My pure raw fury!!!!

WSWS : News & Analysis : North America Greenspan warns cuts to Social Security may be “abrupt and painful” By Jamie Chapman 3 September 2004 Use this version to print | Send this link by email | Email the author US Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan warned last week that the major government-funded entitlement programs covering US retirees—Social Security and Medicare—will face “abrupt and painful” curtailment, unless the government begins paring back benefits now. Speaking at a Federal Reserve conference held in the mountain resort of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, on August 27, Greenspan said, “As a nation, we owe it to our retirees to promise only the benefits that can be delivered.” He went on, “If we have promised more than our economy has the ability to deliver to retirees without unduly diminishing real income gains of workers, as I fear we may have, we must recalibrate our programs.” Greenspan continued, “Most observers expect Social Security, under existing law, to be in chronic deficit over the long haul; however, the program is primarily defined benefit, and so the scale of the necessary adjustments is limited. The shortfalls in the Medicare program, however, will almost surely be much larger, and be much more difficult to eliminate.” The need to “recalibrate our programs” is Greenspan’s veiled reference to cuts in benefits for government-funded pensions and health care benefits for retirees. The issue is an explosive one. Social Security was introduced as part of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “New Deal”—a program designed to ameliorate the worst conditions facing the working class in order to forestall social revolution. Until 1935, many workers faced destitution when they could no longer work in the backbreaking conditions of industry, since their companies offered them no pensions at all. Millions of working people, who pay into Social Security their entire working lives, now face a threat that these benefits will either be cut or eliminated before they ever reach retirement age. The Bush administration has proposed allowing wage earners to shift a portion of their contributions to Social Security into personal retirement accounts invested in the stock market. While pitched as a plan to “save Social Security” and create an “ownership society,” the real purpose of this plan is to pump vast new resources into the stock market in order to further enrich wealthy stockholders. At the same time, it would place what constitutes the sole source of income for many retirees at the mercy of the shares market. Moreover, the shift to personal accounts would only serve to drive the Social Security fund closer to bankruptcy. It is estimated that the costs of the transition would run close to $1 trillion, while it would divert money that would otherwise pay for benefits. Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry has remained vague about his own proposals for Social Security, declaring that he would not “privatize” the program or cut existing benefits. Of course, even the Republicans do not use the term “privatization” to sell their plan for allowing Wall Street to raid the Social Security Trust Fund. And the thrust of proposals for instituting cuts in the program is not the reduction of existing benefits, but rather the slashing of benefits for workers who have yet to retire. Discussion of shifting a Social Security funds into the stock market, it should be recalled, were well advanced under the Clinton administration and had broad bipartisan support. This is by no means the first time that Greenspan has raised the issue of sharp cuts in entitlements. In testimony before Congress last February, he called for cuts in Social Security and Medicare in order to pay for making the Bush administration tax cuts permanent for the 2 percent of the wealthiest Americans. In fact, Greenspan has been raising the issue of Social Security cuts for the last 20 years. Greenspan claims that as the “baby boom” generation retires, the Social Security Trust Fund will no longer be able to pay its retirement obligations. The Fed chairman cites statistics that by the year 2035, the American population over age 65 will rise from 12 percent of the population to 20 percent. He cited “[t]he decade-long acceleration in productivity and economic growth [that] has seemingly muted” the necessity of making “stark choices” between reduced benefits or higher taxes. In an assessment of future economic prospects, he stated, “history discourages the notion that the pace of growth will continue to increase.” There is no mystery as to what choice Greenspan and both big business parties favor. They insist that any shortfall in Social Security funds—including those that will be created if plans for the individual retirement accounts go forward—are to be made up through raising taxes on working people and cutting the benefits of retirees. The vast wealth controlled by the corporations, banks and wealthy elite must remain untouched. See Also: What’s behind the attack on pensions and social security? [4 March 2004] US central bank chief calls for cuts in Social Security [27 February 2004]

AlterNet: EnviroHealth: Here Come the Low-Mileage Hybrids

AlterNet: EnviroHealth: Here Come the Low-Mileage Hybrids: "Equating a hybrid with a high-efficiency car was sufficient so long as a hybrid was a high-efficiency car. The hybrid Honda Civic and Toyota Prius met this standard. The Japanese companies transformed modestly efficient vehicles into outstandingly efficient ones.

But the introduction of the Ford Escape ushers in the era of low-mileage hybrids. The hybrid Escape's overall fuel economy is better than other vehicles in its class but is still only half that of the Prius or Civic. Chevrolet's new hybrid trucks, the Sierra and Silverado may get little more than 20 mpg.

The mileage situation is, if anything, even worse than this because the new hybrids don't get significantly better mileage on the highway. A hybrid can shut off its engine when idling and can use its battery and electric motor to accelerate. Thus it achieves markedly better mileage in stop-and-go city driving than on the open highway. That's where the fuel economy comes from. For example, the Prius achieves 60 mpg in city driving and 51 mpg on the highway. On the open road a hybrid Escape gets mileage no better than that of several other vehicles in its class, like Toyota's RAVA4. And yet one suspects that hybrid SUVs and pick-up troutside of cities."e used outside of cities."

What can I do this election season?

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Check out our Web site to find something that works for you. http://www.truemajority.org/actionregister/toolkit_html.cfm

Here’s to making change,

Duane Peterson
The TrueMajority Crew

Sojourners : Election 2004

Sojourners : Election 2004

AlterNet: Election 2004: Deserter's Delight

AlterNet: Election 2004: Deserter's Delight: "I know you and I have had our differences in the past, and I realize I am the one who started this whole mess about 'who did what' during Vietnam when I brought up that 'deserter' nonsense back in January. But I have to hand it to you on what you have uncovered about John Kerry and his record in Vietnam. Kerry has tried to pass himself off as a war hero, but thanks to you and your friends, we now know the truth."

AlterNet: Conservatives, Repent!

AlterNet: Conservatives, Repent!: "The Swift Boat Liars are of interest only as a perfect case for those in media studies to see exactly how this stuff spreads, although it does dig up yet again the issue of how George W. Bush spent the Vietnam War. Here's a review of the state of play on that story. USA Today recently rehashed the remaining questions:"

"People, G-O-P-eople"

The highlight of the $5 million star-studded fundraiser for John Kerry in Los Angeles last night may have been Barbra Streisand's defeat-Bush version of her song "People."



Here are the lyrics as transcribed by the press pool reporter at the fundraiser. All together now:


People

I mean G-O-People

Who'd believe there's such people in the world

Bush sees a

Lotta Condoleeza

They're dividing the planet's oil

According to Richard Poil

And they're all just trainees

Of Cheney's

Now Rumsfeld

We must get rid of Rumsfeld

He's the spookiest person in the world

As for Powell

He's neither fish nor fowl

He's in the back of the room

While they're all fiddling with gloom

No one's minding the store

What's more

Let's discuss this war we're lost in

Don't ask what it's costin'

What's a trillion or two to rule the world.

The Senate

Oooo how I want the Senate

All we need is two people in the world

I see a

Antonin Scalia

How I dread every time he sits

Scared out of my Wolfowitz

Time those neocon guys

Were gone byes

??? (pool reporter's note)

While the globe is frying

And the fishes are dying in the world

And their solution

For all the pollution

Is just to bear it and grin

And practice not breathing in

But things are gonna be great

Just wait

When the White House stationary

Reads President John Kerry
We'll be the luckiest people in the world

Quote of the day

"Cheney brought my mother up to the casket, so she could pay her respects. She is in her 80's, and she has glaucoma and has trouble seeing. There were steps, and he left her there. He just stood there, letting her flounder. I don't think he's a mindful human being. That's probably the nicest way I can put it."

Ron Reagan, in an upcoming interview with the New York Times Sunday Magazine

Some humor . . .



Ariel Sharon came to Washington for meetings with George W. and for a state dinner. Laura Bush decided to bring in a special kosher chef and have a truly Jewish meal. At the dinner that night, the first course served is matzo ball soup.



George W. looks at this and, after learning what it is called, tells an aide that he can't eat such a gross and strange-looking brew. The aide says that Mr. Sharon will be insulted if he doesn't at least taste it. Not wanting to cause any trouble (after all, he ate sheep's eye in honor of Arab guests), George W. gingerly lowers his spoon into the bowl and retrieves a piece of matzo ball and some broth.



He hesitates, and then swallows. A big grin appears on his face. He finds that he really likes it, and digs right in and finishes the whole bowl.



"That was delicious," Bush says to Sharon. "Do you Jews eat any other part of the matzo, or just the balls?"

