Get Pissed.

Downing Street - memos and brits oh my!



"C reported on his recent talks in Washington. There was a perceptible shift in attitude. Military action was now seen as inevitable. Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy. The NSC had no patience with the UN route, and no enthusiasm for publishing material on the Iraqi regime's record. There was little discussion in Washington of the aftermath after military action." - excerpt from the "not as infamous as it should be" Downing Street Memo

I thought Downing Street was where Sherlock Holmes lived. Apparently I was wrong.

Now, exactly what is the Downing Street Memo you might ask? (Hey, not everyone listens to NPR.) The memo contains the minutes of the Prime Ministers Meeting from July 23, 2002. And it basically says that intelligence information was built around President Bush's firm decision to attack Iraq. Basically it throws out Bush's claim that war in Iraq was a "last resort". It also implies that much of the so-called "intelligence" used to justify the war was slanted or skewed to support Bush's war mongering.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm glad Saddam's gone. The guy was a class A son of a bitch. Here's my problem: I'm sick of being lied to. Cheney claimed that Iraq was linked to 9/11, Bush claimed Saddam had WMD's (I'm so sick of that acronym) and they both claimed that Iraq was producing and supporting terrorists. Well, gee, I thought that the overwhelming majority of the suicide flyers into buildings were from Saudi Arabia... and we've done what about the Saudi's involvement?

And here's my other issue. Bush and his cronies are constantly whining about the liberal media etc... and yet the Downing Street Memo has gotten incredibly little press in the U.S. Sure, a semen-stained dress and the press can't get enough of it. A memo that basically proves (not that we weren't already aware) that our President is a scumbag and liar goes virtually unnoticed. Yeah, that makes sense. Clinton's indiscretions wasted how much money? His extramarital affair got how many people killed? Did Clinton's indiscretion turn the rest of the world against us? I think not.

I've got to admit that I'm just floored. Do people just not care anymore? Are we so convinced that all politicians are corrupt that we don't even bother anymore? Am I the only who thinks it's about time for a little restructuring? People, the longer we take it and the less we say the more it happens. We should be in the streets rioting, but instead most people are buying SUV's and people like me are afraid to open our mouths. I'm sick of hearing that I'm unpatriotic because I'm not willing to give Emperor Bush free rein. Screw you. I'm the true patriot. A true patriot questions everything their government does. If we don't keep them in line, who will?

Does anyone really think that the war in Iraq has helped stop, slow down or even tickle terrorism? No, we've just pissed them off more. The war in Iraq is going so well that every week dozens more bodies hit the sandy soil.

Here's an idea: QUIT BUYING SUV'S YOU GIANT FLAMING PRICK MONKEY MOTHERFUCKER YUPPIE SCUM. Want to stop or at least slow down terrorism? Be more fuel efficient. WHERE DO YOU THINK THEY'RE GETTING THE MONEY YOU SCHMUCKS?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? Okay, I feel better, I need to cut back on the caffeine (she says as she lifts her jumbo size coffee).

My basic point is that it's ridiculous that this has gotten almost no press in the States. Are people so blind in their loyalty to Bush that they can't see facts? I guess not considering no one got pissed about Cheney's old company Halliburton making a fat profit from the war. How many young men and women have to die before we hold our president accountable for his lies? How many? A few thousand more? Maybe another 10,000 civilians?

The world changed after 9/11. I realize the truth of that statement. I realize that when people are afraid they'll do just about anything to feel safe. Including giving a Jesus Freak Lying Rich White Oil Man absolution for all his crimes. But no matter what people think, Bush is not making us safer. He is only making the government more corrupt, taking away freedoms and blowing billions on a war that was not justified by his lies.

The time has come my intelligent friends. The time when we stand up and say, "This is a load of bull-hooey. Stop lying to us, stop silencing the questioners and just admit that you lied." That's all I want; an admission and a resignation. Nixon was impeached for what amounted to breaking and entering, but Bush can flat out lie (repeatedly) to the American people and it's cool?

And doesn't anyone wonder why the news outlets aren't screaming about this memo?

So. Go read the memo, write some letters, do some sceaming and pitch a hissy. Remember, this is the United States of America, you have the right to cry bullshit. You are the only defense against corruption and tyranny. It sucks and it's a tough job, but if we don't do it, who will?

Don't F**k With My NPR.

