“It is useless to attempt to reason a man out of a thing he was never reasoned into”

Jonathan Swift
___________________________________________________
"The Democrats have moved to the right, and the right has moved into a mental hospital." - Bill Maher
___________________________________________________
"The city is crowded my friends are away and I'm on my own
It's too hot to handle so I gotta get up and go

It's a cruel ... cruel summer"

Thursday, August 31, 2006

A favor for Bo.

Bo posted an off topic message in the Your Own Personal Jesus post. I thought I would repost it here to keep the other posts on topic. His question is in response to the following letter to the editor: Amarillo's future ready for a fight.

Bo says:


My question to you is, why does Sauseda want the two issues to be voted on seprately? The two issues being the increase in commissioners and the creation of the districts.


IMO, Sauseda wants them separate because one of them will have a better chance of getting approved than the two of them together. Then his group can come back and focus on the losing one later. I'm for both of them, but I would gladly give up an increase in commissioners in exchange for the creation of districts.

Also there is a historical reason why we call it the "Ghostly voice". They claim the content of the editorial page is a reflection of the historical "voice" of the paper, not any one person.

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Your Own, Personal Jesus

We know they are out there. That blindly loyal 30% that will ride Bush to the end of his presidency, like Slim Pickens riding that nuke. Rarely do they identify themselves in such honest fashion:

From the 8/25/06 Globe-Republican LTE:

The distancing Republicans so remind me of the apostles at the time Christ was facing the Romans. The apostles were asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane. Where were they at Christ’s crucifixion?

W as Christ. The Republican Savior. On your knees Bushbots.

Saturday, August 26, 2006

A Conservative Tear-Jerker

I lifted this from a conservative email that found it's way to my inbox. Since I have no respect for the story, which never happened, or the Republican P.R. firm that created it and put it into circulation I've made a few alterations so it more accurately reflects reality. There are bonus points for whoever guesses which changes are mine.

Don't Close Your Blinds

The other day, my nine year old son wanted to know why we were at war .. My husband looked at our son and then looked at me. My husband and I were in the Army during the Gulf War and we would be honored to serve and defend our Country again today. I knew that my husband would give him a good explanation.

My husband thought for a few minutes, searching for the patriotic jingoisms and emotional trigger words appropriate for a child, and then told my son to go stand in our front living room window. He said, "Son, stand there and tell me what you see?"

"I see trees and cars and our neighbor's houses." he replied.

"OK, now I want you to pretend that our house and our yard is the United States of America and you are President Bush."

Our son giggled and said, "OK."

"I've warned you about that sissy laugh of yours, son."

"I'm sorry, Dad."

"Now son, I want you to look out the window and pretend that every house and yard on this block is a different country," my husband said.

"OK Dad, I'm pretending."

"Now I want you to stand there and look out the window and pretend you see Saddam come out of his house with his wife, he has her by the hair and is hitting her. You see her bleeding and crying. He hits her in the face, he throws her on the ground, then he starts to kick her to death. Their children run out and are afraid to stop him, they are screaming and crying, they are watching this but do nothing because they are kids and they are afraid of their father. You see all of this, son....what do you do?"

"Dad?"

"What do you do son?"

"I'd call the police, Dad."

"OK. Pretend that the police are the United Nations. They take your call. They listen to what you know and saw but they refuse to help. What do you do then son?"

"Dad.......... but the police are supposed to help!" my son starts to whine.

"They don't want to, son, because they say that it is not their place or your place to get involved and that you should stay out of it," my husband says.

"But Dad...he killed her!!" my son exclaims.

"I know he did...but the police tell you to stay out of it. Now I want you to look out that window and pretend you see our neighbor who you're pretending is Saddam turn around and do the same thing to his children."

"Daddy...he kills them?"

"Yes son, he does. What do you do?"

"Well, if the police don't want to help, I will go and ask my next door neighbor to help me stop him," our son says.

"Son, our next door neighbor sees what is happening and refuses to get involved as well. He refuses to open the door and help you stop him," my husband says.

"But Dad, I NEED help!!! I can't stop him by myself!!"

"WHAT DO YOU DO SON?"

Our son starts to cry.

