3. 2. 1. Contact. 10/22/2003 Thurs 5:01 AM

Ninja

Ranty From the DK! 10/22/2003 Tue 2:57 PM

So as I sit here looking over the news from the past few days on the web, links offered by friends, and the spoon fed dumbed down drivel that attempts (and surprise surprise fails at that) to be news on cable a question comes to mind for those of you in web land.

What is the one of the newest threats to our security here at home and resident in thief Shrub's newest policy to spread freedom round the world?

A) Finding Osama Bin Forgotten and dealing with Afghanistan.

Hey you remember him right? The 7 foot tall dude with a turban and a dialysis machine? The guy who planned the trade towers bombing and oh..right..I forgot it wasn't him, 70% of this idiot nation we now reside in have been so brainwashed they think Saddam did it or hand a hand in it! Oh what was I thinking bring this up, well guess I better put him back under the rug like the rest of Afghanistan, mentioning the facts that warlords are back in charge up north at the least, Kharzi governs about 4 blocks of Kabul, US troops are still dying in clashes with the Taliban in the south, women are still being oppressed, and back in February the us govt some how accidentally (mmhmm) left out $300m in humanitarian and reconstruction funds for Afghanistan after the Bush administration failed to request any money in that budget. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2759789.stm) Poppy production for heroin has skyrocketed, many warlords charging poppy taxes now and drug violence is increasing as well. But hey might make a few people angry if we bring this up, best forget it right? After all At least the UK company Premier Oil paid a visit to get the goods flowing so it's all wouldn't you say? (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3168478.stm)

B) Teddy bears and Cuba.

Yeah yeah I know what is DK smoking again? Just high on life folks honest, I know they busted a batch of heroin being smuggled in from Texas through a bear or two, (Couldn't have had ANYthing at all to do with the above though right?) And a kid back in July was given a bear by another kid with a gun inside, how the bloody hell did that happen? And of course we all now what a crank Castro is and hey things are a bit rotten in Cuba no doubt but it's not like American sanctions or trade restrictions had anything to with that, just ask the good folks in Iraq. (/sarcasm) Never know when life saving medicine will be used as a weapon right?

C) Saddam insane who's not in plain (sight that is) and his °weapons of mass distraction°±

Ahh to get the minds off the real issues bugging a country spiraling downward economically along with bush's approval ratings nothing beats a made for TV war with shoddy intelligence, outright lies, a bit of rallying round the old glory, and of course we can't forget those poor brutalized people of Iraq eithereven though they wereumm let's see, weapons we haven't found, a leader who's apparently off playing baccarat with Bin Forgotten and Jimmy Hoffa, and then oh there go that's right! They were the 3rd reason down the list as to why we invaded and took over after the other two just couldn't fly in the news anymore. Nothing like the cheering faces of jubilant Iraqi's tearing down statues of that horrid (still missing) dictator to bring a smile to the faces of freedom lovers everywhere! Of course it might have worked better if it like everything else in this staged farce from embedded reporters playing army (and commanders censoring stories) The grainy video phone shots of night fire °engagements°± (Puhlease guys my PS ONE had better graphics then that) and a compliant lapdog media at home spoon feeding us the newest tales from the frontlines. Flags a blazing on every lapel and background, heroic music, a 24/7 media blitz and a propaganda machine that was Gobbel's and Hitler's wet dream. You gotta love it folks, Jerry Bruckheimer himself couldn't have done a better job of making that tail wag the dog. And the proof is in the pictures.

http://www.twf.org/News/Y2003/0412-statuescene2.jpg

But hey is anyone really surprised by our govt flying or busing in people to stage a lil scene? after all it worked well enough in Florida during the 2000 election when Miami Dade county had a riot end its recount. There is no other word for these people then thugs pure and simple, and their decision to get an early start in suppressing democracy here at home sickens me to this day.

http://www.electgore04.com/images/bully_boys.jpg

But back to Iraq and as I said above there still is one simple fact they don't want you to know, it was and still is a sham, a fraud, a lie, and no cute lil Iraqi kids selling sodie pop as part of bush's newest PR message from the ministry of truth is going to hide the fact that things over there are as the good folks in the military say, hitting classic FUBAR.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=736&e=
10&u=/ap/20031017/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_good_news_and_bad

The last part says it all, in the middle of the good news blitz a roadside bomb derails the planned route, and Irony thy wrath is felt once again eh Shrubby?

