Un-Bear-able

Requiescat In Pace

2007-10-16T04:57:00.000-05:00

A strange thing happened to me the other day. I think I blew my "outrage" fuse. It was the one that enabled me to care about the fate of another species: man. I'm not quite sure what the catalyst was. It could have been the far right's attack on a 12-year-old boy that was aided by the conventional press, it might have been the discovery that only a couple of weeks after George Bush took office (and a full seven months before 9/11) he was already ordering warrantless searches of people's telephone records, it's possible that it was the fact that the top economics experts are now predicting a crash bigger than the Great Depression, or maybe it was the knowledge that although everyone is perfectly aware that people are destroying the world's climate stability, and with it the basis for civilization itself, no one cares enough to actually DO anything about it.

Perhaps it was just the overwhelming volume of it all, but I've decided that being a bear in a human world just isn't working. I've tried and tried to make sense out of the human race, but nothing can explain the inhumanity I see all around me. So I'm going back to the woods and hibernate for the winter. It might be that when springtime comes and there's a fresh crop of honey in the trees, I'll feel better. But for now, I don't think there's any hope that mankind will grow up enough to stop its headlong rush into oblivion. I don't know if the world will be better off without people, but I do know that it can do a much better job of taking care of itself without them.

After all, I'm only a little bear and even I know you could have done better....

Bullied and cowed...

2007-10-03T01:10:00.000-05:00

Ghandi showed the power of peaceful protest when combined with world opinion. By being willing to sacrifice their bodies, and sometimes their lives, Indians shamed the British into turning the government over to the local population. It didn't happen overnight, and it took a lot of people willing to stand up for their beliefs, but it happened. Unfortunately, peaceful protest doesn't always work. The slaughter in Myanmar is highlighting what happens when the government doesn't care what the world thinks. I heard a CNN news reader tonight state that the first thing a dictator does in the face of opposition is to remove hope.

That got me to thinking of our own government, and how it is that in spite of polls showing that over 70 % of the general population wants a change in the direction of the Iraq war, nothing is being done. On top of that, it seems to be a foregone conclusion that the President will invade Iran before leaving office, even though most of the voters don't want this to happen. Why do we allow this? Because we've given up hope.

Just how long are we going to let this group of thugs bully us? Is this the shining example of democracy that we hold as a beacon to the world? What's it going to take to wake you up? Do you actually just not care anymore? We might as well forget democracy if we're going to let the government do whatever it wants.

For goodness sake, I'm only a little bear and even I know we can do better....

Dear Mr. President

2007-09-22T21:55:00.000-05:00

Why is it that the people too cowardly to fight are always the first ones to sound the drumbeat of war?

I love logic, part two...

2007-09-21T16:30:00.000-05:00

Public opinion seems inordinately swayed by the results of polls. Unfortunately, even the best polls are flawed, and most polls simply reflect the views of the person requesting the poll. All it takes is the right question to get the answer you want to hear. For example: Do you believe that convicted murderers should be allowed to go free on a technicality? Most of us would say no to that. But imagine this senerio: you have been wrongly convicted of a crime, and after sentencing, the real criminal is caught and confesses. DNA evidence supports their story. Should you be set free?

This is a real issue because a court case cannot be reviewed by an appelate court except for technical issues. Even if new evidence comes up, such as DNA or someone else admitting to the crime, the case can't be applealed unless a technical fault can be found in the original trial. Yes, Virginia, in our country, innocence is a technicality.

So the next time you find yourself nodding in agreement to the latest poll numbers, remember: you're listening to them because they're telling you what you wanted to hear in the first place. Stop listening to only one side and stop taking other people's word for stuff. Look up the facts; check it out yourself. At least ask youself: how much can I trust these numbers to be accurate? THINK, for goodness sake.

Come on, folks - I'm only a little bear and even I know we can do better....

Maybe the Egyptians were right...

2007-09-20T23:37:00.000-05:00

Maybe God is a dog after all. Why not? A little dyslexia would explain the spelling. Let's look at this logically:

God controlls nature. Nature abhors a vacumn. My dog hates vacumns. Therefore, my Dog is God.

