Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, everyone. We're (me, my wife, her 2 sisters and our dog Kaleb) at my folks new place, enjoying a nice, slow, relaxing day. When we got here, the annual Hundley Christmas brunch was waiting for us - bacon, scrambled eggs, fried oysters, juice and coffee. A Christmas Story is on the TV upstairs, I'm in the basement watching a Law & Order marathon, Dad's cooking in the kitchen, Amber's playing cards with Mom, Grandma and my niece. A good time is being had by all. Hope you're having a wonderful day as well.

Chaz

Christmas Time Is Here

So today, I finally got into the holiday spirit. My wife was throwing a baby shower for her older sister, so I needed to be out of the house for most of the day. Luckily, my fav gal pal aka East Coast Alaska Girl (who my wife tells me I can marry if something happens to her - don't ask, she's morbid that way), who's now just East Coast Formerly Alaska Girl because she's moved back to DC where she belongs, was free to hangout all day. I drove into town to meet her at her awesome condo on The Hill, and we walked ourselves over to Eastern Market. Now, the calendar may say December 23rd, but the weather wasn't feelin' it. It was beautiful today, about 61 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. A perfect day to check out the scene at Eastern Market. Lots of cool crafts for sale, as usual. We had lunch at Tunnicliff's Tavern, sitting outside and doing some major people watching. And what do we see directly across the street? Dudes selling Christmas trees.

Now, we don't have a tree this year, because the Mrs. isn't feeling especially jolly this year, with her mother passing away last month. We have a very large poinsettia, but no tree. Well folks, we now have a tree! The tree dudes were selling all sizes and shapes of trees, and ECAG helped me pick out a small, cute tree. Only $10!! Afterwards, we went on a search for a tree stand. Home Depot would have one, right? Well, maybe a few weeks ago, but not 2 nights before Christmas. The wife and her sister our out shopping now, so I've had 2 hours to jerry-rig a stand out of an oversized planter and some festive holiday ribbon for support (don't ask). It's merely temporary - I'm going to head to a nursery tomorrow - they've got to have stands, right?

On further reflection,

It was definitely because of the Carbombs!

Sensitive Guy?

I don't know if it was the 4 Carbombs and numerous beers I had during the day on Sunday (celebrating my birthday a few days early at a local sports bar with 30 or so of my closest friends), but I got all weepy watching 60 Minutes on Sunday. Yeah, I know, 60 friggin' Minutes. They were doing a story on children in foster care, and I just thought about how lucky I am that I was raised in a home with 2 loving parents. My mom was visiting for my party, and I thanked her for probably the 1st time in my life for being such a good mother and for giving me and my siblings everything we could ever want or need. (Dad, I would have thanked you to if you had come up for the shindig).

Sinclair Lewis said it over 60 years ago

When facism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.

I just want to ad

the following to today's earlier post:

Jefferson Davis said slavery "…was established by decree of Almighty God… it is sanctioned in the Bible, in both Testaments, from Genesis to Revelation… it has existed in all ages, has been found among the people of the highest civilization, and in nations of the highest proficiency in the arts."

"Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with his arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages." — Statement by Virginia trial judge in 1959 case that led to 1967 U.S. Supreme Court striking down laws in 16 states that prohibited interracial marriage.

So, please, stop using the Bible to support your bigoted views!

A sad day for the Church

My dad just e-mailed me to tell me that the church we went to while I was growing up, All Saint's, has just voted to leave the Episcopal church. Why? Because the Church has an openly gay bishop and the new head of the church supports him. The 500-member church was one of nine churches to vote last weekend whether to leave the Episcopal Church over disagreements on biblical authority and the 2003 consecration of New Hampshire Bishop V. Gene Robinson, a practicing homosexual.

They plan to join the Nigerian Anglican church, whose leader believes that gays should be jailed. What really gets me is that the rector of All Saints, Father Guernsey, a man I really liked growing up, has the nerve to say

"We are heartened by the congregation's vote to move forward with our mission to be a church overflowing with God's love and healing power,"

God's love? When you're breaking away from the church because of hate? Do they plan to expel women from the church who are on their period? Or ban bacon or pork sausage at church breakfasts? What am I talking about, you ask? Just this, that the section of the Bible that says that being gay is a sin, says alot of other things are sinful too.

Homophobic fundamentalists often quote two particular verses that seem to be against gay people. These two verses, both of which appear in the book of Leviticus, are . . .

"You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination." (Leviticus 18:22)

and . . .

"If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them." (Leviticus 20:13)

Okay, so the Bible does say being gay is wrong. But read on:

"For everyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother. His blood shall be upon him." (Leviticus 20:9)

Imagine what would happen today if we killed every child who was disrespectful to his parents. Fundamentalists explain this verse away, saying that it is part of the Old Levitical Holiness Code and is not meant to be taken literally.

But the above verse is just a mere 3 verses before Leviticus 20:13, one of their favorite anti-gay scriptures which, of course, they do choose to apply literally.

"If a man lies with a woman during her sickness and uncovers her nakedness, he has discovered her flow, and she has uncovered the flow of her blood. Both of them shall be cut off from her people." (Leviticus 20:18)

Imagine what would happen today if we deported every man and woman who had ever had sex together while the woman was having her period. Fundamentalists decline the opportunity to take this verse literally, which is merely 5 verses after Leviticus 20:13.

"Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property." (Leviticus 25:44-45)

Did you ever wonder where racist, people got the idea that slaves were just property and not people? Directly from the above verse, which fundamentalists do not, of course, take literally (at least not in public).

"Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard." (Leviticus 19:27)

"Bible-believing" fundamentalists never preach against the evils of shaving, as they do not take this verse literally for our day. Of course, they most certainly would do so if they had a personal bias against shaving, but apparently, they do not.

"...and the swine, though it divides the hoof, having cloven hooves, yet does not chew the cud, is unclean to you." (Leviticus 11:7)

As you can see, the book of Leviticus also prohibits the eating of pork (a swine is a pig). Of course, fundamentalists do not choose to use this verse to preach against eating pork. Sadly, however, they have no problem abusing the Bible to condemn gay and lesbian people. Remember, it's about their personal prejudice against gay people, not about a true desire to understand what the Bible actually says.

"...do not plant your field with two kinds of seed. Do not wear material woven of two kinds of material." (Leviticus 19:19)

Farmers in this country almost always grow more than one kind of crop in their fields. In fact, they often must do so for ecological reasons. Fundamentalists do not apply this verse literally. If they were to preach against farmers, there would be an uproar, and rightfully so.

Fundamentalists also ignore the Biblical command to not wear clothes that have two different kinds of material. The shirts that many fundamentalists are often seen wearing must be a cotton/polyester blend, the most common in the United States of America. They may be "Bible believing" Christians, but this is yet another verse that they don't believe should be applied to today.

See how stupid this whole thing is? It gets better, The Bible says that eating shrimp and lobster is an abomination:

"But all in the seas or in the rivers that do not have fins and scales, all that move in the water or any living thing which is in the water, they are an abomination to you." (Leviticus 11:10)

"They (shellfish) shall be an abomination to you; you shall not eat their flesh, but you shall regard their carcasses as an abomination." (Leviticus 11:11)

So eating shell fish is just as bad as being gay. Or is that being gay is just as bad as eating shellfish? An important distinction, no?

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Thoughts on death

It's been a little over a week since we said goodbye to Amber's mom. It was pretty sad, and I had a pretty hard time during my little part of the eulogy. This is my 2nd family member to pass away over the past year, and it's tough.

One thing that's really struck me across the face is the whole issue of mortality. As a child, you think your parents are going to be around forever, and up until last week, I've never considered the fact that my folks are going to die one day. I can't imagine what life would be without them. They've been the constant in my life for the entirety of my existence. And this is what makes it so hard for me with my mother in-law's death. I honestly don't know what to do for my wife apart from just being there for her. My natural inclination when anything bad happens to those I love is to fix it, or at least try to put myself in that person's shoes and establish some empathy. But now, I don't know. Losing a parent has to be incredibly painful and numbing, and I just don't know what to do.

