The Pansy Bastard™

I love Some ecards!

2009-11-21T08:51:00.001-08:00

This one hit me as so damned funny, I had tears streaming down my face.

Summer is ending..flowers are fading

2009-09-03T07:14:00.000-07:00

What an odd summer we've had. Cool days and scorching hot days, but the humidity has been fairly constant. I still have a few late daylilies trying to extend the summer season. I staggered my gladiolus to enjoy some later bloom. Oddly, my hibiscus, which are heat-loving, seem to be doing quite well.

Yet another favorite

2009-08-17T23:49:00.000-07:00

This is yet another favorite of my babies. The shape is not typical of most daylilies, which is always a plus and I love the color. Not sure what I would call the color but the photo doesn't fully do it justice.

Pretty in Pink?

2009-08-14T21:33:00.000-07:00

Another pink seedling of Barbara Mitchell. This one has the color not the form, so I'm thinking it's a Hyperion/Mitchell cross. Regardless, it's pretty, and it's pink, and lightly fragrant.

A beautiful new baby blooming

2009-08-10T20:25:00.001-07:00

This daylily was planted in 2006, and took the typical three years to get to blooming size, but I think it was well worth the wait! While you see tons of oranges and yellows in the market as well as in landscapes everywhere, most of them don't have a nice eyezone or different colored sepals. Plus, this thing is HUGE! AND, it's a late one. This is the first of a tons of blooms to come. If you don't know, the reason they are called daylilies is that each flower lasts for ONE day, but it has a number of buds on the flower scapes, so they can bloom for weeks at a time. Most of them bloom from June through the end of July here, so I am pleased to have one start later.

One of my new babies - AND a favorite of mine

2009-08-08T07:19:00.000-07:00

This beauty holds its color with the hot sun shining, quite radiantly.

Ribbons?

2009-08-03T23:35:00.000-07:00

I can't put a name on it. It kinda reminds me of the ribbons you use to make your own bow. Maybe I'm off. I just know that it's a really interesting color along with thickness of the petals and a light fragrance as well.

A Little Beauty

2009-08-01T21:56:00.000-07:00

This little seedling possesses a few of the qualities I have been trying to capture when making crosses - deeply colored veins, dark eyezone, ruffled petals, all on a pretty base color. It's only about 18" tall, and the flowers about 3" across, so it will fit nicely in tight spots.

A Painted Lily

2009-08-01T21:42:00.001-07:00

This daylily is unlike any other I have seen or grown. The petals look like they have been painted on with a painbrush. I thought it was just a fluke on the first flower but they have all been like it. The flowers are fairly large, too, at least 5" across. And the scapes are pretty tall, too.

Is this a star?

2009-07-27T21:42:00.000-07:00

I finally got a good shot of this flower. It is one of those that is hard to capture.

Simply Elegant

2009-07-19T23:40:00.000-07:00

This is the first bloom to open for this seedling of Hyperion. It's color is a creamy yellow with crisp edges and white midribs. Add in the fragrance of Hyperion and I could have a field of these!

NEW Baby!

2009-07-12T08:07:00.000-07:00

You really need to click on the image and view it in the large size to truly appreciate it.

This baby has been a number of years in the making, at the very least, three years, probably four, though. It has a very heavy substance and it just GLOWS in the garden. It's in between a ton of other lilies and I noticed it from a distance, in the rain. It is definitely a child of Night Wings (a near-black tetraploid).

Notice the midribs heavily defined on the petals, and even visible on the sepals! I can't wait to see it in the sun (if we ever get to see the sun again)!

Laugh at my expense - I insist!

2009-07-07T22:05:00.000-07:00

My father had his right hip replaced on Monday. I figured the first day he would be completely out of it, so I would wait until today to visit him in the hospital. I stopped in tonight after working at an event for a local non-profit. It was about 10:15 but I checked and he was still awake, so I went up there. Things were going well. He looked pretty good, obviously a bit groggy from the drugs.

I'd been there about ten minutes gabbing and my dad explained, casually, WHAT it is that they do when replacing a hip - power tools were mentioned - the whole works. Being the "tough guy" that I am, I was handling it quite well, or so I thought. I did feel a bit warm and I attributed that to running from the parking lot in the pouring rain (I don't run, usually), and I figured I just needed a glass of water. I stood up to go to the sink and I recall becoming a bit light-headed as I got my water. I took a sip and thought it was just what I needed until I felt the room spinning violently and my feet didn't seem to work. I tried to walk to the chair but I couldn't navigate. I recall my father asking me if I was okay and I remember spilling the water on me and then the next thing I knew there were FOUR nurses in the room, looking down at me.

Yep, I fainted.

I think I was trying to get down to the floor and then just fell, but it's still a bit hazy. One of the nurses had misunderstood WHO had fallen on the floor, and thought it was my father but she was relieved - until I closed my eyes and asked them to just leave me on the floor. I recall all of them repeating at intervals 'You look awfully pale...You don't look so good.', etc. One of them said I looked awfully green and she thought I should visit the ER! I assured them I was fine and didn't need anything but to lay there for a while. At their insistance, they helped me up and to the chair. I told them I was sure that I didn't hit my head falling and they finally left me alone after replacing my ice water, since I was wearing my first cup. I know I was laughing when I started to feel better and I told them all to have a good laugh out of it; if nothing else, I brought a little excitement to their night. I think my dad got a good chuckle out of it, and I hope you do, too.

The name Pansy Bastard is just SO fitting!

Another baby

2009-07-07T11:22:00.000-07:00

I have tentatively named this one "Egyptian Ivory" because of it's color and it's parentage - Egyptian Ibis, which was the pod parent.

Sunday Stealing - "I've come to realize meme"

2009-07-05T00:24:00.000-07:00

1. I’ve come to realize that my chest-size. . .
...is larger than my aunt's.

2. I’ve come to realize that my job. . .
...can be a pain in the ass but is really doing something I love.

3. I’ve come to realize that when I’m driving. . .
...I'm a total fucking psycho.

4. I’ve come to realize that I need. . .
...liposuction!

5. I’ve come that realize that I have lost. . .
...MY YOUTH!

6. I’ve come to realize that I hate it when. . .
...half the people I know begin to speak.

7. I’ve come to realize that if I’m drunk. . .
...I will most certainly die of anaphylactic shock.

8. I’ve come to realize that money...
...could probably buy me happiness.

9. I’ve come to realize that certain people. . .
...should really be dead.

10. I’ve come to realize that I’ll always. . .
...bitch about something.

11. I’ve come to realize that my sibling(s). . .
...are pretty damned awesome.

12. I’ve come to realize that my mom…
...looking fucking younger than I!

13. I’ve come to realize that my cell phone. . .
...is a pain in the ass that I would love to run over with my car!

14. I’ve come to realize that when I woke up this morning. . .
...I was hoping it wouldn't happen.

15. I’ve come to realize that last night before I went to sleep. . .
...I was curious to see if anyone bothered to read this and comment.

16. I’ve come to realize that right now I am thinking. . .
...of those damned deer and rabbits pillaging my garden since it rained away my liquid fence.

17. I’ve come to realize that my dad. . .
...really needs to be on prozac.

18. I’ve come to realize that when I get on Facebook. . .
...I'm sucked into those damned games!

19. I’ve come to realize that today. . .
...is never long enough, yet is often too long.

20. I’ve come to realize that tonight. . .
...is over and I should be in bed!

21. I’ve come to realize that tomorrow. . .
...is going to be a pain in the ass

22. I’ve come to realize that I really want to. . .
...hybridize a lily that will appeal to the masses

23. I’ve come to realize that the person mostly likely to repost this is. . .
...Joe

24. I’ve come to realize that life. . .
...is a lot of work.

25. I’ve come to realize that this weekend. . .
...really sucked.

26. I’ve realized the best music to listen to when I am upset. . .
...is Sarah McLachlan.

27. I’ve come to realize that my friends. . .
...are incredibly patient.

28. I’ve come to realize that this year. . .
...hasn't been as bad as last year.

29. I’ve come to realize that me exes. . .
...are forever staying that way!

30. I’ve come to realize that maybe I should. . .
...file the piles of crap in my office.

31. I’ve come to realize that I love. . .
...

32. I’ve come to realize that I don’t understand. . .
...how people can watch faux wresting (RAW, etc.)

33. I’ve come to realize my past. . .
...has long shadows.

34. I’ve come to realize that parties. . .
...are not unlike meetings - DULL!

35. I’ve come to realize that I’m totally terrified. . .
...of spiders.

36. I’ve come to realize that my life. . .
...in wonderously complicated.

Daylily Seedling (first bloomed 2005)

2009-07-03T17:05:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite daylily seedlings. It's a cross of Hyperion and Prairie Blue Eyes.

Lilium Candidum - The Madonna Lily

2009-06-26T21:20:00.000-07:00

One of the oldest lilies in cultivation, and an often temperamental one to grow, when it blooms, it puts other lilies to shame: flawless white color, striking gold stamens and an enchanting scent unbeatable by any other lily.

Rose

2009-06-21T08:54:00.000-07:00

The only rosebush to escape the wrath of the satanic deer and bunnies (because it dies back to the ground every year) is blooming like crazy this year. The color is hard to capture.

My month so far can be summed us thusly:

2009-06-18T07:42:00.000-07:00

April showers bring May flowers; May and June showers bring......

