Hippie Stank

Oh my, oh my. For the chumps who think that "moral issues" drive the politics of this country, apparently it is all just smoke and mirrors. Fools are fools, though, and they'll swallow anything spoon feed to them. Why do you think 50 percent still believe this load of crap. I'll tell ya why... Because the fear merchants are always hiding in the closet (pun intended) whispering scary, implausible lies in their ears to keep 'em nice and jittery for election time.

Damn Republican 'cut and runners'. America haters! Go hide under your beds!!

Iraq: Would U.S. Pull Out in Full Civil War?:

"President Bush will move U.S. troops out of Iraq if the country descends into civil war, according to one senior Bush aide who declined to be named while talking about internal strategy. 'If there's a full-blown civil war, the president isn't going to allow our forces to be caught in the crossfire,' the aide said."

I claim that before 1999 Bush didn't know that Connecticut and Texas were NOT the only 2 states in the U.S.

Ambassador claims shortly before invasion, Bush didn't know there were two sects of Islam:

"Former Ambassador to Croatia Peter Galbraith is claiming President George W. Bush was unaware that there were two major sects of Islam just two months before the President ordered troops to invade Iraq, RAW STORY has learned."

(que Jimmy Hendrix guitar solo here).... But not for your body odor. Have you sniffed a hippie lately?

Psychedelic drugs could be very good for your mind, heart, soul. Can you believe?:

"Hide the children. Pour some absinthe, fluff the pillows, take off your pants. It is time.

Because now we know: Getting nicely and wholly high on illegal but completely natural hallucinogenic drugs might, just might open some sort of profound psychological doorway or serve as some sort of giddy terrifying rocket ride to higher state of consciousness, happiness, a sense of inner peace and love and perspective and a big, fat lick from the divine.

It's true. There's even a swell new study from Johns Hopkins University that officially suggests what shamans and gurus and botany Ph.D.s and alt-spirituality types have known since the dawn of time and Jimi Hendrix's consciousness: That psilocybin, the all-natural chemical found in certain strains of wild mushrooms, induces a surprisingly large percentage of users to experience a profound -- and in some cases, largely permanent -- revolution in their spiritual attitudes and perspectives."

Electric Bees

We need a leader with vision to silence BigOil/BigAuto and set forth a short term plan to rid ourselves of oil based energy. Just like when we went to the moon. Any body that says we can't do it in a decade is an America Hater. Why to they hate America so?

How much has Big Auto lied? Take a drive in this four-wheel electric orgasm, and find out:

"It's called the Tesla Roadster....

That's right, it's not a prototype. Not some eccentric inventor's crazy basement fantasy. It's a real car. Street legal, drivable, gorgeous, available soon. The Tesla guys have already earned their share of press, given how they managed to wrangle millions in backing from the Google boys (among others). Rumor has it that the Guvernator himself, after going for a test drive during last week's press day, has already placed his order for one of the little luxo speedsters, presumably to feed to his fleet of rabid Hummers.

Did I mention the Roadster costs about 80K? Who cares? The price is irrelevant. The fact that this car even exists in such a pure and obvious and performance-oriented form, does. Simply put, it is the most flagrant proof yet that we have been brutally, savagely misled.

See, they lie. And they've been lying for years, decades. They lie about how difficult it is to replace the internal combustion engine. They lie about how unfeasible it is to eliminate auto emissions without sacrificing real performance (the 130-mph Roadster's lithium-ion battery system is estimated to be twice as efficient as a Prius and three times as efficient as a hydrogen fuel cell. Not to mention Tesla's fabulous solar option).

I'd like to start lobbying for a "Tell your boss to 'Fuck Off' day". We can call it "Patriot's Day".

Why the Brain Needs a Break :

"Working more than 48 hours a week doubles the load of stress. It puts one on course for heart disease.

Robinson is quick to insist that the belief that Europeans are lazy is nothing but a convenient myth. 'The fact is, they get more done in less time. Four European countries are more efficient and productive than the U.S.--Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Norway. Companies in those countries employ management techniques that make longer vacations work.'

By contrast, in the U.S., 'managers have an irrational fear that they need people in all those chairs all the time or everything will fall apart,' says Robinson. And overtime is often unproductive because it is conducted by fatigued brains. Many studies show that most Americans are chronically running on too little sleep.

