Don't Get Fooled Again

In 2004 I was taking scuba certification with my then girl friend from my father, who is a dive master. HE was going to retire from his job at the Federal Reserve bank at the end of the year, and frankly I wanted to take his dive class before he stopped doing that too, and I then became a massive disapointment to him. I passed, much to my chagrin my then girl friend scoreed higher than me on the written test by 2 points, but I whipped her on the practical exam; anyway, during the pool part of the class (when you actually learn to use the equipment) I remember my dad making an off the cuff comment about Richard Nixon. It has burned a place in my memory. What he said was "He fooled me twice..." and I think had something to do with me claiming that Nixon was a liberal compared to George W. Bush.

"He fooled me twice.." hmmm, why does that stick out at me like a soar thumb? Now my dad is a republican, a conservative I guess, but not a neo-con. He comes from a small town in southern Virginia where being a republican is kind of a birth right. On the other hand, he was a suporter of Governor Warner and Tim Kaine, so he's not totally blinded by the partisanship (although I did have to come back from college to cancel his vote for Oliver North in the 90's, what was that all about?) It's the manipulation of the issues and the media. Thats what it is. My dad was right, he got fooled by Nixon. Not in was Nixon was, pro-buisness, but by the idea that Nixon was a honest man with the nations best intrest at heart. The same is poised to happen in '06 and the Democrats are already falling into the trap.

Not a month ago KArl Rove was addressing the Congressional Republicans and telling them that "National Security" was what they were going to win on in 2006. And low and behold, we have been in a debate on port security for the past 2 weeks. Notice that republicans that are up for re-elections disagree with the President, it's not an accident. Do you really believe that the uber-disaplined media machine that Karl Rove oversee's has gotten this incompitent in one year? Come on! It's a plan to make the Congressional Republicans seem more reponcible that they are, and everytime a Democrat agree's or disagree's there possition weakens. It's a tuff position to be in, but thats what happens when Democrats allow the national debate to be framed.

It get worse. I was at Giant (my local grocery store) and I was checkout at the register by a middle aged guy whom I know to be a conservative (I remember himtalking Republican politics while on the job with a customer ahead of me in line in 2004) who had pepered his work uniform with what can only be decribed as "flare." This "flare" was all 911 based. "Never surender,""Never forget," kind of stuff. I'm speaking to the manager tomorrow. If you see this, do the same. It is not patriotism, it is fear mongering and is part of the republican plan to hold their seats.

What happened to all we have to fear is fear itself?? Someone should make 911 - No Fear! Buttons. The only way to win the "war on terror" is to refuse to be afraid. Thats it. So lets all remember what the Repuyblicans have done to this fair country and seen them back to the corprate world where they belong.

Tax Traitors Beware

Americans are divided in ways we have not seen perhaps in the intirity of the first 200+ years of our existance. Conflicting agendas, confusing platforms, stolen elections, fals acusations, questionable accountability and so on, have made us put up walls of partisanship instead of looking for the best people for the job.

Face it, George W. Bush is the worst American President in history, but a President Kerry would not have been very dynamic either. President Gore? Who knows what the events of 911 would have done to him, but he did not com in to his own as human until he was on Saturday Night Live, and the few times I have seen him speak I think I am only impressed because Geoge Bush can't even formulate complete sentances.

Stop. I am not un-American. Being dissatified with the performance of your leaders is not un-American. It is, in fact, a staunchly pro-American stance. Should we be satified with anything less that the best our country has to offer as our leader? No, I want the best mind, the best heart, and the best desciion maker. George Bush is none of these. He is a manager. A bad one. Arbusto, a-bust-o; Harken, bailed out by Saudi money when debt got too big, US economy... well you know where this is going. Katrina, Iraqi civilians, Darfor... don't tell me George Bush has a good heart, he obviously couln't care less. I'm not even gonna do the brain one - lets just leave it with, when he saw someone with a Obama '04 button on during the '04 campaign his response was "you should be ashamed of yourself." Check out the big brain on George.

