Cut Out His Tongue
From the NT Times article on David Hicks, the Australian dropout, former kangaroo skinner, former Jesus-freak, & dangerous Al-Qaeda terrorist recently sentenced by the kangaroo court at Guantanamo Bay:
The deal included a statement by Mr. Hicks that he “has never been illegally treated” while a captive, despite claims of beatings he had made in the [...]
Sharks & Bees
The sharks are going, as well as the bees. We can’t be far behind. Not if there is any justice in the world. When the sharkis die, the oceans will die; when the bees die, perhaps soon, the land will die.
Wish I’d Said That
Fred Clark at Slacktivist:
My new theory is that President Bush really does hear the voice of God directly. Unfortunately, he’s also dyslexic. So when God says what God is always saying — that politics must be shaped by justice — Bush gets this mixed up and decides that the Department of Justice must be shaped [...]
Southern California
After reading this post at Hulabaloo about the radical right-wing’s cultural center of gravity, I was moved to leave the following comment. (The quoted sentence is from a previous comment to the post.)
“Whenever I visit my cousins in Chula Vista, the paranoia, verging on outright fear, is palpable.”
That’s why I haven’t visited my cousins [...]
Appeared to Contradict
What is the purpose of the word “appeared” in the following paragraph from the NY Times?
The previously undisclosed meeting appeared to contradict Mr. Gonzales’s previous statements about his knowledge of the dismissals. He said at a news conference on March 13 that he had not participated in any discussions about the removals, but knew in [...]
Poets
One of the things that this weblog demonstrates is that poets — at least this poet — have a hard time distinguishing between reading a novel, thinking about politics, & cooking breakfast or watching birds. I’m not sure if this is a good or productive way of approaching the world, but it’s what I do. [...]
Dog Walk
On the dog walk this morning we saw the first Colton robin, mourning doves, & an evening grosbeak, along with the starlings who moved into town last week. It’s in the fifties this morning, with rain predicted, which may wash out the last of the snow. Ah, mud season!
After the walk, I made hash with [...]
Bird Calls
Bardiac has been looking at spring birds. So have I. At the feeders yesterday: a swarm of goldfinches, another swarm of chickadees, a couple of bluejays, hairy & downy woodpeckers, juncos patrolling the snow for what the others dropped, & a couple of nuthatches streaking in & out. I’ve always loved nuthatches — their quick [...]
The President of Sleep
I wrote the other day about waiting out winter. Today I caught part of the president’s speech on the war & I got the distinct impression that he has, in some part of himself, realized he is out of his depth, that his few, simple ideas about the world have proved inadequate, & that he [...]
Clive James
I’ve only read a few pieces here & there by Clive James, but if this is an accurate review, Cultural Amnesia looks to be worth both the price & the heft:
In many cases the portrait of the individual in question is simply a launching pad for the author’s free-associative musings, which tend to spiral around [...]
