A Leap Day Birthday

In honour of leap day, that quadrennial tradition of messing up our year with an extra day of work (I'm in favour of making it a holiday...and why not move it to the end of October and make it election day?), I am posting on Ms. Lorena Williams, the only person I know whose birthday is today (what year, I'm not so certain about...1952? 1956? 1960?). She's also a twin. When I found out about this, I asked her what she did on non-leap years. She said that she and her sister would celebrate on March 1st.

Who is Lorena Williams, you ask? Only one of my favourite teachers over the years. I had her American History class in my Junior Year (1988-1989) at Clarkston High School in Clarkston, Georgia and for Economics in my Senior Year (1989-1990). We had to read "The Killer Angels" as part of the American History class requirements, but I don't think I read the whole thing (it's on my list of books to read, though, as I attempt to make amends for all the books I should've read in high school and didn't). What I remember most about her was that when I took Economics in my Senior year, I was a Senior in a class meant for Freshmen. Because I missed out on my Freshman and Sophomore Years in Georgia (I was living in Germany at the time), I had to make up a few courses to meet DeKalb County's graduation requirements. I felt like I was in a class full of Kindergarteners for the difference in maturity levels. Well, one day, an obnoxious girl grabbed my cookie at lunch and ate it. I was so mad, I actually told Ms. Williams on her. After lunch period (Economics being my lunch period class), Ms. Williams lectured the class about how angry she was that the girl stole my cookie. I was shocked when I heard her tell the class that she was sometimes ashamed of her race when people acted so disrespectful. I felt bad, her statement really affected the class, I think. I couldn't believe she made such a big production over a stolen cookie, but it made me appreciate her even more that she would speak out about respecting other people's things.

Since I graduated from high school, I have sent her a birthday card and/or gift every leap year (1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, and this year). Even when I lived in Italy in 1992, somehow, I had timed it right so that it would arrive on February 29th. Last time I talked to her was two years ago when I was planning to quit my job and move to the west coast. I felt like it was going to be the last time I would visit my high school, so I wanted to say goodbye to the only two teachers remaining from when I attended. It was fun to catch up on old times and she reminded me of the cookie story, which I had forgotten. We had a good laugh about it. The visit before that one was in 2000 when I spoke to her students about the military, college, and the White House internship (that was a fun day--the question everyone wanted to know was if I knew Monica Lewinski).

I hope she has a great birthday, however old she is. Oh, and yes, she sometimes only counts the leap years to tell people how old she is. That's very cool. I'd love to have a Leap Day Birthday!

And because this is supposed to be a Fun Friday post, I will list the teachers I've had in elementary school and what I most remember about them or that year.

Kindergarten (1977-1978)

John F. Kennedy Elementary School, Lawrence, Kansas

Mrs. Murphy

Don't remember much about her, other than her incredible patience as one girl cried all day long for at least a month straight. She's a saint, in my book.

First Grade (1978-1979)

John F. Kennedy Elementary School, Lawrence, Kansas

Mrs. Quiring

She had a thing for ascots. That's really all I remember about her...that she wore a scarf around her neck. Oh, and she kind of reminds me of the mother in the original "Freaky Friday" film (the one with Jodie Foster)

Second Grade (1979-1980)

Corl Street Elementary School, State College, Pennsylvania

Mrs. Smith

The best year of elementary school. My two friends was a kid from Pakistan named Khoram whom the other kids made fun of (and because I defended him and played with him, I was seen as "uncool") and a girl who could possibly be considered "my first girlfriend" (Sharon Dunn) and was my first penpal when we moved at the end of the year.

Anyhow, what made this year great was that our class was arranged like a train, with half the students passengers and the other half were the conductor, ticket taker, baggage handler, etc. We did a pretend trip to California, learning about the states we "passed through", complete with maps and facts about state birds, capitals, flowers, etc. Things went well until we passed through Kansas. Mrs. Smith told the class that the capital was Kansas City. Since I had just moved from there, I told her that it was Topeka. She didn't believe me, but I marked it on my map. No one else believed me either. The next day, she apologized to me and admitted to the class that I was right. That Topeka was the capital and Kansas City was the largest city. Again, I had to correct her. Wichita was the largest city (though Kansas City MISSOURI is larger than both). But I was impressed that she was willing to admit that she was wrong to a class of second graders.

When we "arrived" in California, we had a chuckwagon lunch and sang cowboy songs (some of which I still remember to this day: "Don't Fence Me In" and "Home On the Range"). This year was the best year because they used our imaginations to make learning fun. We also learned creatively about the Ice Age (cavemen, woolly mammoths, and saber toothed tigers) and the ocean (I drew a large dolphin that I never got to keep because our family moved before the school year ended).

Third Grade (1980-1981)

Hill Field Elementary School, Hill AFB/Clearfield, Utah

Miss Gatipon

All I remember is that she was my first crush. I don't know what mixed heritage she was, but it could've been Hispanic/Asian/Polynesian or some kind of blend like that. She was probably in her 20s, but I simply didn't distinguish a person's age then. She could've been 20, 30 or 40 for all I knew, but she was the prettiest teacher I had.

Fourth Grade (1981-1982)

Hill Field Elementary School, Hill AFB/Clearfield, Utah

Mr. "Somebody"

My first male teacher and I don't remember his name at all. What I remember was that I didn't like this year very much because the math got harder (we had to memorize multiplication tables, for one thing). However, in retrospect, this year had one of the biggest impacts on my life as the teacher's son was in the Peace Corps in Tahiti or Fiji. He introduced us to a world that fascinated me, from photos of terraced mountainsides in Nepal for farming, to photos of Tahiti/Fiji, and other exotic locales. In a word, he corrupted me with a desire to see the world. And what a shame that I can't even remember his name!

Fifth Grade (1982-1983)

Birchcrest Elementary School, Bellevue, Nebraska

Ms. "Something"-chek

I had the unfortunate experience of switching schools in December thanks to my parents moving out of Air Force housing into a brand new house in another school district (even though it was probably not even two miles away). It made it hell to be the new kid and there was already a Nicholas in my class. The teacher (of Czech heritage with an unpronounceable last name that ended in -chek) asked me what I wanted to be called. I had gone by "Nic" my whole life before that point and got tired of telling people how my parents spell my name and I thought Nicholas sounded more grown up, so I said "Nicholas" and created an enemy for life. The other Nicholas was relegated to Nick and he hated me for the rest of the year. And since he was one of the more popular kids in class, he had a big influence in making sure I didn't have any friends. The only friend I made that year was a guy who was half-Korean, half-Caucasian. We had the bi-racial cultural understanding.

