I have been listening to talk radio lately (yes, I listen to talk radio). I was listening to 1230am (which is KJFK) and I think it was Ed Shultz that was talking about the photos that were released by President Obama about Abu Ghraib, but I hadn't seen any of them... until now. All I can say is, "what the fuck...?!?"

• This is the one that I thought was the saddest.
  

This is a man that was threatened, apparently, that he was going to be attacked by dogs and was obviously attacked and killed by the same dogs... as you see him in the body bag wrapped in duct tape and ice.

Antiwar.com has many more of these kind of articles and such. I suggest everyone take a look at them and reflect on what "terrorism" actually is. Is it just the people in "OTHER" countries doing terrible things? Are we the ones that are completely and totally absolved from being terrorists?

I was also listening to the radio (1230am) and Ron Reagan or Ed Shultz was talking about how the Prime Minister of Afghanistan pleaded with the US that we should cease and desist air raiding their country, because WE are killing too many civilians. It's bullshit, right? I mean, we use an analogy I heard previously: what if Mexico, to get rid of the narcoterrorists, started to bomb cities/towns in Texas (or any other state) and in doing so, killed American citizens? Would you be mad? If so, why aren't you mad at your own country for doing this in other countries? And mind you this isnt the first time this has happened in other countries. We've been doing this shit since World War 2.

Stop the bullshit. Let's start doing something more logical than just killing and torturing. If we have the "greatest military" in the history of man, why can't we just fucking use it to do good? Why must we also be evil? I hate being represented by my country to be some militaristic douchebag who just wants to make the whole world a democracy. I don't give the smallest fuck if anyone wants to be a dictatorship or a socialistic country, so long as they aren't conducting genocide (like the genocide in Darfur that is so well publicized, and the genocide in Sri Lanka that is not publicized well at all...) we should be able to let countries develop the way they want.

This basically boils down to one thing: Our country spends WAY too much money on our military. Why not spend money on ourselves for once? That seems logical.. I mean, put our own people to work, make our schools actually teach us something... etc.

I don't know what else to say, this has been a dedicated anti-american rant. Not to say I hate America, I love living here. We all (who are from the US :) ) have such great opportunities, but I just cannot stand the fact that the representatives of my country are being such fucking douchebags.

We sincerely need either a civil war or a great big protest/riot/etc. so that we can end the bullshit and let our leaders know that we are sick of this.

We need to be sending emails to our state and federal representatives every day/week/month letting them know what we want and think. I'm from Nevada, so here are the representatives of our state:

• Senator: Harry Reid


• Senator: John Ensign


• District 1 Representative: Shelley Berkley


• District 2 Representative: Dean Heller


• District 3 Representative: Dina Titus

If we don't have a voice, we are nothing.

This weekend, Cindy and I braved all that is Reno (which wasn't bad at all) and drove around the old southwest to scope out the house opportunities to be had. There are essentially only a few places we would consider moving due to the fact that we do not want to live in Reno for an exceptionally long period of time, because we are not especially fond of the climate.

Actually, I should back up a bit and say that we are looking to buy a house [I know! Crazy!] in Reno. The housing market is very clearly bottoming out and the prices of houses are not (in my opinion) going to drop too much further. At least that's what this chart I recently obtained from a local realtor seems to represent.

What brought this all to the forefront is that we will have some money in the foreseeable future and wanted to invest it somewhere, and we think that a house will be the perfect opportunity to spend it in a way that we can simultaneously be splurging, as well as, a bit lavish. Needless to say we have been watching HGTV non-stop and thinking of all the things that are "deal breakers," such as poor construction, no gas hook-ups (cindy's input - as her culinary prowess would certainly be maimed), and anything connected to another house (we need a yard too!)

It was an awesome experience to even be driving around with the person that you will be spending the rest of your life together looking for a house where you will be fixing up and [likely] creating a family.

Certainly this all depends on how things go with the economy, if I get a job at Kleinfelder, where my internship is currently and if we decide to stay in Reno due to any of these factors. It just depends on a few key things that we can't even say that it is definitely going to happen, but we are VERY excited none the less.

I am currently listening to The Juliana Theory (if anyone's ever heard of them. you know, that emo band from like 2003?) and I'm thinking about how most memories (both good and bad) have been tied quite intensely with music. Now I'm wondering if this is due to being a hyper-emotional teenager (selfishly) bent on self-destruction and all that goes along with that. Of course, this is besides the point, or rather a tangential discussion, that is embarrassing and probably uninteresting. My point is that nostalgia seems to be born out of these very emotional periods of our lives and the music that we pour into our souls (via our ears) must be the reason that I'm actually listening to The Juliana Theory right now and enjoying it. Because I know how ... lame it is. Some of the lyrics are:

We're at the top of the world, you and I. We've got alot of
time and it sure feels right. Cause you reached in your pocket
and pulled out a pass that says you can take me anywhere. Sha
la la la. Sha la la la la la la. We're on the top of the world,
here tonight. We've got a lot of time and it sure feels right.
Cause I'm up here running behind you. I'm up here running in repeat...