"OK, no one wants to help you, the man across the street saw you ask for help and saw that no one would help you stop him. He stands taller and puffs out his chest. Guess what he does next son?"

"What Daddy?"

"He walks across the street to the old lady's house and breaks down her door and drags her out, steals all her stuff and sets her house on fire and then...he kills her. He turns around and sees you standing in the window and laughs at you. WHAT
DO YOU DO?"

"Daddy.."

"WHAT DO YOU DO?"

Our son is crying and he looks down and he whispers, "I'd close the blinds, Daddy."

My husband looks at our son with tears in his eyes and asks him, "Why?"

"Because Daddy.....the police are supposed to help people who needs them...and they won't help.... You always say that neighbors are supposed to HELP neighbors,but they won't help either...they won't help me stop him...I'm afraid....I can't do it by myself Daddy....I can't look out my window and just watch him do all these terrible things and..... and.....do nothing...so....I'm just going to close the blinds....so I can't see what he's doing........and I'm going to pretend that it is not happening."

I start to cry. The dog starts to cry. The Battle Hymn of the Republic begins to play from an unknown source.

My husband looks at our nine year old son standing in the window, looking pitiful and ashamed at his answers to my husband's questions and he says... "Son"

"Yes, Daddy."

"Open the blinds because that man... he's at your front door... "WHAT DO YOU DO?"

My son looks at his father, anger and defiance in his eyes. He balls up his tiny fists and looks his father square in the eyes, without hesitation he says: "I DEFEND MY FAMILY DAD!! I'M NOT GONNA LET HIM HURT MOMMY OR MY SISTER, DAD!!! I'M GONNA FIGHT HIM, DAD, I'M GONNA FIGHT HIM!!!!! And I'm going to stick a broom handle up his cousin's ass. And after that then I'm going to rape his niece. And when I'm done raping her, I'm going to shoot her in the head and burn her remains. Then I'm going to steal the gas out his car and claim his land for my own!"

I see a tear roll down my husband's cheek, across his chin, and then back up the other cheek. He grabs our son to his chest and hugs him tight, too tightly some might say, and says... "It's too late to fight him, sodomize his cousin, rape and murder his niece and claim his land for your own, he's too strong and he's already at YOUR front door son.....you should have stopped him BEFORE he killed his wife, and his children and the old lady across the way. You have to do what's right, even if you have to do it alone, before its too late," my husband whispers.

"So, Dad, we're supposed to care about the rag heads and sand niggers, now?"

"Well, no, we hate them. They're sub-human. It's complicated, son."

"And the other bad man, across the street. He hits his wife, too! I'M GONNA STOP HIM NOW! BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!"

"Well actually, son, he and I are in business together. We'll just leave him be, alright?"

"If you say so, Dad."

THAT scenario I just gave you is WHY we are at war with Iraq. When good men stand by and let evil happen, son....THAT is the greatest atrocity in the world. "YOU MUST NEVER BE AFRAID TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO DO IT ALONE!"

"But, Daddy, why didn't you and Mommy stop the bad man when you had the chance back in the early 90s?"

"Stop sassing me boy, and go get me a beer out of the fridge," my husband states as a tear rolls down the cat's cheek. "Hey! Bitch! Dinner ain't gonna cook itself."

BE PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN! BE PROUD OF OUR TROOPS!! SUPPORT THEM!!! SUPPORT AMERICA SO THAT IN THE FUTURE OUR CHILDREN WILL NEVER HAVE TO CLOSE THEIR BLINDS..."

Friday, August 25, 2006

Web Roundup

Kind of light today. Nothing really grabbed my attention this week.

Kudo's for anyone that knows what movie inspired this pic:

Rhode Island give consumer rebates at time of purchase. I would love this.

Giant nests of yellow jackets. with pic

Human Fossil Discovered in Texas Panhandle

The Evolution / Intelligent Design debate has been rekindled with the discovery of a new hominid fossil in the Texas Panhandle. The new species, Homo meridianicus or "really late in the day man," was found by Professor Giles of the Center for Easier Research Through Optimal Nescience (CERTON) of Amarillo. Dubbed “Panhandle Man” after the region where it was unearthed, Professor Giles’ fossils pose a fundamental challenge to the origins of mankind established by over a century of careful scientific investigation.