But don't worry the troops are A OK! Remember all those letters home we got..er..that...were faked but hey I'm sure that aside things are just plum dandy!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3190934.stm

Not like we're overstressed or anything, no really!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3201918.stm

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/1016-09.htm

http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/7316.htm (go for it guys it worked for bush)

Now all that ranting aside which is the correct answer? Well if you said A or C good work you've got some common sense and probably care a bit more about this country then the people running it. If you picked B though also good work cause you kept up on current events.

Yep you guessed it folks, with all that's wrong in the world our genius homeland (in)security department has issued a warning about chemical laced teddy bears blowing planes outta the sky (Damn these terrorists are sneaky bastards ain't they?) And resident Bush, in an effort to pander farther to the right wing whackos in Florida (As if he didn't have the state already?!?) Has proposed a new plan to tighten restrictions on Cuba in an effort to bring down that cigar selling curmudgeon Castro, and "announced he was setting up a "Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba" to plan for the day communism would collapse. Headed by the US secretary of state and the head of the department of housing, the new body would look ahead to the end of the regime."

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/wnt/US/pillowbombs031014.html

I have to ask cause as an anime junkie it "bears" asking, when the BLODDY DING DONG @#$! DID I LAND IN AN EPISODE OF COWBOY BEBOP?!?!?

*huff ... huff* sorry just had to get that out, I mean BEARS?!? If this our newest worry then excuse me I'm going to just go off to the corner, bend over, and grab my ankles while waiting for the plane to hit because it becomes clearer to me day by day that these people don't have a clue what they're doing, except for terrorizing our own populace with pointless BS like this, and using the big bad boogieman of terrorism to stuff a radical right wing agenda down the throats of people too scared to question it cause you never know if lil Susie over there is packing more then a bundle of love when she's on the jet.

As for the other oh so important issue right now.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3181048.stm

For those too lazy to read yet another link I'll hit the high points since we know what Bush really cares about, here's a hint it's not freedom for Cuba. (underlines are mine)

The speech - before members of the Cuban community at the White House - came as the 2004 election campaign gets under way.

Mr. Bush's advisers know that fiercely anti-Castro Cuban exiles living in the key state of Florida might well be hugely important in determining whether the president holds on to power, says the BBC's Justin Webb in Washington.

His speech today will have secured some valuable votes, our correspondent says.

Good thing Powell doesn't have anything else on his plate right now eh? Not like Israel is aflame once again and oh yeah that pesky rebuilding of Iraq, oh well we'll let Condi handle that one I guess, seems that bit of the sand is her personal play toy now. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3169760.stm)

I dunno though, I think Donald °duck the question°± Rumsfeld might be better in this case, after all he's got plenty of prior experience about where those weapons might be given how much the usa sold Saddam and his prior visits.

http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB82/

http://www.counterpunch.org/scahill0802.html

Funny how it doesn't matter much about Saddam gassing his own people and Iranians when he's on our side isn't it? That's another line in the litany of lies and half truths you won't hear bush or his lapdog media mention either.

But hey as before we're just doing what we know best and what the govt always does behind the scenes.

http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2001/465/465p15.htm

Can't imagine why we haven't found these two °assets°± err I mean °evildoers!°± (/Texas shrubby drawl) yet, how bout you?

Ahh but I'm getting off track again aren't I? After all we were talking bout Cuba right? Well a question for those good folks feeling that oppressive dictator, why the bloody heck are you coming here to see another?

