PAUL RANTS

Posted by Paul at May 24th, 2006

Bush Not Likely to See Gore’s Film

Bush is not only mocking his former opponent when he says “Doubt it” re: seeing Al Gore’s film on global warming. He’s mocking those of us who would like to see our country run in service of something other than the big energy companies. If you can look at the photos of the polar ice caps now (very little ice) and 20 years ago (lots of ice) and not see that the climate is rapidly changing than you’re only fooling yourself. OK, you’re doing something else as well: you’re supporting the Bush administration for indefensible reasons. The big energy companies to which Bush is in full service to, here and abroad, are not anymore friendly to you and yours then they are to me and mine. They are equal opportunity exploiters.

Hey, if Bush doesn’t want to see a movie on global warming, fine. It could very well be a yawn fest. But those words, “Doubt it,” aren’t simply the words of someone who dislikes documentaries. They are the disdainful words of an administration that has always been firmly in the pocket of big oil. Gasoline prices, the economy, the environment, your children’s futures, our soldiers lives, and our security at home be damned. Billions of tax dollars and thousands of lives spent servicing the whims of big oil, not to mention assuring tax breaks for oil companies making record profits. Alternative fuels, CAFE standards, and our standing in the world be damned as well.

Don’t doubt it, count on it.

…and read all about it:

Scientists OK Gore movie for accuracy

Climate Progress

The Canary Project

Beyond the Ivory Tower: The Scientific Consensus on Climate Change

Undeniable Global Warming

New Scientist Special Report on Climate Change

Posted by Paul at May 10th, 2006

January 12, 2005: The woman drove off in a black SUV to reveal a man on his back in the gutter across the street. I called 911 and went outside with the phone. It was the first sunny day after a long storm. The man had obviously been shot. The operator instructed me to apply pressure to his wounds. I stood 6 feet away from him in the street. I did not share the operator’s urgency. The man wasn’t moving. He was stocky and had a hole in his abdomen. His short dark hair was matted with blood. I didn’t get any closer. The sirens were approaching. I now realize that I should have gone back inside at that point. But I waited. I now realize that when the police asked me what I saw I should have said nothing. A man was lying in the gutter so I called for help, period. But this was a new experience for me; I was indignant. I told the police what I could about the woman in the black SUV: stringy dark hair, latina, in a panic. They came over that evening and showed me six photos on a contact sheet, three of which might have been her. I circled the photos and signed my statement. Big mistake.

Today is May 10, 2006. I just returned home after my fourth and final required visit to the courthouse. The killer, who was the x-girlfriend of the victim and lived across town somewhere, pleaded “no contest” to voluntary manslaughter. There will be no trial. Such relief, let me tell you. Ninety percent of my four days in court leading up to this conclusion were spent waiting, about 30 hours. Attorneys chatted with each other, some young and well dressed, some older and rumpled. Various cases were postponed, dismissed, moved elsewhere, or plea bargained. I fiddled endlessly with my cellphone. Today the judge announced there would be a 15 minute recess and returned almost an hour later with no explanation (it was during that time that I took the above photo with my cellphone). My presence was never acknowledged except by some sideways glances from the shooter’s family. Somehow the coroner, the paramedics, the police officers, and a neighbor of mine (another witness) knew enough not to be there today.

Now I know a few things as well.

Posted by Paul at May 4th, 2006

Phoenix Sun Raja Bell has one solution for Kobe Bryant: Grab him by the neck and throw him to the floor. Raja. Do you think, perhaps, alerting the referees that you’re being (allegedly) harassed is a better solution than physical assault? That was beyond a foul; Bell wasn’t going for the ball, he was going for the throat. He will now be suspended from tonight’s game 6. Now I read in the press today that he called Kobe pompous and arrogant. Pompous? I guess if you have the audacity to score 80 points in a single game that might be construed as pompous. Pompously talented, anyway. Arrogant? OK, maybe Kobe is a little arrogant. He is the best all-around player to come to the NBA since Michael Jordan; and like Jordan, he gets away with more, as does Shaq, as does Iverson, etc. It’s always been like that. So get used to it. This is the playoffs, baby. And we’re hitting the floor tonight in Kobe’s house. And Raja, you’re not invited.

UPDATE: When you’re up by 3 points with 10 seconds left against the best 3 point shooting team in the NBA, then…Oh, NEVERMIND!!!

Posted by Paul at May 3rd, 2006

Bush Challenges Hundreds of Laws

Last time I checked, the President was supposed to uphold the law. Or is it the Constitution? Well, not exactly. It’s the Constitution as he interprets it. Yeah, that’s it! Torture and eavesdropping may not be legal in the, uh, legal sense, but that aint how Dubya interprets how the Constitution interprets those laws! Got it? I don’t either. Congress passed whistle-blower protections for employees at the Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. But you can forget about those laws. Bush don’t like ‘em! He won’t actually veto anything (can’t let the public think your uncooperative); he just adds a “signing statement” after the fact that puts him above the laws. He’s done it over 750 times and counting. Previously, signing statements were used rarely, now they’re common place. Maybe the media should start paying attention to how our president is subverting laws passed by congress (Ya think?) Kudos to journalist Charlie Savage of the Boston Globe for the above article.

UPDATE: Bush’s Tactic of Refusing Laws Is Probed

UPDATE: Sen. Specter preparing bill to sue Bush

–> SEE BUSH FALL (cont’d)

Posted by Paul at May 2nd, 2006

Frist on High Gas Prices: It’s Clinton’s Fault

Yeah, right. The high gasoline prices have nothing to do with all the refineries being closed (so the companies that line Bill Frist’s pockets can limit gasoline production). Please… As if we can’t find out for ourselves that there’s plenty of oil to go around. Frist banks on the people being uninformed. He says that drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is necessary to reduce America’s “60 percent dependence” on foreign oil. According to the Department of Energy, drilling in ANWR is expected to reduce projected U.S. dependence on oil imports by only 4 percent over the next 20 years. Meanwhile, Frist and his cronies vote against every bill to raise the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. If the Republican congress would allow us to raise CAFE standards for automobiles by 6 miles per gallon we could ween ourselves off of foreign oil. But as the senate majority oil shill, he’s not about to let that happen.

This is the same Senator (a medical doctor, mind you) who said on national television that he didn’t know whether or not people could get HIV from tears. He sold out his medical ethics re: the Terry Schiavo case as well. This guy is a shill for the oil companies, and he’s a shill for the red state vote.

Wake up Tennessee. Vote out this unprincipled pandering shill… Or someone please give him a blow-job so we can throw him out.

UPDATE: As if that weren’t enough, he’s also a Drug Company Shill