The Birds

Chicken, meet Hawk...

From the New York Times (30 April 2004)

Cheney’s Five Draft Deferments During the Vietnam Era Emerge as a Campaign Issue

By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
Published: May 1, 2004

WASHINGTON, April 30 — It was 1959 when Dick Cheney, then a student at Yale University, turned 18 and became eligible for the draft.

[ ... ]

But by 1963, ferment in Vietnam was rising. Mr. Cheney enrolled in Casper Community College in January 1963 — he turned 22 that month — and sought his first student deferment on March 20, according to records from the Selective Service System.

After transferring to the University of Wyoming at Laramie, he sought his second student deferment on July 23, 1963.

On Aug. 7, 1964, Congress approved the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, which allowed President Lyndon B. Johnson to use unlimited military force in Vietnam. The war escalated rapidly from there.

Just 22 days later, Mr. Cheney married his high school sweetheart, Lynne. He sought his third student deferment on Oct. 14, 1964.

[ … ]

Mr. Cheney obtained his fourth deferment when he started graduate school at the University of Wyoming on Nov. 1, 1965.

On Oct. 6, 1965, the Selective Service lifted its ban against drafting married men who had no children. Nine months and two days later, Mr. Cheney’s first daughter, Elizabeth, was born. On Jan. 19, 1966, when his wife was about 10 weeks pregnant, Mr. Cheney applied for 3-A status, the “hardship” exemption, which excluded men with children or dependent parents. It was granted.

In January 1967, Mr. Cheney turned 26 and was no longer eligible for the draft.

[ … ]

He told an interviewer at the time, “I think those who did in fact serve deserve to be honored for their service.”

Of American involvement in Vietnam, he said: “Was it a noble cause? Yes, indeed, I think it was.”

On Da Road

these are buggies who died, died!


birdbrains



Someone thinks I have a pretty mouth


with the world on his back...

I Am Not the First to Notice the Monty Python Terrorist

But I do have screen caps!

In a Pensive Moment:



Before the Taliban Pulled my Director's Guild Card (just because I was a woman):




Famous at Last!:

Peace on the Airplane

Anyone who has ever flown on a plane more than a couple of times knows that one of the biggest risks (no, not crashing) is having to sit next to someone annoying. If you’ve never experienced this — congratulations! — you’re probably one of those irritating gabbers I’ve ignored.

Want to choose someone who will talk to you? Why look! There’s an introduction service. So go, find someone else insane, and leave me alone on the plane.

via immutably me via wolf angel

This is why a benevolent FSM invented the iPod. You don't even have to have it on, just pop the buds in your ear and look a bit vague. If you really want to ensure your seatmate doesn't talk to you, occasionally hum/sing some borderline ("borderline" kids, you're on an airplane and the airlines are very anal about dealing with perceived and imaginary threats) lyric under your breath. I like "Career Opportunities" by the Clash. It has nothing to do with guns or bombs, so should be airline-safe, but it does indicate you are possibly a dangerous anarchist ("Do you wanna make tea for the BBC do you really wanna be a cop. Career opportunities the ones that never knock, everything they offer you is somethin on the dock"). "White Riot" also works if you feel comfortable playing the semi-race card ("White Riot, White Riot, White Riot wanna riot of my own. Black man gotta lot a problems..." and so on).

Also, not showering for three days before the flight seems to shut people up. ;-)

Clothing selection can also help. Don't wear anything that someone might want to talk about. Wearing your "I love kitties" sweatshirt with the adorable little kittens playing with balls of yarn? You're asking for it and you probably deserve it if someone talks to you. Go a different route - wear your "Adolf Hitler World Tour: 1939-1944" shirt and you should be left entirely alone unless you meet a Nazi or JDL member with no sense of irony (hmmm... those are two groups not known for ironic distance, so.. you take your chances).

And, if all else fails, do make some comment about a bomb or a hijacking. Just be certain that you want to switch some boring guy on a plane for some threatening guy in the next (and you hope it stays that way) bunk.

Me?

I'll drive.