2009-06-16T07:46:00.000-07:00

...weeds, wet flowers and mud! Every other day it seems to rain or at least remain mostly cloudy which, no doubt, is causing my vitamin D deficiency. The cottonwoods are spewing their evil cotton, which seems to have a 150% germination rate because I have those stupid things popping up everywhere! And heaven forbid the dog go potty on the grassy areas! She seems to hone in on the muddiest paths. And my liquid fence has been washed away more times than I care to count, so the rabbits and deer are having a smorgasboard with just about everything. I have daisies with no petals, just the yellow centers. Hell, why not just eat the whole thing?? Probably because then I wouldn't have to run around dead-heading them. Bastards.

At least my peonies are surviving. Peonies are such beautiful flowers, usually fragrant and long lasting. Peonies, however, do not do well with rain while blooming. I always have at least one bouqet on my nightstand so I can enjoy their scent but this year I've got vases all over the place!

Yellow Iris

2009-06-12T23:34:00.000-07:00

Finally! After about 10 years of nothing, the little bastard decided to bloom. I guess it was worth the wait. It's gorgeous!

Iris seedling

2009-06-05T13:02:00.000-07:00

A NEW seedling, planted in 2007, has finally decided it would bloom this year, and the result is just stunning (at least to me!).

I would call it a silvery-white.

For more of my Iris, they are on my flickr page.

Iris

2009-05-31T16:49:00.000-07:00

The first iris is one of my seedlings that finally bloomed for the first time last year but wasn't too impressive. This year, it has really done well. Its pod-parent was Edith Wolford, which has opposite colors.

The second picture is one of my seedlings that looks very similar to the original species I. Germanica. The beards are vibrantly orange.

The last one is the heirloom iris Eleanor Roosevelt.

I hope to have a couple other seedlings blooming soon, one I know will be pink, the other is too soon to tell. The weather this "spring" has been so nuts that things are not blooming when they normally do.

Smells of Spring

2009-05-23T22:54:00.000-07:00

One of most favorite smells of Spring are those of burning leaves, branches, yard debris, and the occasional odd piece of plastic, fiberglass or other noxiously-fumed material. I think I'm going to make a line of candles of the new smells of spring:

Burning Garbage - combines the sweet smell of leftovers you can't feed the dog, burning plastic, putrescent eggs, and a hint of spoiled milk.

Burning Leaves - combines the smell of wet and moldy leaves of oak, maple, and ash trees with just a hint of gasoline and a touch of sulphur.

Shotgun Blow back - nothing more refreshing than the invigorating smell of a recently fired 12-gauge shotgun, complete with smoke.

Freshly Plowed Farm - a collection of cow, horse, pig, and sheep manure, mixed with highlights of diesel fuel and rotting hay

Lily of the Valley

2009-05-21T13:46:00.000-07:00

Spring would not be complete without the intoxicating, sweet smell of Lily of the Valley. My pink ones, for which I paid a zillion dollars, did not bloom. However, the white ones did quite spectacularly. The photo is of a bunch I picked to bring inside. My entire room is sweetly scented. It's heavenly!

LOSER

2009-05-19T07:05:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure which is worse - being a school board member and living in his parents' basement, or having his dad call 911 because he's a slob and then becoming a hot news item.

If I were him, I'd be looking at suicide options.

Mother Nature is a PSYCHO-BITCH!

2009-05-15T20:44:00.000-07:00

The weather has been insane! It was warm one week and then cold and then semi-warm, and then rain, rain, rain, rain, and then HAIL FROM HELL - 3" I had all over my yard, shredding what was blooming. It has been pretty cool for this time of year, which isn't conducive to most flowers. My oldest and favorite peony - only half of it is coming up this year, the other half must be dead. Normally it would be knee-high by now. And my Seven Sister's rose, which I got from my grandmother, who got it from her mother-in-law, who got it from her mother...and so on and so forth - well, it died back to the ground, but is FINALLY coming up. Of course, it only blooms on old wood, so no beatiful clusters of seven flowers this year. I even protected it with chicken-wire. It was this crazy-ass weather. My lilacs are doing ok. The biggest one is blooming, but only on the highest branches. One of the babies I moved a few years ago is finally blooming, I might snap a shot of it tomorrow. The other two babies I planted at the same time haven't done shit. I'm going to dig them up and plant something else there. I've got 600+ daylily seeds in peat pots in the fridge, and I'll be able to start pulling them out in a few weeks. They don't bloom for at least two seasons but they are my babies. At least my flowers have sex!

First photos of Spring 2009

2009-05-06T23:09:00.000-07:00

Now, remember, I am NOT a photographer. I barely know how to hit the damned button to take the picture. I'm a flower fag, not a technofile.

Narcissus "Stainless" - flawless white, beautiful fragrance.

Narcissus "Salomé" - pinkish cup, tall, long-lasting in the vase.

Nacissus "Ice Follies" - hard to see the yellow cup. They eventually turn white-ish. A good bloomer - I've had these for years.

Iris - ?? - Miniature Iris - I'm not sure of the exact name of this one. It's literally not more than 3 inches tall, in bloom. One of my faves.

Obama at 100 Days....

2009-04-28T21:57:00.000-07:00

(Isn't he just cute as hell in this pic??)

I give him an A+++! Such a mess to inherit. SOME PEOPLE (read: Republifuckers) seem to have exceedingly short memories as to who is largely responsible for the disaster we are in, and it's NOT the CUTE President, it's the UGLY and FUCKING MORONIC ONE & Co (not to mention the puppet master, Darth Cheney).

Congress - I'm a bit pissed at the poo-pooing about prosecuting the criminals after the release of the torture memos. I read as much as I could stomach of them and was outraged, and we should ALL be outraged - every American citizen - at the things that were done with FULL knowledge of Chimpy & Co.

When you stoop to that level, you only invite people to want to revenge you for it. Besides the obvious ethical issues, every reputable intelligence angency will tell you that torture does NOT provide reliable intelligence.

And not to forget our First Lady. Such grace and elegance! I still think it's cool as hell that she hugged the Queen. Wouldn't we all?

We'll miss you, Dorothy!

2009-04-25T22:24:00.001-07:00

Everyone is blogging about Beatrice Arthur's death but I felt I needed to pay homage to a woman who, with her co-stars, helped me through some of the most difficult times in my life. It may seem rather silly to some that a television show can take credit for that, maybe shallow, but who cares - screw them. I have always found laughter to be a cure for things, and scientifically, it has been proven that laughter releases endorphins. I would watch my favorite episodes over and over and always manage to get a good laugh out of them, even if I could recite the dialog right along with them.

What self-respecting fag DOESN'T love The Golden Girls? I've not met any. And if not, they obviously have no taste.

Rest In Peace, Bea.

Spring is in the air....FINALLY!

2009-04-18T20:05:00.001-07:00

The wicked bitch - Mother Nature - has FINALLY decided that we are allowed spring here in Iowa. We're having some April showers, and I'm counting on May flowers but those bastard rabbits are eating my tulips as fast as they come up.
I applied Liquid Fence. Have you read the label of that shit? Putrescent egg solids - and garlic. NASTY! The smell of it about killed me and it says the animals can smell it long after it dries. Well, the rabbits I have out here must be like mutants or something because it doesn't seem to stop them. Thank GOD they don't like daffodils.

So, I've decided to go extreme. I've loaded up on short-range shells for my .22 (I know, imagine ME with a gun!) and I'm on a mission! I'd like to have multiple montiors outside playing that really nasty loop of Watership Down, too.

Then, I have deer. I looked out my kitchen window and there was this fucking deer chomping on my rose bush. I knocked on the window. It looked up at me after about 10 slams on the glass and then mentally said "Fuck you!" and went on eating. I thought about letting the dog out but she couldn't catch a rat on a gluetrap, so I opened the window and used the kitchen hose sprayer. There is no way in hell I'm gonna shoot that close to my house, or a window.

Why don't they make rabbit poison or deer poison? They make rat poison, mouse poison, bug poisons. How much rat poison would it take to kill a deer? Jesus. All I know is, if those bastards touch my daylilies OR iris, I'm planting fucking land mines!

RIP: My Favorite Teacup!

2009-03-29T23:38:00.000-07:00

Tragedy has struck my household!! My favorite teacup, a limited-edition Roy Kirkham 1992 Iris cup(#54!) which had a small chip (my doing), cracked irreparably when I poured in the water for my first cup of tea yesterday morning.

Thankfully, I have a number of other ones but #54! Such a low number! I am going to at least glue it and plant something in it but it will never be the same. I've had that cup for 17 years - since it came out. I thought I would have that cup forever!

Superiority

2009-03-12T22:03:00.000-07:00

There should be an 'ALMOST' inserted in there.

Leave my Obama alone, you bastards!

2009-02-27T08:11:00.000-08:00

Why is it that Obama is expected to fix our economy in 30 seconds, when the disaster was building over 8 years? Were a Republifucker in office, the press wouldn't dare expect any immediate results, let alone a time-table!

My Republifucker "acquaintences" have been just blasting Obama's budget and basically everything he's tried to do to fix this mess we are in that THEY created! Granted, some Democrats had a hand in this mess, but let's lay the blame where it belongs.

National Debt - beginning of GW Bush's first stolen term: $5.8 Trillon
National Debt - end of GW Bush's second stolen term: $10.7 Trillion (10,700,000,000,000), that amounts to $51 billion PER MONTH!

