It was on this date 30 years ago that Squeaky Fromme tried to kill Gerald Ford. I have read that her tentative release date is today, but I can’t find any news stories saying that she’s getting out. If anybody sees anything, please post it below. In the meantime, here’s an interview she did a few years ago.

Wow, this is amazing. Sean Penn went down to New Orleans to “help”, but his boat sprang a leak. Oh, and part of his entourage was a personal photographer, making sure this true American hero could be captured in all his glory. Wow, what a total loss of respect for someone I’ve always been a big fan of. Nothing like a disaster to get your name in the news! Here’s a pretty decent write up about the situation from Anne Rice. And below I have included a response to the article on a message board that I kind of liked, even though I disagreed with a lot of it. Finally, here’s an editorial in the NO Picayune Times calling for FEMA director Mike Brown’s head.

Continue reading “Sean Penn…American Hero” →

Wanna thank everybody who contributed money at quizzo on Wednesday and Thursday. We raised $177 in just two days! Though I asked for a dollar per person, several people made sure to give more. Thanks for your contributions! I wanna be over the $500 mark by the end of this week. 100% of the money raised will be sent to the Red Cross. If you are looking to get involved, there are some other charities worth looking into as well. The Humane Society has been in Mississippi and New Orleans rescuing people’s pets. I realize that everyone’s first priority is rescuing humans, but I know how much my pets mean to me, and how much I would appreciate the thought of someone trying to rescue them if they had to be left behind. Wanna donate more than money? The Habitat for Humanity will be going in to rebuild homes after the initial cleanup, and is taking volunteers.

In other news, I ate at a Cuban restaurant in the Northeast last night called Isla Verde. Eat there! It was easily one of the best meals I’ve had in Philly. Also, a friend of mine is involved with what is supposed to be a really great cabaret show. It’s called Northern Liberties. I haven’t had a chance to see it yet, but I am hoping to go soon.

On this date in 1886 one of my favorite American characters (at least partly because we share a first name) was captured in Arizona. Geronimo and his band of less than 50 people evaded a quarter of the American Army for more than a year. If you have not read Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, I highly suggest it.

Kanye West on Friday night said that George Bush didn’t care about black people. I think that oversimplifies things a bit. I don’t think that Bush draws a line with race. But, as a commenter said earlier, George Bush was born on third base and thought he hit a triple, so he has no patience for the poor. Would it have taken four days to get supplies to the refugees if they had been rich and white? No. But I don’t think it particularly menas that he is racist so much as classist.

Meanwhile the people he has gone out of his way to aid and assist, the oil companies, have seen a splendid opportunity to bend the American people over, and have taken full advantage of it. It will be interesting to see how Bush walks the fine line between placating the American people, who are mad about gas gouging, and not hurting his boys who are reaping huge profits from the death and devastation in the South. Here’s some interesting info on gas gouging.

First of all, here’s a letter from Michael Moore that you might enjoy, whether you like Moore or hate him. Secondly, click here and scroll down to see one of the most heartless comments ever posted on this website (then again, my response wasn’t exactly compassionate). Also, vote for whether or not you think it’s fair to attack Bush for remaining on vacation.

The Victorious Vikings emerged victorious at a special quizzo spectacular at Eastern High School on Wednesday, knocking off 21 other teams as Johnny ventured into New Jersey. The Vikes edged No Teacher Left Behind, 90-87. The Slambs finished last, with a score of 56, and were fired shortly after the contest ended. “We will be holding these events every week,” said local administrator Bonita Applebum, “And be firing teams that score poorly. How can we expect teachers to teach our children about Tara Reid and Carrot Top when the teachers don’t know themselves?”

The director of FEMA is apparently taking PR lessons from the Bush camp (who had the above photo op on Tuesday-a day after the hurricane struck) as he blamed the people of New Orleans for not leaving before the hurricane. FEMA, which has moved on this storm about as quickly as Levon Kirkland, apparently isn’t taking responsibility for it’s own incompetence, but instead blaming people who HAD NO WAY TO GET OUT OF THE FREAKING CITY. There was no system in place to move people who didn’t own cars.

Bush didn’t decide to end his vacation until Wednesday, two days after the hurricane struck. He then called in Clinton to mobilize the country. Can Bush just step aside and let Clinton and Giuliani take it from here? I mean, did you hear his speech the other day? “Katrina is one of the worst natural disasters in American history.” Gee whiz, George, you don’t say. My brain wasn’t able to process the pictures it was receiving from CNN. Way to show some leadership. Now go back to playing guitar and let some leaders take over.

But the real heroes in all this have been our Senators, who waited until Thursday night (3 days after this disaster happened) to return from vacation. None of them dare go to New Orleans yet to help, because it’s too dangerous. It’ll be interesting to see how many photo ops are forthcoming once things get under control. Another thing: do you think the President and Congress would have waited so long to return if the people in trouble were well-to-do white people instead of poor black people? Do you think that there would still be thousands of people waiting without food and water outside the convention center if they were white? Heck, Congress called an emergency session when a single white woman was taken off her feeding tube!

FEMA, the President, the Congress; the incompetence, arrogance, and racism of our Federal Government has never been more apparent than it has been this week.

The disaster in New Orleans is getting worse by the hour. If you would like to help, in addition to the money we are raising through quizzo, please donate money here.

This from CNN.com: Along Canal Street, the city’s main thoroughfare, police allowed people to take shoes out of stores as long as the shoes fit. What??? They can only steal the shoes if they fit? Who’s enforcing htis rule?Officer: “Freeze looter! I’m not so sure those shoes fit. Ha! Just as I suspected! Too narrow around the ankles. You go right back inside there and you don’t come out until you find a wider pair of shoes!” BTW, we raised $65 last night in the quizzo for the cause campaign. I will soliciting donations for the Red Cross again tonight.

In a stunning maneuver, Louis Farrakhan decided to take the title of “Stupidest and most ignorant minister going” from Pat Robertson, something that only last week seemed humanly impossible. Farrakhan said that the hurricane in New Orleans was God’s way at getting back at us for attacking Iraq. Uh, Louis, don’t you thing that if God wanted to get back at us for attacking Iraq, he would have pegged Washington, not New Orleans? Yeah, I’m sure God was up there thinking, “Oh, so you’re gonna attack Iraq, huh? Well watch as I destroy Deuce McCallister’s hometown! That’ll teach ya!” Some people say that this hurricane is a sign of the apocalypse. I say that Louis Farrakhan sounding like Jerry Falwell is a sign of the apocalypse.

Also, am I the only one who notices all of these Southern politicians seem to be tripping over themselves to be on CNN, but that nobody seems to be taking a leadership role? You can’t go five minutes without hearing from another governor or Senator from down there. Don’t they have better things to do right now than chat with CNN for an hour at a time?

Finally, in regard to the looters. The food and water, I completely understand. The clothes, though wrong, at least makes sense. But I’ve seen some idiots come out of stores with televisions! What in the hell are you gonna do with a television? You are not going to have electricity for months. Where are you going to store your new 32″ TV until then, the roof? I mean, if you’re stealing a TV, I really hope you’re also stealing a generator.