Seriously, between the new fear of our own shadows (specially if we see a bear shape ahh!) The systematic shredding of civil liberties thanks to the (anti) PATRIOT act, fun proposals like the total information awareness office to catalog everything we do or buy (thank god that one got shot downwe hope) The new ministry of truth err I mean the pentagon's office of strategic influence (gone also or is it?

) That was planning to spread disinformation read LIE! To everyone about our plans, just not America of course.yeah.

An election system that's about as messed up as they come (Jews for Buchanan anyone?) And is now about as rigged as they come thanks to electronic voting machines, and the happy coincidence that all 3 are owned by republican donators to el shrubby.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/1006-03.htm

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=452972

this line sums it best of course. What, then, is one to make of the fact that the owners of the three major computer voting machines are all prominent Republican Party donors? Or of a recent political fund-raising letter written to Ohio Republicans by Walden O'Dell, Diebold's chief executive, in which he said he was "committed to helping Ohio to deliver its electoral votes to the president next year" - even as his company was bidding for the contract on the state's new voting machinery?

The best advice I can give them if they really want freedom? Three words, move to Iraq.

Now before everyone on both sides thinks I've just totally lost my mind hear me out here ok? I mean think about it, they just got a whopping 87 Billion with a B (even though only 21b of it is going to actual reconstruction and not troop costs) to fix that country up. Now imagine if we wanted that here in the good ol USA? I can hear the howls already! BIG GOVT SPENDING AHHHHH!!!! No WAY we could get 87 bil though the repuke dominated congress to address social ills here after all it's not like that money could have been put towards things like this (http://www.angrygeneration.com/mt_archives/000077.html)

Or how bout this wish list?

The World Health Organization (WHO) and other UN bodies estimate the cost of providing treatment and prevention services in developing countries for tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and malaria at $12 billion a year.

The WHO Commission on Macroeconomics and Health estimated that donor investment of $27 billion a year, including expenditures on TB, AIDS and malaria, as well as to eliminate death and suffering from other infectious diseases and nutritional deficiencies, could save 8 million lives a year. That's eight million lives. A year.

The UN Development Program estimated in 1998 that the annual additional cost of achieving basic education for all was $6 billion.

Prefer to spend some or all of the money at home? Even in the United States, where the dollar doesn't go as far, $87 billion can perform some pretty impressive feats.

For example, according to Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities, it would only cost $6 billion a year to provide health insurance to all uninsured children in the United States. You can provide Head Start and Early Head Start to all eligible children for $8 billion annually. You can reduce class size to 15 students per teacher in all first-, second- and third-grade classrooms for $11 billion a year.

For $87 billion, you could eliminate the backlog of maintenance needs at national parks nearly 15 times over.

You could cover more than half the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-estimated 20-year investment needs to ensure safe drinking water throughout the United States.

You could more than double the annual capital expenditures needed to improve public transportation in the United States, according to estimates of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

You could provide almost half of the overall funding EPA says is needed to provide clean watersheds in the United States, including through wastewater treatment, sewer upgrades and nonpoint source pollution control.

It just so happens, as the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities points out, that $87 billion is almost exactly what all departments in the federal government combined spend annually on education, training, employment and social services. So you could fund that for a year.

$87b Is More Than The Combined Total Of All State Budget Deficits In The United States

$87b Is Roughly The Total Of Two Years Worth Of All U.S. Unemployment Benefits

$87b Is More Than Double The Total Amount The Government Spends On Homeland Security

$87b Is 87 Times The Amount The Federal Government Spends On After School Programs

If you looked at the $87 billion as found money, and wanted to do something unorthodox, you could eliminate California's state budget deficit two times over.

And, you would still have enough left over to enable the Detroit Tigers (baseball's worst team) next year to field a team full of Alex Rodriguez's. (Rodriguez, at $25 million a year, is baseball's highest-paid player. A full roster -- 25 players -- of Rodriguez's would cost $625 million.)