GWBUSH & Republifucker-controlled Congress:

Budget Deficits by Year:
2001 128 B
2002 158 B
2003 378 B
2004 413 B
2005 318 B
2006 248 B
2007 162 B

And let's not forget the reason why we got into this mess. De-regulation. An SEC with no teeth. Oversight? Regulations? Chimpy didn't know what those words meant, Darth Cheney knew, so he squelched it all.

Enron(Lay was one of GW's buds), Worldcom.

And how about those tax cuts? I do taxes for a living, and I can tell you who saved the most - those who MADE the most. You, me, the average taxpayer, saw our marginal tax rate decrease from 25% to, hmm, 25%, or, say 15% to 15%. Granted, we all saved about $350 in savings from the 10% bracket those tax cuts created. Big deal. The top earners, with taxable income over about $370,000, their rate went from 39.6% to 35%, a savings of 4.6%. So, at the very least, say they had $400,000 in taxable income, on just the $30,000 alone, they saved $1,380, and that's a tiny example.

Then the capital gain rate of 15% on dividends. I get a few on my mutual funds, but nothing substantial. They went from being taxed at a maximum of 39.6% to no more than 15%. Who rakes in the most dividends? Not the average, middle-class family. Not those who WORK for a living! Example: Darth Cheney's EFFECTIVE tax rate on his 2007 tax return - 19.1% - on income of just over $3M! He should be in the 35% bracket, but his qualified dividends of $233,000 saved him $69,000 using the qualified dividend rate. And I just can imagine that he is letting his income stimulate our economy, since he had a foreign tax credit of $11,000, he's obviously not investing here much!

Enough ranting. At least one good thing came out of that assinine email - this darling picture I didn't have before. It's Obama point to those bastards who made the mess (in my mind). Now tell me, did Bush EVER look "Presidential?"

Happy February 14th

2009-02-14T06:44:00.000-08:00

IDIOCY

2009-02-14T06:36:00.000-08:00

I bought a new phone cord and THIS was on the back of the package. Logic would seem to dictate that if you were buying a phone cord you might have an inkling as to what in hell to do with it. It's not like you have five or six choices when hooking the thing up!

People who need this image should really be employed cleaning up nuclear waste.

Support the cause and sign the petition, damn it!!

2009-02-07T14:32:00.000-08:00

"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.

Click HERE to sign the petition.

Irritating Commericals

2009-01-31T21:44:00.000-08:00

Perhaps I've been watching a bit too much TV lately. I have not added new shows to those I watch, but the ones I am hooked on, I just can't quit. I mainly watch three channels - LifeTime, USA Network and TNT. These channels seem to play nearly the same commercials with infuriating regularity. Normally, I don't mind commercials but there have been several lately that are like fingernails on a blackboard.

Viva Viagra. Shows a bunch of silver-haired couples running around god-knows-where. Who the fuck cares? I don't want to even live to be that old. Take me God, I'm ready! And the song they rip-off - Viva Las Vegas (I fucking HATE Las Vegas, but that's another post altogether). That's all I need - 'VIVA VIAGRA!' in my head all day!

Kleenex. Touch. Touch. Touch. Touch. Touch. Touch. Touch. Touch. Touch. Touch. Touch. Touch. Enough fucking touching! I can't stand it! What the fuck does touching all that shit have to do with touching a kleenex? And that whisper-like sound of that voice....don't get me started. Yes, they are soft. DUH! Why in hell else would anyone buy them? Jesus. I'd like to hunt down the smarmy-bastard ad exec who created this moronic idea and castrate him (it has to be a man, women aren't that stupid) and castrate him because his stupidity should not be allowed to procreate. And the REAL moral of the commerical? Don't actually BUY the kleenex, just steal as many as you can when you come across a box somewhere else!

H&R Block/TurboTax - the whole lot of those type of commercials. H&R Block is the biggest rip-off I've seen in the tax prep world. I should disclose that I am a CPA so I may be a bit biased, but I've not seen an H&R Block return that I didn't amend to fix something they fucked up. "You've got people." I hate those mother-fucking people. Two weeks of training and they are suddenly pros? Pah-fucking-lease! And these latest commercials are with the dead presidents. Hasn't that been done to death? I know I recently ranted about the Blockheads but it wasn't sufficient to express my ire!

Burger King - I don't eat at BK, and their commercials couldn't sway me further away. That weird King suit with the built-in pedo-smile? Creepy! And the whole Whopper family - just disgusting. The one where the father is giving advice to his son about dating, and gives him an extra napkin - reminds me of my bulimia days.

"He went to Jared!" Materialistic bitch! What you mean is that he is in hock up to his ears to buy you a fucking blood diamond. A smart guy would buy a cheap Wal-Mart ring (don't forget to coat the inside with clear fingernail polish to avoid the green marks) and then put it in a Jared box.

What ones am I missing? I'm sure there are more.

A LEADER OF INTEGRITY

2009-01-20T20:22:00.000-08:00

For the past 8 years, our nation has been on a downward slide. That time has finally ended. I am not sure which moment was the best for me, whether it was the goosebumps I felt as I watched Obama take the oath, or if it was the helicopter taking W away!

We have a leader of integrity. We have a leader who actually knows what it is like to WORK! He's a human; fully-evolved, even! And doesn't the First Lady look SMASHING? I'm still mesmerized by it all.

Assorted Rants

2009-01-15T07:50:00.000-08:00

H&R Block Commercials - "We Got People." Sure, when you are staffed by idiots who have about 10 days of training it is certain to take "people" to get the returns done right! As a CPA who has worked my ass off for almost 11 years, I find these commercials about as offensive as so-called "professional wrestling." The number of returns of these "people" that I have had to amend to correct them is staggering. It's all about numbers -getting people in and out, customer service be damned. And the products they sell: rapid refund, loans, etc., sound so good until you realize you are paying nearly 22% interest, or even higher! And after all the money they spend on advertising, you would think they could afford a decent printer that actually prints things aligned on the damned pages.
It's Fucking Cold! It is -16.9°F (-27.2°C) outside. The projected high today is -5°F (-20.5°C). Our normal high is 22°F (-5.6°C). At least we have a substantial blanket of snow to protect my plants. I always worry about my roses, between those bastard rabbits eating them, this extreme cold does not bode well for them, either. And the cost! I can just hear the money being sucked out of my bank account!
Idiots. I seem to be exposed to an above average array of idiots: people who cannot manage their money by spending it frivilously and then complain they cannot pay their bills, automotons who use computers for work on a daily basis but still flip out when they get a message box, morons who supposedly graduated from college but can't apply their knowledge to routine and recurring items that should be a no-brainer for anyone who graduated high school!
Banks. Bail them out so they can hoard the money to buy up more failed lenders. And WE get to pay for it. They charge outrageous fees for simple, automated transactions that now make up almost more of their revenue than what is supposed to: interest! And the interest rates. They sure know how to charge it but don't know how to pay it. My local bank pays me .15% (that is about 1/7 of a percent) PER YEAR! The rates for mortgages - from 5-7% in my area, at least, and operating notes for business? Around 8-11%. Something doesn't add up. I opened an Orange Savings Account that pays 2.5% APY. If they can pay it, I don't doubt the local banks can as well! Rich bastards!

I think that's enough for today. I could probably list a zillion rants but I do not wish to sound too bitter. I'll save that for another day!

To end on a somewhat positive note, I did post new pictures of the kids on my Flickr page.

Some of my flowers

2008-12-28T07:57:00.000-08:00

There is enough political blogging for the moment. I thought I would retreat to a subject I know well. My flowers. Most of these pictures are of dayliles that I have bred and grown from tiny little shiny black seed and then waiting the two or three (or sometimes four) years it takes to bloom from planting. You never know what you are going to get. My method is just to cross the ones with colors I love with shapes, textures and other form traits that I like to hopefully produce an offsping wiht all of those qualities. I'm not a professional breeder. I've no formal training other than reading up on the subject.

Some of the flowers are not mine but I used them in the creation of my babies. In the first picture, there are a few lilies other than day lilies - a tigrinum and an oriental. My favorites are daylilies but I love ALL lilies.

PROGRESS!

2008-11-20T09:25:00.000-08:00

Republifuckers

2008-08-09T22:56:00.000-07:00

FUCK YOU, BUSH, AND YOUR REPUBLIFUCKING SCHIP YES-MEN

2007-10-08T09:31:00.000-07:00

I am just so angry at Bush's veto of SCHIP. Ted Kennedy said it exactly - the government employees are on a form of socialized medicine. Not that it is really an issue, since even old Grassley says clearly that SCHIP is NOT socialized medicine, and hell, even HE voted for it!

Steve King (R-IA-pigfucker) is the ONLY Congress member in Iowa to vote against it. His office should be buried with emails and letters and phone calls should clog the phone lines. Email the pigfucker here or call or fax his DC office: Phone: 202.225.4426 Fax: 202.225.3193

I am not a recipient under this program, but I do know people who depend upon it and it is vitally important. Remember Bush's comment about healthcare - just go to the Emergency Room. Sure! I'm sure people that can't afford health insurance have at least $500 for each doctor's visit saved up.

Thoughts on this?

2007-08-22T16:16:00.000-07:00

Someone posted this as a response to why the Dems shouldn't work on impeahchment right now. I have removed references to the group, and the individual. I respect that he has a different opinion, but, I must say I am not even sure how to react to this. I wasn't alive when Nixon was President (or was maybe 9 months old), and I remember the shock and disappointment I felt when reading about the internment camps for Japanese-Americans. This fifty-year test seems to me a cop-out in a sense - "Let's let someone else worry about this."