So, it's been established that I love coffee and I'm a little weird. Let's go on and drop the final piece of my geeky trinity in place. NPR. I love NPR the way I love coffee. In fact, I enjoy NPR best with a cup of coffee. According to my boyfriend I'm the only person on the planet who does a little dance on Friday morning because it's "Science Friday" on NPR. What can I say? I like being informed in an entertaining way... I like literate humor and stories that don't always make the mainstream. Note: PBS also rules!

Now, I may not be the most objective commentator on the following issue, but I'll do my best. NPR is under attack. According to certain "officials" NPR is too left-leaning. According to some schmuck, "The bias is noticeable", says Cliff Kincaid of Accuracy in Media. Go check out his blog and judge it's fairness for yourself. Pay particular attention to the words used to describe protesters. Conservatives have long complained about this, going back, literally decades."So here's something funny. NPR is accused by government officials (especially those great guys at the FCC, who believe me are really holding the airwaves in the public trust, Clear Channel not withstanding) of being too liberal and biased, so what's the first thing NPR does? They have the accusers and their supporters on several of their shows to discuss the issue. There was no whining, no downplay, no spin. Just an honest assessment.

See, that's the beauty of NPR, they bring in folks from both sides and have a reasonable, intelligent, enlightened debate which (shock and horror) they actually allow the public to take part in. Gee, they seem pretty biased to me. And then of course there is the Ready to Learn fiasco... oh, you didn't hear about that... yeah, suprisingly enough the "liberal" media didn't give it much coverage. RTL is a programming line up on PBS. It was sponsored by the Presidents Ready to Learn Iniative. The line up features subversive shows which encourage learning and social skills like "Clifford the Big Red Dog", "Arthur", "Postcards from Buster", "Zoom" and "Between the Lions". Our wonderful government officials have decided to cut the promised support down to about nothing because on an episode of "Postcards from Buster" a child with two mommies was shown for about 2.3 seconds. "Postcards from Buster" also featured a Muslim family... we should lynch that unpatriotic cartoon bunny... how dare he show diversity and acceptance of others? Let's go on and toss freedom of speech out the window.

Apparently NPR (and PBS by association) are terrible propaganda machines which are brainwashing our citizens into seeing all sides of an issue. So here's my question: What about Fox News? Apparently propaganda and misinformation are okay as long as it falls on the "right" side. And wait, before you say it... someone is going to comment that Fox News is a private station and yadda yadda yadda... that's true and all, but once again, what about the airwaves being held in the public trust? Is it in the publics best interest to allow misinformation and bias from any news source be it public or private? I think not. I love NPR because they look at all sides of an issue. Because they take on stories no one else wants to touch. Because in a world of slant, misinformation, gilding, mud-slinging and political division NPR at least tries to be fair. Which is more than you can say for any other news outlet, be it right or left.

I also like NPR because it appeals to me on a more intellectual level. It's more in depth, more researched and just more interesting all around. With all the hooey that's going on in the world isn't it nice to know that there is a place where ethics and decency are still important? Where everyone gets a shot to make their arguement? Where you can voice your opinion whatever it is?

Allow me to quote public broadcasting guru Bill Moyers (you sexy journalist you...) "This is a moment when public media outlets can make a powerful case for themselves. Public radio, public TV, cable access, public DBS channels, media arts centers, youth media projects, nonprofit Internet news services ... low-power radio and webcasting are all part of a nearly invisible feature of today's media map: the public media sector. They exist not to make a profit, not to push an ideology, not to serve customers, but to create a public - a group of people who can talk productively with those who don't share their views, and defend the interests of the people who have to live with the consequences of corporate and governmental power." In polls done by Gallup and other media surveying/polling companies, those surveyed consistently rank PBS/NPR as deserving of the tax money they receive (which is one dollar, per year, per person). Those surveyed consistently say (to the tune of over 80%) that PBS/NPR are valuable and useful tools.

I for one appreciate Ira Flatow's calm moderating as opposed to Bill O'Rielly's shrieking and pandering. Why isn't the government attacking Fox News and MSNBC for bias? Wait, someone's going to make the comment that those are private news companies. That's true, but keep in mind that the FCC is supposed to hold the airwaves in the public trust. Is it in the public's interest or their trust to allow propaganda machines like Fox News to spout whatever slanted, biased and often unsubstantiated "news" they want? I think not.

Is it really so wrong that I prefer literate humor and intelligent newscasts? Is it so evil that there are media outlets (public ones no less) that strive to maintain ethical integrity? Oh, and for the record, the Teletubbies are not homosexuals. The jury is still out on Bert and Ernie. Mr. Rogers has been helping shape Junior Pinko Commie Scum Liberals for decades.