All was not lost, however. It was this year that had also affected my life in ways that I haven't been able to escape to this day. The teacher made the class create our own books (not only the story, but making the cover as well) to enter in the Young Author's Conference that some of us attended. My story about a car race across the United States, followed by a raccoon chase around the world was quite popular with the other students (though it is horribly bad) and I knew then that I wanted to be a novelist someday. It's a dream I'm still working on making come true. The other thing that affected me this year was my love of Australia and the desire to see it someday (still!). For years, I was at a loss at what triggered my interest in Australia, until I realized that my favourite song at the time was Men At Work's "Down Under", which was a big hit around this time. So, in my mind, when I publish my novel, I will take a month long vacation to Australia. My dream writing life and an Australian vacation coincide in my mind. You can't separate the two.

Interesting that another teacher's name that I can't remember had a big impact on my life.

Sixth Grade (1983-1984)

Birchcrest Elementary School, Bellevue, Nebraska

Mr. Montaigue

My dad knew him through Toastmasters, so that wasn't good. My grades really struggled and I would fill in bubbles on the answer sheet without reading the questions or the answers, which meant that I had to be put in remedial math and remedial English. My parents probably worried about my level of intelligence, but in reality, I was trying to escape a bully in class who would harass me. He kept wanting to control me the way he did another boy and no one would stand up for me. It was this year that I once trashed a classroom and didn't get in trouble for it. I joined the Safety Patrol as well. Anything to get out of class and away from the bully. At the end of the year, I learned that no one in class liked the bully (to my surprise) and I had a great group of friends, including two girls I had crushes on.

Sam Adams Campaign Video

Check out the official campaign video of Sam Adams, Portland's hardest working and most visionary City Commissioner who is running for Mayor. Watch carefully when Sam is at his campaign headquarters, sitting at a table and working on his MacBook. To the left of him are two neighborhood signs I made (for the neighborhoods of Sellwood-Moreland and Portland Downtown). Very cool! But this video is characteristic of Sam Adams...funny, personable, and a true policy wonk. Everything our city needs to progress into an environmentally sustainable future.

Desperate Measures

The knives are out...both from the right and from the Hillary campaign. Everyone is threatened by the popularity of Barack Obama. And they should be. He has run a sharp campaign. All the pundits and prognosticators, the New York elite and the Democratic Leadership Council (Republicans in disguise) had pretty much coronated Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton late last year before the voters had their say. In primary after primary, Obama has racked up impressive wins, with as little as 17 points over rival Hillary to complete blowouts. He has won more states, both primaries and caucuses, in all demographic groups (including among Hillary's strong core of older women, blue collar wage earners, and Hispanics). He has the kind of charisma and movement behind him not seen since RFK.

True, Bill Clinton was often considered the first "rock star president", but Barack has far surpassed him that he's considered "the black Kennedy" by liberals and "the black Reagan" by Republicans. His name has even become part of a creative catchphrase: "Barack star." No wonder why Hillary is jealous, as one can see through her behaviour this week, from scolding him like a school marm (with her "shame on you!" speech that had an angry tone to it) to the release of an old photo of Obama doing what politicians often do in foreign countries...wear "native garb." Hillary had done it herself when she took Chelsea on a tour of South Asia as first lady. Both wore traditional Muslim outfits, complete with head scarves. Does that make Hillary a Muslim? Or when Bush went to China and wore the traditional Chinese silk shirts. Does that make him a "Mao's Little Red Book-carrying Commie"? No one would think so.

So, why are people (both Team Hillary and on the right through propagandists like Rush Limbaugh who never met a lie he didn't find worth repeating ad nauseum) perpetuating this lie about Obama being a secret Muslim agent of al-Qaeda on a mission to take control of our government? If anyone's a secret agent of a Muslim government, that would be our beloved president George W. Bush. He single-handedly got rid of Iran's two biggest enemies: the Taliban in Afghanistan and Saddam Hussein in Iraq. And he did it with American blood and treasure...accomplishing something Iran could not do (having been beaten to a bloody stalemate in an 8 year war with Iraq in the 1980s).

Okay...so Obama has an unusual name. When I first read an article on the Truthout website in the spring of 2004 about an up and coming state senator in Illinois who was running for the open Senate seat against several well-funded Democratic opponents, I thought it was a joke. "Barack Obama?" I knew that Israel had a prime minister named Ehud Barack and I also thought immediately of Osama. That's quite a name to have. Then to find out that his middle name is the same as both Saddam and the King of Jordan's last name. Neither men are related. Hussein is the equivalent of "Smith" in the Muslim world.

But desperate Republicans are grasping at anything to keep the bigot vote within their party. Since they are a party without any visionary ideas, so corrupt and incompetent in their administration of government, and having the most pathetic choices of candidates to choose from, can you blame them? Their policy positions on immigration pretty much have pushed hispanics into the Democratic party, and that was the ethnic group that most likely would've been loyal Republicans, much like African Americans are predominately Democratic. The other ethnic group that was staunchly Republican in previous elections are Arab Americans, but no longer. Their xenophobic appeals to nationalism and anti-Muslim hysteria has pushed Arab Americans out of the "big tent." Did they truly ever have a big tent? I find that hard to believe. Remember in the 2000 Republican National Convention? They had more black people on stage than on the floor as delegates. It truly was the worst minstrel show ever put on for white audiences. Even the Ku Klux Klan can't starch their uniforms as white as that party is.

They are on the losing end of history and they know it. The only way they can win is by appealing to the basest instincts of people's fears of terrorism, of foreigners, of anyone who speaks with an accent or looks remotely different from them. If that doesn't work, then outright electoral theft is a possibility. The Republicans can't win on ideas at all, because they have no ideas or solutions for America. Their only position is to give more and more money to corporations, who pad their bank accounts rather than use it to create new jobs. Just ask Ken Lay, who supposedly died after his guilty verdict but speculation leads one to wonder what island he's lavishly living on for keeping silent about everything he knows about the Bush crime family.

So...hearing people pile on Obama is a bit hilarious. There's a reason why a candidate gets popular. Nothing a carefully calibrated campaign can achieve with all the poll testing data. That's why Obama is riding a huge wave over Hillary. She made the mistake of playing by the same losing DLC playbook that both Gore and Kerry played from. All three of them had too many high priced K Street Lobbyists on their payroll, people who make too much money to sacrifice quitting their padded careers to toil in the dirt of a true political campaign. The best campaigns are nearly always shoe-string, where young people form the campaign staff, living off of pizzas, cheap motel rooms, and all-nighter sessions. It's the hunger to win and the ability to live on little (sleep, food, and money).

Hillary's biggest problem is that she expected a coronation. That's the "Goldwater Girl" coming out. It's the Republican Party that does coronations, not the Democratic one. As history shows on the Republican side...Nixon ran for president in 1960 before winning in 1968. Reagan ran in 1976 but won in 1980. Papa Bush ran in 1980 and won in 1988. Bob Dole ran in 1980 and 1988 before becoming the appointed nominee in the losing campaign of 1996. Baby Bush didn't have to "wait his turn" since he was considered an heir apparent, running to redeem his father's loss in 1992. McCain ran in 2000 and is now their most likely nominee. Romney will most likely be the nominee next time. See the pattern? On the Democratic side, losers tend to disappear without a second chance. Even Gore saw the handwriting on the wall for his own presidential ambitions (I still think he would've won hands down if he had decided to run this time, due to American desire to redeem our country of the mistake made in 2000, as is obvious by McCain's resurrection from near campaign death last year).