What about the oath of office?

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.

If I recall, Lincoln suspended habeas corpus, and the SCOTUS later shot it down. And the Japanese-American internment camps, FDR rescinded his order and Congress awarded payments for loss of property and formal apologies were issued (too little, too late, I say).

If we were to follow this questionable logic; that extraordinary circumstances require extraordinary measures, it still doesn't pass the test. Are we safer now than we were pre-9/11? NO!

We're already going to be passing a disaster off to many generations, so we should dd more to it? Bush has already packed the court with conservatives. I don't see Thomas, Scalia, Scalito, none of them leaving anytime soon.

So, here it is:

"I am one of the few who agree with you on this ....xxxxx. In my mind the acid test for action is the question, "What action will best protect our constitution fifty years out?" In other words, what should progressive people be pushing for now that will result in the preservation of the U.S. Constittution in, say 2060? Historically, Presidents from Adams to Lincoln to Wilson to FDR to Nixon have stretched the constitution in times of stress (Alien and Sedition Acts; suspension of Habeas Corpus; Supression of speech deemed "Bolshevik"; internment of Japanese citizens; Watergate). In only one case was impeachment the remedy. In all other cases, patient use of the political process produced courts that restored the constitutional protections. The way to "protect and defend" the Constitution is to reelect Democrats in Congress and elect a Democratic President who will appoint intellectually honest justices and judges to the Supreme Court and lower federal courts."

Thoughts?

And some more daylilies

2007-08-12T21:54:00.001-07:00

The first flower of the second row is not my own hybrid. It is Moonlit Masquerade.

Some more daylilies

2007-08-12T21:52:00.001-07:00

These are all my hybrids.

One of my faves

2007-08-07T09:48:00.000-07:00

This is just one of my absolute favorite daylilies to date. It bloomed for the first time this year. I know that one of the parents was the sweetly-scented Hyperion(not one of mine, but a favorite, for sure).

It's hard to tell from the image, but, it had a pretty decent bud count, particularly since this was it's first time blooming. And, of course, it has Hyperion's intoxicating scent. If only that came in a candle! The flowers were also fairly large, at least 5 inches across, and it bloomed in pairs, too.

To the asshole.........

2007-07-13T08:48:00.000-07:00

Anthony is not my child. Have issues reading? He's my godchild.
It's obvious you are ugly, as is your progeny. And I have no doubt you are a Bush-loving Repugnican living with blinders on to the whole world. What a sad and pathetic existence you must lead. Kevorkian is out of prison now. Contact him.
You're a coward for posting a rude comment but not leaving your name.
I can use words with more than two syllables AND spell them correctly. That pretty much negates your idiot theory.

More daylilies

2007-07-11T23:24:00.001-07:00

A few of these might be duplicates from the prior post. The rose/mauve/magenta ones look MUCH better in person. And a number of these are fragrant. I use Hyperion heavily as a parent, which has those gorgeous lemon-yellow flowers and intoxicating scent. The light yellow one is definitely a descendent of hyperion, because it has a very strong fragrance.

2007 Daylilies

2007-07-11T07:48:00.000-07:00

Just a few of my babies - my own hybrids. I'll update this page later. I have to go through and crop and rename and then upload another 15 pictures or so.

I made them small and may be a bit distorted; however, if you are using FireFox or Opera, they will open if you right-click on them and choose VIEW IMAGE or OPEN(in new tab for those of you using tabbed browsing).

Some of this year's Iris

2007-05-30T23:53:00.001-07:00

The first picture is one of my own. It's pod parent was Edith Wolford. I am not sure which one I got the pollen from. It took three years for this one, and it was worth the wait.
Hello Darkness
Superstition
Cherub's Smile
Babbling Brook - A bit blurry, but that color is just amazing.

28 hours of Anthony - I'm beat!

2007-05-07T19:46:00.000-07:00

For Kasey & Sarel's birthdays (hers 5/3/07 and his 5/5/07), I watched Anthony Saturday (ALL DAY!) though Sunday noon. Lord, am I beat! He'll be 2 in August. What a hand full!

He can say my name, quite pronounced. I am just a tad tired of hearing my name.

We had fun, but I need a day of rest before I go back to the snakepit tomorrow.

Here are some pictures. He is learning how to tease for the camera.

Iraquagmire - a few questions

2007-05-07T19:41:00.000-07:00

Iraquagmire - a few questions
Bush, in furtherance of his idiocy, vetoed the spending bill for Iraq.

Bush, in furtherance of his idiocy, vetoed the spending bill for Iraq.

What I want to know is WHY can't people (Republicans, in general) acknowledge that Iraq is getting WORSE not better?

If Iraq has nothing to do with 9/11 (which is a FACT!), WHY is setting a time-table for withdrawal considered conceding to Al Queda?
WHY, after FIVE YEARS, are there not enough Iraqi soldiers to police their own country? Was not part of the "mission" to help them help themselves?
If five years is not sufficient time to help the Iraqi's gain control, WHY was Congress, as well as the American people, not informed of the long-term requirement? Is it because they KNEW it would not have been approved?
How can Bush question the constitutionality of a legislative action regarding a time-table for withdrawal when an express power of Congress is the power to declare war?
WHY cannot people (mainly Republicans) acknowledge that Iraq is getting WORSE not better?

Anthony turns 1!

2006-09-07T19:56:00.000-07:00

On August 30, Anthony turned one year old. Here are some pictures:

Isn't he adorable? Even when he's wearing brown!?!

2006 Daylilies (partial)

2006-07-23T02:13:00.000-07:00

The first three pictures are not my babies, but, are some of my favorites. The first is Egyptian Ibis. It's beauty is striking and very difficult to capture on film. The next two are Night Wings. They open almost black and mature to a deep burgandy. These two photos were taken quite late in the day and were still this dark. Awesome!

Pet Peeves

2006-07-05T19:09:00.000-07:00

The icy hag in me is raging to come out and play for a while. I'm exceedingly crabby and sick, and sick of being sick. This is BY FAR the worst year ever!
I have had some kind of cold/flu at least 6 times this year. I actually have symptoms not unlike the bubonic plague. I think people believe me to be faking, like some of my coworkers. I think once they hear my voice (which is deep when I'm sick, and I actually SOUND like a man), they know I am sick. Anyway, after nearly 48 hours of constant misery, I don't see an end in sight. I am going to the doctor and spend an unknown fortune to have tests done to see why I am so susceptible to illness. I swear if someone sneezes in my direction I get sick.
So, with the dizziness and nausea, and my pounding head feeling every beat of my heart so acutely, my pet peeves seem to have become surprisingly clear.

I'll limit myself to 10 or so. For now.

1. WWE, RAW, etc., - the so-called Professional wrestling (pronounced rastlin') - what is it with the mentality of people that this form of entertainment is catering to? I have talked to people who actually believe it to be REAL and not scripted. As if. Sci Fi recently has joined the taste-challenged list of networks showing these low-brow red-state shows. To add insult to injury, I was flipping the channels and saw one of those Girls Gone Wild videos being advertised at 8:30 PM on USA! Trash.

2. Girls Gone Wild, et al, - those videos that objectify women in a derogatory fashion as useless objects just put on Earth to be used by men.

3. Divorced Congressmen who claim to be 'protecting' marriage by banning gay marriage. Um, hello? Talk about hypocrites!

4. Rusty cars with broken windows, full of women wearing sweat pants and tube tops, hauling their 15 children and 13 pets around, using George W. Bush stickers to hold their cars together. Wake up already!

5. People who insist on buying two of something in smaller quantities, thinking that it is actually cheaper than to buy the same quantity in a single container. Example: baby formula (costs over $1 more) and pop ($2), among numerous others.

6. People who whine they have no money but drive 15 miles to buy a single can of pop and a pack of cigarettes while a convenience store is across the street.

7. Mac users who act like Windows users are some kind of pariah. I don't insist Mac users convert to Windows, so leave me alone. I'm NOT out to convert you.

8. People who buy Sun Laundry detergent because it is cheaper but buy brand name cigarettes when the generic are made by the same company and cost far less. If you don't care about clean clothes -Sun doesn't really work - why care about cigarettes? They are the SAME thing, just in different packages.

9. The new Ford commercials with that guy from Idol. He has no talent and his voice is not unlike fingernails scratching down a blackboard.

10. People who actually watch - and purchase from - infomercials (paid programs) that air at 3 AM CST.

My latest baby Iris to bloom

2006-06-03T22:57:00.000-07:00

I was beyond stunned when I saw the buds open on this Iris. I am not sure of the parentage. I don't always keep good track of the seeds I collect because there are simply too many, and not enough time.

Regardless, this thing is awesome. I only have one fan, but it does have a couple shoots forming on the side.

What do you think?

JOYOUS NEWS!!! Lay, Skilling - GUILTY!

2006-05-25T09:19:00.000-07:00

FINALLY!

I have been watching and waiting, quite impatiently, for these two to get nailed.

Anthony update

2006-05-23T20:17:00.000-07:00

Anthony is about 9 months old now. I had forgotten what it is like to have a baby in the house! Of course, the child practically adores me, constantly demanding my attention. The past two mornings, he's thrown a complete fit and started bawling when I had to leave for work. Poor thing, stuck home with mommy and daddy. I'd cry, too.

So, here he is.

On a different topic: I'll be posting some pictures of my Iris - they should all be blooming shortly. I have a few newbies this year that I have a hint of the color but won't know until they fully open.