WSOCTV.com - Charlotte News - Autopsy: Statesville Man Choked On Vomit During Arrest

WSOCTV.com - Charlotte News - Autopsy: Statesville Man Choked On Vomit During Arrest: "STATESVILLE, N.C. -- An autopsy shows that an autistic man choked on vomit as he was being taken to jail by Statesville police.
Sidney Templeton's mother called police for help on Saturday when he became agitated about a new caretaker. Authorities said he fought with officers, though his mother says she never saw that.
Templeton was being taken into the Iredell County Jail when he struggled with officers and, in the words of Sheriff Stephen Hampton, had a 'medical emergency.'
Doctor Patrick Lantz performed the autopsy on Monday. He said Templeton apparently threw up and inhaled some of his vomit."

Not Even a Hedgehog - The stupidity of Ronald Reagan. By Christopher?Hitchens

Not Even a Hedgehog - The stupidity of Ronald Reagan. By Christopher?HitchensThe fox, as has been pointed out by more than one philosopher, knows many small things, whereas the hedgehog knows one big thing. Ronald Reagan was neither a fox nor a hedgehog. He was as dumb as a stump. He could have had anyone in the world to dinner, any night of the week, but took most of his meals on a White House TV tray. He had no friends, only cronies. His children didn't like him all that much. He met his second wife—the one that you remember—because she needed to get off a Hollywood blacklist and he was the man to see. Year in and year out in Washington, I could not believe that such a man had even been a poor governor of California in a bad year, let alone that such a smart country would put up with such an obvious phony and loon.

The Village Voice: NY Mirror: La Dolce Musto by Michael Musto

The Village Voice: NY Mirror: La Dolce Musto by Michael Musto
Dear JOHN KERRY: Keep on standing back all slack-jawed and vague-ish, kid. Let DUBYA self-destruct with his empty, Stepfordy ravings about making the world safe from terror—other people's, that is. Let the revelations keep coming—like how we were the terrorists in Abu Ghraib and how our lamented hero Pat Tillman was actually killed by our own other heroes in inept, I mean friendly, fire, not to mention how all of this was provoked by nonexistent weapons! (No wonder GEORGE TENET was canned, I mean stepped down for personal reasons.) And let Dubya's continued hate crusade against gay marriage take an interesting turn as cynics melt at the sight of perfectly nice queers hugging (and flirting with Hugh Jackman) on TV and wonder how stealth-bombing this would be consistent with our self-appointed role as fiery freedom fighters.

Yahoo! News - Bald Is Hair Color in Montana

Yahoo! News - Bald Is Hair Color in Montana: "HELENA, Mont. - Bald is a hair color in Montana. Montana's Web site lists 'bald' as an option when applying online for a fishing license. "

Texas Talk



George Bush and Dick Cheney are enjoying lunch at a fancy Washington restaurant.Their waitress approaches the table to take their order. She is young and attractive. She asks Cheney what he wants, and he replies, "I'll have the heart-healthy salad." "Very good, sir," she replies. Turning to Bush, she asks, "And what do you want, Mr. President?"



Bush answers, "How about a quickie?"



Taken aback, the waitress slaps him and says, "I'm shocked and disappointed in you. I thought you were bringing a new administration that was committed to higher principles and morality!" With that, the waitress stalks off in a huff.



Cheney leans over to Bush and says, "Mr. President, I believe that's pronounced 'quiche.'"

Health News Article | Reuters.com

Health News Article | Reuters.com: "Vaccine Critics Attack Mercury Report"

OSC Orders Congress to Investigate HHS, CDC and FDA Wrongdoing Regarding Mercury in Children's Vaccines, Says National Autism Association

OSC Orders Congress to Investigate HHS, CDC and FDA Wrongdoing Regarding Mercury in Children's Vaccines, Says National Autism Association: "WASHINGTON, June 2 /PRNewswire/ -- National Autism Association announced today that Scott Bloch, Office of Special Counsel (OSC), is calling for further investigation into the link between neurological disorders and Thimerosal, a mercury preservative found in childhood vaccines. In an OSC press release, Bloch states that the allegations of wrongdoing towards Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and Food and Drug Administration (FDA), ' ... raise serious continuing concerns about the administration of the nation's vaccine program ... '"

President Bush: Flip-Flopper-In-Chief - Center for American Progress

From the beginning, George W. Bush has made his own credibility a central issue. On 10/11/00, then Governor Bush said: "I think credibility is important. It is going to be important for the president to be credible with Congress, important for the president to be credible with foreign nations." But President Bush's serial flip-flopping raises serious questions about whether Congress and foreign leaders can rely on what he says.

AUTISM link to Michelangelo

Times of India - India



LONDON : Renaissance-era artistic genius Michelangelo might have had Asperger's syndrome, a milder form of autism which causes sufferers to have difficulties...

<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/713524.cms
>

Effects of autism on families

Effects of autism on families: "According to Wakely, previous research has suggested that siblings of children with autism can feel lonely and neglected, but that positive outcomes are possible too, with some siblings showing higher maturity and better social skills."

Salon.com Books | Busting big fat liars

Salon.com Books | Busting big fat liars: "The right-wing media warfare naturally is most visible during presidential election years. 'I've been saying for six months, no matter who was running for office this year, the right has a system in place to caricature that person,' says Brock. 'This is what I realized after 2000 -- that what happened to the Clintons during the '90s really had very little to do with the Clintons because the same thing happened to Gore in 2000. And then it happened to [Sen. Tom] Daschle when the Senate changed hands in 2001, and it happened to the mourners of [the late Sen.] Paul Wellstone in 2002. It goes on and on.' After witnessing how this Republican 'noise machine' again worked so well in shaping the caustic and undermining press coverage of Al Gore's presidential campaign in 2000, Brock is trying to awaken the public from slumber about these techniques."

gq plus @ gq.com: "Four years into an embattled Bush administration, Colin Powell is hard at work at something he's never had to worry about before: salvaging his legacy. "

A major scandal is going down this week at the Supreme Court, and I thought you'd like to see the hilarious little movie that exposes it:



http://www.justiceisduckblind.com



Here's the skinny: The Supreme Court is hearing a case involving Vice President Dick Cheney. They're trying to decide if Cheney should have to give up the members of his secret Energy Task Force, which he has kept hidden from the public. (Hmm, I wonder why. Could it be that he loaded the Task Force with his oil buddies?)



This is where it gets funky. Among the judges hearing the case is Antonin Scalia -- who recently went on a duck hunting vacation with Cheney, flying down to Louisiana at taxpayer expenses aboard Air Force Two. Despite this very cozy state of affairs, Scalia has stubbornly refused to withdraw from the case.



Check it out -- and sign on to the petition calling on Cheney to come clean about his Energy Task Force.



http://www.justiceisduckblind.com/petition.asp

Salon.com Arts & Entertainment | Bunless burger vs. the fluffernutter: "Fast-food restaurants are launching new 'healthy,' diet-friendly foods -- including a McDonald's adult happy meal. How do they stack up to some of our lunchtime favorites?"

Salon.com | Why John Kerry should run on 9/12: "The choice awaiting the American people in November couldn't be more clear-cut: Vote your fears or vote your hopes. If we do the former, Bush wins. But if we are inspired to do the latter, we could reach the 50 percent of eligible voters who've given up on our democracy -- and it could be Kerry in a landslide. "

Scott Rosenberg's Links & Comment: "Mainframe mania"

Church Sign Generator - Real Church Signs: "You've seen them - the signs in front of churches, with a witticism or a pun that made you groan. I think they're hilarious, often unintentionally so. I've decided to start collecting the ones I see around Austin and on the web."

Salon.com | Girls gone riled: "Single women are fed up and desperately want change. Now it's up to John Kerry to empower these Girls Gone Riled and convince them to kick George Bush to the curb. "

Salon.com Politics: "'Stay calm'


The headline blazing across yesterday's USA Today said: Majority Supports Bush on Terrorism. That's what millions of Americans saw on the newsstands as they dashed through airports or opened their hotel room doors to see the complimentary newspaper -- and most probably didn't bother to read the fine print. But that's what Ruy Teixeira does, thankfully, and he provides this analysis on his Donkey Rising blog of the latest Gallup poll data -- a much different story than the USA Today told in its headline. "

YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2004 WHEN:


1. You accidentally enter your password on the microwave.

2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.

3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 3.

4. You e-mail your mate who works at the desk next to you.

5. Your reason for  not staying in touch with friends is that they do not have e-mail addresses.

6. When you go home after a long day at work you still answer the phone in a business manner.

7. When you make phone calls from home, you accidentally dial "0" or "9"to get an outside line.

8. You've sat at the same desk for four years and worked for three different companies.

10. You learn about your redundancy on the 10 o'clock news.

11. Your boss doesn't have the ability to do your job.

12.  Contractors out number permanent staff and are more likely to get long-service awards.

AND THE REAL CLINCHERS ARE...