'If you work seven 50-hour weeks in a row you don't get more done than in seven 40-hour weeks,' says Robinson. 'Overtime is not productive and fatigue seeps into the regular work time.'"

Insult to injury:

Teen Crashes Into Tree Full of Bees:

"A teenage driver crashed into a hollow tree and stirred up tens of thousands of angry honey bees, creating a swarm that sent her and nine others to the hospital."

"I was a Republican until they lost their minds"

Tons of news to catch up on.

First off... I experienced only my 3rd earthquake in the Bay Area last night. This one caught my attention. The quake was a 4.4 and was 42 miles NNW of the city. Kind of far away, but my bed started rocking... and not in the good way. Check out the map:

Recent Earthquakes for San_Francisco

Here's a response to the ridiculous "Snow Flake" veto by the pResident of the stem cell bill. "Snow Flake" babies are embryos that have been adopted and brought to term. Only 120 of the 400,000 frozen embryos have been adopted. Do the math for the percentage. These folks are really putting the embryos where their mouths are. Meanwhile, we can all look forward to Parkinsons as no cure will ever be found while we've got these religious wackos in office :

Daily Kos: Cheers and Jeers: Thursday:

"From the Blastocyst Community Bulletin...

There will be a new blastocyst orientation session at the Federal Building on Market Street at 2pm (use the side door). All blastocysts will receive a Social Security number, $50 cash and a free copy of the Employment Times.
-
All of us at BCB mourn the passing of associate editor Hank Grindle, 12 days, a long-standing member of the local blastocyst community for 7 days and 3 hours. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the VFW. Our condolences to Gladys, his wife of 10 days and 8 hours.

At least some pastors get it. Mr. Boyd, we might not agree on a lot of things but we agree on this:

Disowning Conservative Politics, Evangelical Pastor Rattles Flock:

"When the church wins the culture wars, it inevitably loses, Mr. Boyd preached. When it conquers the world, it becomes the world. When you put your trust in the sword, you lose the cross."

Here's some good commentary on Mr. Boyd from DailyKos:

Daily Kos: Megachurch Pastor Throws the Repub party out of his Temple!: the New Awakening?

Gnarles! I mean, Charles! Welcome back to the Democrats. Lost their minds, indeed!

My Way News - Ex-NBA Star Barkley Eyes Ala. Governorship:

"MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Former basketball star Charles Barkley says he's switched political teams from Republican to Democrat and is again talking about running for governor in his home state, possibly in 2010.
...
Barkley continued to identify himself as a Republican until recently, when he switched parties. 'I was a Republican until they lost their minds,' he said earlier this month."

Again, there is no such thing as a liberal media. Made up by the Neocons. Got that!

Third time's not the charm: Sunday-morning talk shows still imbalanced

Finally, Alabama is exporting something besides great music and bigoted faux Christians.

Alabama barbecue restaurants spreading:

"BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Alabama's best export might be slathered with sauce.

'Bama-based barbecue restaurants — known for their variety of styles — are spreading throughout the South and beyond, slowly gaining an out-of-state foothold in a highly regionalized business where diners can be pretty picky about what's on their plate.

Any fan of Southeastern Conference football knows about Tuscaloosa's Dreamland BBQ Ribs, which started in a smoky, dark building in 1958 a few miles from the University of Alabama. It now has six restaurants, including two in upscale parts of metro Atlanta, and each has the same motto: 'Ain't nothing like' em nowhere.'

Golden Rule Bar-B-Q, which opened in 1891 near Birmingham, has 20 locations in Alabama and has expanded to one each in Georgia and Tennessee with plans to move into more states by the end of the year. And Jim N' Nicks Bar-B-Q has grown beyond its Alabama roots into Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and Tennessee."

The Mountains of So. Cal at 7 a.m.

I'm back! Had a nice, quiet vacation touring around So Cal and Arizona. Beautiful, but hot. First stop was Indian Wells at the Grand Champions Resort and Spa. You can get some smoking (no pun intended) deals at the resorts in the desert this time of year. It was 117 degrees when I arrived. Only white people and their need to separate themselves from the rest of the world would live in the desert during the summer. Okay, that's an exaggeration, but, still, there wasn't a brotha or sista to be found.