Got debt?

2006-05-11T20:34:00.000-07:00

More damned tax cuts for the wealthy......

WASHINGTON - The Senate gave final approval Thursday to a $70 billion election-year package of tax cuts that will extend lower rates for investors and also save billions for families with above-average incomes.

Only three Repugs voted against it, but some DINO's voted FOR it.

Just three Republicans — Olympia J. Snowe of Maine, Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island and George Voinovich of Ohio — voted against the bill. Democrats Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Bill Nelson of Florida and Mark Pryor of Arkansas voted in favor.

Just what those who make $100,000+ need - more money!

So, what's another $70 BILLION in debt? Rising interest rates, unemployment up, and new jobs down, yes, these spell out just how wonderful things are! I'm sure some will trickle down to the bottom, the working class will save $46 and the richest will save about $42,000. That sounds fair, doesn't it?

Bush does it again - the budget from hell

2006-02-06T22:53:00.000-08:00

What is it with that fuckhead?

Let's keep those tax cuts for the rich - they need to make more so they can buy diamonds, SUV's and take lavish vacations. To hell with the working class, to hell with the elderly, and to hell with the under-insured.

Education? We need that? Nah. As long as our children are smarter than our president (they come that way out of the womb), it doesn't matter.

And how about that Exxon? Only a $10 BILLION profit? Oh, I think THEY need another tax cut!

Stop the planet!!!!!!!!! I want OFF!

Scalito in - Civil Rights out

2006-01-31T19:08:00.000-08:00

It's the beginning of the end. Scalito was confirmed and four Democratic bastards voted for him.

Those offenders are:

Robert Byrd of West Virginia
Tim Johnson of South Dakota
Kent Conrad of North Dakota
Ben Nelson of Nebraska

Why don't these assholes just switch to the Theofascist party and be done with it.

Kudos to Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island for being the only rethug to vote Nay.

So, how soon until Roe V Wade is overturned? Lawrence vs. Texas?

I'm getting my pink felt out - anyone got a triangle pattern?

Awwwwwww! Isn't he adorable!?!?

2005-12-03T22:15:00.000-08:00

While hogging the god/grandchild this weekend, I managed to coax him into a little chit-chat. He is only 93 days old, so the conversation was a tad limited. Still, I think it shows great potential.

I think that you need to save the file to your hard-drive and then open it. I tested it, and opening it from a temporary location only gave me the audio.

The Grand/God child: update

2005-11-30T22:14:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple more pictures of little AJ.

Isn't he just adorable? This is at 3 months.

Hostility

2005-11-22T10:16:00.000-08:00

All I get from those asshole freeper-Bush-apologists at Beethoven.com (not all, just a select few) is a bunch of hostility and grief and THEY call ME the nasty one.

Pig-Fuckers. They just don't like the fact that I am right about a few things, and their beloved Chimpy isn't.

Fuck them. May they rot in hell with Chimpy and Darth Cheney, and his back-stabbing-self-loathing repressed lesbo daughter of his.

Senate says "Bite me!" to Bush

2005-10-05T20:33:00.000-07:00

The Senate voted 90-9 in favor of better treatment for detainees.

Chimpy must be furious! The Rethugs just thumbed their noses at him! How's that man-date feel now?

Gotta love this:

The Republican-controlled Senate voted Wednesday to impose restrictions on the treatment of terrorism suspects, delivering a rare wartime rebuke to President Bush.

Of course, it is ludicrous that we have to pass legislation to bar torture in this day and age.

Another one bites the dust........

2005-09-28T21:06:00.000-07:00

DELAY INDICTED!

The official title of the article is Republicans in disarray after Delay indictment. Gotta love when Republicans are in disarray!

Here's a little nugget:

The charges come as Republican leaders face increasing difficulty in using their majority to carry out Mr Bush's legislative agenda. The president's ambitious plans to rebuild the Gulf coast after Hurricane Katrina have raised strong objections from fiscal conservatives within his party. There is growing consensus that Congress will be unable to enact Social Security reform this year. And extension of his first-term tax cuts is threatened.

Happy Dances may now ensue!

Delay down, Frist is next!

LIAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2005-09-12T16:11:00.000-07:00

Bush is a liar!!!!!!!!

From Editor and Publisher:

Q Did they misinform you when you said that no one anticipated the breach of the levees?

THE PRESIDENT: No, what I was referring to is this. When that storm came by, a lot of people said we dodged a bullet. When that storm came through at first, people said, whew. There was a sense of relaxation, and that's what I was referring to. And I, myself, thought we had dodged a bullet. You know why? Because I was listening to people, probably over the airways, say, the bullet has been dodged. And that was what I was referring to.

Of course, there were plans in case the levee had been breached. There was a sense of relaxation in the moment, a critical moment. And thank you for giving me a chance to clarify that.

My favorite seedling for '05

2005-09-07T21:49:00.000-07:00

Here is my favorite seedling that bloomed in 2005. It's parentage is Prairie Blue Eyes x Joan Senior. The color is quite radiant. The photo really doesn't do it justice.

Betty Bowers sums up the latest

2005-09-04T10:37:00.000-07:00

The beloved Mrs. Bowers' latest newsletter just is too good to not share.

Here's a teaser:

I see that our gallant President has decided that it is taking far too long for Iraq to look like America. So he has decided to meet them halfway by making New Orleans look like Baghdad. Only, perhaps, he went too far, as New Orleans could only aspire to a lawless anarchy as dry as Iraq's. And here I thought dear Katherine Harris and her faux-felon purge was the model for trimming the voting lines of Democrats! Frankly, Katherine's glorious efforts to relieve the registration lists of nefarious liberals can't hold a candle to the magnificent indolence of FEMA in New Orleans. And while dead people may vote (especially in Ohio), they don't show up in court to whine about being harassed at the polls. Glory!

Hurricane Katrina hits the Gulf coast, and Bush is in CA playing a fucking guitar!

2005-08-30T17:04:00.000-07:00

This is (almost) unbelieveable.

So, while the South is being pounded by a category 5 hurricane, Bush is screwing around, playing a guitar, acting like nothing is happening.

Here is the text of the picture, per the Associated Press:

President Bush plays a guitar presented to him by Country Singer Mark Wills, right, backstage following his visit to Naval Base Coronado, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2005. Bush visited the base to deliver remarks on V-J Commemoration Day. (AP Photo/ABC News, Martha Raddatz)

Goldberg is asking for it........

2005-08-04T16:13:00.000-07:00

Bernard Goldberg, right-wing asshole, is just asking for it.

His latest book is titled "100 People Who are Screwing Up America."

I read part of the interview and couldn't finish it. The only Democrat he thinks isn't ruining America is Zell (from HELL) Miller. Pah-leease!

When are these vile pricks going to get what they have coming?

GAYSROK

2005-07-28T21:05:00.000-07:00

GAYSROK is an excellent idea for a personalized plate.

Utah tried to stop a proud mom from expressing her love for her daughter, but they failed! Screw the mormons!

Mr. Clean

2005-07-25T08:28:00.000-07:00

That stupid Mr. Clean magic eraser commercial was driving me nuts! I found myself humming the damned jingle every now and then. So, at Wal-HELL-Mart, I bought a couple of those things.

WOW! They REALLY work! I had some scuffs on my floor that I was unable to remove - I had tried bleach, scrubbing HARD, mopped until I wore the mop out and NOTHING. Ten seconds with the Magic Eraser and they are gone!

And the stuff on the walls - simply amazing! Now if it came in a large size with a handle! Probably will next!

Click here for coupons!

A few more......

2005-07-15T19:46:00.000-07:00

Ok, so more flowers

2005-07-11T20:10:00.000-07:00

These are all seedlings that I have grown. Most of these are blooming for the first time this year.

More flowers

2005-07-01T22:13:00.000-07:00

Peachy-orange

Pretty!

Purplish

More are coming.

Miscellaneous Pics

2005-06-30T21:20:00.000-07:00

2004 unnamed

2005 seedling 1

2005 seedling 2

2005 seedling 3

Nightwings (not mine, but I love it)
and, lastly, the Sadie Monster!

Srushy aquitted....

2005-06-28T10:38:00.000-07:00

The bad news is detailed here.

What I don't understand is, how, if the guy dictated even minute details, how in HELL did he NOT know about the fraud. For that matter, 5 CFO's later, and he STILL didn't know? Get real! I am less than pleased.

Tom Cruise doesn't believe in psychiatry......

2005-06-24T21:22:00.000-07:00

Wow! What has happened to Tom Cruise??

Here is a link to a video of an interview he did with Matt Lauer on The Today Show. The transcript is there, too, but the video is much more compelling.

Creepy!!

Kozlowski found GUILTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2005-06-20T17:56:00.000-07:00

Truly WONDEROUS news!!!!!

"......as the jury foreman intoned guilty verdict after guilty verdict against the pair — 22 for each."

I damn-near did a little dance after reading that one! I've waited for this Repugnican ass-clown to get nailed. It's nice to see something good happen once in a while!!

Saddam's Choice of Snacks

2005-06-20T17:48:00.000-07:00

Wow! What IMPORTANT fucking news this is! I am sure glad someone out there thought to find out what Saddam is and is not eating. I'll know I'll sleep better at night knowing that Saddam, too, likes Doritos. Although the mystery of which flavor of Doritos is rather perplexing, I find solace that a former dictator likes the brand. That should make the stock just jump on the market!