13. You read this entire list, and kept nodding and smiling.

14. As you read this list, you think about forwarding it to your "friends."

15. You got this  e-mail from a friend that never talks to you anymore, except to send you jokes from the net.

16. You are too busy to notice there was no 9.

17. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a No. 9.

18. AND NOW YOU ARE  LAUGHING AT YOUR STUPIDITY AND THINKING OF WHO YOU CAN SEND IT ON TO!

Very interesting article. Scares me though.

---

The Village Voice: Nation: Mondo Washington: The Meaning of Clarke by James Ridgeway: "WASHINGTON, D.C. - It's not just because Richard Clarke turned on Bush that conservatives detest him. They especially despise him because Clarke is a career federal civil servant, a species the right-wingers loathe above all. Clarke has served on the National Security Council staffs of Bush, father and son, along with Clinton. He began federal service in 1973 in the Defense Department as an analyst on nuclear weapons, and he served as an assistant secretary of state under both Reagan and Bush senior. "

Salon.com Politics

Salon.com Politics: "The Times story starts: 'Vice President Dick Cheney took the lead in a coordinated Republican attack Monday, charging that John F. Kerry has voted 'at least 350 times for higher taxes' during his Senate career. But the claim was disputed by nonpartisan watchdog groups as being based on an inaccurate interpretation of Kerry's record. Cheney, speaking before the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, called Kerry a 'senator who will speak out against higher taxes when it suits the political moment but is one of the most reliable pro-tax votes in the United States Senate.' In addition, a 60-second national radio ad launched Monday by the Bush campaign featured a Boston law enforcement officer declaring that the Massachusetts senator 'likes to raise taxes. So much so he's voted for higher taxes 350 times.' Some independent organizations say the claim about Kerry's 350 votes for tax increases is misleading.' "

How Things Work in Real Life



Start with a cage containing five monkeys. Inside the cage, hang a banana on a string and place a set of stairs under it. Before long, a monkey will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the banana. As soon as he touches the stairs, spray all of the other monkeys with cold water.



After a while, another monkey makes an attempt with the same result all the other monkeys are sprayed with cold water. Pretty soon, when another monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will try to prevent it.



Now, put away the cold water. Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and wants to climb the stairs. To his surprise and horror, all of the other monkeys attack him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs, he will be assaulted.



Next, remove another of the original five monkeys and replace it with a new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm! Likewise, replace a third original monkey with a new one, then a fourth, then the fifth. Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs, he is attacked.



Most of the monkeys that are beating him have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs or why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey.



After replacing all the original monkeys, none of the remaining monkeys have ever been sprayed with cold water. Nevertheless, no monkey ever again approaches the stairs to try for the banana. Why not? Because as far as they know that's the way it's always been done around here.



And that, my friends, is how a company policy begins.

Salon.com | I'd like a tuna on white -- hold the mercury!

Salon.com | I'd like a tuna on white -- hold the mercury!: "To the list of Campaign 2004's make-or-break issues -- Iraq, homeland security, lost jobs, tax cuts -- we can now add tuna fish sandwiches. "

Compassionate Conservatism at work

The Village Voice: Nation: Mondo Washington: Wounded Soldiers May Be Billed Again for Hospital Meals by James Ridgeway: "ard as it is to believe, Donald Rumsfeld's Pentagon is once more getting set to charge soldiers $8.10 every day for meals while they are in military hospitals recovering from combat injuries. Last year, after an uproar, Congress inserted a special provision into the $87.5 billion supplemental appropriation for Iraq and Afghanistan to make sure wounded soldiers didn't have to pay for their meals while laid up. But because the Pentagon has been so inept at putting the special provision into practice, numerous wounded vets have been paying for their food anyway. And now the special provision covering the $8.10 fee is about to run out."

Arianna Huffington

Salon.com | Progress vs. products: "But that doesn't seem to faze the White House. Last month, Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao said that when it comes to the state of the U.S. economy, 'the stock market is, after all, the final arbiter.' You know working stiffs are in trouble when the secretary of labor believes that the stock market is the end-all of our country's economic health. "

The Spokesman-Review.com - Bush's partial history

The Spokesman-Review.com - Bush's partial history: "Military rules used in 1974 to ground two Washington Air National Guard airmen with access to nuclear weapons also applied to a Texas Air National Guard unit where Lt. George W. Bush was a fighter pilot.
Some military researchers and a former Texas Guard lieutenant colonel believe the stringent regulations -- known as the Human Reliability Program -- may have been invoked to stop Bush from flying Texas Air National Guard jets in 1972."

Bush's flip flops
So Bush has a site somewhere that tracks Kerry's "flip-flops". Reader TK probably spent three seconds coming up with this list of Bush flip flops. It's not like they're hard to find:

Bush is against campaign finance reform; then he's for it.

Bush is against a Homeland Security Department; then he's for it.

Bush is against a 9/11 commission; then he's for it.

Bush is against an Iraq WMD investigation; then he's for it.

Bush is against nation building; then he's for it.

Bush is against deficits; then he's for them.

Bush is for free trade; then he's for tariffs on steel; then he's against them again.

Bush is against the U.S. taking a role in the Israeli Palestinian conflict; then he pushes for a "road map" and a Palestinian State.

Bush is for states right to decide on gay marriage, then he is for changing the constitution.

Bush first says he'll provide money for first responders (fire, police, emergency), then he doesn't.

Bush first says that 'help is on the way' to the military ... then he cuts benefits

Bush-"The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. Bush-"I don't know where he is. I have no idea and I really don't care.

Bush claims to be in favor of the environment and then secretly starts drilling on Padre Island.

Bush talks about helping education and increases mandates while cutting funding.

Bush first says the U.S. won't negotiate with North Korea. Now he will

Bush goes to Bob Jones University. Then say's he shouldn't have.

Bush said he would demand a U.N. Security Council vote on whether to sanction military action against Iraq. Later Bush announced he would not call for a vote

Bush said the "mission accomplished" banner was put up by the sailors.  Bush later admits it was his advance team.

Bush was for fingerprinting and photographing Mexicans who enter the US. Bush after meeting with Pres. Fox, he's against it.

Early Retirement
Dear Employee:



As a result of the reduction of money budgeted for department areas, we are forced to cut down on our number of personnel. Under this plan, older employees will be asked to take early retirement, thus permitting the retention of younger people who represent our future.



Therefore, a program to phase out older personnel by the end of the current fiscal year, via retirement, will be placed into effect immediately.



This program will be known as SLAP (Sever Late-Aged Personnel). Employees who are SLAPPED will be given the opportunity to look for jobs outside the company.



SLAPPED employees can request a review of their employment records before actual retirement takes place. This review phase of the program is called SCREW. SCREW (Survey of Capabilities of Retired Early Workers).



All employees who have been SLAPPED and SCREWED may file an appeal with upper management. This appeal is called SHAFT (Study by Higher Authority Following Termination).



Under the terms of the new policy, an employee may be SLAPPED once, SCREWED twice, but may be SHAFTED as many times as the company deems appropriate. If an employee follows the above procedure, he/she will be entitled to get: HERPES (Half Earnings for Retired Personnel's Early Severance) or CLAP (Combined Lump sum Assistance Payment).



As HERPES and CLAP are considered benefit plans, any employee who has received HERPES or CLAP will no longer be SLAPPED or SCREWED by the company. Management wishes to assure the younger employees who remain on board that the company will continue its policy of training employees through our: Special High Intensity Training (SHIT). We take pride in the amount of SHIT our employees receive. We have given our employees more SHIT than any company in this area. If any employee feels they do not receive enough SHIT on the job, see your immediate supervisor. Your supervisor is specially trained to make sure you receive all the SHIT you can stand. And, once again, thanks for all your years of service with us.



Have a Good Day!

My Way News

Salon

Josie Fuller and J.T. Francis celebrate after getting married at San Francisco's City Hall on Monday, Feb 16, 2004.

Winter of love


Cautious Democrats worry that San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's historic affirmation of gay marriage will help Bush win reelection. But as the right squabbles over the issue, his party may well thank him in November.

- - - - - - - - - - - -


By Joan Walsh

Feb. 26, 2004  | 












San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom "looked like the cat who ate the canary," Supervisor Tom Ammiano recalls, at a hastily convened private meeting Feb. 10. That's when Newsom told Ammiano, who'd run against him for mayor last November, about his plan to issue marriage licenses to gay couples, and asked for Ammiano's support.