These new fossils, distinguished by their small cranial cavities and thick skulls, evidently post-date the emergence of intelligence in our species, Homo sapiens. While these features might have provided a distinct survival advantage in man's descent from arboreal ancestors (many appear to have fallen out of the tree head first) in Panhandle Man these characteristics clearly rendered him impervious to reason and learning. These specimens are a testament to the fact that evolution, the theory that life progresses from simple to more highly developed forms over time, simply did not occur in Texas.

CERTON’s researcher was initially baffled at how these early antediluvians managed to survive the Great Flood. They were evidently kept off the Ark by an embarrassed Noah, but Giles believes that these ancients were carried to safety on some as yet undetected great Turnip Truck. More amazing still is that their descendents can be found living today in the Texas Panhandle, little changed from their primeval ancestors.

These apparent throwbacks to an earlier age claim a direct line of descent from Adam and Eve. This particular family lineage has had a peculiar reproductive strategy from in the beginning. Technically Eve was cloned from her mate, not the most auspicious method for procreation. The streamlined series of begats that followed prevented any fresh sap from entering the family tree, and many of today’s members seem to take pride in skinny dipping in the extreme shallow end of the gene pool.

Considering the adverse consequences of close inbreeding it is no wonder their brood continues to suffer abnormalities like feeble mindedness, insanity and Pat Robertson. This could also explain their rejection of evolution by natural selection in favor of, some might be inclined to say, unnatural selection.

Since only Intelligent Design could possibly explain this peculiar situation, the theory of evolution is once again in a struggle for survival in West Texas. Intelligent Design proposes that life is too irreducibly complex to be explained without the direction of an as yet unnamed (wink-wink) agent. Even though science has elucidated the evolution of the eye and bacterial flagellum -- key I.D. objections to random mutation and modification from simpler forms -- proponents still treat intricate body parts as finished pieces, as if creating species were a matter of someone sticking different bits onto a Mr. Potato Head.

Still, the most difficult argument to refute put forward by the evolutionarily challenged is the most obvious, that it was a godsend to have been made in the image of an anthropomorphic deity.

Who else but the Maker would have the genius to place feet at the end of our legs instead of our arms, close to the ground to make it easier to walk? Putting our nose between our eyes and our ears on either side of our head showed incredible foresight, as it gave us something to hang our glasses on.

The fact we have just two eyes is economical, for if we were spiders, who have up to a dozen eyes, the price of eyeglasses would be extremely costly, and since spiders have noses on their tongues and ears on their legs, our glasses would keep falling off. Michelangelo would have to repaint the Sistine Chapel, and that scene with Adam and his eight hairy spider legs reaching up to touch God wouldn’t be just ghastly, it’d be perfectly normal because we’d all be spiders.

Thank goodness we didn’t turn out to be worms. Playboy would have a six-foot long centerfoldfoldfoldfoldfoldfold -- rather unwieldy -- especially since worms don’t have hands. Lacking a musculo-skeletal structure we would have difficulty pushing down the accelerator or brake pedals on our cars, and using the steering wheel, turn signal and cell phone at the same time would be a driver’s nightmare, just like Houston.

In sum, in a world with hard church pews and sensual grips on rifle stocks, we need only look at the two legs on a pair of control stretch panty hose, a lady’s silk glove, or a push-up bra to know that an intelligence designed Man and his perfect body to fit the world we live in and that He meant for us to own guns. For us to have been created any differently would have made things extremely awkward.

It is inevitable these days that any mention of evolution is bound to turn up some old fossil, revealing just how far we have come. Man shares 99% of his genetic makeup with chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes), demonstrating that amongst all animals we share a close common ancestor. In view of Panhandle Man and his fondness for Intelligent Design, there is certain to be demand for a recount -- by the chimpanzees.

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Goodbye all you people / There's nothing you can say / To make me change my mind / Goodbye

Leading astronomers declared Thursday that Pluto is no longer a planet under historic new guidelines that downsize the solar system from nine planets to eight.
The Emperor W immediately claims that no one in his administration ever said Pluto was a planet in the first place.

