are gorgeous, stylish and sophisticated. This is not the case in the Jersey suburbs or even most places.
You can walk the streets and everyone is from somewhere else. You can hear French, Italian, German, Arabic and most any language being spoken. I didn't look, but I bet I could find a Chamorro restaurant -- probably the only place in America a person could do that, and no one cares if you are gay, straight, transgendered, existentialist or running dog revisionist. It is a live and let live place, yet it is also blunt and aggressive.
New York is what the Democratic Party should be, but isn't. Smart, edgy, live and let live, yet blunt, direct and bold. Liberals can do this, they just don't, and that is why they lose and the dark side has run amok with Caligulan abandon. It was a good day and one that made me feel better about this country.
I can't believe we now live in a country that allows this moron's goons to spy on Americans without a warrrant, torture people or ship them off to countries that torture, shove religion down our throats and hire high ranking justice department officials from Pat Robertson's diploma mill law school, hold suspects without charges or access to a lawyer, spend billions to invade a non-threatening country on false pretenses, run up a $9 trillion debt yet cut taxes for rich people while starting that same war, take four days to get water to disaster victims in the Superdome, manage to leave 46 million without health insurance, stonewall Congress, which never investigated or provided oversight on anything for years anyway since the majority was in the same party as the executive branch, fire prosecutors for not trumping up charges against political adversaries, allows the AG to essentially perjure himself by obviously feigning memory loss, allows Dick Cheney to claim he's not even in the Executive branch to avoid Congressional oversight, and allows this administration to do all this without even really getting elected in the first place.
On the general culture front, celebrity gossip culture runs rampant and sickening fast food is about every ten feet -- making us fat and unhealthy. The mad dog consumer culture is equally ubiquitous with Ipods now in vending machines. Being well educated is a liablilty because you're an "elite." Most television programming is incredibly dumb with people eating disgusting things for my entertainment or quiz shows at the fifth grade level. No one really reads anymore, and if they do, it tends to be more celebrity bullshit or whatever Oprah likes. Movies are remakes, sequels or ninety minutes of mindless explosions and violence. Music scarcely requires an instrument and popular songs are also remakes. I feel so disappointed in what we've become that it wears on me. I'm not all that proud to be an American anymore. Yes, I enjoy and appreciate the advantages being an American offers, but I have higher standards for us, and we don't live up to them anymore.
I spent the day yesterday in Manhattan. I'm not from New York, I'm from New Jersey. People from New York tend to look down on New Jersey -- and most everyone. They radiate a "we're better than you" attitude that is unbecoming. With that said, they are kind of right. Manhattan in better. However, New Yorkers should be gracious enough not to act that way. However, New Yorkers aren't unfriendly people. I've always thought that was a misconception. I asked for help on directions and struck up conversations a handful of times and it was always fruitful.
I've been to a lot of big cities: Paris, Rome, Seoul, Osaka, Tokyo, Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco, Bangkok, Manila, Beijing to name some. Manhattan isn't the best city on Earth, as they often claim. I would grant that title to San Francisco, which has everything Manhattan has, and is significantly more beautiful, but Manhattan is an amazing place. I was walking around the city yesterday, and it just offers so much as to be overwhelming. I took a stroll through Central Park, and it is an enormous natural oasis in a sea of concrete and skyscrapers. It is a welcome respite that is civilizing and reminds you that people actually live here, not just work or come in for the day like us Jersey folks.
I roamed the Metropolitan Museum and gazed at amazing Impressionistic paintings, Ancient Greek pottery and armor, the Egyptian Book of the Dead in original papyrus scroll strung across one long corridor, as well as numerous Egyptian sarcophagi. I saw Ancient Roman coins, busts of Caesar Augustus and others, and quite a bit of impressive American art.
I want to a comedy club and heard relative novices spin out witty and wry observations. I ate at a Cuban Restaurant called Sophies that kicked so much ass I can hardly contain my enthusiasm. Simple rice and beans dressed up with their jalapeno sauce staggered beyond belief into a gourmet feast. The Cuban Sandwich I ate with this exploded with exotic peasant flavors, notably because of the flat crusted Cuban bread. After walking around some more, I had a Masala Tea in an Indian take out place, which had a great looking French Restaurant and a Thai Restaurant next door. The food options stagger. The food is great because most everyone is an immigrant here. They bring their global influences to bear.
In Manhattan, I'm not the oddball I am in Saipan and most places. I'm not even the most blunt guy anymore. It has been a long time since that happened. Most everyone there is cynical, edgy, smart, liberal, political, ethnic, comedic, artistic, competitive, ambitious, interested in culture, food and general quality and competence. I love this about New York. They aren't drunk on fear ninnies who never go anywhere, don't know anything and have nothing to say. I hate to say this, but the vast majority of people are boring. They feel little obligation to bring something to the social table beyond common courtesies and trivial small talk. This New York spirit is what is lacking in other places if you ask me. Yesterday, for the first time in a long ass while, I felt like I was surrounded by people like me, kindred spirits galore.
Manhattan restores my faith in America. New York was the principal target of "the terrorists," yet very few people believed in George Bush's bullshit very long, not that many people do anymore, but they were early to that party. John Lennon sang that great line about people being kept doped on religion and sex and tv. New York isn't doped on religion and tv that's for sure, sex probably. New York is different there, too. People stay out late to party, eat, talk, hear jazz, see live theater, go to comedy clubs, shop, have kinky sex, catch a baseball game, whatever. The women that roam the city are gorgeous, stylish and sophisticated. This is not the case in the Jersey suburbs or even most places.
You can walk the streets and everyone is from somewhere else. You can hear French, Italian, German, Arabic and most any language being spoken. I didn't look, but I bet I could find a Chamorro restaurant -- probably the only place in America a person could do that, and no one cares if you are gay, straight, transgendered, existentialist or running dog revisionist. It is a live and let live place, yet it is also blunt and aggressive.
New York is what the Democratic Party should be, but isn't. Smart, edgy, live and let live, yet blunt, direct and bold. Liberals can do this, they just don't, and that is why they lose and the dark side has run amok with Caligulan abandon. It was a good day and one that made me feel better about this country.
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