The resort is surrounded by the San Jacinto Mountains. Pretty awesome site. Hung out at the pool and played some golf. Practically had the place to myself. Very nice.

After Indian Wells I drove through the Sonora desert to visit some friends in Phoenix.... Scottsdale to be specific. Had a great time in PHX that included an awesome conversation with a very dear friend. Thanks, M.!

Here are some pics from the trip.

Sunset from my balcony

Indian Wells


Entrance at the resort


6:30 a.m. tee time.


Mountain view


Giver of life in the desert


Crazy cactus


1st birdie of the day on hole # 1


The mountains of So Cal at 7 a.m.


Course view


2nd and last birdie of the day on the tee at # 10




A couple more sunsets from the balcony




Some Saguaro cactus in Phoenix


Other native flora


On my last trip to Palau, I showed you some art native to the area. Check out this post for a refresher. In Scottsdale, my friend had this incredible picture on her wall from local artist. It looks like a close up photograph of a cactus but it was created by drawing small, looping circles with a pencil. In the last picture you can almost see the circles. Pretty crazy talent.

Hope you enjoyed. I'll be back to posting regularly now. Peace!

Vacation.... Having to get away

Y'all: I'm on vacation this week. I hope to get some pictures up tomorrow with a few tales. (Unfortunately, not enough "tail" on this vacation, yet).

I'll discuss why rich white people are the only ones stupid enough to want to live in the desert.

DBT Week in Review - 7/21/06

The petition is doing well. It has been live for a week and we've collected close to 200 signatures. Thanks to all of the fans who took the time to have their voice heard. I'm going to let it marinate for another couple of weeks before sending off to the HEAD, HEAD honchos at New West.

Here are the various boards I've posted the petition to:

Ninebullets
Widespread
REM - Murmur.net
Craigslist
Pearl Jam
Max Lunger - Stones
Wilco - ViaChicago
Son Volt - Jay Farrar
Guitartown

I've also seen other postings on other boards by folks propagating the petition. Thanks to those.

Here's the petition. Sign it if you haven't!
....
Awesome news tha the Truckers will be playing the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival 2006 in San Francisco. I've attended this festival several times while living in SF, and it is one hell of a time.

TybeeDawg from the Yahoo Group makes his "Must see" picks for the Hardly Strictly:

dbts : Message: Re: KICK FUCKING BUTT!!!!!

"I downloaded a SBG show from several yrs ago that was excellent. This is a killer lineup. Here's a list that will try to avoid the painfully obvious:

Iris DeMent, Kevin Welch, Kieran Kane, Chatham County Line, The Austin Lounge Lizards, The Lee Boys, Todd Snider, North Mississippi Allstars Hill Country Revue, Banjo Extravaganza with Bill Evans, Tony Trischka and Alan Munde, T Bone Burnett, Bob Weir & The Waybacks, Linda Ronstadt & Ann Savoy

ok, some ARE painfully obvious, but I couldn't narrow down that fine lineup too much. Lee Boys are sacred steel a la Robert Randolph and have a hot-shit white boy on lead, Tony Trischka taught Bela (i think?) T Bone Burnett's new CD is currently one of my favorites, The Waybacks are way-fun and with Weir? Interesting. Ann Savoy IS Louisiana music. Austin Lounge Lizards? They get my vote for writing a song based on Orwell's 1984 ('i met my baby in the ministry of love')and for 'Paint Me On Velvet.'"

....

A good, recent interview with Patterson discussing the label "Southern Rock". Notice the title of the article, then notice Patterson's first line of the article:

A peek under the Hood of Southern rock’s saviors

“I really hate the whole term ‘Southern rock,’” says Hood. “Unless it’s being attached to a small handful of bands from a very specific era between 1969 and 1977, post-[Martin Luther] King [Jr.] and pre-[Lynyrd Skynyrd] plane crash. Southern rock ceased to exist when that plane crashed. It’s a redundant and stupid term at best.”

But here's the money quote:

"He’s Alabama’s Lou Reed".

Dang, that's big time stuff!

This is going to be short and sweet this week. I'm off on vacation for the next 2 weeks. I'll still be blogging and posting some picks of my adventures so keep on dropping by!

Literally Ironic

Is this irony? Not "Alanis Morissette" irony or George Bush's irony. But the real definition of irony? I'm so confused as to what "irony" truly means these days, 'cause so many people keep fucking it up and misusing it. Kinda like "literally".