My advice to Obama? Keep on speaking about hope and change, flashing that mega-wattage Kennedyesque smile of yours. Let Hillary rant her way to oblivion. She's angry and growing more irrationally desperate. Her lifelong dream is quickly fading to black...and as much as she might hate the upstart Obama campaign, she has no one to blame but her own cautious nature and the unmistakeable and undeniable fact that Americans simply are sick of the Clinton and Bush families. America wants a change in the best possible way. We are moving towards an Obama Nation. The Republicans and the Hillary supporters just need to get over themselves and accept the hand fate plays in our political process. Our world is about to be "Baracked"!

No Country For Old Men

So, the Academy went with the Coen brothers film "No Country for Old Men," which I hope proves prophetic when the November elections roll around! Jon Stewart had a good line during the awards ceremony when he said that Oscar is 80 this year, "making it the automatic front-runner for the Republican nomination for president." Ain't that the truth! As you can see from the photo above, those nine candidates for the nomination all have two things in common (besides being Republicans): they're whiter than a Klan uniform and they're all men, like the 42 other presidents we've had.

Last year, I had met a Democratic operative who tried to convince me to support John Edwards so that the Democrats would win the election hands down. What he was saying was that having a woman or a black man as the nominee would be too risky if we hope to take back the White House. But come on! We're in the 21st century! If not now, when? My response to him kind of took him aback (he was an older, white guy after all). I told him, "We've had 42 white men as president already and the reign of the white man is over. It's time for a real change."

Regardless of the outcome in November, the Democrats have proven time and again that it is the party to be a part of if you value diversity. That we're down to two choices means we're definitely going for the history books. Whether the American people find it in their good hearts to take a chance on something different remains to be seen, but I'm hopeful and optimistic. I think Obama has a good case to be made against McCain and his desire for a "hundred year war" in Iraq. McCain is an honorable man in the wrong party. I hope the Democrats are ruthless in pinning the blame of failure of the Republican party on McCain's torture-beaten shoulders.

If I was on the Obama campaign, I'd present the narrative that the Republican party had the opportunity to choose McCain in 2000, who was more qualified than the one they actually chose. Now, they are trying to buy redemption from the American people in selecting the man who should've been their nominee in 2000. But it's too late. They have so ruined America on too many fronts to be trusted to lead our nation out of the darkness of the Bush years. The Republicans don't deserve our trust because they abused it time and again with their swift-boating and fear mongering xenophobia. They trashed our country's good name by policies of rendition and waterboarding. Under the Republicans, we lost our moral footing and the only way to redeem our nation in the family of nations is to take a chance on real change that Obama offers. Let us become "no country for old [Republican] men!"

Let us make posterboys of the Republican darlings: Dick Cheney (who doesn't know a torture technique he didn't love), Trent Lott (who believed that segregationist Strom Thurmond would've made our nation stronger by keeping black people oppressed just so poor white folk can feel good about their exploitation by the corporate capitalists), and Rush Limbaugh (the OxyContin poppin' daddy who makes his Mexican housekeeper take the blame for his addictions that attempts to mask his chronic unhappiness despite his outrageous wealth).

Man, with Republicans like these, it's no wonder why Republicans are so angry these days. They backed someone they thought would be the second coming of Reagan but was more like what the country feared if Dan Quayle had become president. No good news from the economy, from Iraq, from Wall Street, from the real estate industry. A part of me thinks that they are jealous that the Democrats have such charismatic, star quality candidates. No doubt about it...Obama has achieved a kind of critical mass not seen since Robert F. Kennedy's run in 1968. Perhaps there's something to be said about the Biblical "40 years in the wilderness." The Republican era officially began with the assassinations of MLK and RFK and the election of Nixon in 1968. Forty years later, the party of geriatric white men has run out of ideas and passion. All they have to show for themselves is greed, graft, and dangerous incompetence.

I'll be quite happy to bid them "good riddance"! May those Republican politicians find salvation in OxyContin, because that's the closest they'll ever get to heaven by a long shot.

Born to Make Herself Unhappy

My blog is mostly on political and spiritual topics, with the occasional personal post. I try to keep pop culture fluff to a minimum because, Lord knows, we're inundated with enough of it as it is. Such as waiting at a supermarket checkout line. However, I've resisted for long enough and now I can no longer hold my tongue. After seeing her face on tabloid magazine after tabloid magazine and even on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in an article pondering what the heck happened to her, I feel a need to add my two cents worth so I hope you will indulge me this one lapse of "pop culture-itis."

Leave Britney Alone!

What happened to Britney? I'll tell you what happened to Britney! Capitalism, that's what! She's just the latest to break down because of an uncontrolled ego that was given too much, too fast before she was strong enough in self-identity to be able to resist all the temptations money could buy.

She entered the pop consciousness in late 1998 with a provocative video in which she wore a Catholic school girl outfit and did some sexy dance moves. She wasn't yet 18 and even I was intrigued by the video and her music (even though I was 26 and some college friends laughed that I would be interested in her, which they reminded me would be considered "jailbait"). Yeah, but...she knew what she was doing. Her songs were pretty catchy, enough that I bought her debut CD, even though she had a song called "Soda Pop" (you can't get more "bubblegum pop" than that!). Maybe she was prophetic, for she had a song called "Crazy" as well.

One of my favourite songs on her debut CD is "Born to Make You Happy" and the video is awesome as well. Unfortunately, the lyrics are bad, message-wise. In it, she sings that she was born to make some guy happy. Like that was her whole reason for living. Maybe that's her problem. She has issues with men, that much is certain (from her quickie Vegas wedding to a long-time school friend to her dysfunctional "baby factory" relationship with the world's biggest slacker to her running off with a papa-nazi who actually claimed to be a true friend, even as he sold his story of their hook-up to tabloids). If she really believes the lyrics she sings, no wonder why she's in trouble! She's looking for happiness outside of herself, and worse still, in men who simply take advantage of her naivete and spendy ways.

When she came out with "Oops...I Did It Again," I was still smitten with her in some ways, partly because of her sexy music video in which she had to go for the Barbarella look (I'm one guy who cannot resist a woman who dresses like that). Her second CD was a carbon copy of her first...including a remake of a classic ("The Beat Goes On" on the first CD; "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" on the second) and a song called "Dear Diary" on one and "E-Mail My Heart" on the other. So much for breaking with what works!