Well, that's it really. I have to go because Talk of the Nation is coming on and I need my daily dose of "liberal" (aka intelligent) brainwashing. Neil Conan is going to teach us how to perform voodoo curses on little dolls of Dick Cheney. Then Ira's going to teach us how to build an AK-47 out of a coke can so that we can stage our proletariat uprising cheaply.

Moral of the Story: NPR rules, whining Republicans drool.

L is for the way you look at me...

True love.

Since I have two jobs I don't get to spend nearly as much time as I'd like with both puppy and boyfriend. So on nights when I don't work at the coffee shop I like to take Wolfman Jack out for a long walk. Sometimes it turns into a journey of 2 hours. Yesterday afternoon I put on my headphones, turned on the mini-disc player and clipped his leash on. We headed out into an overcast world to walk where we would.

We headed across the train tracks, around the mill and over to Blossom St. We walked up to the Horseshoe (which is on the USC campus) around the statehouse and back through 5 points. I ran into a friend outside of the Hunter Gatherer (local bar). While I chugged a soda water Jack had a nice cup of water. We were about a mile from the house when it started to rain. I mean rain as in the heavens cracked upon and the wrath of God fell upon the city. As we hit the corner of Blossom and Assembly (one of the busiest intersections in downtown) I hit a spot of slick mud and gravity did the rest. I fell hard and shouted, "Ow". The dog, thinking I was hurt, freaked out and began to jump all over me and lick my face, whining and barking. His little feet left muddy paw prints all over my shirt and I couldn't wipe my eyes because of his frantic licking. My first thought was, "Oh Christ. Like 50 people just saw that. I must look like such a moron." But after a moment I realized that I didn't care. More than anything it made me happy that my puppy was worried about me, that he cared if I was hurt. And I thought, "This is what love is... being worried about someone, wanting to kiss them, love them and make sure they're not hurt." So I pulled myself to my feet, said, "Good dog Jack", patted him on the head and began the long walk home through the rain. Sparklehorse's "Left My Baby on the Side of the Highway" was playing on the mini-disc and Jack was frolicking in the rain. People driving by waved, honked and laughed. And it was okay. We were happy walking in the rain, together.

Light and Sweet

CAFFEINE!

I love coffee. French Roast, Columbian, Brazilian, Turkish, Gas Station and Espresso (no flavored coffees for me thank you), I love them all. So it only makes sense that when I needed a second job I went where the coffee lived. My friend, we'll call her Dorothy, works at my favorite local sugar shack and she set me up with a three night a week gig. And for the most part I enjoy it. I hate working 8 hours at one job and then 6.5 at another... But, ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

The job's not bad. The boss is super laid back. The other employees are nifty. A lot of the customers are fun. The problem is.................. A lot of the customers are also poo-headed jerk faces. Allow me to illustrate.

Good Barista/Customer Exchange

Me: "Hi ______. The usual today?"

Customer: "Yes please."

Me: "How's your bike, kid, dog, job, class etc?"

Customer: "Good, terrible, fun, adorable etc?"

Me: "That's great. See you tomorrow."

Change or a dollar goes in the tip jar.

Bad Barista/Customer Exchange

Me: "Hi..."

Customer: "Give me a skinny latte."

Me: "Alright."

Customer: "I'm in a hurry."

Me: "It takes a minute to make the espresso sir."
Customer:""

Me: "Okay sir. Have a nice night."

Customer: "I wanted that iced."

Me: "Okay sir, in the future just let me know before I make it."

Customer: "I did."

Me: "No... Okay sir. Sorry about that."

Customer: "Sheesh."

Tip jar remains sadly empty and bare.

Alternate Scenario - a customer asks you to make four milkshakes and not a penny goes into the jar. Look, if I make you a coffee it's one thing, but milkshakes are a pain.

The part that bothers me the worst is the lack of greeting. I say "hi" and receive in return a demand. Look, I know it takes 1.3 seconds to say "hi", "hello", "yo" or even nod, but is that so much to ask? This is a society, let's act like it. A greeting is just polite. We don't have to chat, but acknowledgement of the fact that I'm human is nice.

And the strange thing is it's the older adults who act this way. We're forever hearing about "kids these days" and the lack of manners and blah blah blah. But the majority of the younger folks who come in say hi and thanks. If the manners of young people are so bad maybe it's because they don't have any good examples.