It is past time for the people of the country to stop fighting each other over moral issues that should not be legislated, in fact they can't be. You're opposed to abortion, don't have one. Teach your kids responcibility, volunteer to be a counsler or work with the girl scouts. Don't waste tax payer money with law suit upon lawsuit trying to ban abortion, because you know what, if you get it it will comeback to haunt you. Next another group will try and out law your religion, thats right, and you will be fucked. Or maybe they will take you precious guns away, or worse repeal the death penalty, egad!

I hate guns, but I am not an avocate of banning them. I really don't care, what I do care about is the common welfare and having a strong national economy. These are the things we all have to get on board with, because we arn't all gonna be rich, and we're not all gonna live forever. Pay your taxes people, we should never vote for someone who is going to just cut taxes, where is the patriotism in that. A vote for tax cuts is the most un-American act I can think of, it's anti-troop, anti-education, anti-healthcare, anti-life, and anti-choice. Better to find out what these people are going to do with our money, and how they are going to make our lives better, not how they are going to get elected.

Fly By Night

As loathed as I am to use a Rush song as the title, I am too delerious to think any harder. LAst night I workied from 10pm until 8 am this morning. Zombieness to be sure. All of my background folks were very couoperative, but I havd some lead actors that just couldn't get the lines down. No one understands how important it is to know your lines in film. Brad Pitt of all people made a statement about it years ago, and if he could figure out how important it was any moron can. It's different from theatre, where most actors come from, because of the time fram. What a film shoot is, essentially, is a memorized rehearsal. The only thing the actor need to come in with is the lines, everything else can be done over and over again in order to make it right, both on set and in post-production.

Maybe all the actors in my town are lazy, maybe they arn't trained tight for that kind of job. But there is nothing worse on a shoot that hold the shot so the actors can go over the script (except waiting on sound.)

This is the reason I am 4 scenes behind going in to tonights overnight. So for the next 10 hours I will be racing the sun, Peaches.

Ethics Training: .08 Blood Ethical Level

This has noting to do with Hamlet. Tomorrow I will embark on the more time consuming part of my day job, shooting. Not like Cheney, but shooting a traing film. I have been tasked to teach ethics to the NAvy. Thats right, ethics. I have no training in the subject, and since I was given the job on last wednesday I had not time to research.

Given that lobbiests are not the driving force behind the navy, I have begun to understand that this could be a little harded than simply telling greedy for ridiculiously, discustingly, unpatriotically greedy. Still, it seems pretty silly. The majority of the script deals with drinking. Suprise! People in the military have a problem with alchohol, and as we all know now, people with guns shouldn't drink, or they might shoot lawyers in the face.

Anyway, I will become completely nocturnal from a week and then probably get sick. Then take a week off, and be behind schedule for post. But thats ok, since the primary filmiing unit (including my boss) will be out of town for a month shooting a "Dangers of Persciption Drugs" movie in Kentucky. I imagine the problem is shifting now, from taking the drugs, to just getting them. DON'T FOGET WHAT A SNAFU MEDICARE PART D IS!!!

Senate Intelligence drunk on Dewine

This inagural post come on what I will refer to the day of the last straw. Today the Senate Intellegence Committee decided to just forget about the whole Bush wiretapping thing. Obviously they decided that since Dick Cheney shot a guy, no one would be paying attention, I mean it is "take out the trash day" after all. Who can honestly say that this is a good idea? I don't understand the right, they used to get up in arms when the President "lied" to them, where are all your shoutiung voices now? When American needs your regressive ideas, hyper protectionism, and resolute insistance on privacy (medical records, gun ownership?)

I've already written to my Senators, but neither of them are on the Intelligence committe. Anyone reading should do the same. The real issue is that all Americans soould be protesting this kind of program. The basic fact of the matter is no one is talking about getting ride of the ability to wiretap, but we should all want the President to follow the law, and not to change it after he has broken it. It it the perogative of the next President to make that descision.

Though this is distressing, I have a watch word for the next two years. Hubris. It alwasy gets the powerful in the end.