In college, I learned about an economic theory called "The Law of Diminishing Returns." This idea refers to the pattern of how one has to continually up the ante on something to get the same returns (kind of like in drug use, one has to take higher doses to get the same effect, which lasts shorter). Britney has released five CDs since 1998, and in each one, she has upped the ante on her sexually provocative outfits and songs. The result is that each subsequent album has sold less than the previous one. Her career embodies "the Law of Diminishing Returns." No one is titallated by her music anymore. Even Madonna had the good sense to go in a spiritual direction focused on an intriguing new sound. Britney seems to be afflicted with the disease that the Jackson family suffers from. Janet Jackson has continued to release album after album of sexually provocative music that no one but saps are buying these days. And Michael Jackson's own sexual peculiarities put him in a creative slump that he hasn't been able to recover from.

Why can't Britney see this? My theory is that the people around her don't have her best interests at heart. They, like so many plastic people of the popular culture industry, think sex sells, even when they have proof in the form of Billboard magazine that it truly isn't selling. Part of the reason could be that no one wants to see a mother of two young boys making a fool of herself with her need for constant parties on the Hollywood circuit and for the attention of men who are all too willing to take advantage of a woman in serious trouble. The only thing she sells these days are tabloids. The intensity is such that I would be very surprised if she lives to see who becomes our next president. She's on the fast track to young death and I believe that the tabloid obsession with her every move is practically willing that on her.

It's a shame because she is a perfect example of everything that is wrong with Hollywood. The self-indulgent, party-circuit, wasteful wealth, and misappropriated use of talents is truly a problem of epidemic proportions. It is capitalism run amok. She could've used her wealth for good, like adopting a school to financially support or going off to the developing world where no one knows who you are and just spending time helping other people who truly need the money that she can afford to give to improve lives. But in her example, we see how a selfish existence can lead to a mental breakdown as she loses a sense of who she was before she became famous. She got lost in the sex tart image that she presented the world and seems to have lost her way. Even an intervention by family and friends didn't seem to help.

Who knows if she'll find her way out of her current predicament. I'm thinking she'll end up either dead or missing. Maybe someday when she's gotten rid of the ghosts that haunt her and finds her true self, she can come back with a spiritually profound album examining the demons that have haunted her all these years. But Hollywood should back off. The Papa-nazis and their obsessions with photographing famous people already killed the world's most beloved woman (Princess Diana). Is the bloodlust that bad that they are willing to lead another lady to her death? They should listen to her anthem: "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman." Britney has never been allowed to grow into her own womanhood. She's lost in the false world of capitalist values, in desperate need of the authentic spirituality that would get her in touch with the truest part of herself. The only thing we can truly do to help her is pray that she finds the light of God within and escape the death trap she's in before it claims her forever.

Why I'm Not Wild About Oscar

For the first time in a long time, I'm not thrilled with the Academy Award nominees for Best Picture. I haven't seen any of the five nominees, so I'm not rooting for any of them in particular. Even in the acting categories, none of the nominees excite me as past years have. Rarely are the Academy's favourites my favourites, but sometimes our choices match, which is cool when it happens. Most of the time, though, my choices are far different from the choices of the critics and the Academy members. So, in honour of this great tradition of recognizing the motion pictures that sometimes reflect the times, I will list my favourite films for each year going back to 1980. As you'll see...George Lucas and Steven Spielberg are major winners in my own "Carroll Awards." But these are my tastes. Sometimes there were years when even the runner up was just as good, so I'll mention those as well. Enjoy!

1980

The Empire Strikes Back

1981
Raiders of the Lost Ark

1982

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

1983
Return of the Jedi

1984

Ghostbusters

1985
Back to the Future

1986
Peggy Sue Got Married

Edged out Top Gun because I was still in my 50s/60s craze due to the Back to the Future film, which left me wanting more films that covered that time period. Incidentally, I was stood up on my first date to see this film!

1987
Roxanne

1988
Three Men and a Baby

This film was actually released in U.S. theaters during the Christmas holiday season in 1987, but because I lived in Germany at the time, it didn't make the military movie circuit until May 1988. Had I included it in 1987's films, it still wouldn't beat Roxanne, but for 1988, it edges out my second favourite Who Framed Roger Rabbit? as well as Coming to America and Big.

1989
Dead Poets Society

This film had so many similiarities to my Senior year in high school that it was kind of an odd synchronicity (as this film was released in the summer before my senior year) and thus edges out my other favourite of that year, Casualties of War (which is always the most emotionally difficult movie for me to watch, but also the most powerful film I've ever seen).

1990
The Bonfire of the Vanities

In retrospect, this film wouldn't be my top choice for that year (as I think Pretty Woman, Ghost and Dances With Wolves were better), but it was such a major film for me as my two favourite actors were appearing in the same film together (Tom Hanks and Bruce Willis), which was a big deal for me at the time. I also love the cinematography and the music. The novel is much better, of course, and Hanks was seriously miscast, but it wasn't as bad as the critics made it out to be.

1991
Boyz N The Hood

Edges out the French film La Femme Nikita just barely due to its powerful message and intriguing portrayal of inner city poverty and crime.

1992
Basic Instinct

I saw this film in a crowded theater filled with Navy guys, so it was one of those movies that are fun to watch with an audience all too willing to make sarcastic commentary during the film to increase the laughs even more. Plus it had me guessing the whole way with its numerous plot twists. Sharon Stone was simply brilliant in this film.

1993
Jurassic Park

1994
Forrest Gump

The first time my pick for Best Film of the year matched the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science's choice.

1995
Jefferson in Paris

1996
Tin Cup

This one edges out not one, but three other great films that year: A Time to Kill, Evita, and The Preacher's Wife. What really drew me to this film was the chemistry between Kevin Costner and Rene Russo (whom I had a crush on since she was in In the Line of Fire with Clint Eastwood) and seeing a different side of Kevin Costner than I had seen of him in any other movie. It's such a fun movie that I love re-watching a few times every year.

1997
Contact

This thinking man's science fiction beat out my other favourite from this year: Air Force One with Harrison Ford as one kick-ass president who fights terrorism in ways I simply cannot see of our current coward-in-chief.

1998
Primary Colors

I loved the novel in 1996 and was disappointed that Tom Hanks had dropped out of the lead role because of his friendship with Bill Clinton, but it turned out for the best as John Travolta was brilliant in his eerily accurate personification of Clinton, even though this was supposed to be (wink, wink) about a fictional politician. The scene stealer, though, is Kathy Bates. She's a trip in every scene she's in.

1999
The Phantom Menace

So many people hate this film, but I'm a loyal Star Wars fan since Kindergarten when the first one came out. I saw this one in the theater 13 times! A record for me (before that, I had never seen a film more than 5 times in a theater). I got to be a kid again in the summer of 1999, which was great. This prequel edged out The Matrix which was the other great film of that year.

2000
Thirteen Days

This Kennedy saga edged out Tigerland and The Patriot as my favourite film. I'm a loyal Kennedy man, what can I say? Any film that portrays American history on screen has a loyal filmgoer in me. I want more of them!

2001
A Beautiful Mind

This film was brilliant in how it helped audiences understand mental illness, thus why it edged out Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings for me. It's also only the second time when my choice for Best Picture matched the Academy's choice.