I just love logic...

There are three types of lies: Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics....

2007-09-11T07:10:00.000-05:00

Or at least that's what 67.125% of the public thinks...

What gives?

2007-09-02T15:30:00.000-05:00

After taking the summer off (since there was nothing on TV anyway), I'm back. I'm gearing up for the new fall season, and I don't like what I see: everywhere the Republicans are trying to get their faces plastered all over the screen, interrupting my mindless viewing pleasure. For example...

One of the most dependable hallmarks of the Rove White House has been that bad news is always, underline ALWAYS, released late on Friday afternoon so that it gets reported during the weekend, and hopefully lost in the news shuffle. But Rove and Gonzales both announced their "retirements" on a Monday morning. This guarantees peak coverage. Now with Rove, I can actually understand it - his ego would want peak coverage. But the Gonzales announcement doesn't make sense. Some folks have hinted that it was set to be announced opposite the Michael Vick plea, but I'm not buying it. If that was the case, the announcement would have come at the same time as Vick's announcement, and it didn't - it came earlier. Again, that guarantees peak coverage.

Can it be that after Rove announced he was leaving, that he actually stopped giving advice? Was there something else happening that the announcements were supposed to draw attention away from? I'm stumped - what's your idea?

Evolution of the species

2007-05-19T14:34:00.000-05:00

There's an ongoing argument as to whether Kenneth Willard should be allowed to head up the National Association of State Boards of Education. The reason this argument exists is because Willard doesn't believe in evolution. In fact, it wouldn't be an understatement to say that he's violently opposed to children even hearing about it. The idea seems to be that someone who's opposed to giving children the tools to think for themselves, shouldn't be representing a national board of education. But since no one is running against Willard for the post, it looks like his position is a shoe-in.

Personally, I'm not sure if I go along with the theory of evolution or not. Since bears are obviously the pinnacle of evolution, you'd think I'd be all for it. But there's this little nagging doubt in my mind: after all, if bears are the best, then shouldn't all life on this planet be extinct except for bears? Of course I could find out more by studying up on the subject, but cartoons are coming on and I only have so much time...

In case you, for some idiotic reason, don't believe that bears are the best species, then how do you explain the government's newest all purpose robot? It could have been made to look like a man - instead, they call it The Bear. Case closed, and I don't want to hear anymore about it.... just like Kenneth Willard.

Where the bullets fell...

2007-04-28T00:59:00.000-05:00

Bill Moyers is currently getting a lot of credit from liberals (and a lot of heat from conservatives) for lambasting the media's pro-war coverage leading up to the Iraq war. Eventually, perhaps, he'll gain the courage of Ashleigh Banfield who spoke out four years ago about the continuing pro-war coverage of the conflict.

In case you don't remember, Banfield was a reporter who became an instant media hero when she was caught up in the twin towers destruction on 9/11/2001. She built on that by first going to Afghanistan and then to Iraq to report on the wars there. Her fame evaporated after she spoke at Kansas State University on April 24, 2003 following the now famous "Mission Accomplished" speech by George Bush. The reason she was immediately demoted by MSNBC was because she dared question the way that the media had and was continuing to politicize the war.

Something she mentioned in that speech really stuck with me. She said that because of modern technology, the viewer at home got to see "what it really looks like when they're firing those M-16s rapidly across a river, or across a bridge, or into a building". Then she said: "That said, what didn't you see? You didn't see where those bullets landed. You didn't see what happened when the mortar landed. A puff of smoke is not what a mortar looks like when it explodes, believe me. There are horrors that were completely left out of this war."

If you want to see the entire speech, go to: http://www.mediarelations.k-state.edu/WEB/News/NewsReleases/banfieldtext42403.html but I warn you, it will leave you with unsettling thoughts. Like, where did all those bullets land?

I know I’m only a little bear, but surely things can be better…

No matter what happens, Bush wins...

2007-04-27T23:41:00.000-05:00

Congress has just approved a bill that will give GW more money than he requested so that he can continue his personal little military action in Iraq. Unfortunately, they included some protection for the troops from over-extension, under-protection, and medical thoughtlessness. It also included some provisions for accountability - something this administration has avoided at all costs for over six years now.