"I'm fucking delighted!" the stand-up comic turned politician told the new mayor. Almost two weeks later, Ammiano was still beaming. City Hall had become a giant wedding chapel; just outside Ammiano's door, same-sex couples were being married in the glorious rotunda, on balconies and landings, in a dozen quiet nooks all over the building. And the national gay-rights leader was at a rare loss for words to describe the scene. "It's just so, so ... so queer!" he says finally. "But I think he's unleashed something that's bigger than all of us."

That's for sure, although it's still not clear exactly what it is. Even some gay rights advocates have worried that Newsom unleashed a big fat political backlash, epitomized by President Bush's decision Tuesday to back a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. "What Mayor Newsom has done in San Francisco ... has in fact energized and motivated those who support marriage between one man and one woman," Mathew Staver, president of the Florida-based Liberty Counsel, told the Los Angeles Times in the wake of Bush's decision on Tuesday.

That's supposedly why Rep. Barney Frank warned Newsom against his bold move. (Ammiano shakes his head at Frank's judgment. "That's Barney -- so Beltway-centric!") But Democrats all over the country have been telling the new mayor that the only person happier than the gay newlyweds is Karl Rove, who will now be able to run a campaign about the Democrats' degradation of marriage, rather than unpleasant issues like the jobless recovery, the massive budget deficit and the Iraq debacle. And the debate is sure to rage on: Will San Francisco's Winter of Love make it easier for Republicans to hold onto the White House next November?

No one knows for sure, but I don't think so. I feel like I have to confess upfront that my analytical skills have been warped by watching all of these weddings. You can't imagine what it's like from a distance. Straight or gay, visitors get teary when they walk inside City Hall, where the meaning of what Newsom did is huge and palpable. It's always struck me as vaguely homophobic, the insistence on how "normal" these couples are, but that really is what hits you in person. Sure, there are drag queens in the line waiting for marriage licenses, and plenty of old-fashioned flannel-shirted lesbians. But there are also 50-something men in bad suits and women in Prada; there are women in wheelchairs and interracial couples; and there are children everywhere, kids doing homework sitting on the floor as they wait for their parents' turn to get married. These are families already, and once you see them you know: There's really no going back.

And the ripple effect across the city, and the world, is enormous. In San Francisco, everyone knows someone who got married -- two of my daughter's public school teachers did it -- and practically every city official was deputized to marry couples over the long Valentine's Day weekend. I ran into bleary-eyed Newsom staffer Joe Caruso on Friday, the day Cambodia's King Sihanouk came out in favor of gay marriage after seeing the San Francisco weddings on TV, and Caruso was carrying one of the hundreds of bouquets of flowers strangers had sent from all over the world. The card was inscribed simply: "To the happy couple, With love from Eileen and Darren of British Columbia." People were dropping by City Hall all last week just for the emotional high. Straight San Francisco, too, is glowing with gay pride.

"We were just trying to put a human face on this issue," an exhausted Newsom said on Wednesday, after appearances on CNN's "Larry King Live" and ABC's "Nightline." He acknowledges that he's heard criticism even from supporters for his so-called act of civil disobedience. "That's the strongest argument: Why should a mayor be judge and jury and substitute his subjective interpretation of the Constitution? I've heard that. What I say is: The courts will decide. The system is working."

It's safe to say that of the roughly 119,000 people who voted for Gavin Newsom in the mayoral runoff last December, nobody thought they were voting for the radical in the race. The radical was the other guy, Matt Gonzalez, the Green Party leader who knocked off Ammiano in November and ran a spirited, occasionally brutal race against Newsom, whom he caricatured as a captive of corporate San Francisco. When I publicly declared my support for Newsom on the eve of the election, it was a dramatically uncool thing to do, and I spent many holiday parties defending my decision, which was more a reaction to the nasty campaign Gonzalez ran than a passionate belief in Newsom. (I think the die-hards who kept up their Gonzalez campaign posters featuring Newsom alongside Bush and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger might finally have to take them down.) I saw the new mayor as a cautious, wonky Democrat who might get some good things done. I wish I could say I saw this coming. But anybody who tells you that is a liar.

It's not just his gay marriage moves that shocked the city. In his first weeks on the job, Newsom toppled the powerful but scandal-shadowed police chief and replaced him with a Chinese-American woman, acting chief Heather Fong (he pledged to do a national search), who has already shaken up the command staff and looks like she expects to keep the job. He named the first female fire chief, Joanne Hayes-White, to preside over a department that's still dogged by issues of diversity, and appointed an African-American lesbian, Heather Hiles, to the school board. He told the Chamber of Commerce to expect to share the pain of a looming budget deficit, warning that some kind of business tax-hike is all but inevitable. He took department heads on a tour of ragged, neglected BayView-Hunter's Point, declared the city's epidemic of youth violence a travesty, and put city officials on notice that he wanted change in the way they approach the problems of crime and poverty.

But even though Newsom's bold moves have surprised me, the way he made them and defended them has not. I also voted for him because of a gut sense of his personal decency, an intuition that, agree with him or not, he acts from a moral base, which I respect. When you disagree with him, it can be a little scary. I called him a "sanctimonious schoolboy" last year after we argued about his aggressive panhandling initiative, when he insisted opponents like me were basically saying it was fine to let the city's down-and-out continue to die on the streets. Ouch. Of course, it's sanctimony when you disagree with someone, but conviction when they're on your side. So I've enjoyed watching Newsom's Catholic-schoolboy conviction on the gay marriage issue, his unflappable sense of his own righteousness as he goes up against the Christian right.

It's hard not to notice that Newsom is doing well politically by doing good, and lots of folks are asking if that's the point. "There's a lingering suspicion that this is like the candyman, you know, he's doing this great thing and then he'll do something bad," Ammiano admits. The mayor's cause wasn't helped by an anonymous aide who crowed to the San Francisco Chronicle that if you "control" the gay vote, your political success is assured in San Francisco. There's no doubt his stance has helped Newsom on his left: Pollster David Binder says that just a month ago, only 39 percent of self-described "progressive voters" had a favorable view of Newsom; that soared to 72 percent in a Binder poll this week, though the mayor lost support among the conservatives and older voters who had formed his base.

Kate Kendall, director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, says it's "insane" to think Newsom took his stance on gay marriage for political gain. "He was told by his own gay staff, 'You're going to ruin your political career,' and he said, 'I don't care,'" says Kendall, who calls Newsom's move "completely transformative." Newsom confirms that some gay staffers worried about the move, but says they were won over quickly. Now he acknowledges the most fear comes from older San Franciscans, those of his father's generation. He says his father, former Judge Bill Newsom, "supports me, but a lot of his friends and our family members can't believe I'm doing this. But that generational shift shows the inevitability of this change."

On the national level, the conventional wisdom says that Newsom hurt the Democrats by catalyzing a gay marriage backlash and handing Karl Rove a wedge issue with which to clobber likely nominee John Kerry in November. But in fact, the opposite might be true. Democrats may yet thank Newsom, and the Massachusetts Supreme Court, for pulling the president out of his political spider hole and forcing him to back a constitutional amendment. Already his base is squabbling over whether Bush went far enough, and even Tom DeLay isn't sure he's ready for a move as radical as amending the Constitution.

Newsom won't take credit or blame for forcing the president's hand. "He was going to do this; the question wasn't 'if' but when," says the mayor. "It's a remarkable risk from [Bush's] perspective. He's got a debate going now in his own party. I think it was a huge mistake, but history will judge that."

Meanwhile, Kerry could come out of this looking like a centrist. When Newsom was on CNN's "Late Edition" Sunday morning talking to Wolf Blitzer, the screen below him kept flashing the words "John Kerry is opposed to gay marriage." By staking out one extreme on the issue, Newsom showed that Bush is at the other extreme. If elections are won in the middle, that's good news for Kerry.

But it's too early to know how Newsom's move will play politically, or even legally. It's still possible the courts will say he's wrong and stop the weddings. In the meantime, San Franciscans can be proud of what's going on in City Hall. I walked away last week unexpectedly happy, knowing without a doubt: This is what history looks like. This is what it feels like to do the right thing.

