So, I was listening to NPR a couple of days ago, and they were talking about a Bush press conference where he was talking about the link between Iraq and Al Qaeda, and Helen Thompson (Thomas?), the senior White House correspondent that the bushies tried to kick out of the front row a couple of years ago, said (and I believe I have the quote right), "Mr. President, you do realize that Al Qaeda wan't in Iraq until we were, don't you?" She rules. I haven't been able to find a video of it, but I wan't one. I don't think he does realize it. If he does, he doesn't care. Or Cheney doesn't care. Both of those goat-fuckers need to be impeached. They've done so much to deserve it. Crimes against the constitution. At least some are starting to call for it with Cheney.

I can't believe that anyone believes anything that comes out of their mouths. Chertof's "hunch" that Al Qaeda is planning something. The recent report that they are stronger than since 9/11. My hunch is: bullshit! I'm not surprised that Faux News is really biting on that one. They should be strung up for not stopping at Afghanistan.

More crap from the bushies: The former Surgeon General says he was muzzled. He had to mention Bush at leas three times per speech. Additionally, he was told not to go to the Special Olympics, because the Kennedy's were involved and you wouldn't want to help "those people". Excuse me. It's the Special Olympics. It's supposed to transcend politics. I guess nothing does with those jackasses.

I love it when right wingers who make their careers get caught in their hypocrisy. David Vitters (R-La) was one of the DC Madame clients. In my best Nelson voice: Ha Ha!

Speaking of the Simpsons, the movie comes out soon. I think it will be a trip up to Austin to the Alamo Drafthouse. Why every movie theater isn't on this model is beyond me. Food and beer during the movie... Mmmmmm. Beer.

So the Tour de France is about to get interesting. We've been through the first week of crashes and are hitting the mountains. Tomorrow might see some fireworks, but Tuesday and when they hit the Pyrenees next weekend, things should shake up a bunch. I don't think Levi's going to do it, although he's got a chance. Vino would certainly be an interesting winner. Back in the day he used to attack just for the hell of it. Exciting to watch, but not going to win the Tour. I'd like to see it happen. Cadel Evans? The first Aussie winner? Maybe.

laters...

I don't smoke pot, but I don't think it should be illegal either. It clogs up the justice system, and does less harm than my drug of choice, alcohol. (It just puts me to sleep instantly.) Apparently, there's a former Texas narcotics officer who agrees. He's selling videos about how to hide your stash during a search. He's releasing his second one.

I was going to link to an update of this, but it's dissapeared off the AP site. Hmmm. Anyways, why can't the press (and the Democrats) get some balls, and expose the current administration for what they are: The WORST administration since Nixon, and possibly ever. I was really happy when Jimmy Carter said it, and really upset when he started crawfishing about it. Stick you your guns, man.

It's hip-hop about bikes. I'm still really not sure what a "Scraper Bike" is. The Trunk Boiz are from Oakland.


More tech for the lazy alcoholic: The Beerbot. Now I don't even need to pour my own beer. If it will make a whiskey-water then I'm in trouble.


I must admit to feeling a fair bit of schadenfreude about the Paris Hilton fiasco. I've never been in jail, but I'm sorry, I can't help but laugh a little. The poor little rich girl is upset that the law actually applies to her. Yes the sentence is tough, but she was given a second chance with probation. Don't piss off the judge. She's not getting a long sentence because she's famous. She's getting a long sentence for the crime because she though her fame meant she didn't need to obey the terms of her parole. Now can it stop taking up the entire news cycle?

Speaking of cycle. Daniello Di Luca won surprised everyone and won the Giro di Italia. I hope he was clean, because it was a great race. The top climbers in the world tried to crack him, and just couldn't. Gilberto Simoni did the fastest climb (in vertical distance per time) in a race ever. Faster than Armstrong or Pantani ever did. Still Di Luca didn't crack. 23 year old Andy Schleck showed that he may be the future of the sport. Best young rider and second place. For those that don't know, long stage races like the Tour, Giro, and Vuelta, generally don't suit young riders. Being able to race for three weeks at a top level takes some age and maturity.

Not much more to say for tonight...

So I don't know if anyone who isn't a cycling geek is following the Floyd Landis hearing about him doping during last year's Tour de France. What a bunch of amateur mobsters. On all sides. Personally I think they're all guilty. Nobody gives me any reason to think otherwise. As soon as there is a new test, there will be people finding new ways to get around it. I want to think that cycling is getting unfair attention about doping, and I do think that sports like baseball, football, soccer, and hockey dope more, but cycling at that level is dirty. Not everyone, but the guys at the top. Hell, half the mid ninety's Telekom team is admitting it, including Bjarne Riis, the winner of the 1996 Tour de France. He told them they can come get the jersey. Now he owns and manages a team: CSC. They've been dirty for a long time. Merckx got caught a few times. Patrick Lefevere, who now manages a team, admitted taking speed in his day. I haven't heard it yet, but it wouldn't surprise me if Indurain, one of the classiest cyclists ever had doped. He won the Tour five times in a row. (Riis beat him in 1996). With the 1996 tour if they decide to take the title away from Riis, second place was Ulrich (implicated in Operacion Puerto, and persona-non-grata in the cycling world currently), third place was Richard Veinrique (implicated in the Festina Affair) They'd have to go pretty far down the standings to award it to someone who might not have doped.