Not silly enough for you yet? How bout we add that 87b comes out to $300 for every person in America, the exact amount bush gave in tax refunds to people, oops there went those I guess.

Other things we could use it for? How bout rotting under funded schools and buildings in this country (as we tout the new schools open in Iraq) fix our frazzled and recently fizzled electrical grid (as we're doing in Iraq) improve upon a sagging infrastructure here (like the one we blew to hell first and are now cleaning up again in Iraq) or heck even get a decent level of funding for police forces across the country (like that one we're building in, you guessed it Iraq)

I could go on for a bit more and I'm sure plenty of you have suggestions to add yourselves, but the point's been made well enough. Good people of Cuba I hope you get the freedom you deserve but do us all a favor since the people of the USA can't get the word out past our own shores go somewhere else to a place that actually remembers what the words freedom, democracy, and justice actually mean and SEND HELP!. Don't head for a land where our leader has twisted those words beyond any hope of recognition. And spits on a daily basis on the graves of the 3000 citizens who lost their lives that day and he uses on a daily basis to push an agenda that's the biggest threat to global security then the people he can't find. Spits on the grave he's thrown the spirit of this country (the right to speak out and dissent without being labeled a traitor) into along with the bill of rights (and the pile of dirt on top keeps building) In the process doing more damage to the freedom he claims to protect then any terrorist could have done with a fleet of 737's. And now spits on the graves of the US servicemen who are dying on a still daily basis in Iraq due to his dishonesty to them and to us, refusing to come clean about still missing weapons and his lies (there is no other word) about said weapons that dragged us into this invasion and occupation whose only goal so far seems to be more dead Americans, more people revolting against America, and more then likely the creation of more terrorism and terrorists.

Like you said from the carrier you true traitor to this country, landing with that smirk I detest like tom cruise himself when you never even flew back in Vietnam, I wish something else had happened, an MP walked up and slapped the cuffs on your ass since there's no statue of limitations on the crime of going AWOL (http://www.awolbush.com/) To use the line °Where was George?°± Well he wasn't on duty I can tell you that, he like many others used his money and daddy's connections to stay stateside while then and just like now, the poor and the grunts, many in it for the GI bills given the non funding education in this country gets (see above again) get sent off to die for dishonesty then, and now with you °in charge°± they're dying to cover your lies now. And by the way more of them have died since you gave your lil speech then when the war began, and the casuality list is growing daily. Mission accomplished you lying traitorous perverter of a country that I love, I can't wait for the day when I see you out of office, until then at least I have my dreams, of seeing you in a jail cell where you belong.

Main Entry: trea°§son

Pronunciation: 'trE-zun

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English tresoun, from Old French traison, from Latin tradition-, traditio act of handing over, from tradere to hand over, betray -- more at TRAITOR

Date: 13th century

1 : the betrayal of a trust : TREACHERY

2 : the offense of attempting by overt acts to overthrow the government of the state to which the offender owes allegiance

I think that pretty much sums it up in a nutshell don't you?

DragonKat

Yer an idiot, idiot! 10/21/2003 Tue 3:30 PM

Ninja

What in the elderly, slightly-enthused, anti-Bush men?!

No Money and No Job Make Ninja Go Something Something... 10/20/2003 Mon 12:15 AM

I guess the World Series or something is going on right now or something. Ahh... the days back when i gave a shit about what happened in Major League Baseball. Ive been kinda obsessing over two things lately, the iriver 195-tc mp3 player and the canon XL1s miniDV cam. The first is this incredibly tiny MP3 player that has the ability to store half a gig of memory even though its a little over 3inches long and about an inch wide and only at only 33g! Its slick as hell with its full black body with silver trim. Hot damn i want one. Only thing is there's no OS9 support. NOOOOooooooooo...! Eh, guess ill have to boot up X alot more now. The latter is the camera of choice for indy film enthusiasts and pros alike. Its got more expandability and flexibility than a camera of its size and class has ever had before it. I was thinking either that or the JVC GY-DV5kU (does the same and more but at a larger size and less ease of expandability). I'd also want to upgrade my computer so i can cut my footage with Final Cut Pro 3 the only problem now is finding funds to get it. Now... how to sell my body to science without the moral obligations or extra limbs...