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About the writer Joan Walsh is Salon's managing editor. Wednesday, February 25, 2004 My Way News My Way News: "NEW YORK (AP) - Andy Rooney set the phone and e-mail lines at CBS buzzing over his commentary - in which he said God was speaking through him - calling Mel Gibson and the Rev. Pat Robertson 'wackos.'" "Dishonest Dubya" Lying Action Figure Doll - George W. Bush "Dishonest Dubya" Lying Action Figure Doll - George W. Bush Thursday, February 19, 2004 Yahoo! News - Barney Frank criticizes S.F. weddings Yahoo! News - Barney Frank criticizes S.F. weddings: "SUMMARY: Openly gay Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., criticized letting same-sex couples get married in San Francisco, saying it could hurt efforts to legalize same-sex marriage in his home state. " Wednesday, February 18, 2004 Salon.com | The culture-war president Salon.com | The culture-war president: The culture-war president By Arianna Huffington http://www.salon.com/opinion/huffington/2004/02/18/culture_war/index.html Feb. 18, 2004 | "I'm a war president," George Bush told us. But as the body count in Iraq continues to rise, the president's approval rating plummets, and the furor over phantom WMD, sexed-up intel, and Bush's spotty Air National Guard service refuses to go away, it appears Karl Rove is planning a small rewrite for his candidate: "I'm a culture war president." Remember that divisive pre-9/11 campaign staple? Well, it's flared up again -- with a vengeance and a rash of new administration actions clearly aimed at shoring up the president's Christian conservative base. In the last month, the president has traded in his too-tight flight suit for a revival tent, backing a new anti-obscenity crusade, anti-condom sex-ed programs, a renewed commitment to fighting the drug war, and his attorney general's efforts to poke around the private medical records of women who've had abortions. He even hinted in his State of the Union that he'd be willing to endorse a constitutional ban on gay marriage. With Silver Starred John Kerry threatening the president's hold on the high ground of national defense, Team Bush has decided it's time to switch battlefields and start screaming about Sodom and Gomorrah. And who has time to talk about the 3 million jobs lost on Bush's watch when gay couples are trying to make their lifetime commitment legal? Heaven forbid. You would think the Christian right has more pressing matters to worry about. America now has 35 million people living in poverty, many of them working poor. And Christian conservatives are up in arms about gay marriage? Maybe they should take another look at the Bible and its admonition that we shall be judged by what we do for the least among us. Indeed, if you removed every reference to poverty in the New Testament, the Good Book would be reduced to little more than a Not Bad Pamphlet. In the words of Rev. Jim Wallis, "The Prophets would be decimated, the Psalms destroyed, and the Gospels ripped to shreds." On the other hand, there is not a single mention of gay marriage or the need to ban it. Regrettably, this perversion of presidential priorities is not limited to campaign rhetoric -- it extends to how our increasingly limited tax dollars are being spent. Take the administration's new anti-obscenity push -- a blast from our blue-nosed past. Bush's 2005 budget calls for a boost in funding for government efforts to crack down on the adult entertainment industry -- one of the precious few non-terror-related programs to garner a spending increase. I kid you not: While the White House is cutting back on its housing budget, veterans' benefits, and the National Institutes of Health, it's opening up the coffers to make sure you have a harder time downloading the Paris Hilton sexcapade on the Net. But that's not even the worst of it. The Justice Department has recently assigned a team of FBI agents to focus exclusively on adult obscenity cases. That's right, with the war on terror in full swing, our war president is going to have a group of G-men doing nothing but working the porn beat when they could be tracking down -- oh, I don't know -- terrorist sleeper cells. Talk about your misguided allocation of manpower. I don't know about you, but I certainly feel safer knowing the feds are going to be keeping close tabs on Jenna Jameson. We see the same loopy sense of right and wrong being played out in the Janet Jackson firestorm. Less than two weeks after the shock and bra of the Super Bowl, Bush's congressional cronies were already holding hearings on the matter. Compare that to the foot dragging that followed 9/11. It took 14 months -- and a candlelight vigil outside the White House by the victims' family members -- before the president finally relented and the 9/11 commission was created. Now that's indecent. For the moral relativists in the Bush administration, the definition of sin seems to depend on whether the sinner can further their political purposes. So Justin exposing Janet's boob is a sin, but White House staffers exposing Victoria Plame is a win. Profiting from porno is a sin, but Halliburton's wartime profiteering is a win. Two men getting hitched is a sin, but Cheney and Scalia shacking up in a duck blind is a win. Telling students condoms can prevent STDs is a sin, but lying about WMD is a win. And so, apparently, is GOP staffers hacking into Senate computers and Tom DeLay illegally funneling corporate money to Texas politicians. The president's culture war is little more than breasts and circuses. Election-year weapons of mass distraction. Hail to the panderer in chief. Our one and only president Salon.com News | Bush 'troubled' by gay marriage issue: "Feb. 18, 2004 | WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush said Wednesday he was 'troubled' by gay weddings in San Francisco and by legal decisions in Massachusetts that could clear the way for same-sex marriage. But he declined to say whether he is any closer to backing a constitutional ban on such vows. 'I have watched carefully what's happening in San Francisco, where licenses were being issued, even though the law states otherwise,' Bush said. 'I have consistently stated that I'll support law to protect marriage between a man and a woman. Obviously these events are influencing my decision.' 'I am watching very carefully, but I am troubled by what I've seen,' Bush said. He didn't answer directly when asked whether he is any closer to endorsing a constitutional ban on same-sex marriages, as conservative groups say the White House has assured them Bush will do. 'I strongly believe marriage should be defined as between a man and a woman,' Bush said during an Oval Office session with Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. 'I am troubled by activist judges who are defining marriage.' 'People need to be involved in this decision,' Bush said. 'Marriage ought to be defined by the people not by the courts. And I'm watching it carefully.' Gay and lesbian couples from Europe and more than 20 states have lined up outside the ornate San Francisco City Hall since city officials decided to begin marrying same-sex couples six days ago. City officials said 172 couples were married Tuesday, a pace that would bring the total number who have taken vows promising to be 'spouses for life' to over 3,000 by Friday. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court recently ruled that it is unconstitutional to bar gay couples from marriage. U" Friday, February 13, 2004 BOSTON GLOBE Puppet Masters Romney out front; Bush aides in touch Boston Globe, February 13, 2004 Box 2378, Boston, MA, 02107 (Fax: 617-929-2098 ) (E-Mail: letter@globe.com ) ( http://www.boston.com/globe ) http://www.boston.com/news/specials/gay_marriage/articles/2004/02/13/romney_out_front_bush_aides_in_touch/ By Frank Phillips, Globe Staff As Governor Mitt Romney navigates the volatile issue of gay marriage, his staff is in "regular contact" with the staffs of the Bush White House and the national Republican Party, a top Romney aide said yesterday. Eric Fehrnstrom, the governor's director of communications, downplayed the significance of the talks between Washington and the governor's office, but he described it as contact on "about a semidaily basis." Fehrnstrom said the national Republicans, whom he would not name, were in contact with Romney's chief of staff, Beth Myers, and her deputy, Peter G. Flaherty to keep tabs on the debate and other developments, the outcome of which will have implications for the presidential campaign. Fehrnstrom said no one from the Bush White House or the Republican National Committee has talked directly to Romney. In recent days, the governor has become more aggressively and personally involved in the emotionally charged issue, taking a high-profile role and intimating that he would seek legal avenues to block issuance of gay marriage licenses. Local and national political observers had speculated that Romney was coordinating his activities with the White House, the Bush campaign, and the Republican National Committee. Nationally, the GOP, sensing an opening to attack Democratic front-runner Senator John F. Kerry, has also become more vocal in opposition, with its operatives indicating that the gay marriage debate can be used to paint Massachusetts as out of step with the rest of the country. Fehrnstrom insisted that Romney's decision to inject himself into the debate, although he has no formal role in a constitutional convention, has nothing to do with presidential politics and everything to do with Romney's feeling that he should be involved in such a momentous debate. Last night, Romney continued to play a role in the negotiations, sending word through GOP lawmakers that he opposed any form of civil unions for gay couples. "I can't imagine the governor sitting on the sidelines while one of the most important debates in recent history is taking place," Fehrnstrom