So, the Prez has announced that he will hold his breath and turn blue if they don't give him the bill he wants - and the military folks can go screw themselves if they don't like it. In his mind, since it's not possible for us to win this war, at least he can put the failure off on someone else.

He's already stated that no matter what happens, he will NEVER quit the war while he's president. The reason for that is obvious: the next President will be the one responsible for the end to the war... and it's inevitable failure. Now he's managed to maneuver the Congress into a position that even if they find the votes to overturn his veto, they lose - if they manage to force his hand, he can say THEY lost the war by taking control of it.

This whole thing has come down to a pissing match between five-year-olds. Is that why we have a government? Is that why we let our children die in other countries? Is that what YOU want from your representatives? I know I’m only a little bear, but surely things can be better…

Ten steps to a dictatorship...

2007-04-27T23:16:00.000-05:00

1. Invoke an internal and external enemy
2. Create a prison system outside the law
3. Create a police class that is not accountable to the law
4. Set up an internal surveillance system
5. Harass groups that seek to rally citizens
6. Engage in arbitrary detention and release
7. Target key individuals who speak against you
8. Control the press
9. Make dissent equal treason
10. Suspend the rule of law

Any of this sound familiar? You can read a great article that goes into detail on all of this at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2064157,00.html

I know I’m only a little bear, but surely things can be better…

Karl Rove is the real President...

2007-04-24T13:07:00.000-05:00

It's something we've all suspected, and now the White House has made it official. It happened like this: at the WH Correspondent's Dinner Saturday night, Rove was approached by Sheryl Crow and Dana Perino to discuss the administration’s environmental policies. According to witnesses, Karl got beligerent and snippy.

Then at Monday's White House press conference, spokeswoman Dana Perino launched into a tirade against Crow and David for approaching Rove: "I think it’s unfortunate that people who have an impassioned view about a topic don’t take the time to afford the President the same respect that they are asking for."

There you have it - the White House is saying that Karl Rove is President. And we all know that if this White House says it, it must be true. I know I’m only a little bear, but surely things can be better…

We're toast...

2007-04-19T13:49:00.000-05:00

Mommy and Daddy have this ongoing argument about whether our beloved President is incredibly stupid or incredibly evil. Daddy says that GW’s personal history has shown that the guy just doesn’t have the brains to be as evil as his actions seem to show. Rather, he has surrounded himself with politically self-serving individuals and by taking only their advice, has bumbled us into our current situation. Mommy says that no one can be that stupid and still breathe. She says his actions since taking office show a clear pattern of someone who is set on destroying our country and staying in control of it forever.
I don’t know what to think. On the one hand, the things the guy says make him sound like a village idiot. On the other, he has systematically shredded the constitution, used signing statements to exempt himself from all laws, made it easier for a President to declare a state of national emergency, built incredible data bases on every aspect of our lives, and destroyed our personal liberties. And he’s done all this without any major hue and cry from the public – like Lee Iacocca said: in any other country, he’d be hanging from a lamppost by now.

What do you think: are we doomed by stupidity or doomed by design? I know I’m only a little bear, but surely things can be better…

Bumper Stickers

2007-04-19T13:10:00.000-05:00

I'd love to see a bumper sticker that says:

WHAT'S A GUY GOT TO DO TO GET IMPEACHED AROUND HERE?

I know I'm only a little bear, but surely things can be better.

Cloned, seperated at birth, or just a Presidential fetish for soft, doughy guys?

2007-03-22T13:40:00.000-05:00

Sampson, Hayden, and Rove...
Can Gary Burghoff and Andy Richter be far behind?

What are they trying to hide?

2007-03-20T18:16:00.000-05:00

When Bill Clinton was President, the Republicans in power went after him, his wife, and his assistants with everything they could. At first, the President balked, but the politicians kept the pressure on by chanting: What is he trying to hide?. Eventually, President Clinton and several of his advisors wound up testifying before Congress. In fact, President Clinton was impeached based on his telling a lie about something that wasn't illegal. Now it's their turn:
What are they trying to hide? What are they trying to hide? What are they trying to hide? What are they trying to hide? What are they trying to hide? What are they trying to hide? What are they trying to hide? What are they trying to hide? What are they trying to hide? What are they trying to hide? What are they trying to hide? What are they trying to hide? What are they trying to hide? What are they trying to hide? What are they trying to hide? What are they trying to hide? What are they trying to hide? What are they trying to hide?

