Memo from the Ministry of Truth

Man, has Donald Rumsfeld got balls. He is either insane or has no problem lying through his false yellow teeth. Sometime I think Neo-Con must be somehow short for No Conception of Reality.

On Thursday, Feb. 2, 2006, Rumsfeld spoke at the National Press Club. During his speech he lashed out at Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Bolivian President Evo Morales. I understand that the current administration and, in general, the United States would have a problem with the domestic policies of both Chavez and Morales. However, democracy is on the march and both men were legal elected to their positions.

And that is where I am shocked at Mr. Rumsfeld. It is no secret that the government of the United States loves democratically elected leaders. But, it is also no secret that the government of the United States would prefer and support a brutal dictator rather than a democratically elected president who doesn’t lick their boots.

Sure, as Mr. Rumsfeld states, Adolf Hilter was also legally elected to his position and it is a great piece of inflammatory rhetoric, but ultimately you must accept democracy as it is or abandon it. Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that we have a president who was appointed by the Supreme Court and NOT legally elected to his position.

While I am a big fan of the “American way of life,” I would never suggest that it should be forced down the throats of everyone else in the world.

But I’m sure if Mr. Rumsfeld gets his way, our great country will assassinate both Chavez and Morales and install some kind of puppet regime.

Just ask Ecuador or Guatemala or Iran or Haiti.

And if I was the future Iraqi government, I would be careful. We used to be pretty chummy with Saddam until he outlived his usefulness.

Remember, for this administration and many Republican administrations, if you don’t like the results of democracy, you can change them through military or covert intervention.

More often than not, the government thinks it’s better to have a dictator you love than a president you hate.

Pass The Collection Plate

Ah yes, Pat Robertson once again put his foot in it. Unless you have been buried under a rock, you are well aware that, according the the good reverend, God has smote Israeli Prime Minister Sharon for dividing up "God's land."

Anyway, so Mr. Robertson has claimed Sharon has angered God and the lord of Abraham has come upon the Prime Minister with a terrible vengence causing his over worked arteries to burst. We heathens would call this a stroke brought upon by years of morbid obesity, age, stress and, probably, poor diet. Of course, we don't have a hot line to God so we are probably wrong.

This, of course, angered the Israeli's. So much so that they refused to continue with the plans for a proposed Christian heritage museum and theme park in Galilee that Robertson and some other evangelicals were involved in. We are talking about a potential loss of millions of dollars.

So, like any good Christian, Robertson has put his money where his soul is and recanted. He would never risk revenue for something so silly as his strongly held beliefs. I mean, the man said it and probably meant it. He has said similar things about less financially lucrative targets. So why apologize now? He didn't apologize to Dover, PA, did he? Of course not.

There was no money involved.

This just goes to show that the money changers that Jesus drove out of the temple have returned in full force.

God bless you Mr. Robertson. You'll need it.

We've Got (An Even) Bigger Problem Now

With the recent revelation that President Bush directed the NSA to spy on American citizens without any legal authority, it is becoming more and more obvious that the current administration is dangerously out of control.

Bush said, "I hope the American people understand — there is still an enemy that would like to strike the United States of America, and they're very dangerous."

My question for Mr. Bush is who is the enemy when you need to be protected from your own government?

Bush states that ignoring legal procedures and spying on citizens without a court order makes the process much more expedient. This is the same logic that justifies the use of torture and secret prisons. But it doesn’t make it right, correct or moral.

September 11, 2001 cannot be used to justify every illegal action of this administration.

How can you protect our freedoms by violating them, Mr. Bush?

Maybe the reason that there hasn’t been an attack upon U.S. soil since 9/11 isn’t due to government diligence. Maybe the terrorists are simply sitting back and watching George Bush destroy America from the inside.

If I have to walk down the street looking over my shoulder, I’d rather be looking for terrorists than government agents.

William Proxmire Has Died

Just a quick note: former Wisconsin Senator William Proxmire has died today, he was 90.

For those of you who don’t know, Proxmire was a fierce critic of government waste and created the monthly Golden Fleece award to spot light the most ridiculous examples of government spending. Examples include a $25,000 grant in 1977 "to study why people cheat, lie and act rudely on local Virginia tennis courts" and "spending $6,000 in 1981 to prepare a 17-page document that told the federal government how to buy a bottle of Worcestershire sauce."

Great examples of your tax dollars hard at work.

For the complete story check out the Taxpayers for Common Sense website.

Happy Holidays & Merry Xmas

I haven’t quite figured out what to do with this blog yet. All I know is that occasionally I feel the need to say something that doesn’t fit within the confines of my music blog: recordjerk.

I have strong political and social opinions as well as thoughts regarding movies, books, and television. So, I just wanted a clearing house for all my other random thoughts.

Of course, I didn’t stray too far in naming this blog. "Buzz or Howl Under the Influence of Heat" is a title I lifted from Minutemen release. If you don’t know their music, pick up Double Nickels On The Dime. A great album. Sometimes D. Boon’s vocals are a bit shaky but the music and the performances are totally original and are an amazing milestone for punk rock.

Also, with all the hoopla surrounding the execution of Tookie Williams, everyone needs to take a serious look at the case of the West Memphis Three. No matter what your opinion regarding Tookie, the WM3 is an exceptional case and miscarriage of justice. Three kids from West Memphis, Arkansas, are in prison for life (one on death row), on purely circumstantial evidence. The case has more holes in it than swiss cheese. However, for more info, visit wm3.org or buy the book Devil’s Knot or check out the documentaries Paradise Lost and Paradise Lost 2. I am not making an anti-death penalty plea, I just don’t understand how these kids ever got convicted when nothing linked them to the crime other than living in the same town and being weird teenagers who liked Metallica.

& anyone who thinks there is a war against Christmas is full of shit. Happy Holidays is a nice all encompassing term for the time of year that includes Christmas and New Years. Don’t worry Christmas isn’t going away so you can indulge your consumer appetites all you want. After all, isn’t that what the holiday is really about: commerce. Remember George Bush said it: Keep spending or the terrorists win.

And one more thought: spelling Christmas with an "X" a la "Xmas" isn’t a slight upon Jesus and no one is trying to take Jesus out of the holiday. For all you numb skulls who haven’t looked at the fish on the back of your bumper lately, the Greek letter X represents the word Christ. "IXOYE" loosely translated means Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savoir.

So Merry X-mas, Happy Holidays, and shut up.

And George Bush is a liar and Dick Cheney is an evil son of bitch.

Buzz Or Howl Under the Influence of Heat

Welcome to my world. This is my opportunity to rant, rave and review all that I see.