Later, The Emperor states that, no matter what the astronomers say, he supports schoolchildren being taught "both sides of the controversy" about Pluto's planetary status.

SPACEDARK

The Globe-Republican ♥ Racial Profiling

The Globe-Republican advocates racial profiling, and I couldn't agree more. Avoid people whose appearance matches any of the examples below. They seek to undermine our democracy, ruin our economy and destroy our way of life.














Wednesday, August 16, 2006

east of eden

To those of us who grew up on the East Side . . .

From a Globe-Republican story, a telling first paragraph . . .

A City Commission meeting in southwest Amarillo drew about 60 members of the public, but focused less on pothole and sewer issues than previous ventures into other sides of town.
Surprised, anyone? Anyone?


spacedark

line in sand

So I’ve spent a good part of this week composing my letters to the teachers’ unions, explaining why I will not be joining them this year. In the past, I’ve been a belt-and-suspenders kind of guy, joining every teachers’ union that was available to me.

But this year the teacher’s unions decided to endorse Carole Nelson Trafalger Hornblatt, and so I’ve decided not to support the teacher’s unions. As Real-Democrat Chris Bell has pointed out, Carole Whassup Vincent Bojangles has received megabucks support in the past from school-voucher guru James Leininger but now claims to be against school vouchers.

So is she or innit she?

Make no mistake about it. This is a deal-killer. People who support public schools do not support vouchers. Period.

But the teachers’ union bureaucracy has adopted a let-them-eat-cake philosophy:

TSTA spokesman Richard Kouri said the group's leaders believed Strayhorn, but added, "Time will tell."
Time will fricking tell??? That’s not good enough for me.

Carole Whatever wants to be a Republican to partisan Republicans. She wants to be a Democrat to partisan Democrats, and she wants to be Grandma to everyone else. She won’t fool me. My grandma lives in Nebraska and would have run as a Democrat.

She is trying to fool us all. Her campaign hinges on the hope that a number of Texans will believe that Carole Deadbody Feralcat Posthole’s latest stand—the one they heard on the news and sorta kinda agree with—is her real stand.

Which is always risky.

As the Texas Comptroller, Carole Whatever knows something about the Texas Lottery. And, in 2006, voting for her is like buying a lottery ticket. As most Texans have figured out by now, one in a bazillion lottery tickets wins the jackpot. A handful of scratchers break even. But the vast majority of lottery tickets wind up torn in half and discarded in the parking lot of the local Toot-n-Totum.

You wanna risk your gubernatorial vote meeting the same fate?

spacedark

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Amarillo Rejects KKK, Still Haven for Bigot

The Ku Klux Klan has had their demonstration. The requirements of our Constitution have been satisfied. As a community we have closed ranks and publicly rejected bigotry and hatred, no matter how it pretends to present itself.

We have taken pride in being a united citizenry, happy to see the quick departure of the American White Knights, even as local members and sympathizers have skulked away to their hiding places. But we are not finished seeing the face of bigotry.

The visit of the Klan has focused our attention onto the Klan's style of bigotry, openly hateful and vulgar. Many fine words have been written against this kind of prejudice, with ethnic slurs and vile language denounced as having “no place in a civilized society.”

A civilized society is shocked when confronted with racism, and yet by this episode we have convinced ourselves that it is outsiders who cling to the past and express their hate. We have forgotten there are others within our midst who are subtle, to whom we have become accustomed by their moderate words, but who nevertheless communicate their ignorance, prejudice and disdain for people of other ethnicities, cultures and faiths.

By discreet words, without curse or slur, he conveys ridicule and contempt with such easy practice that many no longer recognize it as bigotry. Others have become resigned or inured to it, while in this age of terrorism and jingoism more may find his new attacks on foreigners and Muslims acceptable.

Our bigot of public record needs no permit and the steps of city hall as a platform; he has a forum enjoyed by few others on the pages of the Amarillo Globe-News. Mr. Virgil Van Camp’s bigotry has long been on view for all to see, and he has been repeatedly denounced, but unlike the Klan, shows no sign of going away.