Keep the pressure on. What's sauce for the goose...

Osama who?

2007-02-19T01:54:00.000-06:00

Does anyone even remember why we have soldiers fighting and dying overseas? Apparently the people we let run our government don’t. Even the President recently said: Osama? I don’t know where he is … I don’t think about him much.

As a country, we suffered a great wound on 9/11 – and we went to war with Afghanistan, the country that provided the training of the terrorists responsible for that attack. We removed the Taliban from power and scattered the people that controlled AlQaeda to the four winds. Then, suddenly, before we were even half through with that job, we pulled our troops out of Afghanistan and went into Iraq, leaving a shadow of the necessary force required to hold an rebuild a country we’d proudly “bombed back into the stone age.”

Power abhors a vacuum. The Taliban have regained control over a large portion of Afghanistan. That portion gets larger every day. And, according to the New York Times, “core AlQaeda” (meaning Osama Bin Laden and his immediate circle) have re-established the chain of command necessary for that terrorist group to function effectively throughout the region.
This is beyond ridiculous. I know I'm only a little bear, but surely things can be better.

Let's do it!

2007-02-19T01:53:00.000-06:00

The White House is slowly building a case for attacking Iran. Following the pattern used so successfully to get us into Iraq, the reasons for going to war with Iran shift from week to week, but I think the current reasoning is adequate. They are claiming that Iran is supplying armaments to certain Shiia militia. Now, even though the Shiia being supplied are spending most of their energy fighting Sunnis, it is possible that up to 8% of our casualties are being caused by those theoretical Iranian arms. Of course that leaves us with another 92% of our casualties - the ones being caused by the Sunnis. The Sunnis that are being openly supplied by GW’s dear friends, the Saudi.

I say we should support the President in this matter. Let’s give him authority to bomb the people responsible for funding and equipping the people in Iraq who are killing our soldiers. Let’s tell him that if he really cares about who’s killing our soldiers that he should…no, he MUST bomb Saudi.

Let’s tell him that and see how quick he changes his mind. I know I'm only a little bear, but surely things can be better.

Support the troops - as long as they die quietly...

2007-02-19T01:51:00.000-06:00

The Republican Party is constantly shouting about how much they care about the troops. They keep saying that they are the only people who truly support the troops. But what they don’t tell you is their definition of “support” and “the troops”.

Remember back when the first “surge” into Iraq started and things moved along so fast that the troops weren’t fully equipped or protected? Remember Rumsfield’s famous caveat: “We go to war with the army we have, not the army we wish we had…”? Of course we got rid of that guy and learned from our mistakes, right? Wrong - the same thing is happening right now, under the new “Rumsfield”. The new “surge” has moved along so fast that the troops once again aren’t fully equipped or protected. Is that your idea of supporting the troops? It’s not mine.

For those soldiers that don’t die from their wounds, they get to come home to one of the most famous hospitals in the world: Walter Reed. They get great care at Walter Reed – at least as long as they’re critical. But do you know what happens once the healing begins, but the trauma remains? The soldiers get shuffled off down the street. They get moved into some bureaucrat’s idea of half-way housing, where they wait for rehabilitation while the paperwork mill grinds away. Only the housing is not exactly what you’d expect from a country that has poured billions into private companies’ pockets.

They are, in fact, worse than you can imagine, even if you’ve seen public housing before. Holes in the walls, floors, and ceilings, utilities turned on and off (apparently at random), and mold everywhere. Multiple amputees thrown in with PTSD patients to watch over them because the staff is always short-handed. Frustrations mount as paperwork disappears and has to be filed over and over again for the simplest of requests. And if a soldier manages to maneuver through the web of bureaucracy and get discharged, he will usually discover that he has no medical benefits once he’s a civilian. Sorry Jack – you’re no good to us anymore and we’re not made of money, you know.