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Movie: Kill Bill

(What the fuck?! How'd this movie get so many ramen in there?!)
OK, who saw this one coming. I mean, sure there are alot of die-hard Tarantino fans out there that really knew this was a good movie without even seeing it. Me - im a jaded sumavabitch. I thought the movie was gonna be the worst piece of smaller pieces of shit ever. Boy was i wrong. Back it up a bit, previously my only knowledge of the film was it was supposed to be an action flic that was "Japanimation" inspired. And the trailer. With somewhat an anime background the trailer looked campy and futzy as hell. The thing is though, thats the point. It plays to all of us samurai, ninja, noir, gung/kung-fu, spaghetti western, anime, action, superhero, revenge-driven renegade, 60-70s era fans. Id have everyone who is a nerd see this. That would mean i would have to become the King Nerd. Hmm, King Nerd...

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Movie: Lost in Translation

As your newly appointed King of the Nerds i dub this movie grrrrrrrreat! Dead pan humor seems to be in fashion these days. But thats a good thing. Ok, Bill Murray is an over the hill American actor during some work in Japan who meets and befriends another American, Scarlett Johansson's character, who is the wife of Giovanni Ribisi's character. And then what happens? Well, they fall in love of course! Wait. No. They didnt. Im sorry this setup in bad moviedom is so ingrained that my gut response is there is a love afair that happens. Im sure alot of people will not get this movie because the the setup they are used to is not followed through. To these people i say you are idiots. With that said Sofia Coppola's look at humanities' ability to still share themselves is long overdue and alittle surprising. Lance Acord's photography captured all the cool angles of Japan (or at least how i imagine it) and fit wonderfully with the material... i dunno, i had another thought here but lost it.. maybe i should stop typing this... why am i still typing?! GAH!

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PS2: SOCOM: Navy SEALS 2
I got a little bit of a taste of this game and from what ive seen its more of the same only prettier. But thats a good thing.

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Happy Tree Friends is one of the most well animated and funny web shows ive ever seen. And thats saying a hellava lot.

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In other gaming news:
River City Ransom baby! Phantom Dust (xbox) looks like a game where you run around a huge post-apocalyptic city while trying to blow up another person with energy BEAMS from your hands. Its based on a true story, i hear. If the new Berserk game is half as good as the DC version... then id wonder, hey? Why only half? Didnt i pay for two halves? Hyper Super Street Fighter Alpha 3 EX: w/Impact Turbo. King of Fighters 2003 December! Free, GBA-linkable, Gamecube Pacman. Namco, take your time, you dont have to answer me now but will you marry me.

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- In the Cut - I honestly am not intrigued by this trailer i just havent seen a decent thriller in awhile.
- The Singing Detective - Heh, you dont really see too many necrosis flics done in period.
- The Big Fish - Burton all over it. I REALLY want to see this one.

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Christopher Walken's MP3 Cowbell Reference of the Day:
I have a fever... and the only prescription is more cowbell.

Ninja
"i only have one hour to live and your wasting 5 mminutes of that!"

More like ... N-Gay-ge! 10/10/2003 Fri 3:15 AM

Ninja

new governor, same story 10/8/2003 Wed 7:22 AM

If you voted for Schwarzenegger, you're a fucking retard.

No two ways about it. I don't care how smart you think you are, if you voted for this man, you're a shit-for-brains soulless, heartless clone who should have your voting privileges, hell, your citizenship even, revoked.