Look, I'm going to let you in on a secret. If you're nice to the server, they're nice to you. We like our regulars (for the most part), we like friendly customers. And if the barista is happy, you're happier. For instance, last night a regular came in. He's a highschooler, a really nice guy, a big music fan. He's always polite, always chats, is always helpful. He gets a water last night. I ask him "why no coffee tonight"? He tells me he's broke "as a joke" until he gets his allowance. I spot him the cup of coffee, he puts his fifty cents in the jar and we're all happy. You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.

I guess the moral of the story is: Do you really want to piss off the person who provides your caffeine?

So act like a human, remember we're human and we can all caffinate happily.

Gas Station Gallery of Art

Local Pump'N'Pay

I hate going to the gas station after dark. I'm not afraid of getting robbed, mugged or molested. I'm afraid of the situations I might witness. The conversations I might hear and be scarred by. It happened last night. It was dark and stormy out (no really), David and I decided late night snackies were in order. We tried the Shiv Mart... But they close early. We considered the corner Amoco, but there were a gang of hooligans loitering about outside. And so we drove to the Kangaroo station up the road. As we pulled into the parking space a wave of customers rolled in. I was able to dart from the car and enter the store first. I was alone in the store for the first couple of minutes. Because it wasn't my usual gas station I was having trouble finding what I wanted. (I might add that this gas station does not have Swiss Cake Rolls. What the hell kind of gas station doesn't have Swiss Cake Rolls?) Suddenly I heard a noise. It was schh, schh, schh. The non-diegetic sound you hear when the killer is stalking poor Jamie Lee Curtis... And I could not, for the life of me, figure out where it was coming from.

Finally I saw a young man standing behind a stack of boxes in the middle of an aisle. Other than the clerk he was the only one in the store. So he must be making the creepy killer noise. As he began to move towards the counter I followed him. I have this weird tick where if it's at all possible, I'd rather be at the end of a line in a gas station.

So I'm standing behind this guy who looked to be 23 or 24. He was dressed in typical frat boy fashion, blue and white checkered shirt from the Gap and khakis. He was, of course, purchasing a suitcase of Bud Lite. To our right was a shelf full of the "made in Taiwan" crap that most gas stations sell. I hear the young man say, "How much for the poker playing dogs?"

At this strange statement my head shot up. I looked to see what he was referring to. It was a cheesy 2-D picture of poker playing dogs. Sort of a perverted version of a bas relief, but with garish dogs instead of saints...

"Those are $20." The woman replied.
"Oh,"said the young man, "I don't have that much on me. It's cool though."
"Yeah, there's four of them. They're real nice."
"Hmm, I'll have to talk to my roommates."
"Oh, you should. They're hand-painted you know. They'll be worth something one day."
"I'll tell them that. You might see me tomorrow night."
"Don't forget to tell them there's four, 'cause you want the whole collection you know."

So here's my question: Was this guy serious? Or was he just messing with this clerk? And exactly where does one hang a loud bas relief of dogs playing poker? I mean, is that like a den piece or a hallway piece? And when the roommates move out who keeps the dogs? Do they divvy them up? 'Cause you don't want to split the set up, they might be worth something one day.

Channeling Shirley Temple

I had beautiful hair when I was a kid. It was long, fine, straight as a pin and the color of shiny brass.

And then, everything changed.

It grew darker, thicker and began to wave and kink. It also got big. I mean really big. So big that my hair probably has it's own gravity well. None of this would be a problem except that I have no freaking idea what to do about it. I'm not that kind of girl. I sometimes think that I missed some class on how to be female in school.

I've tried to learn how to dry it, curl it, straighten it, style it or something. But none of it works. I have some natural disinclination towards hair doing. I try to use a curling iron and I end up burned (literally). I try to dry it straight and I end up with one flat side and one giant curl side. What's a girl supposed to do?

So I've decided to just let it be, let my freak flag fly, accept the fact that an evil Shirley Temple has set up shop in my hair and she doesn't want to leave. Besides, I have giant boobs, surely that outweighs my giant hair?

Unlock my body, move myself to dance...

TWEEDY!

"Make some coffee, hold me up,

Try and talk me out of giving up..."

-Jeff Tweedy

My father is a huge Beatles fan. I mean huge. By the time I was 12 I knew the lyrics to every Beatles song, I knew where John and Paul met, Ringo's real name and all manner of other useless Beatles trivia. And so of course I learned to love the Beatles. Which in turn led to a love of music that has served me well my entire life.