2002
Attack of the Clones

You know I'm a loyal Star Wars fan when this film beat out my other favourite of the year: Steven Spielberg's Minority Report.

2003
The Last Samurai

I loved the mini-series Shogun as a kid and was really excited to see Tom Cruise's take on the whole Samurai culture. Though it was panned as "Dances With Samurai" (I don't deny it's near similarity to Kevin Costner's 1990 film about a Civil War soldier who embraces a native culture over his own), I liked it enough to barely beat out my other two favourites: Down With Love and Laurel Canyon.

2004
Fahrenheit 9/11

The first time a documentary was my favourite of the year (how could I say no to an anti-Bush film?), thus edging out my favourite fictional film: Goodbye, Lenin!

2005
Revenge of the Sith

The tradition holds...as all 6 films were my favourites in the year they were released. A close second and third was Terrence Malick's beautiful The New World and Jarhead, a timely film about Marines in the 1990 Gulf War (making our current war a bad deja vu trip that has gone horribly wrong).

2006
An Inconvenient Truth

The second documentary to take the top spot, and why not? When I saw it in theaters (which I did twice and then I got to see it live with Gore on stage), I finally got to feel some of my anger about the 2000 elections give way because I believe that Gore's mission just might be greater than the mere presidency. Like Gandhi and Dr. King who never held elective office as leaders, they still accomplished great things. I found a powerful message, wake up call, and forgiveness (for a stolen election) in this film. My favourite fictional film this year was The Da Vinci Code.

2007
Into the Wild

This film was snubbed by the Academy Awards this year. Had they nominated it, I would have a film to root for to take home Oscar for Best Picture of the Year. But as you can see, my choices for the Best Picture of the Year is vastly different from the Academy and we only agreed twice (Forrest Gump and A Beautiful Mind). Better luck next year.

Gold In My Hand

Rachel Porter took this photo of me in Vancouver BC in January. We were walking in Stanley Park and taking in the view of downtown Vancouver to the south, then on the north end of the peninsula, we saw the industrial looking North Vancouver across the water. The piles of yellow whatever it is made an irresistable backdrop for such a cheesy photo.

I simply imagine that I have piles of gold dust in my hands. This photo will be my "official manifesting photo." Whenever I want to manifest whatever I want, I'll just think of this photo.

The Wisdom of Washington (the Man)

In honour of George Washington's birthday, I will list some of my favourite Washington quotes for today's "Fun Friday" post. Some of the quotes are truly prophetic. When I think about Washington, how he was offered to be the King of the newly independent United States but turned it down, then offered the chance to be "President for Life" but decided to step down after two terms, thereby setting a precedent that only Franklin Delano Roosevelt was able to violate, it makes me glad that George W. Bush or Dick Cheney weren't around at that time. I don't think they have the moral fiber to resist power, as we can well see in how they behave today (betraying everything America has supposedly been about). To observe this day, we should all reflect on what a truly great president is and thank God that Washington was the one to set the example for future presidents to follow (or betray).

Arbitrary power is most easily established on the ruins of liberty abused to licentiousness.

Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak, and esteem to all.

Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder.

Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.

Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism.

Happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected.

If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.

It is our true policy to steer clear of entangling alliances with any portion of the foreign world.

It may be laid down as a primary position, and the basis of our system, that every Citizen who enjoys the protection of a Free Government, owes not only a proportion of his property, but even of his personal services to the defense of it.

It will be found an unjust and unwise jealousy to deprive a man of his natural liberty upon the supposition he may abuse it.

Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire, called conscience.

Let your heart feel for the afflictions and distress of everyone, and let your hand give in proportion to your purse.

Mankind, when left to themselves, are unfit for their own government.

My first wish is to see this plague of mankind, war, banished from the earth.

Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all.

Over grown military establishments are under any form of government inauspicious to liberty, and are to be regarded as particularly hostile to republican liberty.

Some day, following the example of the United States of America, there will be a United States of Europe.

The administration of justice is the firmest pillar of government.

The basis of our political system is the right of the people to make and to alter their constitutions of government.

The Constitution is the guide which I never will abandon.

The constitution vests the power of declaring war in Congress; therefore no offensive expedition of importance can be undertaken until after they shall have deliberated upon the subject and authorized such a measure.

Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains to bring it to light.

When we assumed the Soldier, we did not lay aside the Citizen.

Worry is the interest paid by those who borrow trouble.

World of International Cinema

For two weekends now, the 31st annual Portland International Film Festival has been ongoing in local theaters with several showings a day from a diverse group of films from around the world (I want to say anywhere up to 50 films are being screened). Last year, I picked a dull one from Thailand, just because it was the only Thai film being screened. The other films I wanted to see eventually made it to the local theater in a regular run when it was more convenient for me. Films like Ten Canoes from Australia about Aboriginals with dialogue in their native language (which was a very interesting film) and a film from France (the name escapes me at the moment).

I didn't start liking foreign films until 1991 when the French film "La Femme Nikita" blew me away with the gorgeous Anne Parillaud, interesting story, and awesome soundtrack (my all-time favourite film score). I never knew foreign films could be so good. France's Indochine was another that impressed me and made me a fan of Catherine Deneuve (still stunning whatever age she is). As I watched more foreign films, what I liked most about them is that the celebrity of American actors doesn't distract. I get to see actors I've never seen before, who look like real people you'd see on the street somewhere, and I can focus on the story. Foreign films seem to be a reflection of real life and gives me a glimpse into another society. American films seem to be required to have a happy ending, which isn't bad...but sometimes, I don't want the Hollywood version of reality. I want to see something deeper.

BYU's International Cinema really spoiled me on foreign films. It was one of the greatest things they offered students, especially when controversy hit once Hollywood got wind of the other BYU theater that screened poorly edited commercial Hollywood fare for Mormon audiences without the approval of the studios. The one I remember the most was Batman and Robin when everything the character Poison Ivy (played by Uma Thurman) said was silenced out (but because I had seen it before and could read her lips, I remember some of what she said which was amusing that it could be offensive to Mormons. One example: Poison Ivy told Robin to drop "the geriatric bat" and get with her). The films at the International Cinema were not censored, even if they contained profanities or love scenes. In my seven semesters there, I must have seen close to 30 movies at the International Cinema, with my favourites being the French ones "My Father's Glory" and "My Mother's Castle."

So in that tradition, I was pleased to learn about the Portland International Film Festival. There are way more films than I can afford to see (they unfortunately charge $9 per film, which adds up quickly). And equally unfortunate is my inability to pick ones that really wow me. My schedule hasn't permitted me to see the ones I really wanted to see, but I did choose four.