Never in my short time on this planet have I seen a major political figure with less of a platform than Arnie had. Never have I seen a more vague, pointless, talking head-on-a-string, even by politician standards. And yet this man is our new governor. The people spoke, democracy worked. You have elected an idiot Governor. I guess he'll look good on the shelf with our idiot president, idiot speaker of the house, idiot cabinet members, idiot--ah, hell. They're all idiots. You know that and I know that. And not just because they're republicans. All the democrats in this recall were idiots, too. This whole thing got started because we were tired of having an idiot make idiot decisions, and what de we do, replace him with ANOTHER idiot! Only this idiot's okay because he fought off the Predator and says cool things like "I'll be back" and "Hasta La Vista, Baby!" Man, isn't this country great?

Hardly anyone voted for Larry Flynt, thank god, and yet that seems somewhat surprising. I mean, the man is arguably as big an idiot as the Governator, but at least he had a platform. At least he believes in something. Sure, he's made a fortune off the systematic degredation and exploitation of insecure, physically perfect young girls in his porn empire (and God bless him for it:), but let's not forget this is the man who reassured us the first ammendment was insurmountable in his legendary battle with Jerry Falwell. He has some credit to his name. But let's be honest, he'd have made a crappy governor. Why Schwarzenegger is seen with any more credibility is beyond me. (Besides, when it comes to entertainment, I'll take sex over graphic violence any day. Gee, Arnold, what'd you make your fortune on again?) But how much is honestly going to change? Will California get better? Maybe. It may get better than it has been in the last couple years, but will it fundamentally, as a state, no, as an INSTITUTION, elevate itself above the rest of the country? Will it become a haven of mental evolution and political progress, and perhaps lead the way into a new future of prosperity, peace, environmental safety, job security and successful wealth distribution?

No.

And you know why? Because we, no, alright, they elected a Republican. Last year they elected a Democrat. In the next election they'll probably elect a Republican or Democrat again and we can look forward to another four or eight years of stagnating nothingness. I think it's time we just combined the two parties into Republocrats..or maybe Demicans...no no, Republocrats is better. Because they've become one party. Sure, they speak of ideological differences and how they would better the state in their own seperate ways but when they take office does any of it hold up? No. Because once elected a politician's job becomes one of endless appeasement: appease the idiot, short-sighted populous, appease the scumbag special interests who paid to get your sorry ass into office, and accomplish that by appeasing the media who gluttonously feeds on your insubstantial soundbites and empty statements of "progress." You remember the kid who would let you borrow anything for an indefinite period of time, just as long as you would be his friend? (okay, that was me) Remember the sad-sack who would take endless abuse from his girlfriend just to keep her from leaving? (Alright, me again...well, minus the girlfriend.) Would you want these types of people to be captaining the ship? Because that's all Republocrats are. Take away the bad silver hair and perrenial sticks up the ass and the people in these parties are just pathetic kids doing anything to hold on to their so-called friends.