Even so, USADA and WADA (the United States and World Anti Doping Associations) are also a bunch of ass holes. If this were a criminal prosecution, all of their evidence would be thrown out of court. The lab didn't follow protocol, and even the manufacturer of their machines said they didn't know what they were doing. For professional athletes, cyclists are by far under the most scrutiny. They need to be available not only after and before the races for blood and urine tests, but also ANYTIME the WADA wants. If they miss a test then they get suspended as if they were positive. Let's see a baseball or football player put up with that. Sorry Barry, I know it's late and you just finished playing a double header, but you hit two home runs, and we need some pee and blood. (BTW, Bonds is guilty) Dick Pound and the rest of those jackasses need to be strung up for all the leaks of information, and the attempt to try this in the court of public opinion before the data is all in.

It hurts that my favorite sport is being ruined by money. They have to start an unlimited class, or start a season of amnesty, and then get really strict on people who dope, or we're just going to have to accept that some people will cheat, and do the best to catch them. At least riding a bike is still fun.

On to politics, so Monica Goodling testified to congress this week. Somehow they gave her immunity. What did she do? She played the "I'm just a girl" card. Oh come on. You were hired into a position you weren't qualified for, because you went to Liberty University (started by Jerry Fallwell, consistently rated one of the worst Law Schools, but has a strangely high percentage of graduates in the current administration) and would be willing to ask inappropriate questions in interviews. Things like: "are you a Democrat or a Republican?" Even if it was under the direction of Bush/Cheney/Rove/Gonzales, you still deserve to go down. Why won't this ship sink? Lie after lie after lie. How even die hard Republicans can support anything that comes out of their mouths is beyond me. Easily the worst administration since Nixon. In a few years we might see them as worse. Goat Fuckers! It's too bad that Carter started crawfishing on that statement.

Must stop ranting...

J

So I got a few seconds to flip channels yesterday after the cable guy set things up here at the house, and I saw what may be the best thing ever on some ESPN offshoot. Not just demolition derby, but demolition derby with combines. Big tractors running into each other, in the mud. Wow...

This is off my favorite blog:


Check out this animation about the end of the world.

So I've been to a couple of donut shops lately, and it seems like the concept of the"bakers dozen" has been lost. When you buy a dozen, you are supposed to get one more out of the box to eat on the way to the meeting/work. Hell, you're the one picking them up. You get one for flying. Both Shipley's (an area chain) and my favorite place Mrs. Johnson's don't do the bakers dozen anymore. That's just wrong.

Colbert was on fire last night. This poor boy had to learn about global warming. Of course, according to Faux News this is a bad thing that he was required to watch "An Inconvenient Truth". It's about as simplified as you can get for explaining global climate change... Grrr...

I've closed on the sale of my house. Friday, I close on the purchase. Now, if I can keep from fucking my back up before the move, it should go smoothly. I've been filleting a bunch of fish for my project, and the bench I have to use is low so I have to stoop over. The back doesn't like that. I've got about 100 more to go...

I'm out...

Wow!

Check this out! If they ever decide to get into sharking pool or darts, we're in trouble.

J

Well, I agreed on a contract to sell my house. It sold in under two days for over asking price. The Austin real estate market is treating me well. It'll be sad to leave, but I'm not going far and I've wanted to get out of living in a city for a while. I've already picked out a new place in San Marcos, and am having it inspected on Saturday. Bigger, nicer, close to school. Ugly color, but the seafoam is growing on me. After the inspection we'll work out the final details.

R.I.P. Kurt Vonnegut. The author who brought us The Slaughterhouse Five, Galapagos, Cat's Cradle, and Breakfast of Champions passed away on Wednesday.

At least they are subpoenaing Roves e-mails. Sink damn you sink.

J

So, I had to go to the Mega-Lo-Mart the other day because that's were we have our tax-exempt paperwork for the project. I hate the place. Some people get road rage, I get big-box rage. But I did find a couple of things that made me giggle.

1. Jingoistic Energy:

The tag line on the back says "Keeping Americans Strong" and it's got the Pledge of Allegiance with the under god in all caps. The religious right really wants to forget that it wasn't in the pledge until the 1954, and that the writer of the original was a socialist who left his church because it promoted bigotry.

Even better on the energy drink front:

The flavor is "Steven Segal's Asian Experience" There's so many things wrong with that.