Amber is a very, very strong woman and has yet to really let me see her grieve over her mother's death. Partly because she's been so busy dealing with all of the practicalities of what's happened - planning the funeral service, figuring out who's staying where, getting her mother's papers in order, cleaning out her home. The list goes on and on. I'm just afraid that at some point she's going to lose it. And I'm angry at her sisters and her brother. Intellectually I know it's only because we live the closest to her mother (one sister is in Taneytown, MD, the other is in Chicago and her brother is in Oregon) that Amber is the one who's had all of the responsibility fall on her, but she's the 4th child, the 2nd youngest. This is the time when older siblings really need to step up and take some responsibility. But, as with most things, that hasn't (luckily, Amber never reads this blog, and neither do her siblings). Whoa, I sound like my grandmother now - "You're the oldest" she's been telling me since I was around 7 or 8.

Anyway, back to the issue of mortality. I guess if I was a person with strong faith, I'd be comforted in the fact that my loved ones are going to heaven, but I'm not. I don't have any idea what happens to us when we die, and that scares the shit out of me. It'd be nice if we ended up chilling on some beach, or floating around the clouds. But what if this is it? What if nothing happens, and we just stop being?

Weekend

Well, we had Mama Nightingale's funeral on Wednesday. Obviously, very, very sad. I'm not going to go into any details, because it's it's still too hard to discuss. We had Thanksgiving with the whole family at her place on Thursday, with her sisters and brother who flew in from Ireland.

Tonight, we're having the FW's 2 aunts from Dublin overnight, along with her 3 sisters. Yep, me alone with a house full of Irish Woman. God Help Me!

My Mother In-Law

My mother in-law was a wonderful, fun loving woman. Yeah, she could be a bit rough and gruff, but that was part of her Irish charm. This is my favorite picture of her. It was taken at our wedding, and even though we had open bar, she didn't trust that we would have what she wanted, so she brought along her bottle of Bailey's. She loved that stuff.

She was really looking forward to Thanksgiving - we were all headed down to her place for a good old time, and two of hers sisters were flying over for from Dublin for the holiday. They're still coming over, just for a much less joyful occasion.

She had a really tough life, growing up dirt poor in Ireland, moving here to start a new life and raising 5 kids on her own after a bad marriage. But she never stopped having fun and enjoying life, though she did like making sure everyone knew how good they had it thanks to her.

I'm really going to miss her. I'll never forget the 1st time I met her. Amber and I had been dating for a few months and Amber drove me down to meet her "Mamacita". I was a bit worried - I didn't know how she would respond to her daughter dating me, as she was straight off the boat from Ireland. But she never batted an eye, and loved me as if I were one of her own. We had good times, and I'll never, ever forget her. I just wish she held on until we gave her the little grandbabies she wanted us to make for her.

Catherine Rickard Nightingale

Catherine Rickard Nightingale, 71, of Victoria Park retirement community in Woodbridge passed away peacefully on November 18. She died from multiple complications related to diabetes and congestive heart failure.

Ms. Nightingale was born in Dublin, Ireland, to the late Luke and Jane Rickard. She emigrated to the United States in search of adventure and opportunities in 1964 and resided in the Washington DC region. She became a United States citizen in 1996.

Ms. Nightingale worked as a housekeeper at Potomac Hospital for over 15 years. In her retirement, she was an active resident of Victoria Park retirement community. In addition to being an avid bingo player, she was involved with planning and organizing special events for community residents.

Survivors include five children, Scarlett Tausen of Taneytown, Maryland, Vienna Nightingale of Chicago, Illinois, Winchester Nightingale of Portland, Oregon, Amber Nightingale and Victoria Nightingale of Alexandria, Virginia; sisters Mae Checkon of Dale City, Virginia, Rose Honan and Ellen Carroll of Dublin, Ireland, Clare Kay of Lancashire, England, brothers Mark Rickard of Dublin, Ireland, Frank Rickard of County Wicklow, Ireland, and Hughie Rickard of Lancashire, England; grandchildren Christopher Tausen, Kelly Tausen, and Bailey Tausen of Taneytown, Maryland and Amber Nightingale of Morrill, Nebraska . She was preceded in death by her sister Nancy Rickard of Dublin, Ireland, brothers Luke Rickard of Lancashire, England, and Thomas Rickard of London, England.

Her sassiness, wittiness, and story-telling charm will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her.

A wake will be held from 12:00 noon until 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 22 at Mountcastle Funeral Home, 4143 Dale Blvd., Dale City, Virginia 22193. The funeral service will follow the wake at Mountcastle Funeral Home. Friends and family are welcome to attend a reception following the service at Ms. Nightingale’s home, 16820 Flotilla Way, Woodbridge, VA 22191.

A memorial contribution may be made in the form of a donation to: Capital Hospice 6565 Arlington Blvd., Suite 500, Falls Church, VA 22042.

Memorial Card

In Loving Memory

Catherine Rickard Nightingale

Sunrise: June 15, 1935

Sunset: November 18, 2006

God looked around His garden

And found an empty place.

He then looked down upon the earth

And saw your tired face.

He put his arms around you

And lifted you to rest.

God’s garden must be beautiful

He always takes the best.

He saw the road was getting rough

And the hills were hard to climb,

So He closed your weary eyelids

And whispered "Peace be thine".

It broke our hearts to lose you

But you didn’t go alone,

For part of us went with you

The day God called you home.

May she rest in eternal peace.

Not The Happiest of Holidays

My mother in-law passed away yesterday.

For Dad

I just realized that the last 2 Republican Senators to concede were Burns and Allen. Say goodnight Gracie!

It's Official

We won! We really won!

Recount

A recount in Virginia doesn't mean that they recount every vote, all they can do is double check the number the computers spit out. Don't see how Allen thinks he's going to get 7,000+ votes switched to him.

The Day After

Tester just declared victory in Montana. Webb is still leading by almost 8,000 votes in Virginia. And Rumsfeld is resigning (according to MSNBC). I've got to be dreaming!

Wow!

It's 2:15 am. We've just won Missouri. Webb is now up 8,000 votes in Virginia, and Tester is leading in Montana. Unbelievable!!! In Virginia, the leader heading into a recount has never lost. Plus, a recount means alot of scrutiny on the race here in Virginia. And lots of talk about voter intimidation and suppression by the GOP in Virginia. It's going to get ugly.

Good Night

I've got to get some sleep. We've won the House, the Senate is too close to call. What a great night for democracy. Talk to everyone tomorrow.

My Favorite Shirt

I've had this shirt since the last election, when I did alot of work for the DCCC. I wore it all day today, and every Saturday for the past 2 months (yes, I wash it). Who new I was only 2 years ahead of my time?

3000

That's the difference now, 3,000 votes in the VA Senate race.

This is fascinating to watch

As the votes from Loudon, Prince William, Richmond and Norfolk are finally counted, Webb is getting closer. Now with 5000 votes. And the absentee ballots from Fairfax haven't been counted yet.

Man, this is nerve wracking!

Webb on TV now, says it's too close to call. It's a 12,000 vote difference, 49.7%-49.1%, Allen ahead. This is going to take a long time. Meanwhile, we now have our 1st woman Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi!!

Dead Even

49% each, Allen vs. Webb. They're already talking about a recount.

Up and down

Now, with 57% of the precincts in (that's precincts, not voters), Allen is now up 50%-49%.

20% in

Webb 50%, Allen 49%. We're not going to know the winner for awhile kids.

Results So Far

If anyone's reading me tonight and wants to track the Virginia results, go here. Right now, with 14% of the vote in, Webb is up 50% to 48% over Allen (the early results are from the more rural parts of the state).

Election Day

Well, it's finally here. I waited in line for over 45 minutes today in heavily Democratic Alexandria, VA. Which to me says that the base is highly, highly motivated.

Freedom

Let's Win This Mutha!

For anyone in the DC Metro area looking for ways to help win on Tuesday, here are some suggestions:

1. Phone Banks in DC are operating for BOTH MD and VA Dems with
EXTENDED HOURS

a.) Webb Phone Bank opens in DC with extended hours

The Webb for Senate campaign has opened a phone bank in the
District of Columbia which will be open long hours every day
through Election Day. We'd love to have more volunteers. The
District of Columbia Phone Bank for Jim Webb is located at:
1003 K Street NW, Washington DC 20001
(a few blocks from Metro Center and McPherson Square metros)

The Phone Bank is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Fri.
10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday.