I cannot believe this crap is considered news!

Betty Bowers' latest newsletter

2005-04-13T23:17:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Betty Bowers - America's Best Christian - has released her latest newsletter. I guarantee a laugh or two when reading this one! I was about choking from laughing. Well worth the read.

FEE'D TO DEATH!

2005-02-19T19:46:00.000-08:00

I am sure a large number of people pay various investment fees, particulary if you invest in mutual funds. Edward Jones recently disclosed some information on the companies they usually work with. I found this rather disturbing. I knew that they were paid, obviously, but not to this extent, particularly since Edward Jones charges a fee to the clients as well!

No wonder Edward Jones was strongly pushing for privatization of Social Security!

Here is a table I downloaded from their website.

The world is going to hell in a handbasket

2005-01-24T20:52:00.000-08:00

The world is going to hell in a handbasket. Right, that's not exactly new. I just thought I'd catch up on a few months of missed blogging.

Iraquagmire is the usual hell. 1,373 deaths, 10,371 wounded

Bush is still a fucking moron.

Social Security is in danger of being gutted by the Bushies to screw future generations and give piles of money to Wall Street (Like they need more!).

The so-called "Marriage Protection Act" has been re-introduced into the Senate.

Republicans are still breating.

If you want more hell, just turn on the news!

Barbara Boxer is my new hero

2005-01-20T20:57:00.000-08:00

Damn! I just watched the video of Barbara Boxer (D-CA) kicking CondoLIESa Rice's ass. She is awesome. Condi is just a bitch. She flat out lied. She didn't answer the questions.

Watch the full-length video
here.

Joe Scarborough can kiss my ass!

2004-11-23T22:44:00.000-08:00

First, he tries rationalize the Iraquagmire as a noble cause. He failed in my opinion. Then, he attacks the NY Times and uses that as the basis to say that the liberals still control mainstream media. WTF??

I accidentally clicked on something that took me to his blog. Now I have to get out the tagament. I can't even WATCH OR READ the news anymore without feeling ill.

Can we have our country back, PLEASE?

Betty Bowers: How to tell if you live in a Red State or a Blue State

2004-11-20T16:18:00.000-08:00

Betty Bowers - America's Best Christian - has published her latest newsletter, with a few of the differences between the Red states and blue states.

Here's a little tidbit:

Blue States: Home of good schools
Red States: Homeskooled good

Blue States: Want a big tent for their Party.
Red States: Wears a big tent to her party.

Blue States: Favor electric cars
Red States: Favor electric chairs

Blue States: Concerned about ballooning deficits' effect on capital markets turning gains into thin air
Red States: Concerned about whether it's demons that make balloons float in thin air

Blue States: Dream of making enough money to kite and swim with Czechs in Biarritz
Red States: Dream of kiting enough checks to swim in Schlitz

Blue States: Favor institutionalized health care for the poor
Red States: Favor institutionalizing the poor

Blue States: After the 9/11 attacks, put coffins in the ground
Red States: After the 9/11 attacks, put magnetic flags on the car

Read the newsletter here.

Washinton Post prints homophobic supplement

2004-11-20T16:04:00.000-08:00

I am shocked and disappointed by the Post's action. I learned of this via AMERICAblog John pretty much said it, and I am posting part of his comment here:

The Washington Post yesterday printed a magazine ad supplement, bought by religious right groups, that is one of the most bigoted homophobic things I have ever read. I am astonished the Post would print this filth.

In it you learn things like the fact that sexual orientation isn't genetic. Why? Because if it were genetic it would have to be passed by gay parents who don't have kids! Putting aside a number of holes in that theory, there's the more general scientific point about recessive genes. My point is that this filth isn't even scientifically correct, and the Post is publishing it. I didn't realize the Post had no problems publishing junk science targeting minority groups. Huh.

What's more, the entire publication is based on race-baiting. It is CLEARLY written for the black community in an effort to piss them off against the gays. Funny, but you'd think the Post would have a problem with a scientifically invalid publication whose sole intent was to enrage one minority community against another. But no.

Oh, and it gets better. The publication informs you that gays die at the age of 41. Yep, all of us. What they don't tell you is that this little "study" was conducted by Dr. Paul Cameron, an anti-gay nutjob who has even been disowned by the religious right (let alone he was thrown out of various medical associations). But does the Post have a problem publishing junk science that suggests that certain minority groups are inferior to others? Not at all!

Unbelievable!

You may download the piece of crap here. I cut it in two - so it would be easier to download.

Part 1
Part 2

59,000,000 idiots and counting

2004-11-04T18:26:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe it happened. Has the entire country gone mad?

YES! Sadly.

So, let's see what we'll have to look forward to:

2.7 Trillion national debt
400+ billion deficits per year - at least
2.1 Trillion after W tries to privatize Social Security
Iraquagmire
Invasion of Iran
Draft - because we're losing Iraquagmire and will need troops for Iran
Osama is still free. Laughing at us. The man who attacked America has gotten away with it. But, remember, Furious George doesn't care about him!

Bubbie - Episode 2

2004-10-20T16:38:00.000-07:00

If you haven't seen Bubbie - the first episode - YOU MUST!!!!!! The 2nd installment is good, too.

Courtesy of the National Jewish Democratic Council

FREEWAY BLOGGER!!!

2004-10-13T16:55:00.000-07:00

Today is the day to post your own signs inspired by the Freeway Blogger.

Here are my 2 rather sad attempts at signs. I figure it will just enrage the right-wingers. I live in a heavily REPUG area. As long as they are p-o'd, I'm happy!

DOWN with the Sinclair Broadcast Group!!

2004-10-11T16:05:00.000-07:00

As you may know, the Sinclair Broadcast Group is set to air an anti-Kerry "news" special right before the election. It is a blatant attempt to influence the election against Kerry.

Visit Stop Sinclair Broadcast Group to sign the petition. There are links to the advertisers as well.

I wrote an email to Applebee's - and here is the text of it. Feel free to copy and use it as you wish.

Ms. Carol DiRaimo
Applebee's International, Inc.

Dear Ms. DiRaimo,

My family, friends and I are frequent customers at Applebee's. We like the food, atmosphere and the family friendly environment.

Recently I learned that Applebee's is a sponsor on one or more television stations owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group. As you may know, Sinclair has ordered its affiliate stations to broadcast an anti-Kerry movie within days of the election. I believe this is a blatant and inappropriate use of publicly owned airwaves in an attempt to sway the result of the election.

I hope that Applebee's would hold itself to a higher standard and denounce this partisan attack for what it is. I, my family, and friends, urge you to re-consider advertising with the Sinclair Broadcast Group if they continue their plan to air what they questionably define as 'news.'

Sincerely,

Matthew F. Hawn

Betty Bowers: Ask your doc which Bush is better for you!

2004-10-10T21:05:00.000-07:00

Another hilarious missive from America's Best Christian!

Regardless of how you might score the debates on competence and veracity (two quaintly obsolete considerations that I join most Americans in never allowing to cloud my judgment), you will have to concede that our handsome President trounced John Kerry in the only criterion that matters on programs hosted by Charles Gibson – entertainment value. John Kerry, made famous by Mr. Bush's ads for being one person with two different ideas, was no match for President Bush, who is apparently two different people with no ideas. The Miami "coming down from a mighty wicked bender" Bush, who was taciturn, sleepy and stumbling over the words, was replaced by the St. Louis "one bump of crystal meth in the limo too many" Bush, who was shrill, jumpy and stumbling over the moderator. I guess campaign mouthpiece Karen Hughes (a woman I adore, but whose wardrobe and gait bespeak of an alarming and felicitous homage to Bea Arthur) had decided that if the bored insouciance of Barbiturate Bush didn't appeal to the famously fickle Undecideds, then maybe the pumped up 'roid rage of Amphetamine Bush will.

With this in mind, no one need squander speculation about why Mr. Bush is so keen to protect pharmaceutical companies from the profit erosion caused by reasonably priced prescription drugs (made, apparently, in rusty witch doctor caldrons under the hapless regulations of evil warlords in the Third World country to our immediate north reputedly called "Canada"). After the St. Louis debate, it is clear that Mr. Bush is indebted to pharmaceutical companies for not only his campaign cash, but also his courage. As First Lady Laura "Pickled" Bush is wont to remind us with a glazed smile: there is no problem in this great nation of ours that can't be fixed by a stronger prescription. Who knows what decisive behavior Barbiturate Bush might have been capable of on the morning of September 11, 2001 all for the want of Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida having a Schedule III pharmacy.

While most undecided voters (who are all also still on the fence about "paper or plastic?," "rich or poor?," "dead or alive?," and even "God or Satan?") thought that Amphetamine Bush was (or wasn't) certainly more (or maybe less) lively to watch than his listless counterpart in Miami (or was it Tampa?), many undecided voters thought that his dosage may (or perhaps not) have overcompensated for his indolence in Miami (no, on twentieth thought, they're sure it was Orlando). Frankly, those seated on the front row at the St. Louis debate were a bit scared that a surreptitious glance at a wristwatch might be interpreted by Bush as a mocking sign of boredom, provoking the Leader of the Free World to challenge them to duke it out mano a mano on live television. Indeed, until whatever Mr. Bush had taken wore off a bit as the minutes remaining dwindled, he displayed the type of edgy aggression that, no doubt, caused the moderator to recall wistfully wondering during an ABC Whitney Houston interview, if the jittery diva was going to respond to an unwelcome query by throwing herself across her free-base scorched coffee table and lunging at Diane Sawyer's throat (an impulse he has, so far, successfully quelled on Good Morning America). I will say this: regardless of what Mr. Bush was taking and how much, it certainly yields more tangible results than Ralph Nader trying, once again, to self-medicate his Narcissistic Personality Disorder with ballots.