And don’t even THINK about appearing in public. If you’re photogenic and very appreciative of all we’ve done to you, this administration will parade you around like a prize bull. But tell that to Sgt. David Thomas, a multiple amputee that was discharged from Walter Reed with no clothes, no money, and no help. He found out that one of his old buddies was being granted citizenship in a fancy ceremony with the President and he wanted to attend. Unfortunately, he didn’t have “appropriate apparel” – fancy talk for saying all he owned was shorts and that would show his stumps. That was not something GW wanted shown on TV. Needless to say, he was NOT allowed to attend.

Oh, and by the way, GW has announced his plan to balance the budget. You remember, the budget that was in the black when he took office - the one he broke. It involves some very imaginative math, it doesn’t start until after he leaves office, and it requires the cutting of funds to Medicare, Medicaid, and Veteran’s Benefits. Yes, that’s right, Veterans. The ones they are already giving the short shaft to.

Right, they support the troops all right. They support them all the way to the grave, as long as they die fast, quietly, and out of sight. I know I'm only a little bear, but surely things can be better.

The new, IMPROVED, do-nothing Congress...

2007-02-19T01:48:00.000-06:00

Things are going so weird that I don't even know where to start. Have you ever been so flabbergasted that words fail you? When all you can do is point and gurgle? That’s what it’s like watching the new congress pretend to work.

For example, when the Republicans ruled the day and the Democrats only had 49% of the Senate population, the Republicans rammed through bill after bill. The only weapon Democrats had was the filibuster, and the Republicans tried to take even that weapon away. They needn’t have bothered. The Democratic Party leaders, in their infinite wisdom, almost never used the filibuster. They said things like: We can’t use the filibuster every time – we have to save it for when it really matters. So they watched the Supreme Court get stacked with ultra-conservatives and did nothing. They watched the Republicans strip Americans of Habeas Corpus, the single most fundamental right we have – and did nothing. They watched as the “other side of the isle” passed bill after bill, and did nothing.

But then November happened. The public spoke out through votes. The Democratic Party was given a clear majority in both houses. And what have they done with that? Pretty much nothing, because you see, the Republicans are filibustering every single bill that they disagree with. Every one. The news doesn’t even talk about how many votes it takes to pass a bill anymore, they talk about how many votes it takes to break the filibuster. Every time.

And so, the congress does nothing. I’ve heard it said that Congress is only dangerous when it acts. Well, at least we don’t have to worry about them doing too much, I guess. I know I'm only a little bear, but surely things can be better.

The Educator?

2007-02-19T01:43:00.000-06:00

Every time the President introduces legislation that turns out to be unpopular, he says it's just because people just don't understand what he's trying to do, and he says it's his job to "educate" us. Then he goes around the country, calling himself the Educator. That's the same as saying anyone who disagrees with him is stupid. So here's my "slogan of the week": "The Educator thinks you're even stupidier than he are..." Pass it on...

Make a nice bumper sticker, don't you think? I know I'm only a little bear, but surely things can be better...

Public Servants?

2007-01-07T17:00:00.000-06:00

Anyone who receives a paycheck from the government is theoretically a "public servant". That means they work for the public. That's you and me, jack, and it's high time they were reminded of that fact. I want to start a movement, complete with bumper stickers, lapel pins, and letters to the editor to remind the voters that the government is supposed to work for us. But the place to start is for YOU to write to every one of the people you voted for and send them this message:

Public servants CAN be fired.

I know I'm only a little bear, but surely things can be better...

Shock and awe...

2006-11-08T21:00:00.000-06:00

I can’t believe it. As far as I can tell, this is a dream. There’s no way that less than 24 hours after the Democrats won back the Congress, the Secretary of Defense is gone, and the President is offering to work hand in glove with the New Order. This can’t be real.

If it’s a dream, it’s a familiar one. The “new” Democrats say they want to make the government more responsive to the voters. They also want to ensure that the ethical messes the Republicans are now famous for, don’t happen again. The new House Speaker has said: it’s time to drain the swamp.