The first one I saw was the Australian film "Romulus, My Father" starring Eric Bana in a very good role (since I've only seen him in action films, it was nice to see his dramatic range). Then on Monday, I saw the other Australian film "Home Song Stories" starring Joan Chen. What struck me most about both these films were the similarities, even down to the steamy love scenes! Both are about immigrants to Australia in the 1950s/1960s who struggle to fit in. Both are from the perspective of a young boy who ends up hating his mother for being too self-involved in her own pain to be an effective mother. And (spoiler alert) both feature suicide as a dramatic plot device. Both are just depressing and heart-wrenching drama...exactly what I didn't need to see this past weekend! Though I'll probably never watch either again, it did give me an interesting perspective on Australia, with dazzling performances by known actors in rich characters.

The third film I saw was the Egyptian romantic-comedy-drama "In the Heliopolis Flat" which surprised me because it featured an Egypt I so did not see. Then again, I only spent 3 hours in Alexandria, walking around in the evening, scarfing up various souvenirs I was presented with. The Egypt I remember is filthy dirty, piles of trash on the street, men in traditional Arab robes walking around, and a city unmistakeably Arab. In this film it could very well have been Naples, Italy. We see many of the men in suits and ties working for a finance firm. Gorgeous women in regular dresses or jeans, talking on cell phones, and even having "sex buddy relationships" outside of marriage. I imagine that this film might be considered kind of racy for the Arab world. It totally wouldn't be "imam-approved" and might be used as an example of the decadent values of the west influencing and corrupting the young of the Arab world who want the fashionable clothing, laptops, cellphones, and personal transportations that Europeans and Americans have.

The story was similar to the standard "romantic-comedy": girl meets boy, boy hates girl, girl is persistent, boy warms to girl, something keeps them apart, and then the final chase scene. But it was a good story, interesting to see the neighbourhoods of Cairo and the diversity of the people. It defintely came across to me as trying to present Egypt as a modern nation, because as I wrote above, it could have very well have been set in Naples with Italian characters. This was my favourite of the ones I've seen this year, because it wasn't a downer of a film. Yet, there was a suicide attempt by a minor character and I almost laughed about it because it seems like a running theme in the films I've selected to watch. Maybe there's a message in there for me. Mostly, these characters contemplating that lack a spiritual foundation. All they have is angst.

The last film I saw was a Danish documentary about an old man who wants to turn an old castle into a monastery for the Russian Orthodox Church and the clashes he has with one of the church's nuns. It was pretty boring to me, with a few interesting moments.

The film festival closes on Saturday with the final film that's certain to be sold out but one I want to see because it has my favourite actress in it: Audrey Tautou. I'll see her in anything. Her latest movie is "Priceless" set on the French Riviera (where I have fond memories from my visits there in 1992 and 1993). If I don't get to see it on Saturday, it's certain to play in a few months at the local theater that specializes in independent and foreign films. I can't wait.

With the film festival over, I can get back to my regular evening schedule of job hunting, volunteering on a political campaign, and other personal improvement goals (such as reading the numerous spiritual self-help books that I'm currently addicted to). Movies are great...but too much of a good thing is actually a bad thing. Especially for my pocketbook!

The Losing Streak Continues

Obama racks up some more wins, including Wisconsin. If a candidate loses state after state, can she still claim to be "viable"? It looks like the handwriting is on the wailing wall, so go ahead and wail away, Hillary! Wail to your heart's content. Maybe it'll win you some votes somewhere. But the way things are looking, I think you better give Bono a call and ditch the lame Celine Dion song you selected as your campaign song ("Taking Chances"). No other song fits you better than U2's "Stuck in a Moment That You Can't Get Out Of." Read the lyrics below (and weep if you have to)...

"I'm not afraid of anything in this world

There's nothing you can throw at me that I haven't already heard

I'm just trying to find a decent melody

A song that I can sing in my own company

I never thought you were a fool

But darling, look at you

You gotta stand up straight, carry your own weight

These tears are going nowhere, baby

You've got to get yourself together

You've got stuck in a moment and now you can't get out of it

Don't say that later will be better now you're stuck in a moment

And you can't get out of it

I will not forsake, the colors that you bring

But the nights you filled with fireworks

They left you with nothing

I am still enchanted by the light you brought to me

I listen through your ears, and through your eyes I can see

And you are such a fool to worry like you do

I know it's tough, and you can never get enough

Of what you don't really need now ... my oh my

You've got to get yourself together

You've got stuck in a moment and you can't get out of it

Oh love look at you now

You've got yourself stuck in a moment and you can't get out of it

I was unconscious, half asleep

The water is warm till you discover how deep

I wasn't jumping for me it was a fall

It's a long way down to nothing at all

You've got to get yourself together

You've got stuck in a moment and you can't get out of it

Don't say that later will be better now

You're stuck in a moment and you can't get out of it

And if the night runs over

And if the day won't last

And if our way should falter

Along the stony pass

And if the night runs over

And if the day won't last

And if your way should falter

Along the stony pass

It's just a moment

This time will pass."

Cuba Without Castro

In the news of a lifetime, Castro finally resigns after 49 years. And here I thought he had been dead for the past year. I've often speculated what would happen to Cuba once he no longer ruled (I had assumed he'd die in power, not give it up). Because his brother is the new el-presidente-para-siempre, it looks like a capitalistic Cuba isn't going to happen anytime soon.

In a newsquote from Bush, his statement only proves what a truly hypocritical person he is (or seriously lacking self-awareness) when he told the Cuban government that they must have free and fair elections. That'd be like Saddam Hussein lecturing China about its dismal Human Rights record. Bush couldn't win a PTA election without cheating involved.

One thing I'm interested in seeing is if the anti-Castro Cubans in South Florida will finally let go of their hatred, which has forced American policy in this ridiculous embargo that makes it ILLEGAL for American citizens to travel to Cuba. Whenever I told foreigners that they have more freedom than freedom-loving Americans do because they are allowed to travel to Cuba if they wish, they seemed pleased to have one up on Americans.

Rightwingers might wonder why anyone would want to visit Cuba and think that only leftists commies would travel there, but they miss the point. When you claim to be the most free nation on earth and that terrorists are killing us because "they hate our freedoms", isn't it a bit odd that Canadians, Europeans, and South Americans can all travel to Cuba without restrictions, whereas Americans will get in trouble with our government if we didn't go through the bureaucratic process of obtaining a special visa reserved for "educational purposes."

The reason I want to visit Cuba is because it's a time warp. It's the only country on earth that still primarily has cars from the 1950s in use. It is a society stuck in a time warp of the 1950s and for that reason alone, it makes any visit to Cuba a surreal one. I definitely want to go there before it transforms into a vacation destination with resorts and modern cars (though it'll take decades if not a half-century to catch up). I love surreal stuff like that.