As any loyal member of the Apocalypse's Official Sponsor, the GOP, will be keen to point out: John Kerry vacillates with the reckless license enjoyed by those not tenacious enough to white knuckle their grip on a three-word policy in the galling face of relentless contrary proof. For, truly, what greater tip-off can there be of a propensity to flip-flop than for someone to be wrong – only to change his mind simply so he can be right? Mr. Bush's refusal to fall prey to the realities of the World the rest of us are forced to live in until Glory (you know, the "Quagmire Accomplished" one with only one Internet) has led some churlish detractors to claim that our President is unable to adapt to changing circumstances.

Pardon me while I stifle the most ladylike guffaw. Thanks to numerous reports and facts being made public, American voters are now able to gauge the actual threat posed by Saddam Hussein without access to state secrets (or becoming complicit in a felony by, more odiously, sharing dinner with Bob Novak). Because of this regrettable increase in awareness of the so-called truth, Mr. Bush has nimbly recalibrated the reason for having American teenagers killed to protect America from an imminent threat of nuclear – no, make that, ur, bringing democracy to Iraq (which is sort of like bringing a veal casserole to a new neighbor – only to discovery that they are not only militantly vegetarian, but armed to the teeth). To prove his alacritous willingness to adapt once a previous rationale has been exposed as a prevarication, our handsome President has had more variations on his reason for invading Iraq than Carrie Bradshaw had shoes. Indeed, I can almost hear Carrie click click clicking away through last night's Marlboro ash on her Apple laptop keyboard:

"I couldn't help but wonder: when does a monomaniac obsession with a warmongering madman start becoming imitation?"

Well, Carrie, our warmonger has promised more tax cuts, apparently planning to slap the escalating bill for Iraq on Uncle Sam's Capital One No Hassle VISA card. But it's only fair that our grandchildren pay for the war. After all, they are the only ones who stand a chance of seeing anything that remotely mimics democracy flourishing in that backwards, tribal hellhole. Liberals accuse our handsome President of stirring up Muslim terrorists in the Middle East with an unnecessary war in Iraq, making a mess of everything he touches and rubbing the rest of the world of the wrong way. Well, frankly, this is music to my ears! According to Scripture, Jesus will not return until the World is in a bellicose shambles. Clearly, the Lord has grown impatient cooling His sandals and has anointed our handsome President to ensure that the planet's demise is put on an accelerated schedule. And, friends, this is why none of you should vote for John Kerry. Someone in the Oval Office who is competent and doesn't make sport out of needling our allies could put off the Rapture for four -- even eight -- years!

Recently, Elton John made news by revealing that he was the last follower of popular culture to realize that Madonna (the one boys wrestling with homosexuality and aging worship, not the one that pops up from time to time as a light blue concrete lawn ornament) doesn't always sing live. Honestly, what disillusioning revelation will roll from his tongue next? Campbell's Soup exists outside of art galleries? Frankly, if I had tickets to a Madonna concert and thought for one moment that she might be foolhardy enough to sing live, I would feign epilepsy with riveting verisimilitude in the limo on the way simply to get out of attending.

But it appears that Madge may not the only lipsyncher with an inexplicably large following. There has been debate on one of the Internets about a strange box that appeared under the back of our handsome President's $1,600 tailored suit (see the photo above). I'm no expert when it comes to bulges in men's suits (truly, where are one of those ubiquitous gayboys when you need one?), but there is speculation that the easily flummoxed and tongue-tied president, long famous for getting wired, has been wired. For sound, that is. Given the president's disinclination to think before a declarative sentence (such I "I declare war"), I think it was wise of Karl Rove to get Radio Shack to accomplish what proved beyond Yale's reach – to put ideas in Mr. Bush's head. My only quibble is that they should have told George they were doing it. Poor thing keeps thinking he hears the voice of Jesus telling him how to pronounce the word nuclear.

Watch out! Bush doesn't like it when confronted with facts!

2004-10-09T06:54:00.000-07:00

WHOA! Bushie totally FREAKED OUT when Kerry nailed him during the debate last night (10/8). See it here.

Betty Bowers: John Edwards Vs. Darth Cheney

2004-10-06T19:46:00.000-07:00

Wonderful little message from our Dearest Betty.

As Brit Hume pointed out at a convivial cocktail party last week, a lady blessed with my quality jewelry and shapely figure would be safer in an alley of Fallujah than on the sidewalks of Cleveland (or, if my memory serves, the couch in the Governor's office in Sacramento). As such, I decided to play it safe and stay home to watch last night's Cheney/Edwards debate with Jesus -- but only after exacting a rather reluctant promise from Him not to hurl invective and popcorn at my new plasma TV every time the cameras turned on our wonderful Vice President.

Being so inexplicably liberal (with His "turn the other cheek" peacenik pacifism and, even more galling to us Republicans, His "give all your tax-sheltered money to the poor" socialism), much to my temperately conveyed annoyance, Jesus volunteered a rather stinging appraisal of Mr. Cheney's brave disinclination to become a slave to facts. To which I sardonically responded, "What a friend you have in exegesis!" After several painful minutes of hearing Jesus spouting lib nonsense, I resorted to a little trick I picked up from Peggy Noonan at a dinner party where she was seated at the place of dishonor -- between two Demoncrats. (You know I never gossip except to save a soul or a conversation, but word had it that our hostess was retaliating for Peggy making a clumsy play for her husband after three refusals and five Cutty Sarks.) At the first sign of insight, I put my fingers in both ears, smiled beguilingly and said with patrician cadence (although, unlike New Jersey's Peggy, mine was real), "La la la la la I CAN'T HEAR YOU JESUS! La la la la la" until I wore the Almighty into a satisfactory, if somewhat sullen, silence.

One thing, however, that both Jesus and I agreed upon (other than trailer parks being absolutely ideal venues for tornadoes), is that it is clear that Mr. Edwards does not enjoy Mr. Bush's relationship with Mr. Cheney. That is, Edwards is neither cowered by Cheney's simmering glower nor obedient to his rather optimistic regard for the tensile strength of veracity. But let's face it: in a country where even reality shows are scripted, when it comes to virtues that are verbally touted on the condition that they not be actually practiced, only chastity outranks honesty.

So I don't know why people are scoffing at Mr. Cheney for stating that he never tied Iraq to 9/11, he'd never met John Edwards or that things are going swimmingly in Iraq. Yes, to those obsessed with facts, such statements would appear to be brazen lies. But it is like I always say to myself when filling out that rudely inquisitive "age" box on forms: If you repeat a lie, it becomes your truth. And if you repeat a lie often enough, you become a Republican.

I know we say we do, but do we really want honest people in the White House? I think this War on Terra calls for a more crafty approach. After all, liars are inherently sneaky people who stand a better chance of getting into the minds of unscrupulous terrorists than those fettered by either niggling fact checkers or conscience. In fact, if I were William Bennett I'd wager that when it comes to anticipating what an angry, politically extreme zealot might think of next, Mr. Cheney can draw more information from his most benign daydream than the CIA and FBI could ever hope to get out of a roomful of DeVry graduates trying to learn Arabic from watching Uday Hussein's confiscated girl-on-goat porn.

But a mental agility that renders reality more flexible wasn't the only inspired tactic brought to the table by Mr. Cheney last night. While Mr. Bush's "Ah, he forgot Poland" injection last week was a rather winning Don Knotts impression, it did seem to risk underscoring that, except for one person in England (who, fortunately for us, just happens to answer the phone at 10 Downing Street), America has been put on the "do not call" list by any country with a checking account, much less an army. Indeed, under Mr. Bush's "you're either with us or I never liked you anyway" approach to foreign policy, we have become so universally unpopular among that catty clique of diplomatic suitors, we are left looking somewhat like the lonely jerk who had to take his mom to the high school prom -- only to have her leave with our flask of Canadian Club for a access road motel with the yearbook editor. So, I was pleased to hear Mr. Cheney announce last night that the newest, if not most willing, members of America's exclusive coalition, if only for the convenience of already being there, are the Iraqis themselves. I guess instead of leveling with foreign countries to win allies, we are simply going to level foreign countries.

Dear Sister-in-Christ Ann Coulter, who has single-handedly proved that a steady diet of crap will lead to emaciation cheaper than meth and quicker than Atkins, thinks we need to bring Christian love to the people of the Middle East and/or kill them. Between us, apart from being uncertain if Ann is a wickedly devious liberal performance artist or -- less inventively – simply mentally ill, I'm having second thoughts about this whole "bringing democracy to Iraq" raison d'etre. As hostess gifts go, this one may turn out to be tantamount to bringing a bottle of vodka to Liza Minnelli's. You just never know what crazy thing will happen next.

While the general notion of giving all of a nation's citizens the power of voting seems appealing in theory, it might be a good idea for the U.S. Supreme Court to test the concept in Florida first. Besides, a newly wrought Iraq may turn into a Pyrrhic victory for Americans in the long run if the majority of people use their new voice to take to the streets and scream "death to the infidels," a stress-releasing activity more popular in Islamic countries than even yoga. Indeed, once the Iraqis are subjected to the torment of relentless, mendacious political ads from all parties that will inevitably interrupt their new Islamic-style reality TV (beheadings), the cries of "Death to the Great Satan" may grow slightly more strident and heartfelt.

