Category: Rants

Asking Bush to Move On

Humor, Politics, Rants

The below monologue was in my email this morning. It’s comedian Bill Maher’s closing monologue to the September 9th episode of his HBO program, Real Time with Bill Maher. I’m a longtime fan of Bill’s. Much like another favorite of mine, John Stewart, his label of “comedian” does not do justice to the sharp and incisive political commentary that he consistently offers.

This one is definitely worth sharing, thanks to Karen and Jennifer for passing it along.

Mr. President, this job can’t be fun for you any more.  There’s no more money to spend–you used up all of that.  You can’t start another war because you used up the army.  And now, darn the luck, the rest of your term has become the Bush family nightmare: helping poor people.  Listen to your Mom.  The cupboard’s bare, the credit cards maxed out.  No one’s speaking to you.  Mission accomplished.

Now it’s time to do what you’ve always done best: lose interest and walk away.  Like you did with your military service and the oil company and the baseball team.  It’s time.  Time to move on and try the next fantasy job.  How about cowboy or space man?  Now I know what you’re saying:  there’s so many other things that you as President could involve yourself in.  Please don’t.  I know, I know.  There’s a lot left to do.  There’s a war with Venezuela.  Eliminating the sales tax on yachts.  Turning the space program over to the church.  And Social Security to Fannie Mae.  Giving embryos the vote.

But, Sir, none of that is going to happen now.  Why?  Because you govern like Billy Joel drives.  You’ve performed so poorly I’m surprised that you haven’t given yourself a medal.  You’re a catastrophe that walks like a man.  Herbert Hoover was a shitty president, but even he never conceded an entire city to rising water and snakes.

On your watch, we’ve lost almost all of our allies, the surplus, four airliners, two trade centers, a piece of the Pentagon and the City of New Orleans.  Maybe you’re just not lucky.  I’m not saying you don’t love this country.  I’m just wondering how much worse it could be if you were on the other side.

So, yes, God does speak to you.  What he is saying is: ‘Take a hint.’

Amen to that!

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Remembering 9/11

News, Rants
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On this, the fourth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks against our country, it’s impossible for me not to reflect on it as the greatest of Bush’s many failures as President of the United States.

It’s been four years, and Osama bin Laden remains at large. It’s been four years, and America’s armed forces are dying every day, fighting in a country that had nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks against ours, but which Bush choose instead to invade. Now Iraq is a recruitment poster and training ground for new terrorists, eager to learn how to kill Americans there and anywhere else.

Today my memories are with the victims of 9/11/2001, and the loved ones they left behind. I only wish I could feel like their loss had been avenged, but it has not. We have failed them.

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Mother Nature and George

Rants
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Originally uploaded by mysterious chicken.

That nature can be beautiful and deadly at the same time is nothing new. From before the days of Pompeii, to last December’s Tsunami, we are reminded again that, though beautiful, Mother Nature can be a ruthless killer. And in the face of her most violent outbursts, humans can only hope to learn from past mistakes, try to take precautions to diminish the effects of natural disasters, and make preparations for dealing with the worst.

One thing Hurricane Katrina will remind us all about is the real need of money and resources here in America at a time like this. While floodwaters rose, George Bush went to San Diego to try and equate his war of choice in Iraq to World War II. Now that he’s finally turning his attention from his self-made disaster to the one Mother Nature has dealt us, don’t expect him to talk much about how his budget slashes Hurricane preparedness spending, or remind us that 35% of the Louisiana National Guard is serving in Iraq. Will he wonder if his actions made Katrina’s blow worse? I doubt it.

We can’t avoid Mother Nature’s wrath. But George Bush’s we brought on ourselves.

Bush and Katrina: A time for action, not aloofness
New Hampshire Union Leader Editorial, 8/31/05

Waiting for a Leader
New York Times Editorial, 9/1/05

with thanks to The Progress Report for the numbers

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Screwed by our Tivo!

Rants, Technology, Television

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I love my Tivo. It may sound wrong to love a product that’s only purpose is to help you watch TV. But the reality is, Tivo helps you to watch TV efficiently, on your schedule and terms.

But now and then, Tivo can let you down. Last weekend ours let us down in a BIG way.

We’re big fans of the CBS Reality show Survivor here at the Casey house. It’s one of the few shows on Television that we watch together as a family. In between seasons, we look forward to the premiere of the next show with anticipation. We have a ‘Season Pass‘ set on our Tivo so that it automatically records and saves Survivor so that we can watch it together as a family. Sometimes that means on Thursday nights, when we might start watching about 20 minutes after the show starts so that we can skip past the commercials. And frequently, due to many schedule conflicts, an episode sits on our Tivo waiting for such time as we can all watch it.

That was the case last Thursday. Jenny’s folks were visiting, and her and I were both out at evening events. The show recorded, and we eventually caught it. But somehow we missed the fact that the 2-hour season finale and reunion show would be on Sunday night rather than the regular Thursday night. And here’s where Tivo dropped the ball, it DIDN’t record the season finale for us! It was only by accident we discovered this fact and manually started the recording more than halfway through the show. So we caught the last 45 minutes, and the subsequent reunion show.

I love my Tivo, but I feel like it’s a friend that let me down. Maybe I’m an idiot who can’t work his toys, it’s happened before. But I don’t think that’s the case this time. Regardless, I’m sure I’ll forgive and forget.

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13 Miles an Hour

Rants

I live about 40 miles from my job in Washington, DC. Yahoo Maps says it should take me an hour and six minutes to get home from there, while Google Maps offers a more optimistic 49 minute prediction. I wish.

Reality today was three hours from door to door. We had plans for a night out in Alexandria tonight, but after that ordeal in my car, getting back in it and heading back towards the city is at the bottom of my list of things to do.

I’m fortunate to have the flexibility to work from home a few days a week (thank you Nathaniel). A few more commutes like the one I suffered this evening would be enough to push me right over the edge into some serious road rage.

(note: this is the first post in a new category, ‘rants’, my outlet for bitching, moaning and whining. Hopefully I won’t have to use it too often.)

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F the South

Politics, Rants, Web Surfin'

If you love a good rant like I do, then give this one a read. It’s not for the easily offended. But as a blue voter who lives not too deep in the red south, I found that it certainly strikes a chord. If you give it a read, be sure not to have a problem with harsh language, and check out the supportive links. I found the red state divorce rate statistics particularly interesting.

Fuck The South

thanks to Doug for sharing

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