I do have a bone to pick with the anti-Castro Cubans who have taken over Miami. Their long-standing hatred of Castro has caused many U.S. politicians to flip-flop unreasonably for fear of their vote (even though they are staunchly Republican, which I'm glad). The biggest case in point was Al Gore in 2000 over the Elian Gonzalez issue, which turned out to be the most riveting "political football" of my entire internship! And the story began before my internship began, when little Elian showed up on a Florida beach around Christmas time 1999, his mother having perished at sea. I forget the details of the story, but it almost had a supernatural/religious tone to it. Because the father still lived in Cuba and didn't want to move to the U.S., it caused an international tug of war between Elian's relatives in Miami and the rights of a father. The Clinton Administration had the correct stance (to return Elian to his father) but the anti-Castro Cubans didn't want to give in and made it a big enough issue to scare Vice President Gore (who wanted to win Florida in the November election) into siding with the Miami-relatives. When he made his views known, my office was swamped with calls, including from an irate Congresswoman Maxine Waters who threatened to take back her endorsement of him for president!

Like I said. Crazy. Those anti-Castro Cubans! Now that he's stepped down (and perhaps will die soon, to have his body preserved like a Madame Tussaud's wax dummy), I hope that they will finally learn to forgive and move on. Let our politicians lift the crazy ban on travel to Cuba. Give us that one bit of freedom so we can stop being the laughing stock of the western world.

And while we're at it...let's return Guantanamo Bay to the Cubans. It's the right thing to do. We wouldn't like it if a foreign country owned a piece of land that's part of the U.S. (like San Francisco Bay, for instance), so let's do the decent thing, eh?

When the Worst Ever Meets the Great Ones

I found this picture online, which Evangelicals eat up for prayer breakfast. Some of them truly believe that God had anointed Bush as president, even though he committed electoral fraud, lied on every issue that mattered during the campaign, played dirty tricks on rivals, and has mislead our country through disasterous foreign policy decisions and bad economics. He is everything Jesus warned us about: a charlatan who uses religion to con sincere believers into supporting him while he goes about doing the work of Satan himself. Bush could very well be the anti-Christ Nostradamus warned us about. If by chance he overstays his term in office through some national disaster that makes 9/11 look like a 7/11 robbery, I hope that Americans will rise up against it and go full French Revolution on his ass (guillotine included).

Anyhow, in dishonor of President's Day, I wanted to imagine what it might be like on that day of judgement when Bush finally meets his maker and not only has to account for his disaster of a life on earth, but also face our greatest presidents for betraying everything they stood for. He did, after all, swear to protect and defend the U.S. Constitution (which he reportedly called "just a goddamn piece of paper"--Google the quote if you don't believe me), but we knew that was a lie. His whole life is one damned lie after another, and I'm glad that Satan is supposedly the father of all lies. I hope Satan comes to claim his son really soon.

Here's how I imagine that meeting might go in the Hall of Justice in the heavenly realm...

On the throne sits God while Jesus plays defense attorney as Bush has to face questioning by the great presidents. Up first, George Washington.

Washington: You're a history major, George. Didn't you learn that I had no imperial ambitions at all? They wanted to make me a King, but I turned it down. And I set a precedent of two-terms. Ole Hamilton wanted a "President for Life" but Jefferson for all his quirks would've had a fit and the last thing anyone wanted to see is that rabid redhead go livid on someone's ass. What do you have to say for yourself, boy?

Bush: Those were different times. You didn't have terrorists running around trying to steal our freedoms!

Washington: Did you fall off a turnip truck, boy? How can some ragtag band of medieval thinking Muslims living in caves of an impoverished country that makes Mississippi look like a prosperous paradise ever steal freedom? We created our government the way we did because it is petty tyrants like you who want to steal freedom from the people.

Bush: I'm just doing the best I know how to do, to protect Americans.

Jefferson: Protect them, my ass! You and your USA PATRIOT Act! It completely violates the U.S. Constitution. It's even worse than Adams' Alien and Sedition Acts, and I thought that was bad.

Adams: Hey, watch it now. We've ended our personal feud once. It's nicer being friends.

Jefferson: Sorry. I'm just trying to make a point about imbecile here. A complete administration of morons, trampling on our sacred document that Madison had worked so hard on. But, I'm a forgiving guy. If you'll let me have a night or two with Condoleezza, I'm sure I can forgive your transgressions.

Adams: This hearing is not a dating hook-up, Tom! Does anyone else have anything to say?

Franklin: I do, I do! Those who would give up their freedoms for a little bit of security deserve neither!

Adams: Good point, but only Presidents can bear testimony against one of their own.

Hoover: The worst one, I might add. I'm glad I'm not at the bottom of the list anymore. You did a great job, son. I didn't think anyone could mess up that bad. I had a stock market crash and a dustbowl to deal with.

FDR: And it took a lot of effort to clean up your mess, Herbert. I feel sorry for the one who'll be elected to clean up Bush's mess.

Nixon: I just want the record to reflect that I'm grateful for Bush. I never thought I'd hear the day when liberals vocally claim to miss me. It's on so many t-shirts and bumper stickers these days. I did some pretty bad shit, but man, I can't believe what I'd have gotten away with had I lived in the era of Fox News.

JFK: Can we bring this back to Bush? No one is inspired by his leadership the way I inspired people. I talked about putting a man on the moon, but when Bush proposed a manned mission to Mars in one of his State of the Union addresses, the reporters and pundits laughed at the lunacy of it. What's wrong with a manned mission to Mars? It's just what our country needs to be inspired again.

Truman: These are different times for Americans, Jack. They are borrowing money to pay for two wars that are becoming more expensive than Vietnam and World War II. Those Republicans accused me of "losing China" to the Communists, but here they are borrowing money from a major rival for planetary resources. Where's the wisdom in that? And speaking of wisdom and ethics, I had the decency to punish any company that tried to profit off of war, but this imbecile of a leader gave no bid contracts to a company his Vice President was once a CEO of, and which has overcharged the government and provided shoddy service to our servicemembers. I've never seen such blatant disregard for decency and true patriotism. This administration makes me so sick, I really do want to give them hell!

Reagan: Calm down, Harry. It's partially my fault. Republicans worship me like a god and they really thought that Bush's ne'er-do-well son was competent enough to be my second coming. Of course, I was out of it during that election so I couldn't speak out about it, and endorse McCain. It might've saved the country a lot of grief if I was able to do that. I wish people knew that Georgie that I saw. I felt sorry for Bush for having such a retarded son. None of us thought he'd amount to much. Even ole' George preferred Quayle to his own son when it came to politics.

JFK: What most infuriates me is that he didn't see through the neo-conservative lie. They are the ones always pushing for war, even when most Americans are weary of it. But if he ever spoke out or tried to remove our troops from Iraq or Afghanistan, these subversives in our government will take him out they way they did Dr. King, my brother Bobby and me. I didn't listen to them when they wanted a nuclear war with the Soviets over the Cuban Missile Crisis, but if Bush was president then, I'm certain the world would've been toast. He doesn't have the wherewithal to just say no.

Jefferson: He's the worst president ever and hopefully no one will soon replace him. No one deserves the bottom spot more than him and I hope that record stands for all time and eternity.