Plea deal for ex-Village People cop:

"(07-19) 11:12 PDT REDWOOD CITY -- Former Village People lead singer Victor Willis pleaded no contest today to drug charges in San Mateo County Superior Court in a plea deal that could land him in state prison for up to two years or in a drug treatment program."

Go down rapping, baby, go down rapping. Meet your maker spitting fire, bitch!

Death row inmate Mauriceo Brown: His writings on CourtTV.com:

Dead man walking
I might look woke up but I'm sleeping
Dead man walking
Dead man walking"

REALLY! Shockingly ironic, literally! Religious organizations who should not be receiving federal funds (fuckers should be taxed, to boot) but who are thanks to Shrub, are using that money to discriminate? Hard to believe..... pffffft.

Report Faults Safeguards in Religion Program:

"WASHINGTON, July 18 — The Bush administration’s program of financing social service initiatives run by religiously affiliated groups lacks adequate safeguards against religious discrimination and has yet to measure the performance of the groups, a new Congressional report says.

The report, by the Government Accountability Office, did not find evidence of a widespread diversion of government money to religious activity from social services, which had been a concern of some critics of such religion-based initiatives."

You like it when I touch you like that...

Sign the Petition!!!

FREE 'OSCAR' AND 'SIRENS' or I WANT MY DBT (solo albums)

I don't care how freaky-deaky Germans are perceived to be... In the states, this here is called sexual harassment. Sexual harassment warning #2 for Georige. The first time he was caught licking Condi's black boots.

Condi usually doesn't mind Georgie licking her boots. Hell, she's even stopped charging him for the pleasure. (Georgie's BDSM safe word is "puddin'").

Who looks more "German" in these two pics? Condi or Merkel? I'm going with Condi. She's sporting her "SS" winter wear. Heil Condi, Heil!

The problem was that he was caught licking her boots during a cabinet meeting. They caught him under the big table as they were serving the Shasta (Georgie loves his Shasta). Poor Georgie has to attend another stupid, boring sensitivity training session.

Bush Gropes, Planet Cringes:

"So now we know.

I mean, we sort of thought we knew, before, what kind of guy George W. Bush is, essentially our very own inept, inarticulate ex-alcoholic ex-frat-guy failed-businessman pseudo-leader who famously appeals to the most God-fearin' and least educated and least attuned among us because he is, well, one of them."

Alabalawg asks the question, Coincidence? I think not! I ask the question, "Is our chillren learning?"
.......

Debi was later rushed to a hospital with a brain aneurysm. Doctors said the sudden usage of her brain caused the rupture.

Stem cells a vote breaker for some Americans:

"CINCINNATI (Reuters) - Debi Martin is a Christian, a Republican and opposes abortion but she is ready to vote against the party in November if President George W. Bush and congressional Republicans limit stem cell research.

'This is a vote breaker for me,' said the Cincinnati mother. 'I tell people I'm becoming a Republi-crat at this point -- because there are just things wrong in the Republican Party where people's voices are not being heard anymore.'"

...And even more brain aneurysm are forcasted for the coming months:

Conservative Anger Grows Over Bush's Foreign Policy:

"At a moment when his conservative coalition is already under strain over domestic policy, President Bush is facing a new and swiftly building backlash on the right over his handling of foreign affairs.

Conservative intellectuals and commentators who once lauded Bush for what they saw as a willingness to aggressively confront threats and advance U.S. interests said in interviews that they perceive timidity and confusion about long-standing problems including Iran and North Korea, as well as urgent new ones such as the latest crisis between Israel and Hezbollah."

Atheists for God

Sign the Petition!!!

FREE 'OSCAR' AND 'SIRENS' or I WANT MY DBT (solo albums)

Thank you for acknowledging the importance of my people, Deepak.

Deepak Chopra: Atheists for God:

"I think if God has a chance to come back seriously, it will take atheists to rehabilitate him (or her). One synonym for atheist is free thinker. God needs a lot more free thinking if he is to escape the clutches of fundamentalism. The basis for that rehabilitation exists already. We have profound religious thinking from Einstein and other great scientists. We have sharp, mindful challenges to the old God from Sartre and other existentialists. We have humane theology from Paul Tillich and other non-literal theologians. We have the entire New Age, which has re-enlivened spiritual experience for millions of people. And of course we have the great traditions of wisdom from the East, all but unknown a generation ago but now extremely well publicized thanks to figures like the Dalai Lama.