I was an odd kid. Throughout all of elementary and middle school I would only listen to music from the sixities and early seventies. Everything else was, in my opinion, crap. In the 8th grade my friend Danny brought a cd to band class. He said, "You've got to hear this, it's like nothing I've heard before." So we sat in a corner and put it on. It was mind-blowing, stange, funky and completely unique. The cd was Beck's groundbreaking "Mellow Gold". Something in me broke loose, I became, in an instant, a less narrow-minded music snob.

However, my walls were still covered with Beatles posters, my cd collection still consisted almost entirely of the Beatles, Dylan, The Byrds, The Doors and The Beach Boys, but there was now a slim copy of "Mellow Gold" on the end. After hearing it highlighted on NPR I went out and bought Radiohead's "Pablo Honey". I think I may have been the first kid in my highschool to own it. I was hooked, I was looking for any great new band. For the first time in my life I was beginning to think that there was decent music made after 1972. However, at the end of the grunge period there wasn't a whole lot for me. I didn't have the resources or the friends to find out about great indie bands. I was stuck with occaisonally coming across something decent.

I moved to New York City, got a job in a cd store and whammo! Here was more great music than I could shake a stick at. I fell in love with "The Buena Vista Social Club", I got interested in blue grass, jazz and electronica. And then one day I helped a nice man find a Mickey Hart cd. He was so impressed that I new who Mickey Hart was that we ended up talking for an hour. A week later my boss called me into his office. "Rachel, a package came for you. I don't know what it might be." When I opened it up 10 cds fell out, Ry Cooder, Ibrahim Ferrar, Golden Smog, Manu Chao and several others. There was a note attached from the man I had helped. His name was John. He worked for Rykodisc. I had been so helpful and seemed so excited that he had sent me some of their cds. He hoped I liked them, he wished me well and he congratulated me on loving music. It was one of the first instances in my life of someone (other than my dad) actively trying to help me develop an ear for all kinds of music.

So now I was an accomplished music listener. I would give anything a whirl. But the one thing I wanted I had yet to find. I wanted a band I could love the way my father loved the Beatles. I wanted a current band that could make me feel the way he did when Abbey Road came out. I wanted a Beatles for my generation.

Inevitably it was David who introduced me to this band. David and I had met at the Oldies station where I worked in highschool. We had become geek buddies. When I moved back from NYC he played an album called "Summerteeth" for me. Maybe he doesn't remember it, but I do. Sitting in the dark on the couch, listening to this lyrically brilliant, genre twisting, jumping, hopping album. Hearing the song, "We're Just Friends" for the first time. In two hours I had fallen in love twice, with a band called Wilco and a boy named David. And the two were connected forever.

Wilco was and is my Beatles. I know their entire catalogue, I own bootlegs and rareties, every time they come anywhere close to Columbia we go to see them. We've converted our friends to the Wilcoholism. When David and I saw Wilco together the first time it was like a scene from a good romance movie. David had his arms about my waist, his head on my shoulder and Jeff Tweedy was singing "California Stars". And I thought, now this is perfect.

The Lonely One

"After the show you walked right past,

Arms reached out for your autograph.

And as you flashed your backstage pass,

I caught your eye with a camera's flash.

When the band came out they stood behind you,

Cymbals crashed, the lights went blue,

You stood alone in the halo's haze,

Shiny guitar hung on gold lamé.

And you, you were the lonely one.

You were the lonely one."

Jack Attack!

Jack Attack!

This is Wolfman Jack, the newest member of our household. I've been begging my boyfriend for a puppy since we moved in together. David has a beautiful (and deadly) cat named Bob. I love Bob, but what can I say, I've always been a dog person. Cats expect you to obey their biddings and tell them how pretty they are, a dog just wants to love you. Jack is like all puppies, a little naughty, a lot nice. There is a constant stream of "No puppy, get down, go potty, get down, no biting, drop it, get down, good dog, get down, no, drop it, get down" which alternates with "Kitty kitty, be nice kitty, puss puss, no kitty, get down". The dog is either going to think his name is kitty kitty or get down. I'm trying really hard to be a good puppy parent. I don't want to raise some neurotic, depressed, snarky dog... which is tough because they say dogs are like their owners.
I love him best in the mornings, at lunch and in the evenings. I come home from work and Jack and David are both so happy to see me. It's a really nice feeling to walk in and have everyone be excited. The most fun I've had in the last two weeks has been walking Jack with David. We go to the park, he digs, he runs up to strangers... he's really a little whore for attention.
I guess the moral of the tale is this: get a puppy. It's hellish hard work, but o' so worth it.