With this in mind, I prefer Islamic terrorists and their possible protégés to be under the thumb of a deeply religious dictator who doesn't want to do anything that might jeopardize his ability to get a visa to visit the Bellagio in Las Vegas twice a year. Furthermore, if our goal is to make the Middle East more like America, why go to the trouble of boxing up the mountain and sending it to Mohamed? It would be less costly simply to allow something that also has few allies -- time -- to make the two regions of the World more similar. After all, if the United States has four more years of our handsome President and continues with our commendable trends of governmental intrusion, curtailed freedom, misinformation, vote suppression and religious fanaticism, I have a feeling we will be just like Iran in no time.

Betty Bowers: October Newsletter

2004-10-01T15:18:00.000-07:00

Here's the October Newsletter from Betty Bowers.

Dear Members of the Republican (GOP) Guard:

I am just back from Miami and I am pleased to say that our handsome President thought that the debates went wonderfully and according to plan. Just like Iraq. In your giddiness from the relief of your disloyal vision, once again, being corrected by the balm of our President's thoughtful speechwriters, don't forget to take time out of your day to stop someone on the street and implore him or her to "Remember Poland!" No, it doesn't have quite the ring to it that "Remember the Maine" did in a previous wholly discretionary war abetted by powerful journalists (well, owners of former-journalists -- then, Mr. Hearst – now, Mr. Murdoch). But it is important to note that should those "nucular" troublemakers in Pyongyang get feisty tomorrow, Poland's cavalry could be within a day's ride of the Korean Peninsula by Christmas. Which is heartening, as we have no troops left of our own to send, as they are all otherwise engaged protecting the oilfields of Saddam bin Laden . . . or was it Osama Hussein?

In all candor, I must admit that there are days when I go whole hours without thinking of dear, sweet Poland. Nevertheless, perhaps it is our handsome President who should have joined me in this geographic slight last night. After all, President of the Republic of Poland Aleksander Kwasniewski was discourteous enough to note: "[The Bush administration] deceived us about the weapons of mass destruction, that's true. We were taken for a ride." Honestly, those Poles remind me of surly Jenna Bush sometimes. Invited to the party – and then gets all tetchy because there's a cash bar.

And speaking of poles, I don't think Jenna's pole-dancing for John McCain and the press once her mother had nodded off after her "bonus" Halcyon kicked in helped with our President's concentration during the debate. Which may have provoked his comment about "keeping my girls on a leash." Call me clairvoyant, but I took that as a harbinger of an early parole for Private Lynndie England!

I will say this: President Bush may have come across in his reaction shots as a tad surly and scared, but he is quite the sassy little coquette in his new beige blond hairdo! How fabulous that Mr. Bush chose not to stay the course with yesterday afternoon's white 'do that, all for the wont of intentionally cheap pearls, risked making him look like his mother after an elusive diet. Just an hour before the debate began, Georgie asked me, "2B or not 2B?" I quickly steered him towards the sink and lobbied persuasively that he opt for a flip with Clairol 7B (Tawny Summer), rather than an inevitable flop with Clairol 2B (Anemic Crone).

After retrieving my Aveda Sun Source tanning crème from Mr. Bush (and admonishing him that one five ounce tube is generally not thought to be "one application" by those who've never dated Ben Affleck), I tried to quell his concerns about his new saucy blond locks by saying: "Even as a Christian, I know that it's better to be whorey than hoary, dear!" (Which left him looking rather perplexed – an expression he was unable to shake for several hours.)

"Saddam Hussein, if he's alive, is spending a whale of a lot of time trying to not get caught. And we've not seen him on a video since 2001."
-- Donald Rumsfeld, September 11, 2004.

"Of course we're after Saddam Hussein"

-- George W. Bush, September 30, 2004.

Angry lib commentators danced in American solider blood when Mr. Bush appeared to make a slip by referring to Saddam Hussein as the man living in a cave in Tora Bora. This was no slip. Mr. Bush and Mr. Rumsfeld were simply adhering to the recent decision by the administration to make public what was previously a secret policy: confusing Saddam Hussein with Osama bin Laden. It keeps terrorists (and the composers of terrifyingly awful songs about being followed by moon shadows) on their toes if they think America is so diligent in the War on Terra that we are still hunting people we've already caught. Although if I were Barack Obama, I would think twice before checking into a hotel in Bora Bora. Soon, the money we devote to protecting ourselves (approximately 15 cents out of every dollar we spend protecting the Iraqis) will result in a super-complete terrorist homonym database. Just as soon as Tom Ridge finds someone to fill the FBI's Microsoft DOS 2.0 programming position. (Speaking of intelligence needs, where are the Spanish translators to decipher all those "Mexed messages" the President is so rightly concerned about?)

Between us, I do worry about the next debate between Mr. Cheney and Mr. Edwards. I fear that Cheney will look like a Rottweiler trying to attack a beautiful Springer Spaniel puppy – and America will recoil. When I told Laura this while sneering at Jenna's unladylike slacks, Laura replied: "Dick's only heart problem appears to be that he doesn't actually have one." I'll give her this: Pickles can usually be relied on for a zinger if you catch up to her before the White House pharmacist.

On a positive note, I'm glad that the President was able to clearly pronounce the non-flip-floppity Bush Doctrine of Foreign Policy: We can invade Iraq without consulting anyone, but can't even talk to North Korean without China holding our hand.

GOD BLESS YOU, BETTY BOWERS!!!!!!

WHY?

2004-09-30T15:11:00.000-07:00

An excellent question. I'd like to see it asked.

Wouldn't you?

Betty Bowers: Iraq the Vote

2004-09-27T17:23:00.000-07:00

This is the text of the Betty Bowers Newsletter for September.

Iraq the Vote

by Mrs. Betty Bowers

Republican friends, I bring wonderful news. As one of my minions types this, Iraq is truly being made in America's image. Regrettably, it happens to be the image that the rest of the world has of us, not the product of our own, more idolatrous gaze into the mirror. Yes, thanks to a rather forceful nudge by the White House Office of Foreign Affairs & Reelection Stuff, Iraq is finally circling the drain with dizzying gusto. Remember: chaos is clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere; counterclockwise – and quicker -- in the Southern.
Apparently, only one thing can stop the dangerous state of a battleground like Iraq: a strenuously cheerful diagnosis in a battleground state like Ohio. And Mr. Bush's policy of Preemptive-Panglossianism appears to be working, dear Fox viewers. It's like I always say: when terrorists give you terror, make tiramisu! While niggling so-called facts nag otherwise, our President assures me that his speechwriters are one thousand percent confident that things are going perfectly and according to plan (presumably, if there were one) in Iraq.
Most Iraqis, I am told, believe that they are "better off" becoming violently ill from drinking filthy water while dodging bullets under the elusive promise of shifting democracy and inevitable specter of bloody civil war than they were being victimized by the clean water and electricity Saddam Hussein ruthlessly used to curry favor.
In striving to become more typically American, Baghdad has managed to make real a pandemic violence readers of Le Monde only imagine exists in New York City. Mr. Bush is certain to point this out as yet one more example of the obsequious Iraqis emulating us with bracing verve. Indeed, in pooh-poohing the triviality of American teenagers donating all of their blood to their President's reelection campaign, Brit Hume, of Fox News, our party's very own Pravda (bless them), pointed out that the deaths of American soldiers (upon which other networks so lugubriously report) simply serves to make Iraq more like California when it comes to murder.
But in striving to be fair and unbalanced, Mr. Hume sells Iraq's homicidal accomplishments short. Had Mr. Hume bothered to succumb to the tedium of statistical analysis and compared the number of American soldiers in Iraq with the population of California, he would have found that Arnold Schwarzenegger would have to encourage 50,750 murders a month to keep up with American causalities in Iraq (I'd love to see those billboards!). Once again, a hearty brava for the protégée showing up its proud mentor!
But, as President Bush might say, lots of death is just one barometer of success. In its zeal to emulate the country that thoughtfully cut its electricity bills by turning off the power and relandscaped with JDAM smart bombs (after all, a phoenix can only rise if someone selflessly takes time out of his day to torch its nest), Iraq is now determined to make its brand of democracy less Greek, more American. Clearly after careful study of Florida in 2000, Iraq's interim Prime Minister (and impish coconspirator in Mr. Bush's amusing parlor game wherein the President throws his speechwriter's voice) Ayad Allawi assured America last week that Iraqi elections will not be perfect.
Indeed, one might reasonably assume that Mr. Allawi has recruited Jeb Bush to ensure such a result. Just as Jeb industriously dispatches sheriffs to provide helpful suggestions to elderly black Floridians about the state's wealth of November activities that don't include voting, Mr. Allawi is laying the groundwork for conducting elections bereft of willful voters disinclined to see things Jeb's brother's way. Just as is the tradition in America's very own Tangelo Republic, Florida, swarthy swaths of eligible voters will be turned away at the door of Democracy by its intemperately finicky host in Iraq. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has acknowledged that a full 20 to 25 percent of Iraqis will not be counted in the elections because things are going so well in Iraq that any hanging chads would be caused by shrapnel.
The only thing that would make Iraq more like America is if partisan corporations tinkering with the software for electronic voting machines could rig the vote. But, I suppose, Iraq would need something Americans love even more than democracy for that: electrical power.