Where are the real leaders in society? Where are all the Thomas Jeffersons and FDR's and Abe Lincolns and Winston Churchills and Confuciouses and King David's we were taught about in school? You know, the people who changed the world, not merely kept it afloat in the universal toilet bowl but actually pulled it out and dried it off. People with vision and ambition and determination. Since FDR has there been a major political figure who has profoundly changed our nation, and subsequentially our world? JFK? He got plugged before he had the chance to really do anything. Reagan? HA! Name one. I dare you. Doesn't that depress anyone else? I mean, is this how it's going to endure? I'd rather have a man with vision make an awesome mistake and destroy the world with a bang rather than let a drippy, milquetoast no-brain "leader" let us piddle out in feeble oblivion. When did the people become so content with this? When did everyone collectively decide to trade in spicy food for warm water and twigs? When did our species, the most advanced, amazing brains on the planet, especially in a nation founded by rebellious visionaries, just give up and say "alright. No more change." Oh sure, people talk of wanting change. They say "I'm tired of politics as usual." Well, sorry to rain on your backwards parade, but Republocrats are politics as usual. Arnold Schwarzenegger is politics as usual. The Green Party may be the most progressive, exciting and potentially rewarding major political faction in the country and yet it is apallingly ignored in every election. Peter Camejo scored with 3% of the vote. He got less votes than "Other", which was all the local stragglers who "ran" for Governor. What the fuck!? In 2000, when Ralph Nader needed only 15%, FIFTEEN PERCENT of the national vote to get federal funding for the Green Party, he only got half that. Where are all these people who want change? I thought "change" meant things, you know, changed. I may need a dictionary to confirm that but I thought that was the general idea. Even with the support and backing of Michael Moore, who gleefully smacked an adoring public in the face with last year's brilliant "Bowling For Columbine," the Green Party was humiliated and denied entry like a poorly dressed man at a nightclub. The collective "bouncer" of media, special interests and myopic populous took one look at it and said "Get lost...but your lady can stay." Are people really sniveling, crafty hypocrites when it comes to politics? No. They're just paranoid, piss-terrified spineless weaklings who raise their hand and then say "never mind" when everyone in the class turns to look at them. The Republocrats have done such a good job of scaring us into believing that our entire foundation will collapse without their "assured and headstrong" guidance that on Election Day everyone hovers over the good candidate (Camejo), but reluctantly punches their vote for the top candidate. Then they can breathe a sigh of relief and go on with their lives wallowing in denial with the notion that their vote "counted". "But wait, Cas, you sarcastic twat," you're saying, "How are people supposed to know about a man like Camejo if he doesn't have the exposure and campaign funds Republocrats have?" Exposure? Uh, I sure knew about Camejo and his platform. I mean, it's not like he was locked in a space capsule and only let down on Election day. Did no one else see the debate on TV? Did no one else read his name and check out his candidacy on his website? Did no one else listen to NPR or watch Public Television or look into alternative media sources? Did people shallowly rely on network news and prime-time campaign commercials to decide who to vote for?

Do I have to answer that?

I had a debate with one of my teachers who called me "foolish" for voting for Nader in 2000. By his rationale, people like me are the reason Bush is in office. And I guess people like me are the reason Schwarzenegger's our new Governor. No, it's not the lame politicians with absolutely nothing to offer who have anything to do with getting themselves cast out of the capitol, but rather it's us people who "GASP!" have the audacity to find a candidate with strong beliefs that mirror ours, clear platforms and unwavering devotion to our cause and then selfishly vote for them! After all, voting's not about who you want, it's about who you don't want. Who would be a great leader? Who cares! Just vote to keep the other guy out of office. Your candidate has no chance of winning, why don't you jump on the winning team? Give up your foolish notions of choice and democracy and making your voice heard and just punch one in for Gore because, hey, he's a doofus, but not as big a doofus as Bush. Is that what voting has been reduced to? Because if so, then maybe I should just give up and become one of those "lazy punks" who doesn't bother voting. And who knows. Maybe Nader and Camejo are, underneath it all, scum-sucking milquetoast politicians who are bought and sold like a pretty boy in prison. But think about this: You vote for a Republocrat, you get a pointless, useless, ultimately forgettable official. You vote for an ndependent, maybe you get a pointless, useless, forgettable official, or maybe you get someone who makes a genuine difference and betters our society. Take a fucking chance! Even if you're on the other side. You like a candidate who's a close-minded, reactionary pasty-white neo-nazi fascist? VOTE FOR HIM! That's who you want, say it! Don't let the public decide for you with its talk of "chances" and "polls" and "projections." Otherwise you can just keep your sheep-minded self at home and watch Jerry Springer. It'll be a blast. I promise. I have zero regrets about voting for Nader. And I have zero regrets about voting for Camejo. I'll keep voting for the Green party until they let me down and I will not apologize for it. I'm not the reason Gore lost. Gore's the reason Gore lost. Davis is the reason Davis was recalled, and until the Republocrats split into two discernable parties and wow the hell out of me, I will continue to shun them at the polls just like the rest of the nation shuns us. And if the world goes to hell because a bad leader wormed his way into office, at least I'll die happy knowing I didn't vote for them.

