I've Moved. ...Again.

Hot damn, it's been a long time since I've last posted here. I'd love to give you a good reason why not, but there isn't a really good reason. Well, partially it's that the Dashboard widget on OS X stopped working for some odd reason, and I felt to damn lazy to actually log into the Blogger site to actually post.

So there...

That said, I've found a much easier way for me to post at my .mac web site. Feel free to visit anytime, I've already made more than a handful of posts there so far. Currently, it's called Cranial Spew version 3.0 but I'll be nixing the "version 3.0" part once I get around to it. Read: never.

So here's the link: http://web.mac.com/gsanchez1/iWeb/Cranial%20Spew/Main.html

There ya go, enjoy. The only downside to the new site is that there isn't any way for readers to comment, not that I really read many of them anyway, or that I ever expected any. Hell, I'm fairly certain no one besides relatives even read this site. Really, I don't blog to stroke my ego (not yet, anyway), but for the fun I get out of it. It's a nice to way to express one's feelings and put it out there for everyone to look and say, "Look what this asshole wrote!"

Ah, the information age. It's like one big jerkoff after another.

XXXI

Yesterday, my birthday rolled around once again this time to mark my 31st year. In many ways, over the last year I have noticed that I've changed more this year than the previous 30. That is, however, not to say I've changed that much. After all, I still think I'm relatively the same dick head who liked to watch movies, play Madden, and have a liberal slant to my politics. Frankly, I hope that none of that ever changes. I'd like to keep a frim grip on the feeling of my youth even when I, God willing, approach my nineties. I've always seen age a merely a number, not a need to "grow up". To many people it seems, growing up means you forget the fun things in life, be grouchy, remain in a certain mindset (i.e., not adapting to current culture norms), and play things a little safer.

Now that I'm a father, I hardly think that's reason enough to start playing things safe. In fact, I think it's more of an opportunity to be less safe, and take more risks. After all, what could be riskier than putting someone else's life, your own flesh and blood no less, in your own hands? Although that doesn't mean I'm going to be reckless either. Risks are calculated, being reckless is dickheadedness*.

Do I have any particular risks in mind? You bet your ass I do. I'm working on one, or two, at the moment. If these risks pay off in the future remain to be seen, but that's not the point. It's the fact that I tried. After all, I'm only thirty-one years old. I've got my whole life ahead of me.

* - That's not a typo, that's a whole new word I made up.

What the Hell is Going on Here?

Had I the time to write an extended post, I would. But, I'm really tired right now. That said, I still wanted to ask the question--

Does anybody still think that George W. Bush is doing a good job?

Anybody?

Republicans in the Senate and Congress and wondering how the hell he's going to pay for the New Orleans rebuilding and pay for the Iraq war without the country going broke. Repeal the Tax Cut for the Wealthiest 1 percent of Americans? Heaven forbid!

My best pal, a conservative, thinks Dubya is doing a crappy job. Hell, most conservatives think Dubya is doing a crappy job.

And the most telling that is that usual W. lover Ann Coulter is taking jabs at Bush. What the fuck is going on here? Did I wake up in an alternate reality where the people of this country have realized what the other half has always thought.

Holy shit! Maybe it's that the majority of this country, Democrats and Republicans now do not trust this President. I personally never trusted him, but now his own base doesn't trust him. But I think right now that Republicans have realized something very telling-- George W. Bush isn't a Republican. Fuck, he's not even a conservative.

He's an opportunist. No, scratch that. He's the puppet to a group of opportunists.

Shit Head

I really despise nosy people. Irritating, nosy people. You know, the very people who have nothing better to do than to bust your balls because because they are too weak to come to terms with their own existential dilemmas that they need to point out another's shortcomings to bolster their fragile egos. (Well, that was wordy.)

What I despise more, however, are nosy bastards who don't know what the hell they just saw.

Case in point: Tonight I was walking my dog for her evening walk. As soon as I reach the sidewalk Angel walks to the grass, crouches down and takes a leak. While this is happening, a Honda Civic passes by. Angel completes her leak, and I continue on my way. At that moment, I hear the Civic come to a dead stop. I turn around to look to see what's going on and see the Civic making a U-turn and drive up next to me. The driver, a balding man in his mid to late forties (it was dark, I really couldn't make out his age) wearing a tie looks at me and says--

"Are you gonna pick that up?"