said. Romney has consistently opposed gay marriage and has said in the past that he also opposes civil unions, although Fehrnstrom indicated yesterday that the governor would not close the door on some system that provided the protections and benefits Romney has supported in the past. The governor has never fully spelled out what those rights would be, but he has mentioned hospital visitations, survivor benefits, and joint health care. The first signs of Romney's heightened profile in the controversy surrounding gay marriage came with a column he wrote that appeared last week in the Wall Street Journal. The column, which advised other states how to deal with the hot-button issue, appeared a day after the Supreme Judicial Court reaffirmed its Nov. 18 ruling clearing the way for gay marriage in Massachusetts. Since then, he has kept up the beat, almost on a daily basis. With the SJC ruling legalizing gay marriage set to take effect on May 17, Romney has indicated he will try to block the issuance of marriage licenses, but has never offered details on how he would circumvent the ruling. Romney and other gay marriage opponents could seek a stay from the SJC or a federal court, pleading that legal chaos will result if same-sex marriages take place and voters ultimately reject the court ruling through a constitutional amendment. Until the issue of gay marriage rose to the top of the agenda on Beacon Hill, Romney had a reputation as a hands-off governor who rarely became involved in direct negotiations with legislators. But this past week, he has pressured Republican legislators to rally behind House Speaker Thomas M. Finneran's proposal to ban gay marriage without authorizing civil unions. Romney's support for Finneran's amendment failed to win approval for the measure on Wednesday. In his lobbying, the governor has seriously strained his relationship with his close ally, Senate minority leader Brian P. Lees of Longmeadow. Romney and his aides have raised the heat on Lees and his five colleagues in the Senate to follow the administration's stance on gay marriage. Lees has bridled at the pressure and has cut off communications with Romney, several GOP sources said yesterday. State GOP chairman Darrell Crate was at the State House on Wednesday just as the debate was at its most intense. Crate met with Romney and then lobbied GOP lawmakers, asking them to line up behind Finneran's amendment. One GOP legislator said Crate had invoked the interests of the White House in urging him to line up behind Finneran's proposal. The GOP chairman declined to comment. "I feel like I would be violating confidences with legislators, whom I spoke to directly," he said. Crate said no one from the national Republican Party or the White House had given him instructions. "There's no coordination with the folks in the White House," he said. "I don't speak for them." Friday, February 06, 2004 BUSH ALMIGHTY! BUSH ALMIGHTY! ASHCROFT DETAINS JANET JACKSON’S RIGHT BOOB Half of Singer's Rack in US Custody Just hours after singer Janet Jackson shocked the world by exposing her right boob at the conclusion of Sunday’s Super Bowl halftime show, Attorney General John Ashcroft ordered the offending boob detained “indefinitely,” Mr. Ashcroft confirmed today. “Janet Jackson’s right boob has been taken into custody and sent to Guantanamo Bay for questioning,” Mr. Ashcroft told reporters in a Washington briefing. “We’d very much like to know what the boob knew and when it knew it.” Ms. Jackson’s right boob was detained under a little-known provision of the Patriot Act which enables the government to detain celebrity body parts that make surprise, naked appearances at nationally televised sporting events. Under that provision, Mr. Ashcroft explained, Ms. Jackson’s right boob will not have access to a lawyer and could face a military tribunal at some point in the future. When asked about Ms. Jackson’s left boob, Mr. Ashcroft said that it is not a suspect at this time but that it remains “a boob of interest.” “We would like to know if the left boob knew what the right boob was planning to do,” Mr. Ashcroft said. “It strains credulity to imagine that the right boob acted alone.” Elsewhere, experts around the world confirmed that moments after Ms. Jackson’s right boob fell out of its housing, Western civilization fell as well. Dr. Milton Campeaux of the University of Minnesota said that experts were “surprised” that Ms. Jackson caused Western civilization’s long-awaited collapse. “We all expected a Jackson to do it, but not Janet,” he said. Thursday, February 05, 2004 Salon.com Life | Three accused of putting hairpieces on cows Salon.com Life | Three accused of putting hairpieces on cows: "Feb. 5, 2004 | COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Three livestock exhibitors at last year's Ohio State Fair have been disqualified for allegedly outfitting their Holstein cows with hairpieces. " Tuesday, February 03, 2004 Talk about strange bedfellows The Village Voice: Features: Sleeping With the GOP by Wayne Barrett with special reporting by Adam Hutton and Christine Lagorio: "Roger Stone, the longtime Republican dirty-tricks operative who led the mob that shut down the Miami-Dade County recount and helped make George W. Bush president in 2000, is financing, staffing, and orchestrating the presidential campaign of Reverend Al Sharpton. Though Stone and Sharpton have tried to reduce their alliance to a curiosity, suggesting that all they do is talk occasionally, a Voice investigation has documented an extraordinary array of connections. Stone played a pivotal role in putting together Sharpton's pending application for federal matching funds, getting dollars in critical states from family members and political allies at odds with everything Sharpton represents. He's also helped stack the campaign with a half-dozen incongruous top aides who've worked for him in prior campaigns. He's even boasted about engineering six-figure loans to Sharpton's National Action Network (NAN) and allowing Sharpton to use his credit card to cover thousands in NAN costs?neither of which he could legally do for the campaign. In a wide-ranging Voice interview Sunday, Stone confirmed his matching-fund and staffing roles, but refused to comment on the NAN subsidies. " Salon.com Arts & Entertainment | The Fix Salon.com Arts & Entertainment | The Fix Even as studies show that Americans are heavier than ever, a new wave of reality TV shows have taken to making fun of fat people. Most conspicuous is Fox's "My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance," which places a thin, attractive woman in a phony engagement with a large, ill-behaved man whose main goal is to disgust pretty much everyone around him -- and, of course, viewers as well. Last season's "Average Joe" and this season's "Average Joe: Hawaii," while purportedly championing the cause of the normal guy, also generate tension and controversy by pairing a few large, out-of-shape men with a model-type woman. The implicit message: Can these slobs possibly live up to the standards of a beautiful person? The answer so far: no. (In fact, TV viewers watched the very big Sean sent packing Monday night from "Average Joe: Hawaii.") Salon called up Sandie Sabo-Russo, spokesperson for the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, a 34-year-old fat people's rights group with more than 5,000 members in chapters across the United States and Europe. While NAAFA tries to have a sense of humor about the media -- its hall of fame includes John Candy, Chris Farley and Miss Piggy -- it takes the cause of "ending discrimination against fat people" seriously. It even has a "Fat Activist Task Force" that uses letter-writing campaigns to protest what it feels are unfair portrayals of fat people in the media. What do you think of "My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance?" I think that's a really obnoxious title. If you change that word "fat" to any other oppressed minority -- to "My Big Black Obnoxious Fiance," or "My Big Gay Obnoxious Fiance," or anything -- you'd have a lot of groups that would be going, "Well, wait a minute ..." They've wrapped all these negative stereotypes into this one guy who's fat, [saying] because he's fat, he's obnoxious, and he's sloppy and he's smelly -- which is not true about us. When the word "fat" is used as a negative, it becomes a term to hurt people, just like when people use the "n word" against blacks. That's one of the reasons why we use the word "fat" -- it means we've taken it back. I'm fat. It is the appropriate adjective for my body. What about "Average Joe"? Matter of fact, I watch it all the time. [Laughs.] I have a few of my favorite reality shows. I love "Survivor," and I watch the "Bachelorette" ... she's so cute. She's so pretty. Why do you like "Average Joe"? I was curious. I watched the first time and I was so pulling for Adam -- you know, the average guy when she got down to the one last average guy and one non-average guy. Adam was charming, he was a nice guy, he was rich -- what an idiot [she was]! I can't believe she passed this guy up! But it's her prerogative ... I don't berate someone for being more attracted to a thin person than a fat person. From television's point of view, if they're just trying to get more people to watch, doesn't it make more sense for them to focus more on thin beautiful people than fat people? Who are they to decide what's attractive and not attractive? I think extreme body builders with all the ripples -- oh yuck, it gives me the creeps. It's like fingernails on a blackboard. I see that when I'm flipping the channels and I switch that stuff off. That's the way I look at it -- gee, you don't have to look at it if you don't like it. But there has to be that broad spectrum of reality. Because there's many people who think rounded women are attractive. It's not just about whether people think we're beautiful or not. Most