Mr. Van Camp has a right to express his views, and the Amarillo Globe-News has every right to publish what it sees fit. But unlike the Klan’s mandated platform, Mr. Van Camp’s column appears at the pleasure of the publisher, and he has been willing to abuse the privilege, foisting ignorant hatred upon the world as a reflection of Amarillo’s thoughts and beliefs.

It is possible for racists to change, to renounce their past and reform. But they do so publicly, by way of apology, atonement, and reconciliation. Mr. Van Camp has done none of these. We are forced to conclude that at some unguarded moment, like the Klan’s fascist salute, he will once again reveal and confirm his rank prejudices.

We may do with Mr. Van Camp as we have always done – nothing. We have made a great public show of rebuking the bigotry of the Klan, and may now ignore setting our own house in order.

In the face of our city's pride, noble words and admirable deeds, as long as Mr. Van Camp is the last bigot standing, he will have the last laugh.

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Polk Street Block Party loves them Democrats!

















Hey All, we need your help next weekend at the Block Party. I got involved with it two years ago during the 2004 campaign season, and although the going was kind of tough, the response to us was still about 50-50. This year, I imagine that with Emperor George's wonderful track record, we will be a tad more popular than we had been. It's actually pretty fun, with music, and beverages, and all types represented! We have a new t-shirt design (image above) that will be done just in time for the party. If you would like to help, contact either Mark Lazar 681-2105 or Laurie McSpadden 355-7386.

"Top of Texas Democrats"....changing the planet one Bozo at a time!

Thanks! Laurie

John Kanelis Has A Death Wish

Is he looking to get fired?

Keep science in school, religion in church.

Saturday, August 12, 2006

“Now stop that! Bad, bad POTUS.”




Yeah, I know. There are still those around who get their feewings hurted when people compare the Emperor W to a monkey.

To them, I . . . don’t apologize. Because he is a monkey. We are all monkeys. And this video is hilarious and it is sad, because of the reminder it carries that the casual, pointless violence that we see all around us lies deeper in our psyche than we care to remember. It begins with monkeys teasing dogs, it begins with little boys blowing up frogs with firecrackers; it ends with planes crashing into buildings, it ends with millions of meaningless dead in thousands of meaningless wars.

Pulling the tail of a dog for no reason at all. Such a simian thing to do. Such a primate thing to do. Such a human thing to do.

spacedark

Friday, August 11, 2006

Hit the Hot Button Now!

I would love to have a political talk show where I had control of a little button that allowed me to shut off my guest's mic when he/she launched into answers that had no relation to the question I had asked. That would be sweet. Maybe it could be called "Hot Button" or something like that.

Anyone ever heard that piece of politician's schoolery that reads something like...
Never answer the question you're asked, but rather answer the question you wished you were asked?

I'm not sure who said it first, but I got it from "The Fog of War" where former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, a guy reviled during his time, much like Rummy is today, comes up with eleven lessons that are absolutely as pertinent today as they were during his time. Funny how Rummy and Bush managed to ignore almost every one of McNamara's lessons.

Anyway, getting back to the statement about answering the question you want, instead of the question you're asked. If we could only give politicians some of what Jim Carrey got in Liar Liar, then we might be able to clear away some of this haze. Imagine what sort of statements would be coming out of the mouths of guys like Tom Delay or Karl Rove. I wonder what they might say...

We're alive

www.amarilloindy.com

Please Label Under . . . WTF?

Smug and condescending conservative twerp Tucker Carlson needs a ratings boost for his MSGOP show.

Solution? . . . "Dancing With The Stars"?!?! HERE

Seriously, good on him. Republicans dance even worse than Spacedark.

A brief sample:



-Prodigal Son

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Republican Family Values Part 2741



Wingnuts in the NY Primary HERE

. . . "The two Republicans vying to challenge Sen. Clinton this fall tore into each other Wednesday in a debate dominated by angry accusations of personal and professional misconduct and abject dishonesty.

Former Yonkers Mayor John Spencer found himself repeatedly on the defensive about his unconventional private life and its impact on his tenure as mayor from 1996 to 2004.

While married to another woman, Spencer fathered two children with his then-chief of staff and substantially raised her salary. He eventually divorced his first wife and married his chief of staff." . . .