Enjoy your new governor, folks. I'm sure there'll be a sequel.

Cas Fornalski

Oh shit! I forgot my damn backpack. Oh, wait, nevermind - its bolted to my body.

Busy Busy Busy! 10/4/2003 Sat 4:15 AM

Insert words here.

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Movie: The Rundown

Precisely what it should have been. Quick fun. Christopher Walken.

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GBA / Hack and Slash: Shining Soul

Im always saying how Everquest is garbage but yet i love the hack and slashers that require little more than a single button. Diablo, Phantasy Star Online... aside from Evercrack i seem to love em. There's something about having EIGHT character slots that makes a game like this beg to be played with multiple characters. Ive already got four (one of each of the classes). Even though its as mindless as Bush at a chess match its fun as hell. Its very Seiken Densetsu (the series that spawned Secret of Mana of course) in alot of ways. Charge moves can increase attack power and range or amount of attacks in one button press. Leveling up is somewhat of an easy chore. Nothing is really interesting except an occasional wowie weap that comes along and the ability to assign your own skill points to certain uh, skills. Very Diablo-esqe. Very much like PSO when you "pause" the game to checkout your inventory or append newly acquired skill points you can still be attacked. Ok, something like this makes sense in an online setting but on the GBA?! Even with link play its annoying. Another thing this game was released about a year and a half ago in Japan and even then im not sure if it had much in the ways of looks. Very... homely graphics on this one. Anyways, its simple and its pickup and play and its just about all i can play right now.

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PC / FPS: Halo

Buy a super computer (you'll need it) and checkout the 6 new multiplayer levels and the 2 new weaps (flamethrower and fuel rod gun) and the one new Rocket-Launching warthog and wish all this was on Xbox too.

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Archives has been updated. Mostly.

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- The Station Agent - I love deadpan but its never really done right...until now?
- Elephant - Gus Van Sant's newest. Uh, the guy who did Good Will Hunting.

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Old School Computer game of the Day: StarCraft + Broodwars

Ninja
"It is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious." -Wilde

Feed me dammit! 10/4/2003 Sat 2:43 AM

No, seriously. Im not gonna get fatter on my OWN.

Katt

Vote dammit! 10/4/2003 Sat 2:42 AM

Alright, at the risk of sounding like a pontificating asshole, I urge you all to at least check this guy out:

 

http://www.votecamejo.org

 

Green party candidate Peter Camejo is a longshot for governor and probably won't be elected. But a vote for him does mean something. If enough people vote for a third party candidate, one who isn't Democrat or Republican, it sends a clear message to the federal and state government that we, as citizens, are not accepting a simple two party system that negates what democracy is fundamentally about. In fact, a vote for Camejo or any other third party candidate probably makes MORE of a difference than a vote for Davis, Bustamante, McClintock, Simon, or any other Republican or Democrat, because it's an act of defiance against a failing system. Whether a democrat or republican get elected, it's all the same party because they're all schills for special interests and corporations. There is a LONG OFF chance Camejo could win, but personally I feel it's more important to send the message you don't buy the two-party rhetoric. Democrats and Republicans don't need your vote, honestly. One of them is going to win. The Green party needs every vote it can get, and this is truly a chance that you, as one person, can make a difference.

 

Anyway, I'll step down from my soapbox now. I don't try to tell people what or how to think, but as lame as this whole recall

election seems I think it's actually quite important, and god willing, a chance to change things.

 

Please check out Camejo's website and see what you think. Thanks.

The Cas