Of course, when the Republicans won control of the Congress, they said much the same thing. They also came to D. C. to change the cesspool that is Washington politics. Instead, they were seduced by the dark side. They became mired in the very filth they claimed to abhor. In the end, they became what they hated.

I think this happened because politicians feel the only way to help the rest of us is to stay in power. And to stay in power, they have to keep the voters under control, and thinking about the issues they want us to think about. They know that divisive tactics work best for keeping people in line: it’s either us or them; you’re either with us or against us; everything is either red or blue.

But people aren’t like that. People are much more complicated. No one that I know believes 100% of the same things as anyone else, much less a political party line. What generally happens is not voters picking the candidates that agree with the voter, but rather the ones that offend them the least. And so, no matter who wins, the voter loses on most issues. The voters, being neither red nor blue, are marooned.

There is no reason to believe that anything will be different this time around. Too bad – I know I'm only a little bear, but surely things can be better.

It's a good life...

2006-10-18T19:14:00.000-05:00

I was watching an old, black-and-white “Twilight Zone” show yesterday. It was the one where Bill Mumy was a little kid with enormous psychic powers. With a thought, he could turn you into a monster, just for fun. And if you displeased him, he would make you disappear, forever, without a trace, no explanation. As more and more people disappeared, I got the feeling that eventually, Billy would be the only one left.

The title of the episode was “It’s a Good Life.” That referred to what everyone said out loud, out of fear of making Billy unhappy. It’s not that Billy was a bad boy; it’s just that he was spoiled. He always got his own way. Everyone and everything that opposed him was made to disappear. A spoiled brat, he couldn’t understand that other people matter too. As a child, he could never understand the fear he inspired in those around him. He actually thought everyone tried to please him because they wanted to, not because they were afraid. He didn’t understand that when life or death exists at the whim of a single person, that person is a dictator. It doesn’t matter whether they are good or evil – no one is really happy living in a dictatorship, except maybe the dictator.

Then CNN came on and explained that the President had signed into law a bill giving him the power to imprison anyone, anytime, for any reason - no trial, no lawyers, no evidence. He promises to only use it against those who threaten him, I mean us. We are to trust that he will not abuse that power. He has only our best interests at heart. He promises to return our constitutional rights just as soon as the crisis is past.

This country is supposed to be founded on certain basic individual freedoms. I can’t believe that people are putting up with this. Is it because you just don’t care? Or are you afraid you’ll disappear? When will you reach the breaking point? At what point will you say, “Enough!”? Will there be anyone else left when you do?

I know I'm only a little bear, but surely things can be better.

A note to daddy...

2006-10-12T04:55:00.000-05:00

According to all the studies, for the first time in over a century, this generation is expected to have poorer schooling, make less money, and have a shorter life span than the preceding generation. All this has come about due to government regulation changes during the last six years. Okay, so the clock has run out and everything is downhill from here. Well, too bad – who cares about a bunch of whiney…Wait a minute – this generation? That means me! It sounds like the current crop of short-sighted politicians are trying to ruin my life and then kill me off.

Although that should come as no surprise to anyone who has more than two brain cells to rub together, frankly, I’m taking this personally. You were in charge before I got here. How can you be so stupid? It’s not unlike the idiots who dumped pollutants into the ground water, rivers, oceans, and air until lakes caught fire and acid rained from the sky, or the bozos who had sex with everyone under the sun, spreading every kind of disease imaginable so that now, nobody can have sex with anybody, in spite of the big blue pill that makes it possible for old people to creep us young people out completely.

Let’s face it – there’s not going to be any social security left for us by the time we get there, we won’t be able to afford the drugs you now take for granted, and only the very rich and pampered will be able to live anyway. Maybe you’re doing me a favor. Maybe dying young will be a good thing.

But, since there seems to be zero likelihood that you’re going to look out for future generations, do you know what I want? I want to grow up and become so wealthy that I can afford the kind of world that YOU are voting into existence – I want to be so rich that voting Republican makes sense – that’s what I want. Then let’s see just how much I attention I pay to which nursing home you go into.

Come on people, I know I'm only a little bear, but surely things can be better.