Condoleezza Rice:  “I do agree that the tsunami was a wonderful opportunity to show not just the US government, but the heart of the American people, and I think it has paid great dividends for us.” [Source: Dr. Rice’s senate confirmation hearing, according to Agence France Presse, Tuesday, January 18, 2005.]
Maybe that helps explain His mysterious ways. See, He decided to blow away all those impoverished dark-skinned masses (and a couple thousand westerners who were in the wrong place at the wrong time) so that these United States would have a “wonderful opportunity” to display our benevolence and generosity.

Millions of people are praying for the Pope’s recovery, NPR informs us this morning.
As a hardline atheist, I have a problem with the prayer part, but leaving that aside: why would anybody who cares about the human race pray for someone who intentionally discourages millions of people from practicing safe sex and birth control? It just doesn’t make any sense.

A friend of mine emails:

So Kerik will now head Homeland. I’m sure it’s pure coincidence that [newspapers report that]:

“Mr Kerik … worked as a guard for the the Saudi royal family before joining the NYPD in 1985.”

Quote of the day:

“Protestamos no contra el pueblo norteamericano, sino contra el asesino principal del planeta”

— Marcos Riquelme, a leader of protests against the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum being held in Santiago, Chile.

I am proud of the way you guys are setting shit off down there. ¡Viva Chile!

I’ve just about had it with the likes of the NYTimes and other so-called liberal media (SCLM) outlets like NPR. GO check out sites like english.aljazeera.net and counterpunch.org and you will see what I mean. It’s like they’re watching a different ballgame.
Speaking of games, atrocities are happening in Fallujah while most Americans sit around watching football. And that is just plain fucked up.

OK, I’m a sushi-nibbling, cabernet sauvignon-sipping Northeastern opinionated arrogant elitist snob who likes looking at pictures of Christ submerged in urine. And I say to all of you who voted for Bush:
You are fools at best. Either you don’t know your own interests, or your interest is self-destruction (and other-destruction). You voted for what is almost certainly the most corrupt, dangerous, arrogant, mendacious, incompetent administration of your lifetime. You’ve shown the world that American voters, albeit by a slim majority, chose this prick and have given your approval to his greedy, demented imperialist policies. You fucked up. Shame on you.
Sore loser? Damn right I am. This is no joke, it really sucks big time.
One of the few bright spots I can think of is that Kerry got the African American vote by a margin of ten to one. At least black folks, collectively, have something of a clue. Another bright spot is that the pesto, marinara and meat balls that I served my friends last night made a big hit.

Have you ever seen more tension and anxiety around an election in the United States in your lifetime?

Even my own dad, normally a man of relentless logic and reason, sounded a little strange on the phone last night when he said that if the Red Sox can win the World Series, Kerry can win the presidency. Huh?

This is it folks, the day of reckoning. So get out there and do the right thing.

I’ve been resigned to pulling the lever for Kerry for several months. It’s a no-brainer. You would have to be insane or disinformed to do otherwise.

I read somewhere that 70+ percent of Bush supporters still think Saddam’s connection to Al Qaeda has been established and that he had WMD. There’s a fundamental disconnect with reality, a sort of cognitive disorder. The right wing Republican propaganda apparatus is a thing of awesome power, to be sure, but even so, there’s no excuse for being too lazy to get off the couch and make a modicum of effort to find out what is really going on.

Someone was saying on Air America last night that if the Republicans attempt to steal it again, watch out. You might see all shit break loose in the streets of this country like we haven’t seen in a century. We need Kerry to take it and take it by a comfortable margin.

I was up late prepping food for the election night dinner we are holding today: made a nice marinara, meatballs, a pesto. Gonna have some quality wine and food, huddle together with some dear friends, and we will either celebrate that we have averted catastrophe, or try to turn our backs to the abyss and enjoy a good meal anyway.

no
more
Bush

Here’s why — a little much-needed levity courtesy of our beloved friend Lisa.

If you don’t read Spanish, here’s a synopsis (yeah, synopsis. What do I look like? A translator?): some left-wing pro-human rights groups in Chile are attempting a legal maneuver to have Bush subpoenaed for questioning by a judge when Bush shows up for an economic summit in Chile in a few weeks. They allege that Bush, Rumsfeld, etc., are criminally liable for torture and murder in Iraq, citing a legal principle of universal jurisdiction under international treaties to which both Chile and the U.S are signatories.

Interesting, isn’t it, that on the one hand you have a country where people are serious about trying to lock up this criminal for his crimes, while in the U.S., as we speak, the criminal has a very good shot at being re-elected President.

[de El Diario/La Prensa, New York, 27 octubre de 2004:]

Q. What’s the difference between George W. Bush and a chimpanzee?
A. The chimp is more human.
Check this out: http://www.toddbreer.com/p_070702_bushchimps.shtml

From now on, in deference to our Commander-in-Chief, we should follow his example and adopt his way of referring to what we used to called the Internet. From now on it should be plural: the Internets.