I mean, these lyrics are great when you're in the 8th grade, but when you're a bit older you understand that these twee lyrics are almost annoying (and are absolutely! annoying if you aren't nostalgic about them.)

Therein lies my point. And actually now that I think about it, I guess I can understand why people like Journey. </hyperscowl.>

And just because I really like to have at least a picture or a video in each post, let this humor you (if you haven't seen it already.)

Okay, I know swooning for a man is probably a little weird for most, but let me explain with this video.

My little brother was telling me that the story behind this song (of which he heard when he saw Andrew Bird play) was as follows:

Andrew Bird has a farm somewhere on the east coast. He had chickens that were kept in a coop. He would try to protect them from foxes (or coyotes, I'm not sure which.) Anyway the foxes or coyotes would keep getting into the coop to eat the chickens and Andrew Bird couldn't protect his 'flightless birds.' All that would be left of the chickens would be their feathers, which would be picked up by sparrows and carried to their nests in Andrew Bird's chimney. When he would start a fire in the fireplace, the nests would all be incinerated and turned to ashes which would end up in people's hair and food.

This is just the tip of the iceberg with how awesome he is though, because if you read his blog on NYT, you can see how inspired the guy is and what talent he has for creativity. So I guess my point is that if you have a heart, you'd swoon for Andrew Bird too. I mean, how can you watch that video and not wish secretly (or loudly in my case) to be able to whistle with perfect pitch while playing guitar in the streets of Monmarte, Paris? If it's possible for you to not wish such things, then I would say that you're dead inside, seek help.

His newest album is called, Noble Beast and is, in my opinion, his best yet. You can read blog entry on how he recorded it if you're a techno-geek like myself. The song "Spare-ohs" is on Armchair Apocrypha. I'm exited for all that comes next in the world of Andrew Bird. Now I just need to see him play live. Woo!

Learn more. [Wiki]
See more videos. [TakeAwayShows]

Now I know I can't write all there is to write about this topic; that would require writing a book, or series of books, on 'why conservatism won't work.' Instead, I am going to try to write a concise few talking points. Hopefully ones that are immediately apparent and require little explanation. Furthermore, I'd like to point out that this is not a 'how liberalism will work' post (that will probably be later. Haha.)

So, the biggest (and easiest) thing to point out right now is the overwhelming amount of cynicism and pessimism associated, in my opinion, with The Right. I feel like I shouldn't mention Rush Limbaugh, but it's not my fault he said something as ridiculous as, "I hope [President Barrack Obama] fails!" And I am aware of Rush's backstory leading up to that statement; however, it elucidates my point much better than I could do alone.

Rush Limbaugh, even to the right, is considered to be as full of idiotic hyperbole ("hyperbole" being the nicest word I can think of to describe her rhetoric) as Ann Coulter. So, what is conservatism all about? It can't be all of the talking heads making poor, uninteresting conversation everyday... can it? The biggest thing I don't understand about conservatism is this: I can see they have ideals, most I don't agree with, but what is the point? What are they doing to solve any problems? (Seriously, if someone can point me to something positive that the conservative movement is actually involved in, I would be grateful... And the minute men do NOT count.)

It is also my opinion, that the conservative movement (ironically quite static...) is doomed. Our country and our world must change. If there was ever a law of man, it would state, "The world must change." And it will, humans and society are not static entities. I don't think I need to expand on this at all, as it should be self-evident.

Conservatism is founded on the ideal of 'tradition.' But tradition, itself, changes from generation to generation, how can it not? If it was some stationary thing, slavery and [extremely] extensive misogyny would still exist. So, for a political view to toot its own horn by saying they are "The Right" is silly and truly audacious, because they have yet to realize that their ideals are in constant flux. They, I suppose, are afraid of the way the world is moving and are trying to drag their heels in as much as possible.

This is my only response I can really have to the current state of conservatism, though, because when people prattle on about their staple conservative talking points (immimigration [xenophobia], gay rights [homophobia], etc...) it is frustrating and usually have poorly articulated points, generally with circular reasoning. Perhaps the most frustrating thing is the fact that the younger generation of 'conservatives' usually have the thinking capacity of a toddler, so their only hope of talking about politics is to mimic their poorly-read parents, whose only way to get information is through Fox News and Rush Limbaugh. (I know, I pulled an Ann Coulter.)

The point being, the conservative ideals should be flexible, and ready for change. Otherwise, conservatism will die and will serve no one. All I can suggest is this: Stop your silly kainotophobia and step up to the plate.

(PS - I know the photo is out of place, but hopefully it will lighten the mood... maybe?)