"So much time was spent discussing Spencer's private life that Carter finally turned the tables, asking McFarland whether disclosures about her own messy past — she accused her father in 1992 of sexually abusing her as a child — were relevant to her fitness to serve."

More Republican values HERE

-Prodigal Son

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Opposition equals Terrorism

Now questioning and opposition equals anti-patriotism and insurgency. Go team!

That Gingrich would openly refer to those who oppose Bush-Republican Neo-Conservative madness as being an "insurgency" is, in a very real sense, the first public admission that the Bush regime and Republicans are at war with the American people. It is a blatant confession of the ultimate Neo-Conservative agenda, i.e. a deliberate and swift movement toward a very real Executive dictatorship wherein those who dissent or disagree are "the enemy" or members of an "insurgency". Gingrich's use of the term "insurgency" when referring to fellow Americans reveals in no uncertain terms the reality that the Neo-Cons recognize a movement forming that consists of the American people and that is designed to directly challenge their drive toward a nationalist imperialistic dictatorship.

(click)

so I ran into John Kanelis at a KKK rally. . .



Sorry. Couldn't resist.

The editor of the Amarillo Globe-Republican Opinion page was, of course, there for the same reason I was: to report on the events of the day. And to be fair, I saw him again an hour later at the diversity rally and he said that the environment there was much nicer. And I can't find much to disagree with in his column in Sunday's paper, inasmuch as he pretty much echoed my impressions.

Of course, at the rally, Kanelis couldn't resist but make a funny: "This is Barry," he said. "He attacks us on that website. I call it the Panhandle Truth-As-I-See-It Squad." Snorkle, guffaw. I tried to point that "The Truth As I see It" is a workable definition of the word "opinion" and Kanelis edits the Opinion page, but he dismissed my protestations with a "it's-all-just-a-game" chuckle.

But, y'know, that whole enounter got me thinking about the difference between Us and Them.

And then I opened Monday's paper.

Buried on page 4A was the headline "Georgia honors Jewell for Olympic heroism." (print edition of AG-R only, but here's a similar story.) Jewell, you'll remember, had his life wrecked by the mainstream media during the 1996 Olympics. He was initially hailed as a hero for spotting a suspicious backpack that turned out to be a bomb, but then the Atlanta Journal-Constitution described him as the focus of the investigation and suddenly he was a terrorist. Long ago, Eric Rudolph was uncovered as the real terrorist and Jewell quietly went back to cop-ping.

Bloggers try to correct the flaws of the mainstream media. On this blog, we focus on the Amarillo Globe-Republican. Now, I would never claim that this piling on the the mainstream media did to Richard Jewell would not be duplicated by bloggers. If anything, we're worse about piling on than they are.

But, there is this: we correct mistakes. Not always and not all of us, but review and correction is implicit in the form. The mainstream media's mistakes, and our own. The better bloggers believe in, and demand, peer review.

So, after ten years, I think it appropriate that the blogging community correct a mistake of the mass media by highlighting Jewell's story-- as the AG-R did not by sticking in on 4A.

spacedark

Saturday, August 05, 2006

we overcome, today

I'm not sure how to say this, but, good job, Amarillo.

Y'all handled the KKK rally surprisingly well. Sure, most folks managed to be wrong about something. The conventional wisdom that the city should just ignore the white supremicists, for example, turned out to be wrong. The "noise rally" worked out pretty well, making the vast numbers of curiousity-seekers look less like a carnival and more like a city-wide repudiation of the Klan and its values.

And the cops turned out a mostly unnecessary riot squad and placed superfluous snipers on top of the Civic Center. Or at least they said they did. Which was the point, really: they smartly spread the rumor through the crowd, so that everyone knew the snipers were there. And they isolated the Klan with chain link and blocked streets, allowing their First Amendment rights, while minimizing the risk of violence.

And the competing "Diversity Rally" across town was exactly that. African-American, Hispanic, evangelical, Buddhist, mainstream Christian, and banking communities were all represented. Hopefully, the organizers are serious about making it a yearly event.



The "Noise Rally" arrives.















Our Human Zoo: The Klan, outnumbered and separated from the crowd by two chain-link fences.













A quiet riot, after all.

















Snipers (or rumors of snipers) silhouetted against the West Texas sky.