QUANTUM POETRY

The quantum mechanic took a look at the world
And waved as it (probably) went by
Uncertain if its engine vibrated or twirled
He took a look inside by and by

And saw that it had direction (or it ought)
But you know that he couldn't quite place it
And in an indeterminate minute he thought
It should be possible for man to trace it

But new information came speeding to light
And it made the mechanic uncertain
about which principles seemed to be right
And which just could not be determined

And he saw there was no causal link
And so our particular future is written
in invisible ink, in the place that we think
by quantum cats and inconceivable kittens

Totally Useless "State Colors" static pic

Redder is "better"

;-)

Totally Useless "Colors of the State" animation

Totally Useless "Arnie Loses" animation

taken every five percentage points of total vote..

proving? I dunno? Lefty voting machines work slower? ;-)

Reflections on the CA Election

• You have to love San Francisco - the only county that voted for re-regulated power! Can you even see that little dot of blue there by the bay? LMAO

• What the Hell is up with Imperial County? Radically right on abortion reporting (68%) but radically left on teacher tenure (63%). Relatively left (for booniedom) on union rights (59%) and the only county in the state to vote for drug rebates (the only county to go yes on 78 at 53% and one of three to go yes on 79 at 51%). I'd love to go down there and talk to the voters. That's just a weird pattern!

• But mainly, what a pounding for Arnie.

• Listening (radio) to Warren Beatty campaign against Arnie? I can barely believe the guy is an actor. He can't speak without hemming and hawing and if he's the Democratic candidate next election? They are doomed. Arnie can't really speak English and he's head and shoulders above Beatty as a speaker.

* It was interesting to watch the counties come in. LA and Alameda were the last "liberal" ones out, and they were out to the very end. San Diego and Orange stayed out for a while, but once Orange came in (and at around 75% of all ballots in their votes shrank margins for 73 and 75) it was a walk-away for the Anti-Arnie Army.

NFL = "No Fun League?" Not with hot lesbian sex in a public restroom!

Saturday night (11/5) two Carolina Panther Cheerleaders were arrested for public sex and one of the lusty duo was also arrested for assault. The Panthers were in town to play the Bucs Sunday afternoon and the cheerleaders were apparently just in the mood to play.Witnesses say Angela Keathley and Renee Thomas were engaged in sexual activity inside a bathroom stall at Banana Joe's around 2:20 am Sunday. "Banana Joes?" You just can't make this kind of thing up. According to police, when another woman who was waiting to use the bathroom got in an argument with the two lovebirds,Thomas punched the woman in the face. When Thomas was arrested, she added to her list of charges by giving police the name of another Panthers cheerleader.

Thomas could face additional charges for lying to police, once they confirm her identity. Keathley was charged with disorderly conduct and obstructing or opposing an officer, while Thomas was charged with one count of battery.

As of Sunday night, both cheerleaders were still listed on the Carolina Panthers "Topcat" website (photos link to bigger, popping, picture)

Angela Keathley	Renee Thomas

And Renee Thomas was the "Topcat Spotlight" cheeleader (photos link to bigger, popping, picture)

On an unrelated note, a comparison of photos taken during mugshots and photos taken for the website reveals that you just can't believe your lying eyes. Or that the graphic artist for the Panthers has a good way with an airbrush.

Image	Reality

"I can't be Arsed" the greatest contribution England has ever made to civilization.

I like a lot of things about the English.

• I like how they all look like they just crawled out of coal-mines after 30 generations of living down there and only dreaming about the sun.

• I like their beer - nothing could be finer than a half-pint tour of London.. walk till you are tired, stop in a pub and have a half-pint of something tasty, then walk on. This was how I found the old Tate museum and the power house at Battersea.

• I like how the Germans always understimate the English, then end up surrendering to them.

• And of course the accents, to use an Amercanism, rock!

But most of all I like the phrase "I can't be arsed." Because it so sums up a sensible type of laziness.. not unconcious laziness.. rather, considered laziness. It implies that the utterer of the phrase is not lazy in general, in fact has reasonably thought through what he or she might gain by an activity and considers the rewards of an action not worth pursuing. It is not, like the Mexican laziness of "manana" a putting off of something.. it is saying that something will never be done. It is not like the Muslim laziness of "If Allah wills it" a surrender to the allegedly greater power of some wacky God... it is, instead, a surrender to the realities of Newtonian physics. It is a noble laziness.

I might write more but I can't be arsed..

DeFrigeration?

So,

over $200.00 worth of grocery shopping and my refrigerator still looks like this:



How is that possible, and what the hell is that brown stuff on the lower left of the refrigerator?

Must be more science. ;-)

Relaxing Photos from Relaxation..

Went camping for the 8th anniversary of my POSSLQing...


It was foggy:



got the POSSLQ to cook!



and eat



and veg around in our lovely cabin for the third night...