We are running the phone bank on two floors of this building -
the 6th and 3rd floors. On weekdays before 5 p.m., people
should generally go to the UNITE HERE office 6th floor. After
5 p.m. and over the weekend, if no one answers on the 6th
floor, go to the Regan Associates office on the 3rd floor.

Volunteers can just walk in any time we are open and will be
very welcome. For more information about the DC phone bank
call Anne Cauman at 202-431-9083 cell or call Northern VA Webb
for Senate headquarters at 703-778-4080

Over the weekend and part of the time at night the front door
will be locked and the elevator will need a special key. We
will try to have someone posted in the lobby most of the time
to make sure volunteers can get into the building and up the
elevator easily. However, to be extra careful over the weekend
and at night, people should try to have Anne's cell phone no.
with them and also look for any phone # posted on the door to
the building., in case you need to call to be let in. If you
don't have a cell phone yourself, the building has a security
phone.

PLEASE BRING FULLY CHARGED CELL PHONES AND POWER CORDS (if you
have them) in case, periodically, we are lucky enough to fill
all the phones.

b.) O'Malley/Brown/Cardin Phone Bank in DC

The races for Governor and Senator from Maryland have really tightened up. Stop by after work, make some calls, and help change the course of our country! Now through Election Day, 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM, weekdays AND Weekends! 1100 17th Street, NW, Suite 604, Washington DC 20036. The building is at the intersection of 17th and L, walking distance from Dupont Circle, McPherson Square and GW. We are looking for volunteers to manage the phone banks. Please contact Mara Lee at
mlee@mddems.org or call (301) 306-0056 ext. 114. Note that
Phone banks in Montgomery County and Prince George's are still
operating as usual.

2. Canvass for Jim Webb in "swing" areas in Northern Virginia

This is it! The race is a toss up and the control of the
Senate may rest in YOUR hands!

These are the lit drop and canvass opportunities for this
weekend:

SATURDAY
Lorton Library
9520 Richmond Highway, Lorton
10:00 to 12:00 Saturday, November 4th
Chrisambr@aol.com 703-314-7556
(Lit Drop or Canvass)

FCDC Headquarters
2815 Hartland Rd
Falls Church
10:00 AM
Sue Langley 703-403-0190
(Lit Drop or Canvass)

Saratoga Elementary School
8111 Northumberland Rd
Springfield
1:00 PM
Chris Ambrose 703-314-7556
(Lit Drop)

Centreville Adult Education
Center
5775 Spindle Ct, Centreville 10AM
Hurst for Congress Headquaters 11198 Lee Highway, Fairfax 3PM

SUNDAY

Orange Hunt Elementary School, 6820 Sydenstricker Rd.,
Springfield, 22153, 12:00 to 3:00PM

3. Join Sec. Madeline Albright & Rep. Ben Cardin for a Foreign
Policy Forum, Nov. 4

Rep. Cardin and Secretary Albright will give remarks on the
impact of the War in Iraq on the future of American foreign
policy, and then take questions. Don't miss this incredible
opportunity to hear the insights of one of America's most
distinguished experts on foreign policy. Madeline Albright was
the first woman Secretary of State and the highest ranking
woman in the history of the United States. As Secretary, Dr.
Albright reinforced America's alliances, advocated democracy
and human rights, and promoted American trade and business,
labor and environmental standards abroad.

2:30 p.m. Saturday, November 4th
University of Maryland-Baltimore County
Public Policy Building, Room 105
Poplar Ave. and Center Rd. Catonsville, MD 21228
http://maps.google.com/maps?oi=map&q=Poplar+Ave+And+Center+Rd,+Catonsville,+MD+21228

Free and open to the public. RSVP to albright@bencardin.com
Hosted by the UMBC College Democrats.

4. Join President Bill Clinton & Jim Webb for a FREE GOTV Rally
in Alexandria, Monday, Nov. 6

Please join Jim Webb, President Clinton, Gov. Tim Kaine, Gov.
Mark Warner, Rep. Jim Moran, Del. Brian Moran & others at 5:15
PM on Monday, Nov. 6 at Market Square in the heart of Old Town
Alexandria on King Street in front of the Alexandria City Hall,
about 10 blocks north of the King Street Metro. There are many
frequent bus routes from the King St. Metro to Market Square.

President Clinton's appearance at this event is confirmed. I
am not sure about other details such as if some form of RSVP is
required for close-in viewing. There may or may not be other
events on Monday involving President Clinton in Maryland and
Virginia. For details about this and other events go to www.
webbforsenate.com

5. Vote Vets Ad With Wes Clark

http://securingamerica.com/node/1858.

VoteVets hopes to play this ad 400 times between now and
November 5. It costs $150 a showing on regional CNN and FOX
cable news.

PLEASE consider buying an ad (or part of one). It is easy to
donate online (scroll down to the link at
http://securingamerica.com/node/1858 If you donate now, the money will go to showing the ad.

Thanks for your consideration. This election counts! So does
this message. Also, please forward this message to friends who
might want to help get the truth about Iraq out.

6. Drinking Liberally - Every Wednesday on Capitol Hill,
Thursday's near Dupont Circle

Capitol Hill

DL Wednesday Night Meeting, Date and Time: November 8, 7:00 PM,
Speaker at 7:30 PM
Speaker: John Hlinko, Founder of DraftWesleyClark.com, StemPAC
& www.actforlove.com. The 18th Amendment,
http://www.18thamendment-dc.com/ 613 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, just
NW up Pennsylvania Ave SE towards the Capitol from the Eastern
Market Metro Stop Happy Hour Specials: All Domestic Drafts and
Bottles are just $2.00 'Til 8 PM, 1$ off all Classic
Cocktails and Signature Martinis.

Dupont Circle

Nov. 9 - open, post-election discussion. 6:30 PM, Speakers at
7:00 when applicable. Timberlake's (1726 Connecticut Ave NW,
north of Dupont Circle). Nov. 16 Take Back America Founder
Robert Borosage, will be with us on one of our special speaker
nights. He will likely reflect, among other things, on taking
back our country. Mr. Borosage writes widely on political,
economic and national security issues for a range of
publications including The Washington Post, the Los Angeles
Times, and the Philadelphia Inquirer. He is a Contributing
Editor at The Nation magazine, and a regular contributor to The
American Prospect magazine. He is a frequent commentator on
television and radio, including Fox Morning News, RadioNation,
National Public Radio, C-Span and Pacifica Radio. He lectures
on presidential power and national security as an adjunct
professor at AU's Washington School of Law.


7. Webb for Senate/Generation Webb Activities

a.) ?WORK THE METRO FOR WEBB!? FLYER DISTRIBUTION
Arlington, Alexandria, and Fairfax voted convincingly for Tim
Kaine in 2005 and the even more
Democratic-leaning younger demographic dominates the metro
commute. We?re hitting local metro stops to make sure our
transient population votes for Jim Webb and NO on #1 (the ?
marriage? amendment) on Election Day. We need to cover every
orange and blue line stop in VA, so sign up for a time and
location ASAP. WHEN: 7:00-9:00am & 5:00-7:00pm weekday
rush, Oct31-Nov 7
WHERE: your local metro stop!
RSVP: Marty Walsh, m.t.walsh@verizon.net

b.) Fri, November 3 WEBB CRAWL NIGHTLIFE VISIBILITY

?WEBB CRAWL!? NIGHLIFE VISIBILITY IN ARLINGTON
Tour local hot spots with Webb shirts, buttons and stickers to
raise awareness that it?s time to vote for Jim Webb and also
distribute car flyers in local parking lots for the young
Arlington going out crowd. BTW, if anyone wants to wear a
donkey suit, let usknow.

Full Schedule (subject to change):
6:00-7:00 Meet at Dremo?s
7:00-7:30 Ragtime
7:30-8:00 Four Courts
8:00-8:15 Webb Walk to Clarendon
8:15-8:45 Whitlow?s on Wilson
8:45-10:00 Clarendon Grill (to beat $5 cover)
10:00-11:00 Mister Days
11:00-12:00 Clarendon Ballroom (usually $5 cover)
Other options include: Ballston?s Carpool, Front Page
and car flyering Ballston Commons Mall (sign up to
lead this or another webb crawl/visibility effort)
WHEN: 6:00-12:00pm Friday, November 3
WHERE: Dr. Dremo?s, 2001 Clarendon Blvd. Arlington, VA
(next to Webb HQ)
RSVP: Jim McBride, jamesemcb@yahoo.com,
703-867-5070 (call/text for updates on our location)

c.) Sat, November 4 GOTV LIT DROP (PLUS YOUR BUILDING!)