thinner people treat fat people as if there's something morally wrong with us. What did you think about the stunt in the first "Average Joe," when the thin woman put the fat suit on [to trick the contestants into saying nasty things about her]? I think it stunk. We don't like it for all the same reasons that black people don't like it when white people put black face on and pretend to be black. It's demeaning and disrespectful. Do you think the guy from "My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance" could ever make it to NAAFA's hall of fame? I don't think so. He's probably thrilled to get a gig, and to some extent I don't blame him. I'm sure he's probably a nice guy in real life. But we'll never know, because all we'll think of him as is the fat obnoxious guy. Friday, January 30, 2004 Salon.com Technology | Ask the pilot Salon.com Technology | Ask the pilot: "Those who miss the thrill of Kai Tak still have some options. Spotters and gawkers can visit Maho Beach, for one, on the island of St. Maarten (St. Martin when speaking of its French half) in the Dutch Antilles. Here, along this otherwise small and unattractive oceanfront, the threshold of Princess Juliana International Airport's single runway extends nearly to the tide line. Judging from these pictures, which are not retouched in any way, you'd be advised to hit the sand to keep clear of jet blast and the swirling vortices from a 747's wingtip. The beach is posted with signs warning swimmers and sunbathers of these very hazards." Tuesday, January 27, 2004 Razzies.com - Home of the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation Razzies.com - Home of the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation 24th Annual Golden Raspberry (RAZZIE®) Award Nominations WORST PICTURE CAT-IN-THE HAT (Universal/Dreamworks/Imagine) CHARLIE'S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE (Columbia) FROM JUSTIN TO KELLY (20th Century-Fox) GIGLI (Columbia/Revolution) THE REAL CANCUN (New Line) WORST ACTOR Ben Affleck / DAREDEVIL, GIGLI and PAYCHECK Cuba Gooding, Jr. / BOAT TRIP, FIGHTING TEMPTATIONS and RADIO Justin Guarini / FROM JUSTIN TO KELLY Ashton Kutcher / CHEAPER by the DOZEN, JUST MARRIED and MY BOSS'S DAUGHTER Mike Myers / THE CAT-IN-THE-HAT WORST ACTRESS Drew Barrymore / CHARLIE'S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE and DUPLEX Cameron Diaz / CHARLIE'S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE Kelly Clarkson / FROM JUSTIN TO KELLY Angelina Jolie / BEYOND BORDERS and LARA CROFT TOMB RAIDER: THE CRADLE of LIFE Jennifer Lopez / GIGLI WORST SUPPORTING ACTOR Anthony Anderson / KANGAROO JACK Alec Baldwin / THE CAT-IN-THE-HAT Al Pacino / GIGLI Sylvester Stallone (Whose 5 Roles Could Fill This ENTIRE Category!) SPY KIDS 3-D: GAME OVER Christopher Walken / GIGLI and KANGAROO JACK WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Lanie Kazan / GIGLI Demi Moore / CHARLIE'S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE Kelly Preston / THE CAT-IN-THE-HAT Brittany Murphy / JUST MARRIED Tara Reid / MY BOSS'S DAUGHTER WORST SCREEN COUPLE Ben Affleck & Jennifer Lopez / GIGLI Eric Christian Olsen & Derek Richardson / DUMB AND DUMBERER Justin Guarini & Kelly Clarkson / FROM JUSTIN TO KELLY Ashton Kutcher & EITHER Brittany Murphy (JUST MARRIED) or Tara Reid (MY BOSS's DAUGHTER) Mike Myers & EITHER Thing One OR Thing Two / THE CAT-IN-THE-HAT WORST EXCUSE for an ACTUAL MOVIE (All Concept/No Content!) (New Category) 2 FAST, 2 FURIOUS CHARLIE'S ANGLES: FULL THROTTLE THE CAT-IN-THE-HAT FROM JUSTIN TO KELLY THE REAL CANCUN WORST REMAKE or SEQUEL 2 FAST, 2 FURIOUS CHARLIE'S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE DUMB & DUMBERER: WHEN HARRY MET LLOYD FROM JUSTIN TO KELLY (Remake of WHERE THE BOYS ARE ‘60 and WHERE THE BOYS ARE ‘84) TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE WORST DIRECTOR Martin Brest / GIGLI Robert Iscove / FROM JUSTIN TO KELLY Mort Nathan / BOAT TRIP The Wachowski Brothers / Both MATRIX Sequels Bo Welch / THE CAT-IN-THE-HAT WORST SCREENPLAY THE CAT-IN-THE-HAT, Screenplay by Alec Berg, David Mandel and Jeff Schaffer CHARLIE'S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE, Screenplay by John August and Cormac & Marianne Wibberley, “Story” by August DUMB AND DUMBERER, Screenplay by Robert Brener and Troy Miller, “Story” by Brener FROM JUSTIN TO KELLY, Written by Kim Fuller GIGLI, Written by Martin Brest NOMINATIONS PER PICTURE: GIGLI – 9 CAT-IN-THE-HAT – 8 FROM JUSTIN TO KELLY – 8 CHARLIE'S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE - 7 BOAT TRIP, DUMB & DUMBERER, JUST MARRIED, MY BOSS’S DAUGHTER and THE REAL CANCUN – - 2 Each The Village Voice: Nation: Mondo Washington: Operation Desert Guard by James Ridgeway The Village Voice: Nation: Mondo Washington: Operation Desert Guard by James Ridgeway: "The moral dictates of the Christian right are nothing compared with the concerns of the protectors of public morality in the press corps. Ever vigilant in our behalf, they recently condemned Michael Jackson (Who needs a trial with the people's advocate Nancy Grace and CNN judge Larry King on the job?). But even Jackson didn't have the audacity to say what Michael Moore said?that the president of the United States is a deserter. Yes, indeed. He said that. Not only did Moore say it, but he said it in public on a stage in the midst of a political campaign. In the midst of a war, no less. The press corps blushed in shame for all of us and promptly condemned Moore as an ignorant fool who ought to stick with his disgusting comedy shows. Fortunately for us, Michael Moore is crazy like a fox. By calling Bush a 'deserter,' he got the big-time journalists?horrified David Broder, incredulous Peter Jennings, outraged Robert Novak, nonplussed Tim Russert?to openly raise the deserter issue before millions. It is now a political topic once again. As the journalists damn Moore, the populace is once again wondering, well, maybe Bush is a deserter after all. And the idea of a deserter running this war makes it even more sick than it already is. Consider that this weekend warrior is already responsible for the following toll in Iraq: 513 GIs sent to their death; 8,000 medevacked out of Iraq; 2,919 wounded (missing arms or legs, or blinded, or psycho); and at least 22 GI suicides. God only knows how many Iraqi men, women, and children. And when it was his turn to fight for his country, Bush booked. " Friday, January 23, 2004 Dean delivers top 10 list on Letterman Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean turned to late-night comedy Thursday to poke fun at his arm-waving outburst in Iowa that has proven politically damaging. Dean taped an appearance on "Late Night with David Letterman" in which he presented the Top 10 list. The last Democrat to deliver the list was Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri on Jan. 12. After a poor showing in Iowa Monday, Gephardt abandoned his presidential bid. The subject of Dean's list was "Ways, I, Howard Dean, can turn things around." 10. Switch to decaf. 9. Unveil new slogan, "Vote for Dean and get one dollar off your next purchase at Blimpie." 8. Marry Rachel on the final episode of "Friends." 7. Don't change a thing, it's going great. 6. Show a little more skin. 5. Go on "American Idol" and give them a taste of those pipes. 4. Start working out and speaking with an Austrian accent. 3. I can't give specifics yet, but it involves Ted Danson. 2. Fire the staffer who suggested I do this lousy Top 10 List instead of actually campaigning. 1. Oh, I don't know -- maybe fewer, crazy, red-faced rants. The TRUE Stella Awards -- 2003 Winners by Randy Cassingham Issued 21 January 2003 Unlike the FAKE cases that have been highly circulated online for the last several years (see http://www.StellaAwards.com/bogus.html for details), the following cases have been researched from public sources and are confirmed TRUE by the ONLY legitimate source for the Stella Awards: www.StellaAwards.com . To confirm this copy is legitimate, see http://www.StellaAwards.com/2003.html -v- THE RUNNERS UP FOR THE 2003 TRUE STELLA AWARDS ARE: #8: Stephen Joseph of San Francisco, Calif. Joseph runs a non-profit group whose goal is to ban the "trans fats" used in many processed foods and which are indeed very unhealthy. But to help gain publicity for his cause, Joseph, an attorney, chose one food that uses trans fats -- Oreo cookies -- and sued Kraft Foods for putting the stuff in the snack. The resulting publicity over "suing Oreos" was so intense that Joseph dropped the suit after just 13 days. He never even served the suit on Kraft, showing that he had no interest in actually getting the case heard in court. What real cases got pushed aside during his abuse of the courts to get publicity for his pet organization? #7: Shawn Perkins of Laurel, Ind. Perkins was hit by lightning in the parking lot Paramount's Kings Island amusement park in Mason, Ohio. A classic "act of God", right? No, says Perkins' lawyer. "That would be a lot of people's knee-jerk reaction in these types of situations." The lawyer has filed suit against the amusement park asking unspecified damages, arguing the park should have "warned" people not to be outside during a thunderstorm. #6: Caesar Barber, 56, of New York City. Barber, who is 5-foot-10 and 270 pounds, says he is obese, diabetic, and suffers from heart disease because fast food restaurants forced him to eat their fatty food four to five times per week. He filed suit against McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's and KFC, who "profited enormously" and asked for unspecified damages because the eateries didn't warn him that junk food isn't good for him. The judge threw the case out twice, and barred it from being filed a third time. Is that the end of such McCases? No way: lawyers will just find another plaintiff and start over, legal scholars say. #5: Cole Bartiromo, 18, of Mission Viejo, Calif. After