I was speechless for a moment, then a I said, "She was taking a leak."

The driver of the Civic shakes his head and then I add, "Why don't you mind your own damn business?"

The driver, sounding really irrtated comes back with, "Do you want to get a ticket? The police station is right down the street."

"I think the police have better things to do than to look for dog piss. So please go away and leave me the hell alone."

I continue with my walk and without another word, the driver of the Civic drives off, makes a U-turn and drives off. Later during my walk with Angel, she actually does poop and I pick it up, as I usually do.

On my way back to the apartment, I strongly considered finding the Civic and leaving the bag of dog shit on the roof on his car. I wouldn't actually do it, but it would've been nice to demonstrate to the driver with dog shit on his mind that I do pick up my dog's poop.

In contrast, I took Angel to the District this morning for a long walk and none of the Capitol police officers said anything to me when Angel took a monster dump right in front of the Capitol building and didn't pick it up immediately because I was drinking a Coke at the time.

The nerve of some people who can't mind their own damn business.

Unconscious Mutterings: Week CXXXV

1. Julie:: Brown
   
2. Emotional:: Connected
   
3. Head of household:: Antiquated Idea
   
4. Diva:: Aretha. There is no other.
   
5. Devastation:: Louisiana/Mississippi
   
6. Business or pleasure:: Depends on the situation
   
7. Crown:: Jewel
   
8. Eastern:: Time Zone
   
9. Buzzed:: Crew Cut
   
10. Officer:: Salute
    

Click here to play along.

Go West, Young Man

I don't believe the statement made during NBC's fundraiser were made at the right time or place, but I think Kanye West was partically correct.

First, the quote from Mr. West: "George Bush doesn't care about black people."

I, for one, (and I'm definitely not a fan of President Bush) don't think that Bush doesn't care about blacks. What he does, however, is not care about the poor as a whole, regardless of race. Still, you have to think about how many blacks feel about our government's rush to care for those who were in Katrina's path. Trucks carrying relief supplies started to arrive only yesterday (Sept. 2). That's a whole week after the storm hit. That's far too long.

From a personal view, after Hurricane Andrew hit my former hometown of Miami, state and federal government and other organizations were on the scene en masse within 24-48 hours. We all may have been out of power, but at the very least people knew that help was on the way-- and quickly.

Fast forward to last year, when Hurricane Charley hit the southern Gulf Coast of Florida. George W. Bush was in Punta Gorda within 24-48 hours for at least a photo-op by passing out bottles of water to people affected by the storm. Of course, Florida is a not a poor state, lots of white folk (especially in the southern Gulf Coast) live there. Lots of potential, middle-class voters.

Again, lets fast forward to 2005. Louisiana and Mississippi. Two of the poorest states in the U.S., and it takes at least 168 hours before emergency crews begin to arrive. Let's re-cap-- Florida has a 24-48 hour response time, compared to 168 hours response time in two poor states.

That's bullshit. And I'm not interested in people telling me that the local and state governments of Louisiana had to make the first response and then to request the federal government for help. According to Homeland Security, they are the organization who is primarily responsible for being the first on the scene. Don't believe me, well shit-- you shouldn't. But you can read it for yourself at Homeland Security's web site.

For those too lazy to click the link, it says: In the event of a terrorist attack, natural disaster or other large-scale emergency, the Department of Homeland Security will assume primary responsibility on March 1st for ensuring that emergency response professionals are prepared for any situation. This will entail providing a coordinated, comprehensive federal response to any large-scale crisis and mounting a swift and effective recovery effort.

So there you have it. Homeland Security really dropped the ball on this one. God forbid there's ever a terrorist attack.

Unrelated to this post, but related to New Orleans-- My brother, who works for BellSouth, has volunteered to go to Louisiana for the relief effort. He will find out tomorrow if he's selected to make the trip. Not all of us can go and help, but we can all donate to the Red Cross.

American Disgrace

This is going to be very short--

The U.S. Government needs to get off its ass and help the people of Louisiana and Mississippi. I believe it's an absolute disgrace that our country can't get emergency supplies to a major city in a situation this dire.

There are dead bodies on the streets, and dead bodies floating in the flood. There are hungry, dehydrated people in the streets wait for help that they are simply not getting. This storm hit on Monday, and here we are on Friday and still NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE.

There is absolutely no excuse.

Please donate to the American Red Cross.