GENERATION WEBB GET-OUT-THE-VOTE LITERATURE DROP

This is the last weekend to remind voters about Election Day
and to help the Webb-Moran campaign persuade Virginia to ?drop?
George Allen by dropping literature door-to-door to spread the
word about their vision for Virginia and our country under a
new direction in the U.S. Congress! Volunteers will leave
democratic literature at homes across Arlington (no
door knocking necessary). Also, if you live in a secure
building without open access, we need to reach the young and
transient voters that may be your
neighbors, so we ask that you leave literature at their doors
and report to us that you covered this uncharted territory!
WHEN: 12pm Saturday, Nov 4 (or anytime from
12pm-4pm every Sat/Sun)
WHERE: Webb HQ, 1916 Wilson Blvd, St. 304,
Arlington, VA (between Dr. Dremo's & Hollywood Video,
near Court House metro)
RSVP: Christi Fanelli, volunteer@jimmoran.org,
703-310-6756

d.) PRE-ELECTION NIGHT ?WEBB CALL? (PHONE BANK)
We need volunteers to come to our 40-line phone bank and NOT
our limited phone bank at Webb HQ to make calls. Before ESPN's
Monday Night Foot?Ball, stop by our Virginia Square phone bank
for a Pre-Election Night "Webb?Call" to donate a measly hour or
two of
your time to reach out to local voters to make sure they vote
on Election Day.
WHEN: 6-9pm Mon, Nov 6 (or 6-9pm M-F, 10am-9pm Sat, 12-
9pm Sun)
WHERE: Webb-Moran Virginia Square Phone Bank,
3440 N. Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA (2 blocks from
the Virginia Square metro)
RSVP: Jim McBride, jamesemcb@yahoo.com, 703-867-5070
PHONE FROM HOME: homephone@webbforsenate.com OR
http://webb.bluestatedigital.com/page/s/homephone

e.) Tue, November 7 ELECTION DAY

?GOTV FOR WEBB!? AND VOTING ON ELECTION DAY Get Out The Vote
for Jim Webb by distributing literature at the polls, calling
voters, offering rides and more! We can even have you work
your own precinct.
WHEN: 6:00am-7:00pm November 7
WHERE: Webb HQ, 1916 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA (2 blocks
from Court House metro) or the polling place near you!
RSVP to work your precinct: Christi Fanelli,
volunteer@jimmoran.org, 703-310-6756
RSVP to work at Webb HQ or elsewhere:
fielddesk@webbforsenate.com
FIND YOUR VA PRECINCT/POLLING PLACE AND VOTING INFO:
http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/cms/Voter_Information/Where_Do_I_Vote/Polling_Place_Lookup_request.asp

WEBB HEADQUARTERS
1916 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22201
(2 block from court house metro) www.webbforsenate.com
Sign up to make calls, drop literature, write postcards, do
data entry and more:
fielddesk@webbforsenate.com OR webbforsenate.com/volunteer

Can?t come to the office? Phone from home!
homephone@webbforsenate.com OR
http://webb.bluestatedigital.com/page/s/homephone

8. Gertrude Stein Democratic Club Pre-Election Activities

It's the weekend before an historic election, and the Stein
Club will be there!

Friday night (November 3), 10 PM: GOTV Bar Crawl: We'll be
visiting the DC area bars, handing out palm cards urging people
to vote on Tuesday for the Stein Club-endorsed Democratic
slate, and in races in MD and VA. Meet at Halo.

Saturday (November 4), 10 AM: GOTV in VA: Sterling, VA (Fairfax
County - Get out the Vote for Jim Webb, No on the Marriage
Amendment, and Judy Feder (candidate to unseat Rep. Frank Wolf
and get another Democratic seat). Meet at the Women's National
Democratic Club (1526 New Hampshire Avenue, NW) at 10 AM.

Saturday night (November 4), 10 PM: GOTV Bar Crawl (see above).

Sunday (November 5), 10 AM: Sterling VA GOTV.

If interested in these events, please RSVP to Jeff Hops at
jeffhops@yahoo.com or call (202) 588-9258. If you are going to
Virginia on Saturday or Sunday, please let us know if you have
a car so we can put together carpools.


9. Hit the Road With the DCCC

The DCCC is looking for on-the-ground volunteers to go out on
the road in the final days before the election leaving Friday,
November 3rd and staying through Election Day, November 7th in
key states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Indiana.
We wouldn't ask you if it weren't so critically important - a
Democratic majority will mean that we can finally take our
country in a new direction. Will you help us? Sign up now to go
on the road!

If you have the opportunity and can go out on the road for longer or have any questions, please contact me, Cindy Smalls, (202) 485-3437 or at
smalls@dccc.org.

10. The AFL-CIO Voter Protection Program needs volunteer poll
monitors. To get more info and to volunteer, people should call
the AFL-CIO Civil, Human & Women?s Rights Department at 202-637-
5274. More info here:
http://blog.aflcio.org/2006/10/18/afl-cio-voter-protection-program-you-can-get-involved/

One of my favorite bloggers s is Big Sky Girl. I read her latest post and realized that it was a year ago last Monday that my cousin killed himself. Am I a bad person for not remembering? I mean, I remember what happened, but last Monday it didn't cross my mind, though I think of him alot.

Hmmm

So much to talk about today. 1st, several Black Democratic leaders in Prince George's County, Maryland (see, I said Prince George's, not PG), are breaking ranks with the party to support Steele, the Republican nominee for Senator. The reason? The same tired whine of the Democratic Party taking us for granted. Gimme a break, do they really think the Republicans are our friends? And what evidence do they use for this? The fact that Mfume had to run against someone in order to get the nomination. It's a democracy, dipshits. That's what we have elections for. Personally, if I lived in Maryland (something I will never, ever do - I'm aVirginian born and bred), I'd have voted for Mfume. But guess what? He lost, and so I'd support my party's nominee. Steele really is Bush's Bitch, despite what his ads (don't) say.

2ndly, next week, in addition to the Senate and House races, voters in Virginia will choose whether or not to have a constitutional Amendment to ban same-sex marriages AND civil unions. It's gonna pass, sadly. What I don't get about the folks against gay marriage, is that they say marriage is between a man and a woman. Actually, what they say is that marriage is between ONE man and ONE woman - the way God intended it to be, throwing polygamy out too. But just about every man in the Old Testament (or just the Bible to The Chosen) are married to multiple women. What's that all about? Either the Bible was wrong, in which case gays should be allowed to marry, or the Bible is right, and we should marry as many folks as we want. Which is it?

Winning?

Washington Post columnist, Dan Froomkin, hits the nail on the head:

One of the more reality-defying aspects of President Bush's position on the
war in Iraq is his insistence that we're winning. "Absolutely, we're
winning," Bush said. "As a matter of fact, my view is the only way we lose
in Iraq is if we leave before the job is done."
With the body counts soaring, the country descending deeper into civil war and the central government consistently unable to assert itself, how can he call this
winning? The answer: It's becoming increasingly clear that Bush sees the
war in Iraq in very simple terms. As he himself said, he believes that the
only way to lose is to leave. Therefore anything else is winning -- anything
else at all.

Even if no progress is being made -- even if things are getting worse, rather than better -- simply staying is winning.

So we're winning.

Scary, isn't it? And remember, when you cast your vote in a week and a half, you're either voting for change, or voting to let Congress continue to enable this man. It's that simple folks.

Rested

Well, I'm back from the West Coast and feeling a bit rested and refreshed, finally. I always have a hard time readjusting to the time change coming back home. And add to that the fact that I came right back to work on Monday, and I was one tired man for a few days. But I'm feeling good now, for the final weeks push before election day. I feel really good about it, folks. But we can't rest, not just yet. Volunteer, call a campaign near your home and ask if they need help. It's all about bodies, folks. We need to get as many people to the polls as possible.