making over $1 million in the stock market, the feds made Bartiromo pay it all back: he gained his profits, they said, using fraud. Bartiromo played baseball at school, but after his fraud case broke he was no longer allowed to participate in extracurricular sports. Bartiromo clearly learned a lot while sitting in federal court: he wrote and filed his own lawsuit against his high school, reasoning that he had planned on a pro baseball career but, because he was kicked off the school's team, pro scouts wouldn't be able to discover him. His suit demands the school reimburse him for the great salary he would have made in the majors, which he figures is $50 million. #4: Priest David Hanser, 70. Hanser was one of the first Catholic priests to be caught up in the sex abuse scandal. In 1990, he settled a suit filed by one of his victims for $65,000. In the settlement, Hanser agreed not to work with children anymore, but the victim learned that Hanser was ignoring that part of the agreement. The victim appealed to the church, asking it to stop Hanser from working near children, but the church would not intervene. "It's up to the church to decide where he works," argued the priest's lawyer. When the outraged victim went to the press to warn the public that a pedo priest was near children, Hanser sued him for the same $65,000 because he violated his own part of the deal -- to keep the settlement secret. The message is clear: shut up about outrageous abuse, or we'll sue you for catching us. #3: Wanda Hudson, 44, of Mobile, Ala. After Hudson lost her home to foreclosure, she moved her belongings to a storage unit. She says she was inside her unit one night "looking for some papers" when the storage yard manager found the door to her unit ajar -- and locked it. She denies that she was sleeping inside, but incredibly did not call for help or bang on the door to be let out! She was not found for 63 days and barely survived; the formerly "plump" 150-pound woman lived on food she just happened to have in the unit, and was a mere 83 pounds when she was found. She sued the storage yard for $10 million claiming negligence. Even though the jury was not allowed to learn that Hudson had previously diagnosed mental problems, it found Hudson was nearly 100 percent responsible for her own predicament -- but still awarded her $100,000. #2: Doug Baker, 45, of Portland, Ore. Baker says God "steered" him to a stray dog. He admits "People thought I was crazy" to spend $4,000 in vet bills to bring the injured mutt back to health, but hey, it was God's dog! But $4,000 was nothing: he couldn't even take his girlfriend out to dinner without getting a dog-sitter to watch him. When the skittish dog escaped the sitter, Baker didn't just put an ad in the paper, he bought display ads so he could include a photo. His business collapsed since he devoted full time to the search for the dog. He didn't propose to his girlfriend because he wanted the dog to deliver the ring to her. He hired four "animal psychics" to give him clues to the animal's whereabouts, and hired a witch to cast spells. He even spread his own urine around to "mark his territory" to try to lure the dog home! And, he said, he cried every day. Two months in to the search, he went looking for the dog where it got lost -- and quickly found it. His first task: he put a collar on the mutt. (He hadn't done that before for a dog that was so "valuable"?!) After finding the dog, he sued the dog sitter, demanding $20,000 for the cost of his search, $30,000 for the income he lost by letting his business collapse, $10,000 for "the temporary loss of the special value" of the dog, and $100,000 in "emotional damages" -- $160,000 total. God has not been named as a defendant. AND THE WINNER of the 2003 True Stella Awards: The City of Madera, Calif. Madera police officer Marcy Noriega had the suspect from a minor disturbance handcuffed in the back of her patrol car. When the suspect started to kick at the car's windows, Officer Noriega decided to subdue him with her Taser. Incredibly, instead of pulling her stun gun from her belt, she pulled her service sidearm and shot the man in the chest, killing him instantly. The city, however, says the killing is not the officer's fault; it argues that "any reasonable police officer" could "mistakenly draw and fire a handgun instead of the Taser device" and has filed suit against Taser, arguing the company should pay for any award from the wrongful death lawsuit the man's family has filed. What a slur against every professionally trained police officer who knows the difference between a real gun and a stun gun! And what a cowardly attempt to escape responsibility for the actions of its own under-trained officer. TO CONFIRM THE VALIDITY OF THESE CASES, get more information on the True Stella Awards, or sign up for a free e-mail subscription to new cases as they are issued, see http://www.StellaAwards.com/2003.html Copyright 2004 www.StellaAwards.com . This message may be forwarded as long as it remains complete and unaltered. Wednesday, January 21, 2004 The Village Voice: Nation: Mondo Washington: Warnings During Wartime by James Ridgeway The Village Voice: Nation: Mondo Washington: Warnings During Wartime by James Ridgeway: "One thing we learned from the Taliban is how to get rid of drugs through harsh penalties for anyone breaking the law. In recent days articles have trumpeted the success of the Taliban's drug program, the only one in the world that has actually worked. As for all those promiscuous girls (and some boys, too) out there, let them practice abstinence as a way to fight STDs and drugs, which a growing chorus of get-tough lawmakers, even some right-wingers who fear rising prison costs may raise their taxes, say don't work. Let's reward schools that follow the Taliban-style enforcement program with a $23 million federal drug-testing program under the heading of 'a tool to save children's lives' against sexually transmitted diseases. The government will give them a heftier federal handout if they coerce their students into taking drug tests. " Friday, January 16, 2004 NPR : Mormon Cinema, a Growing Indie Scene NPR : Mormon Cinema, a Growing Indie Scene: "New Breed of Films Promote Values of Latter-day Saints" Thursday, January 15, 2004 Gibson's "Passion" to hit U.S. screens Reuters | Latest Financial News / Full News Coverage: "Mel Gibson's controversial new film, 'The Passion of Christ,' which at first had a hard time finding a distributor, will be independently released on about 2,000 screens in the United States next month, a Gibson spokesman said on Wednesday." Salon.com | America's final wakeup call Salon.com | America's final wakeup call: "America's final wakeup call Former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill's damning book may finally clue Americans in to the deadly consequences of being governed by a disengaged dolt in the hands of a fanatical cabal." My Belief-O-Matic Score 1.  Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (100%) 2.  Liberal Quakers (93%) 3.  Unitarian Universalism (92%) 4.  Neo-Pagan (84%) 5.  New Age (77%) 6.  Theravada Buddhism (77%) 7.  Mahayana Buddhism (76%) 8.  Bahá'í Faith (74%) 9.  Reform Judaism (69%) 10.  Secular Humanism (69%) 11.  Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (58%) 12.  Taoism (58%) 13.  Orthodox Quaker (57%) 14.  Jainism (56%) 15.  New Thought (56%) 16.  Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (55%) 17.  Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (53%) 18.  Sikhism (50%) 19.  Scientology (49%) 20.  Jehovah's Witness (45%) 21.  Nontheist (43%) 22.  Orthodox Judaism (42%) 23.  Hinduism (38%) 24.  Islam (35%) 25.  Seventh Day Adventist (29%) 26.  Eastern Orthodox (23%) 27.  Roman Catholic (23%) Belief-O-Matic -- A personality quiz about your religious beliefs and spiritual beliefs - a quiz answering What Religion Am I -- Beliefnet.com Belief-O-Matic -- A personality quiz about your religious beliefs and spiritual beliefs - a quiz answering What Religion Am I -- Beliefnet.com: "Even if YOU don't know what faith you are, Belief-O-Matic? knows. Answer 20 questions about your concept of God, the afterlife, human nature, and more, and Belief-O-Matic? will tell you what religion (if any) you practice...or ought to consider practicing. " Monday, January 12, 2004 Salon.com Technology | No safety net for programmers Salon.com Technology | No safety net for programmers: "When manufacturing jobs go overseas, laid-off workers are eligible for a host of benefits. But if you're one of the tens of thousands of software producers whose jobs have been outsourced, you're out of luck." Wednesday, January 07, 2004 Arianna Huffington Salon.com | Dean, Bobby and the ghost of landslides past Of course Dean is angry. Take a look at what's happening in Iraq, with another 236 American soldiers killed or wounded since Saddam was dragged out of his spider hole. And take a look closer to home, where we have 12 million children living in poverty, six out of seven working poor families unable to afford quality child care, record levels of personal debt, and more and more U.S. jobs being "outsourced" overseas. If you still have a pulse -- are you listening, Joe Lieberman? -- you should be royally pissed. And the Press Thinks He's Nuts? The Village Voice: Nation: Mondo Washington: Dean Calls 9-11 by James Ridgeway: "WASHINGTON—Setting aside Sunday's puerile attacks on Howard Dean by a desperate John Kerry and the by now embarrassing Joe Lieberman, the so-called Iowa debate briefly touched on the true bottom-line issue of the coming election: the extent of the U.S. government's foreknowledge of 9-11. " Salon.com | God to America: Don't reelect Bush! Salon.com | God to America: Don't reelect Bush!: "Pat Robertson says that God is calling a Bush blowout. My own pipeline to the Almighty says it's not a prediction, it's a warning." 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