A great deal of this wealth of new thought is atheist or close to it. Buddhists do not worship God. Einstein conceived of a God who would conform to the laws of nature, not override or rule them. The New Age replaces God, quite often, with the sense of 'I am' (a concept of the higher self that exists throughout Eastern spirituality). Some new thought, of course, remains within the bounds of religion and the Western tradition."

They'll let you drown when your city is flooded... they'll make you pay to be rescued from a foreign nation at war... they'll veto a stem cell bill that will save countless lives... they lie about science... so this isn't really a surprise. Compassionate Conservative, my ass. Slogans, slogans, slogans! We'll ruin the world with slogans!

Report: Women misled on abortion risks:

"WASHINGTON - Women who consult with pregnancy resource centers often get misleading information about the health risks associated with having an abortion, according to a report issued Monday by Democrats on the House Government Reform Committee."

Sign a petition! I'm petition happy these days

Media Matters for America:

"Hate has no place on the airwaves

Recently, the major television networks have given a platform to conservative hate merchants like Ann Coulter, Glenn Beck, and Melanie Morgan.

Coulter's column is distributed by Universal Press Syndicate, one of the country's largest syndicates. Beck was recently hired by CNN Headline News. Morgan broadcasts from a radio station owned by Disney. And all three -- and countless others like them -- are regularly given guest spots on cable-news networks.

The fact that these right-wing pundits -- who have called for the execution of public officials and others -- are given a platform in the major media is unprecedented.

We, the undersigned, urge the media to stop allowing these hate merchants to spread their venom and abuse. America deserves to hear honest, reasoned debate, not rants from professional hatemongers."

Please Drive Responsibly

Sign the Petition!!!

FREE 'OSCAR' AND 'SIRENS' or I WANT MY DBT (solo albums)

Uh, yeah, he's one of the biggest bank accounts for the Rethugs. Nice.

Pete Coors Faces DUI Charge:

"GOLDEN, Colo. -- Pete Coors, chairman one of the world's largest beer brewing companies and a former candidate for U.S. senate, was arrested in May on a drunken driving charge, 7NEWS learned Thursday.

Coors, 59, was driving a 2004 Jaguar when he was pulled over in Golden by a Colorado State Patrol trooper just before midnight on May 29, according to officials in the Jefferson County District Court clerk's office.

He faces charges of driving under influence after registering a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit of .08 percent. He also was cited with failure to obey a traffic control device."

Shit, smear, and repeat.

Stabbed in the Back!:

"Every state must have its enemies. Great powers must have especially monstrous foes. Above all, these foes must arise from within, for national pride does not admit that a great nation can be defeated by any outside force. That is why, though its origins are elsewhere, the stab in the back has become the sustaining myth of modern American nationalism. Since the end of World War II it has been the device by which the American right wing has both revitalized itself and repeatedly avoided responsibility for its own worst blunders. Indeed, the right has distilled its tale of betrayal into a formula: Advocate some momentarily popular but reckless policy. Deny culpability when that policy is exposed as disastrous. Blame the disaster on internal enemies who hate America. Repeat, always making sure to increase the number of internal enemies."

Go Valerie and Joe!

Former CIA officer sues Cheney over leak:

"The lawsuit alleges that Cheney, Libby and Rove used Plame to punish Wilson for his public statements about the administration's portrayal of the intelligence on Iraq.

'As their chief method of punishment, the White House officials destroyed (Plame's) cover by revealing her classified employment with the CIA to reporters,' the lawsuit said.

Instead of confronting Wilson on the issue, the lawsuit said, the White House officials 'embarked on an anonymous 'whispering campaign' designed to discredit ... (the Wilsons) and to deter other critics from speaking out.'"

I wish I was there:

Vanuatu is world's happiest country: study

WaPo DBT Review:

POP MUSIC:

"Rock-and-roll isn't a meritocracy. But sometimes, the deserving get what's due 'em. At a sold-out 9:30 club on Saturday, the Drive-By Truckers were treated as heroes, and performed in kind."