Monterey, CA

Hey kids. I arrived in Monterey yesterday, after spending 4 days in Los Angeles. Such a different vibe here. Very, very relaxed. A nice New England vibe to it. Quiet, crunchy, outdoorsy. Went to sit on some rocks on the beach after getting here yesterday with Colleen and Santi, drank some stout, good times. Afterwards, went to a bar for another drink. We asked what they had on tap, one of the beers was called "English Ale". Nice, generic name. At this, Santi, who's actually from England, asked "What's the name?" The waitress again said "English Ale". After scratching our heads in bewilderment, the bartender came over and told us that the brewery here in town is allowed to make the beer, but not allowed to use the name, hence "English Ale". It was very good after all of that.

Today, Santi and I are headed out to hit some golf balls, then down to the aquarium to see the Great White Shark. Good times.

LA Day 1

Just got back to my hotel after spending the evening with my homie Aaron S. He's in grad school here at UCLA, about 20 minutes from my hotel. He showed me around Santa Monica and Hollywood tonight. Good times. Had dinner at a cool little pub in Santa Monica, Father's Office. Awesome beer selection, delicious steak and sweet potato fries. And, this being LA, beautiful women! Oh my God!! I love my wife with all my heart, and she's awesome. Just let me say, it's a good thing I'm an honest man with a ring on my finger. If I was single, I'd move the California in a heartbeat. Daaaaaammmmmnnnnnn!!! We ran into a few of Aaron's classmates, one of which had a friend visiting from San Fran. Let's just say her tattoo and thong were very, very nice to see.

Of course, I'm out really out here for work, and the conference I'm attending. Went to a few interesting sessions today on diversity in the workplace. Tomorrow morning, one of my favorite NPR reporters, Maria Hinojosa, is speaking. Can't wait to hear her.

California update

Just got to LA after spending Friday and Saturday with my little brother and his family in San Diego. I decided to take the train instead of flying. It's a lot cheaper (only $28), plus the view of the Pacific was awesome, until we reached San Luis Obispo and headed inland. One thing that really struck me was the complete lack of security at the train station in San Diego and on the train. No one went through passengers bags, there was no metal detector, nothing. A terrorist could easily put any kind of bomb on the train and have it explode in a heavily populated area. Doesn't anyone at Homeland Security remember what happened in Madrid? Truly scary.

California Dreamin'

Headed to Cali on Friday for work and fun. 1st, I'm visiting my little brother K10, his lovely wife Maggie and my newest niece Maya in San Diego. Then, it's LA by train for a work conference for 3 days. Finally, headed up north to visit our good friends Colleen and Santi in Monterey. Also going to try and see one of my oldest friends, Hutch, and his family in San Fran. I've known Hutch since 9th grade. We did the whole high school/college/fraternity thing together. Haven't seen him in about 3 years. Will be blogging from the westside all next week.

What Exactly Is President Bush's Job?

Real Leadership

Follower

My Future Senator

Maybe someone should get Condi a dictionary

It seems that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in need of a dictionary.

A review of White House records has determined that George J. Tenet, then the director of central intelligence, did indeed brief Condoleezza Rice and other top officials on July 10, 2001 about looming threat from Al Qaeda, a State Department spokesman said on Monday evening.

The account by the spokesman, Sean McCormack, came hours after Ms. Rice, the secretary of state, told reporters aboard her airplane that she did not recall such a meeting and said it was "incomprehensible" she ignored dire terrorist threats two months before the Sept. 11 attacks. Mr. McCormack also said the Bush administration had determined that the Sept. 11 commission had been briefed about the meeting, even though no mention of it appears in the commission's report.

The question of whether such a meeting took place and what may have occurred has emerged as central since an account of it appeared in "State of Denial," the new book by Bob Woodward of The Washington Post. The book said that Mr. Tenet and his top counterterrorism deputy, J. Cofer Black, believed that Ms. Rice had not taken their warnings seriously.

Last I checked, "incomprehensible" means that there's no way that something happened, not that something did indeed happen.

Chicken Sh**t Scaredy Cats

So, after blasting us Dems as soft on terrorism, what great idea does Senate Majority Leader Frist have about the Taliban? Invite them to join the Afghani government. I shit you not!!

QALAT, Afghanistan U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said Monday that the Afghan guerrilla war can never be won militarily and called for efforts to bring the Taliban and their supporters into the Afghan government.

The Tennessee Republican said he had learned from briefings that Taliban fighters were too numerous and had too much popular support to be defeated by military means.

"You need to bring them into a more transparent type of government," Frist said during a brief visit to a U.S. and Romanian military base in the southern Taliban stronghold of Qalat. "And if that's accomplished we'll be successful."

What happened to not negotiating with terrorists? And, last time I checked, Al Qaeda and the Taliban were closer than stink on shit.

What Real Leaders Do

"Treat them with humanity, and let them have no reason to Complain of our Copying the brutal example of the British Army in their treatment of our unfortunate brethren…. Provide everything necessary for them on the road."

George Washington, after capturing 1,000 Hessians in the Battle of Trenton. He ordered that enemy prisoners be treated with the same rights for which our nation was fighting.

May Our Children Forgive Us

"If Vice President Cheney is right, that some 'cruel, inhumane, or degrading' treatment of captives is a necessary tool for winning the war on terrorism, then the war is lost already."

Vladimir Bukovsky, who spent nearly 12 years in Soviet prisons, labor camps, and psychiatric hospitals for nonviolent human rights activities.

That's My Senator!

My government professor from UVa, Larry Sabato, is one of the most respected political analyst in the country. His "Crystal Ball" should be required reading before any election. Here's what he has to say about Senator Allen calling blacks "nigger" while he was a student at UVa in the early 70's.

Shana Tova

Torture?

I found this on Youtube today. It's a scene featuring the waterboarding torture technique from Season 3, Episode 2 of the 4400 on USA. This technique is one of the 'alternative interrogation techniques' that has been used in the global war on terror, and that W says is not "torture". What do you think?

Watch out DC, he's coming back!

Hey, 'skins fans. Remember the Norv Turner years? Remember the Heath Shuler experiment at QB? Well, looks like Heath is coming back! No, not on the field, but in the halls of Congress. Heath Shuler is running for Congress as a Democrat from North Carolina's 11th District, and he's leading in the polls. Good to see an athlete doing the right thing after his football career ends.

Body Armor

Voting Problems in Maryland

Today was election day in many places across the country, including primary races in Maryland. The following is from my friend Marielle, telling about her problems voting today.

Hi all,

I just needed to share my voting frustrations. Montgomery County election workers screwed up big time today in the primaries. I showed up at 7:30 to the polling place and got turned away altogether..."Try back later" was their answer as someone had forgotten to include the voting cards needed for the electronic machines for ALL voting stations in the county. That's a pretty huge mistake!!!

I showed up again at 8:30 and voted on a provisional ballot, which apparently won't even get counted until Monday next week. I even have my doubts that they instructed me to do it properly and whether or not my vote will get counted as a result (which btw took me 30 minutes as it involved a ton of paperwork!).

Unfortunately some of the primary candidates I wanted to win have their strongest base in Mont. Co...I'm afraid this is going to negatively affect the final results!

GRRR...such incompetence! Read more about it in this Washington Post article.

9-11-01

The day it all changed.

Listening to the Howard Stern show now, they're replaying their live broadcast from that horrible day. I'd completely forgotten how incredibly chaotic that day was, all of the rumors of the Capitol being hit, of fires on the Mall, of dozens of planes being hijacked. People calling in saying the PLO was responsible, all of the raw, ethnic hatred on the air. Mesmerizing.