An unidentified man protests John Kanelis of the local paper.













The city united.



















Making the point en español.

















Some folks are just curious.


















One of the few Aryan Nation types on this side of the fence slinks away.













Not just noise here: at the NAACP planned diversity rally, Audriana Gutierrez sings the "Star Spangled Banner."










Strangers managed to find common ground at the diversity rally.













Diversity isn't just speech making. Taking out KKK-day aggression in a healthy way at OUT- standing Amarillo's dunking booth.










All in all, a hopeful day under the hot Amarillo sun. Who knew?


spacedark

Amarillo Burning Slightly Warmed Over

In recognition of today's Klan Rally:

Clayton Bigsby: Black White Supremacist


Fight The Power

Friday, August 04, 2006

This Just In ...

Amarillo Area Democratic Headquarters

1306 W. 8th Ave.

Amarillo, TX 79101

(806) 379-9230

Fax: (806) 379-9279

August 4, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jim Perkins, 356-9082

Re: Ku Klux Klan Rally

“While there is no excuse for the intolerance represented by the Ku Klux Klan, we Democrats support the right of all people to assemble peaceably in public and be heard,” Abel Bosquez, chair of the Potter County Democratic Party said today.

“When we heard of the Klan’s rally, we encouraged all our supporters to support the NAACP’s planned rally Saturday at Martin Luther King Park, away from the site of the Klan demonstration,” added Randall County Chair Jim Otto. “This is consistent with the Texas Democratic Party’s call to protect our core principles of equality and equal protection for all.”

Jim Perkins, president of the Potter-Randall Democratic Club, commented “We are very disturbed by the reports of a group that is apparently planning to confront the Klan with a noisy protest at the same site. Not only is that an affront to free speech, but it unnecessarily risks a violent confrontation.”

“We urge all citizens to simply stay away from the Klan rally. We hope all Amarillo will support the NAACP’s efforts to promote racial justice, and meet us at Martin Luther King Park at 3 p.m. on Saturday,” Bosquez concluded.

Web Roundup, don't squat with your spurs on!

Electronic Voting Sucks

Conservative mega-church pastor for separation of church and state

Cool new body armor and a video of it in action.

Not only do they get tax cuts, they cheat on the taxes they're suppose to pay

Tom Delay to run for re-election.

The real federal deficit according to GAP standards

$437 billion on Iraq, Afghanistan, and other parts of the war on terror since 2001

The scientist whom history forgot

Because of this cartoon, I passed a test in high school. The hardest part of the test was reciting the preamble without singing it.

Thursday, August 03, 2006

Amazing But True Facts About Dave Henry's Column in Today's Globe-Repub

► Nearing the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the costliest and one of the deadliest hurricanes in the history of the United States, David Henry wrote a column tastelessly gloating about Amarillo's "advantages" over Louisiana!

► In his column, Dave Henry offered up the following paragraph:

Hurricane evacuation routes are clearly marked on Louisiana highways. In Amarillo and the Panhandle, grass fires don't always offer an escape route and tornadoes can pop up with little advance warning. Still, it is hard to imagine getting through a major earthquake in California. Advantage: Push.
Amazing But True: This paragraph actually means something to David Henry!

► David Henry implies that the ideas for Cajun "eating establishments" were stolen from The Big Texan! And that Cajun food tastes like "an old shoe"!

► David Henry is so shallow a thinker that he cannot fill an 800-word column with words about the same topic! He writes about Louisiana, Mel Gibson, and the Ku Klux Klan in the very same column!

► David Henry is more offended by having to pay taxes than by the KKK's racism!

► David Henry is more offended by drunk driving than anti-Semitism!

► David actually commits the following to print! :
Mel Gibson may or may not be a bigoted anti-Semite. Even if he is, that's not against the law, nor will it cost innocent lives.
JCOAT. Even though Americans are notoriously ignorant of history, it is difficult to imagine methamphetamine addicts on the Boulevard who have never heard of the Holocaust.

spacedark

Nazi party has history in Germany

"That was just a part of life in Amarillöhausen, Freistaat Texöny, Deutschland, back during those days, I think. Killing Jews and all that stuff," said Wilhelm Wareberger, executive vice president for Amarillöhausen Nationalbank. Wareberger's grandfather, Rikard C. Wareberger - a past president of the family-owned bank - along with his grandfather's two brothers, Adolf Hünter Wareberger and Karl T. Wareberger all were Nazi party members in 1937 and 1938.