We had an all staff meeting planned for that day, and I was running a bit late. Just happened to be looking at CNN's site when it happened. At first, the reports said a small plane hit one of the towers. It wasn't until the 2nd plane hit that we knew something was up. I ran down to our auditorium to tell my boss what was going on. She told me to go to her office, turn on the TV and keep everyone updated. Panic quickly swept through the building as we heard that the Pentagon had been hit. As our office is only a few blocks from the White House, we were scared shitless. Reports of terrorists roaming the streets were coming in - the Capitol had been hit, no it hadn't, yes it had. So much confusion. My FW, who wasn't yet my FW, worked on the Hill. I couldn't reach her, as all of the phone lines were jammed. I stayed at work until about 2:00, then walked to the FW's apartment. She was safe, as were her roommates Colleen and Santi. We sat in front of the TV, in a trance. I finally decided I needed to head home - my apartment was just south of the Pentagon. The streets of DC were empty, with armed soldiers everywhere. Where the Hell am I? I drove past the Pentagon, the smoke and the smell were horrible. I got home, the dog was going crazy, the place stank of smoke and fuel (the windows were left open because it was such a beautiful day). My parents finally got ahold of me, scared that something had happened to me because I lived so close to the Pentagon. My little sister, bless her heart, was on a bus at the Pentagon when the plane hit, sound asleep. I remember seeing a cab go by, driven by a man I thought was Middle Eastern. For a split second, I hated him, wanted to do something to him. And that feeling will shame me for the rest of my life. But he didn't do it, something not all of us have realized.

What do you remember?

Greetings from The Big Easy

Got to New Orleans last night and went to a great pre-wedding party. Kind of weird partying hard while across the street, folks were living in FEMA trailers. But hey, weddings are about celebrating family and friends. More on New Orleans later. 

Etiquette Question

So, I'm going a wedding in New Orleans. It's summer, it's hot, it's muggy. Can I wear my seersucker suit? The wedding is at 7:00, technically evening, but still light out. I'd love to rock the seersucker, but don't want to dress inappropriately. Help a brutha out! Let me know what you think. I've googled it, and I'm getting conflicting information.

UPDATE - talked to the bride-to-be last night at the party. She told me I'd better wear the searsucker, or she'll kick my ass!

New Orleans

The FW and I will be headed to The Big Easy this weekend for a wedding. I'll tell you all what the city looks like, 1st hand, and keep a photo journal.

Um, does this mean I didn't get that B in Astronomy?

In case you haven't heard, leading astronomers declared Thursday that Pluto is no longer a planet under historic new guidelines that downsize the solar system from nine planets to eight. So, are schools going to go back and retroactively change millions of quiz scores?

Off the hook

Picked up Madden 07 at the store on the way home - it's awesome, especially on a big-ass screen!!!

Christ and His Saints Slept

While the media has become fixated on John Mark Karr (our local NBC affiliate didn't even mention Iraq until 10 minutes into the newscast last night), let us not forget those who have died for this senseless war.

More on high school

There were many people who I wanted to see that didn't make it to the reunion. The most obvious is Nancy, who's no longer with us. I was lucky enough to have been friends with Nancy since 2nd grade, and will never forget her. Now, I don't believe in ghosts and don't really think about what comes after our life here on Earth, but I have to admit that at least every few months, Nancy visits me in my dreams and gives me comfort and advice, just as she did in life.

I really wish that Hutch, David, Scott and Kris had made it to join me, Beth and Suzy. It would have been great to have seen Kathy Murphy, the one girl I was totally crazy about all through high school, though to this day I've never told her, though she had to have known. I had several crushes in high school, a few who did make it (Tonya Aguilar, Colleen Grafenstein), but none like Kathy. If I could change one thing about high school, it would be to tell her how I felt. What's the worst that could have happened, she rejects me? Seeing as how my strategy of keeping my feelings to myself led to the same result (not being with her), it couldn't have hurt. Aah, but that's the puzzle of being an teenager, isn't it? At least back in the 80's, which in retrospect where a much more innocent time than today.

I would have actually tried in class. I was a lazy student, I got A's and B's without trying at all. I would have taken many more risks - socially, academically, athletically. The hesitation I had in high school has followed me to this day.

I was looking through my yearbook tonight, reading what people had to say about me 20 years ago. One thing that hasn't changed is my politics - I was a liberal then (deep in the Reagan years) and I'm just as liberal today. Another thing that jumps out is how clueless I was about girls - reading what some of the girls wrote in my yearbook, I'd have to say that a few actually did have crushes on me. Man, was I blind!

So all in all, it was a great weekend. I've e-mailed some of the folks already, and invited a few over for poker this weekend. I am going to try my best not to lose touch for another 20 years.

20 Year Reunion

So the reunion turned out to be a big success, even though most of our class didn't make it. I have to admit, the site (the local VFW hall) had me expecting the worse, but it was really alot of fun.

Before I start, I'll give you a little background. My high school, Gar-Field Senior High, is in Dale City, VA - a typical bedroom community about 25 miles south of DC. My closest friends were Suzy E., Scott S., Hutch C., David S., Nancy S., Beth W. and Kris F. We did everything together, and Hutch, Nancy and I stayed together for college (UVa). Hutch is now married and living in SF with a 2 year old son, Suzy is married and living in Delaware with 3 kids, Beth is living in Philadelphia, Kris is married with kids and living in Stafford, VA. Nancy passed away a few years ago, and we have no idea where David and Scott are. The last I heard time I talked to Scott about 2 years ago, he was living in NC. I ran into David 4 years ago downtown. Bizzarre experience I'll write about some other time. Anyway, the 8 of us were all high achieving kids - you could call us Nerdy Jocks or Jocky Nerds. I was also close with other people, but the 8 of us were super tight.

Anyway, back to the reunion. I was a at a table with Suzy, Rendino, Struble, Drew and Beth. Beth looked amazing (much to the dismay of all of the women at the reunion, I'm sure) as did Kristy P. Paige D., Karen F. and Colleen G. (all played tennis and were cheerleaders - they were good friends of ours too) all came together - Karen is expecting her 3rd child any day now, Paige just had her 2nd and I think Colleen has one kid. They all looked the same, meaning "hubba, hubba", especially for 38 year old moms!

Tonya A. was their and is expecting her 5th child. She's born again and married to a minister (her 2nd marriage). She looked awesome and is still really sweet. I had a huge crush on her - we were supposed to go watch Pretty In Pink our senior year but never got around to it. Penny T. is married to Matt C., and expecting her 5th any day now - their oldest starts G-F in the fall! Ruel and Martha (the Haymond twins) both came - Ruel is in Utah, married with 6 kids and about to adopt their 7th. Martha is in California with 4 daughters. It seemed that the only people without children were me, Drew, Pat Cooper and Chris Daniels. Sophia Tracey was their and looks the same, meaning beautiful. She grew up across the street from me. She was their with Kathy Rich, Margaret Zawisa and Marie Ellis - her best friends from back in the day.

Funny how all of the old clicks gravitated to each other - the tennis team, the cheerleaders (though they were kind of interchangeable), the "freaks", the Mormons, etc. The only black folks from our class to show up were me, Chris Daniels, Pat Cooper and Ebbie Hutson. Strange.

I didn't recognize alot of people, especially the ladies. Some looked amazing, others, not so much!

That's it for now. More later today.

G-F 20 Year Reunion

See my Tabblo>

Back in Time

My 20th high school reunion is tonight! I'm feeling a little anxious, to be honest. A lengthy post and pix will follow tomorrow. In the meantime, enjoy this little piece of 1986:

E-mail

I just received the following e-mail:

By now you've probably heard about the remarks recently made by Senator George Allen at one of his campaign events, aimed at a young Democratic volunteer who was attending and videotaping the event.

Watch Senator Allen's stunning remarks here.

As you can see in the video, Senator Allen calls this young Webb campaign volunteer of Indian descent "macaca," which means monkey, and is a racial epithet used in some European cultures for people with dark skin. And he doesn't use this term once, but twice. On top of that, Senator Allen tells him, "Welcome to America" as if he's some kind of outsider.

Well, this young Webb campaign volunteer has a name, and it's S.R. Sidarth. Senator Allen should have known this because Mr. Sidarth introduced himself to the Senator before the event. Mr. Sidarth is a student at the University of Virginia, and he's an American, born and raised in Virginia.

This is just one more example -- a very visible and disturbing one -- of how out of touch Senator Allen is. So far he has only offered a half-hearted apology to Mr. Sidarth, claiming he had no idea "macaca" was a racially charged term. The facts belie this explanation.

This feeble attempt at an apology is simply not good enough.

Let's send Senator Allen a strong message from our PAC for a Change community that America deserves better. If George Allen can't appreciate the diversity of Virginia, then he simply doesn't understand that this is what makes America so strong.

Stand up and reject Senator Allen's divisive politics -- Please contribute to Virginia Democratic nominee Jim Webb's campaign for U.S. Senate today!

http://www.actblue.com/page/boxer4webb

As you know, Democrats have a great shot at taking back the Senate this year. And even before George Allen's recent gaffe, Virginia has already been a huge potential pick-up opportunity, thanks to Democratic nominee Jim Webb.

Jim Webb is a decorated Marine, winner of the Navy Cross and two Purple Hearts, and former Secretary of the Navy. As a soldier, Jim was a legendary fighter. As a citizen, Jim has been a principled and persuasive leader. An early and frequent critic of the Bush Administration's foreign policy, Webb opposed President Bush's invasion of Iraq from the very beginning, while Sen. Allen has been the chief cheerleader of this war. Please contribute $50, $25, or even $10 to Jim Webb as he takes on Senator George Allen to win back the Senate seat in Virginia!

http://www.actblue.com/page/boxer4webb
If Jim Webb wins on November 7th, there's no stopping us! With your help, Democrats can -- and will -- take back the Senate this fall.

In Friendship,

Barbara Boxer
U.S. Senator

P.S. After contributing to Jim Webb's campaign, please forward this email to everyone you know! Help us expose the truth about Senator George Allen.

Moving On

Today, my folks are moving from the house I grew up in and into a brand new house in a 55+ community. Pretty weird. I'll write a nice piece on this later, but just wanted to say goodbye to Kurtz Road. I loved that house.

I told you so

Remember my post last week questioning the timing of the terrorist/airport scare? Seems I may have correct in my skepticism. Here we are, a week later, and no charges have been filed yet. None of the "terrorist" had made a bomb or purchased plane tickets. Hell, some of them didn't even have passports. But W and company pressured the Brits to make these arrests, even though there was no imminent threat, to scare us all to hell. Why? Because and election is coming up, stupid!

Folks, we have become a nation of punks. We're scared shitless over everything. It's getting to be a joke. And no, I'm not belittling 9/11. I just remember growing up with thousands of nukes pointed at us. Did we run around panicing at every little thing? No, we kept on living life as normally as possible. After Oklahoma City, did we start freaking out every time we saw blonde white dudes in U-Haul trucks?

What's happened to us?

Secure

Feel safe yet? Vote for change this November!

Look behind the curtain

So yesterday, Cheney says this about Lieberman's loss in the Connecticut primary:

Mr. Cheney offered warm praise for Mr. Lieberman, who was his opponent for
vice president in 2000, though he said he did not want his remarks to be
construed as an endorsement of Mr. Lieberman.He cast Mr. Lieberman’s loss in
ominous terms, suggesting that it would hearten American terrorist enemies.
Terrorists, he said, are “betting on the proposition that ultimately they can
break the will of the American people in terms of our ability to stay in the
fight and complete the task.

And today, we go to Code Red terror alert, the highest we've ever had, because of a terror threat against passenger flights between Britain and the US.

I'm not at all a conspiracy theorist, but connect the dots folks.

Congrats, Tribe!

Congratulations to William & Mary's 2006 Capital Alumni Network Softball for a top 6 finish in this years tourney, our best ever! Go Tribe! 

Headed West?

If any of you are headed to beautiful Monterey, California, you should really check out this site - Monterey Tourist - to see what to do, where to go, and how to have a great time.

Images

It's hot here in DC - 101 degrees. Hot all over the US, actually. Here's a question for you all. Why is it that whenever there's a heatwave, local TV news and newspapers show white kids playing in pools, and black kids playing in sprinklers or fire hydrants?

On Family

My mother-in-law had a heart attack last weekend. A really bad one. So bad that the doctor told us to contact the entire family and prepare for the worst. And for the 1st time in years, by FW's entire family was together. And through the power of family, my mother-in-law is still with us. She's still not doing well. In fact, she'll enter a hospice when she's discharged from the hospital. But she seems to be at peace. She's been sick for really long time, and she was able to see all of her children and grandchildren together.

Me and the FW

 


No reason, just 'cause. 

I'm back

Hey folks, sorry for the lack of posts the last few weeks. A bit of a family emergency that I had to attend to. Will write more on that later.

When is 50 a really big number?

So, today, gunmen kill over 50 in raid on town near Baghdad. Did you hear about that? Probably not, but even if you did, more than likely you just shrugged. Well, that 50 might not sound like a lot, but guess what the proportionate number of killings would be here? Iraq has a total population of about 26 million. We have a population of 296 million. So those 50 in Iraq would be about 567 people here. All killed at one time. Think about that.

What the Hell is going on?

So, here we are, another day of horrible violence in the Middle East. Israel says they'll stop the attacks once their soldiers are freed. But what if Hezbollah doesn't free them, but kills them? What does Israel do then? Israel has reacted in exactly the way that Hezbollah wanted them too, by doing what the Israelis do best - beat the shit out of you. But in doing so, they've guaranteed that the democratic Lebanese government that's only been in place since March of '05 isn't going to last. C'mon, do you really think that Lebanon wants Hezbollah to be in their country, or has any control over what they do? The Israelis have to know that they don't, but they've bought into their whole mythos - "we don't take shit from anyone". That's all well and good, but isn't this some serious overkill? Two soldiers kidnapped, and how many ordinary Lebanese are dead now? 165 at last count, with 24 Israelis also killed. And no end in sight. All of this, coupled with the continued killings in Iraq and the tense situation in Iran, has done wonders for the oil companies, by the way. Gas prices are getting higher and higher.

Idiots

Here's today's Washington Post headline:

Divided Over Security Issues: Protecting U.S. from terrorists is likely to be top issue in midterm election, 2008 presidential race.

This is from the same paper whose newest poll shows that the single biggest issue in this year's election is Iraq at 24% and the economy at 23%. Terrorism has a wopping 8%. Um, can someone tell the writers and editors at the Post to read there own damned poll?

Plame suing Cheney, Libby and Rove

Ex-CIA operative Valerie Plame sues Vice President Cheney, his former aide, Scooter Libby,and presidential adviser Karl Rove.

This is gonna get good.

Time to get to work

I just heard Seymour Hersh speak here at my office. Time to get back to work and get our country back. We are so close to turning fascist, it's scary. I'll continue to write some frivolous stuff (I can't help it, you know how I am), but I'm gonna get back to writing more serious pieces.

There's only one Thierry Henry!!!

Allez les bleus!

Schwarz und Weiss

Germany just beat Argentina on penalties, making it to the semifinals of the World Cup. Enjoy this little bit of Schwartz und Weiss (Black and White), the theme song of the team. Yeah, I know, the guy's wearing darkface. Somehow it doesn't bother me when Europeans do it.

Cole's Goal

England's Joe Cole scored an amazing goal against Sweden yesterday, but look at the video - he mis-kicked it! Look at his follow through, there's no way he intended the ball to go where it did.

Three years, three months

Just read this on Gene Weingarten's chat:

We are now three years and three months into the Iraq war. Three years and three months into WWII (our piece of it, anyway), we were racing for Berlin, and Marines were raising the flag on Mt. Suribachi.

Thank you, Mr. President.

What's up with that?

Has anyone noticed quite a number of Confederate flags in the stands at the World Cup? What the hell is up with that? I was watching the Spain - Tunisia game yesterday, and after Spain took the lead, the camera panned the crowd, and I swear I saw 5 or 6 rebel flags being waved by Spanish fans, one very large flag. I also noticed alot of Italian fans giving the fascist salute during USA-Italy game on Saturday. Aaah, tolerant, liberal Europe.

Van Persie

Oranje!!!

Tabblo

Hey kids. About a month ago, I came across a really cool site, Tabblo.com, which is basically a photo sharing site with a twist - it combines storytelling with photosharing. Anyway, it's really, really cool site. I've posted a number of Tabblos, and today, the folks at Tabblo interviewed me. They were "very impressed with some of the remarkable tabblos you have created (Honeymoon in Dominica was an example of great storytelling) and what an active member you have been. We would like to interview you about your experience at Tabblo -- what you love about it, what you would change right away, and anything else that we should know. " Pretty cool, eh? Here's the tabblo that they really liked:

In May of 2004, my Fabulous Wife (FW) Amber and I got married.  For our honeymoon, we rented a cottage on the island of Dominica in the Caribbean.  The FW told me she didn't want to go to a resort, she wanted the "True Caribbean Experience".  Be careful what you wish for. ... See my Tabblo>

ReJoyce

Totally Random

See my Tabblo>

"I'm 13. But I'm an old soul"

Watching "Beautiful Girls". God, I love this movie.