"Of course it has nothing to do with our bank right now," Wareberger said, adding that the bank has received federal recognition for its investment in the community. His grandfather's racial views eventually progressed with the times, Wareberger said.

spacedark

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

50 ways to hate your paper

I don't usually detail every single thing that annoys me about the Amarillo Globe-Republican. That would be far too time-intensive and I have a Masters thesis to write. But, today, I thought it might be fun to briefly itemize all my beefs with today's local paper, both the political and the simply irritating.

Page 1A: The University of Texas tower was not "forever stigmatized" by the 1966 sniper. The observation deck of the tower was closed for a number of years, and the community has never forgotten. But when U.T. wins a national championship, the tower still gets lit up burnt orange. But Charles Whitman didn't stigmatize the tower forever anymore than he stigmatized Eagle Scouts and Marines, both of which he was.

8A: Tom Tomorrow says all that needs to be said about columns like the Ghostly Voice'sTM "Are Democrats poised to make costly error?"

9A: Steve Holland describes liberals as "[c]asually accusing rivals and opponents of misconduct with literally no evidence." That phrase also describes Steve Holland's entire column.

9A: "Patriotism is the religion of Hell" is an interesting quotation. It has nothing whatsoever to do with the letter to the editor about drug policy that it is positioned directly beneath, or, in fact, with anything else on the editorial page. (print edition only)

2B: Does anyone read the bridge column? (print edition only)

1C: The word "disco" has a different meaning in Spanish than in English. The Dos De Oros Disco should have been described as a "bar" or a "dance club." People may dance there, but probably not to the Bee Gees.

1D: Sportswriter Lance Lahnert reminds me of Tony, a guy in high school who thought he was a jock because he was a trainer for the football team. Oddly, the Emperor W also recently reminded me of Tony when he offered an unsolicited massage to the German Chancellor. Tony used to do that, too, and the girls reacted in much the same way.

Not today, but real annoying: A letter several days ago falsely claimed that WMDs were found in Iraq a month ago and went unreported by the media. Why does the Globe-Republican allow letter writers to blatantly lie?

What annoys you about the Globe-Republican?

spacedark

miss me blind

It isn't really, of course, the 25th anniversary of MTV. Much like the Paul-is-dead rumors of the late 1960s, MTV died around 18 years of age or so, and was replaced by an imposter. Nevertheless, I enjoyed listening to Martha Quinn, Alan Hunter, Nina Blackwood, and Mark Goodman on Sirius this morning remembering the old days.

I guess my generation is entering a nostalgia phase. It seems like the 1980s are on everyone's mind.

So, naturally, all of the old bands are getting back together with missing members. The more honest at least alter their names; hence, The Cars with Todd Rundgren instead of Rik Ocasek becomes The New Cars.

But for some bands, like INXS, the name remains the same; they disrepetfully go around pretending that nothing has changed. For those bands, it is left to us, the music fans, to change their name for them.

So I want to get this out there, before anyone else does. Culture Club recently announced that they would be touring with Sam Butcher instead of Boy George, who is apparently busy picking up trash.

They will henceforth be known as "Sam's Club".

spacedark

Liberals



Just trying to help those silly Liberals (Aren't they cute!), Steve Holland strains in this morning's AGR for a comparison.

Shorter Steve Holland:
SH: Liberals are like a car with a slow leak in a tire. They use fix-a-flat spray.
Human Race: WTF are you talking about?
SH: Islomofascists are also like the road to Tucumcari or something too . . .
Awkward silence.

I dunno either.

The AGR also weighs in on the Connecticut Lamont/Leiberman race and falls firmly into line behind Leiberman. Do the good folks of CT give a rats?

Furthermore, if a CT paper wrote an editorial in favor of Mac Thornberry (R, MarshBivins), wouldn't the AGR scream in outrage and tell them to butt out?

Just sayin' . . .

-Prodigal Son