What to do?

The FW has been in Richmond all week for work, it's Thursday, and the weather is awesome. I led a pretty impressive training exercise at work, got a lot done and now I'm home. Hmm, what to do this afternoon? Why, sit out back with my dog, drink a beer, smoke an awesome cigar (C.A.O. Extreme - been in my humidor for about 7 years), read a good book (Iron Sunrise) and listen to Alice in Chains. It's like I'm back in college (except I'm not drinking Schlitz and playing Spades with Schwartz, Lilleleht, Schlenger and Greco on 15th Street). Too quote Ice Cube, "today was a good day".

Me, I Love Activist Judges

Yesterday was Loving Day, the 39th anniversary of Loving vs. Virginia, which made it illegal to restrict interracial couples in the United States. Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving were the couple behind the fight to give marriage rights to all interracial couples involving one white partner (a little known fact is that many of the states that prohibited a couple like Mildred and Richard from marrying would have had no problem with an Asian man and a black woman marrying. Similar to the one-drop rule, anti-miscegenation laws were meant to keep power and ownership of land and property within the white population. Once whites married people of color, the power would potentially be distributed/shared with spouses and mixed children). How long do you think it would have taken for these laws to be overturned if left up to the public? Or laws keeping schools separate? Think about that the next time some a**hole starts mouthing off about activist judges.

Silver Lining

Well, the USA is getting thumped by the Czech's right now, 3-0 with 10 minutes left. What possible silver lining could there be? Rosicky, who's scored twice for the Czechs, is Arsenal's newest player!

In other soccer news,

Just found out that my alma-mater, Gar-Field HS, has made the state semi-finals in boys soccer. They play W.T. Woodson tonight at 8:00 in Newport News. This comes almost exactly 20 years after my final high-school game, in which I scored the tying goal in a 1-1 draw with our arch-rivals, the Woodbridge Vikings. Go Big Red!!

(And that isn't me in the pic, that's Eber Martinez, a 2006 Parade All-American, and my former coach and current Gar-Field Athletic Director Rudy Zimmerman - he's a great guy, read his remarkable story.)

What a start!

Germany 4 - 2 Costa Rica

Some sick goals from Germany. For all those soccer haters out there who whine about 1-0 games, here's to you.

It's almost here!

Well, we're back from our travels and now I'm getting ready for what is going to be an excellent month. The World Cup starts on Friday and I'm am psyched. Every game will be carried live on either ESPN, ESPN2, or ABC. I've got the DVR set, the beer is stocked, and I'm ready to roll. While I will of course be cheering on the USA, my favorite team, as anyone can tell you, are the ORANJE - the Dutch national team. Why? One word - Cruyff. Johan Cruyff was one of the greatest footballers of all time, the man who brought "Total Football" to the world. Towards the end of his career, after playing on some great Ajax teams, he came to the States and played for both the LA Aztecs and the Washington Diplomats. While with the Dips, he took part in many soccer clinics here in the DC area, and I got to meet him in the 5th grade. If I only knew then that I was in the presence of genius. Here's a clip of him in action.

Wij houden van Oranje!!!

Another view

We can also see US Cellular Field, home of the White Sox. 

Chicago Skyline

Here's our view from State Street Village. Pretty nice, eh? 

What a beautiful day

The wedding yesterday was absolutely beautiful - beautiful weather, beautiful location and of course a beautiful bride. I can't describe how wonderful it was to see 2 awesome people like Lesley and Jeremy join together. And the reception afterwards - wow! I won't get into too many details, but let's just say I wound up doing the running man and drunk text-messaging my friends (including the bride)! I think we got back to our hotel around 1:00 am.

This morning, Lesley's parents hosted a brunch at their house. It was good seeing everyone again before we all headed our separate ways (though we'll see everyone back in DC). We are now visiting the FW's sister, who's a doctoral student at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) in downtown Chicago. We're staying in a guest suite in the coolest dorm I've ever seen - State Street Village.

Here's a link to see the pix - http://app.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/8890/

On the road

Well, we're back on the road. Evanston, Illinois for the wedding of 2 of my favorite people, Leslie and Jeremy.

We got back home from the beach Thursday night and discovered that part of our ceiling was starting to cave in due to the folks upstairs. The unit above ours was recently bought and the folks are doing major renovations - starting 1st thing every morning and continuing until almost 8:00 at night. Pretty annoying, but not as annoying as finding that they're leaking water through our ceiling! We contacted the management of our condo association and they're fixing it while we're here this weekend. We also found out that the folks upstairs don't have a permit to perform their renovations, and the city has ordered them to stop.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch... We landed yesterday and Chicago Midway Airport and had a horrible time getting our rental car. We waited in line for almost 2 hours, with no explanation other than "it's busy". The FW was furious and proceeded to let the woman at the counter know it. I'm Mr. Conflict Avoidance, so I was very uncomfortable. And I made the mistake of trying to intervene. Whoops!! Guys, if you're lady is mad at someone other than you, let her roll with it. Seriously!! Otherwise, her wrath will turn on you! We eventually got our car (actually, they were out of cars and gave us and SUV instead) and drove through downtown Chicago rush hour traffic to beautiful Evanston. Really, this is a gorgeous part of the country. We went to the rehearsal dinner last night (Carmen's Pizza - nothing like Chicago pizza, boys and girls). Today the FW is out getting all prettied up for tonight's nuptials. I'll post pix and stories tomorrow.

C out!

New favorite game

Kaleb has a new favorite game he discovered on the beach, hunting for crabs.

Thanks Sarah!!

Today, we got a care package at the beach house from Sarah D. in Juneau, Alaska! Sarah rocks! Shot glasses, Bear Droppings (candy), fancy straws and smoked salmon!!! Awright!

Beach Post

Hi everyone (and by everyone, I mean ECAG!). We're on our 2nd full day at the beach, and it's been great. By great, I mean I haven't done a damn thing except eat, drink and sleep. The only drama so far is how the 2 dogs are getting along. We've brought our dog Kaleb and Barney and Katie have brought their dog Ty. Kaleb's 7 years old and Ty is a 1 year old puppy, but a really big puppy. He likes to play, alot. Kaleb, not so much, at least not with other dogs. After a few rough spots early on, they've reached a sort of detante. Ty comes up to Kaleb to play, Kaleb bears his fangs and chases Ty off, Ty thinks this is the game, and they round and round til one of them gets bored.

Of course, we're drinking lots of beer, rum and assorted other libations. Good times! I have to admit, I haven't actually seen the ocean yet, even though we're a block away. So sad, but I'll head over later this morning!

Beach Blogging

Tomorrow morning, and for the following week, I'll be blogging from the road. We're headed to Corolla, NC tomorrow for a week at the beach, then fly to Chicago next weekend for a wedding. Stay tuned.

Now, that was nice!

Tomorrow morning, the FW and I leave for our annual trip to Corolla, NC for a week at the beach. We share a huge beach house with a bunch of our close friends. Today, in preparation, I went and got my 1st pedicure! Yep, I got all metrosexual today.

For my birthday last December, the FW bought me a gift certificate to The Grooming Lounge, a men's salon downtown. It was for what's called "The Executive Foot Treatment", Eliminate the “agony of de-feet” with this exclusive foot treatment highlighted by a dip in warm paraffin wax. Now, my feet are okay for a man, especially for a man who's played soccer for 30+ years, but I've never, ever had a pedicure. Never even thought of getting one. Well, after today, I just may become addicted.

When I walked through the door of The Grooming Lounge, I knew it was the place for me. Leather chairs, plasma TVs, sports magazines, basically every guys fantasy (did I mention that all the women who work there are hotties?). As I sat waiting for my appointment, they brought me a beer in a frosted mug! Yeah!! For the pedicure, I was seated in a big leather chair with massage controls and a foot bath. I bore you with the details of the treatment, but it was awesome. My feet have never looked or felt better. Guys, if you live in the DC area, get yourself over to The Grooming Lounge ASAP!!