Lincoln: Come on, Tom. Have a heart. Look at the crowds swarming the Democratic primaries to vote for a senator from Illinois! So many young people are getting involved in the process. The campaign has been going on for a year and never have I seen so many people talk politics with one another. It's like what happened? Why did it take such a disasterous presidency to wake people up to the idea that their votes just might count. We saw the 2000 election results when the wrong guy was appointed the presidency even though he lost the popular vote. And now we have a historic election where a woman or a black man might lead America in the post-Bush era. Would that have happened if not for Bush?

Jefferson: You're far too charitable. I move that we reject this boy's desire to join us in the heavenly realm. Let's send him to the hell of his own creation so he might learn just why his policies were such a miserable failure. Let him live life as an Iraqi boy who lost his father to an American bomb. We'll then learn what he's truly made of.

Adams: You always were a heartless bastard!

Jefferson: Anyone who would trample on the First Amendment and try to take away the freedom of speech and of the press, to allow illegal searches and seizures, and to wiretap citizens phones doesn't deserve to be in the heavenly realm. His bad karma needs to be repaid through an adverse life in hardship. I'm still taking his Rice, but to hell with him.

Adams: What say you, defendant?

Bush: Jesus, what kind of lawyer are you? You didn't defend me at all!

Jesus: I don't know you. You never read a word I supposedly had said. I had told a rich young ruler to give everything he had to the poor and follow me. He refused. You, in turn, enriched the rich and impoverished the poor. You made a mockery of Christian faith with all your compassion talk. You executed over 100 people as governor of Texas, and I had told Pharisees who wanted to stone a woman to death: "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone!" You didn't merely cast a stone, you had the death switch pulled over 100 times! Your lust for power, wealth, and death condemns you to a karmic debt it will take many lifetimes to repay.

Bush: But I thought I made you my saviour. You're supposed to forgive my sins and let me in!

Jesus: Yours is a faith of convenience. You love money and power. I have not seen a single piece of evidence that your faith is sincere. You've fooled a great many people and that's the worse crime of all. Religious hypocrisy hangs you. Before your next life as an Iraqi begins, you'll share a cell in purgatory with Saddam Hussein to work out your differences.

Bush: Noooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!

With that, God pushes a button and the floor opens beneath Bush as he falls from the heavens until he lands in the pit of hell to finally deal with his inner demons that cocaine, alcohol, promiscuous sex, and war lust couldn't cure him of. And by a vote of 39 dead presidents to zero, Bush unanimously wins the title "Worst President For All Time and Eternity."

Happy President's Day!

Certi-freakin'-fiably Batshit Crazy

You may be wondering about today's title. It was a term (well, without the "freakin" part, that is) that I came across the Internet in regards to the Tom Cruise Scientology video that was making the rounds. The term sounds so funny to me, so it's become my favourite catch phrase of the moment. I even Googled it and found hits for that term in reference to our much beloved President Bush, which makes the term even more cool in my book.

Anyhow, that phrase just automatically rolled off my tongue after I paid a visit to a Spiritualist Church on Saturday night for a bargain basement "psychic reading" (1 for $5 or 2 for $8). This church only offers that on the third Saturday of every month from 7 until 10 pm. The location of the church is in a not so good neighbourhood (not crime infested, but kind of run-down with some adult clubs along the main street through that 'hood. Kind of seedy. Not a place to walk at night. But, I've been wanting to check out this psychic reading on the cheap for several months. I missed out in December and January due to the MAYA group activities on those previous Saturdays and I wouldn't dream of missing out on that.

Anyhow, the Spiritualist Church is in an old house on a residential side street off from the main street through the hood. The house is like a step back into the 5os, with kitchen appliances dating to that era and the members of the church looking like they were in the prime of their life when Eisenhower was president. Inside, there were card tables scattered around the small main area (what would be a living room in its previous incarnation). I wasn't sure how it worked until some lady attached herself to me when she saw that I was a newby. She was sweet, kind of mousy, and had the "little girl voice" thing going on (which I learned from watching MTV's "Loveline with Dr. Drew Pinsky" during my college years that such a voice is indicative of an "arrested development" most likely involving some form of sexual abuse in the past...which I don't know if it's true or not, but I always think of that whenever I come across a lady with such a voice). She recommended one psychic lady in particular, saying that she was really good and accurate. So, I decided, why not? I wasn't expecting much for $5. I was just doing this out of curiousity, just to see what information comes up. Kind of like checking my horoscope in the paper each morning to either have a laugh or dismiss as irrelevant.

So, I approach the lady, she takes my hands, closes her eyes, and lowers her head to do whatever it is that psychics do. The first thing that came out of her mouth nearly floored me. She said: "I see you surrounded by books." Damn, I thought. She nailed it on the head. That's the first thing everyone who has ever been to one of my three apartments I've lived in always says. That I have a lot of books. A LOT. So, she's legit, I thought. And she continues..."And maps. You have atlases and look like you're planning trips, like you travel a lot." I was getting more and more excited about this, thinking that she might see me getting a job that requires a lot of travel. But then she goes off into a different tangent. She seemed at a loss for words at some point. She said that what "the beings" were telling her was that I needed to go within and bring forth experiences I've had many lifetimes ago as some kind of primitive, that I needed to search for some primitive tribe I once belonged to and bring forth the rituals into my current life. When I asked her what tribe...or where on earth to find them, she said that it was in South America. Incas, she actually named. That's where she lost me. I've never been remotely interested in the Incas (or the Mayas for that matter). And if the film "Apocalypto" is any guide...yeah, there's not a chance in hell that I'm going to be sacrificing virginal women and beheading blue-painted men and rolling their heads down the staircase of some building anytime soon. So, she started stammering and repeating the word "ritual" and "melting pot."

So, a little peeved, I asked her if I was permitted to ask the question I've been seeking an answer to and she said of course. So, I told her my situation involving my job, my 14-month job search, and where I needed to focus my energies to find a job more in line with my soul. She bowed her head and closed her eyes and then nothing. I actually stumped a psychic! After a long minute or two, she finally says that "the beings" are telling her that I needed to become an EMT or a Nurse or Doctor or something medical related. When I heard that, I knew she was a phony. I told her that it couldn't possibly be true because I'm way too queasy and have never even been remotely interested in that kind of work. I'm too mellow a guy to thrive in a highly stressful emergency life and death situation and I can't stand the sight of blood. What the hell was this psychic thinking? So, when I told her that, she went back into herself for a moment then the next suggestion really convinced me what a fraud she was. She said that I was right, that I shouldn't go into that, so "the beings" were now telling her that I should become a personal trainer...telling people how to work out, eat right, and work in a gym. I nearly laughed at that point. Me a personal trainer? Was she blind too? Mr. Skinny Arms and Chicken Legs? Personally training someone? It was an ordeal to keep from laughing at that point, but I was hoping it would be over quickly after that so I could get the hell away from her. I thanked her for her time and information and left her table.

The mousy lady asked me what I thought of the psychic, but because it was within earshot, I held my tongue. I also eavesdropped on her conversation with that psychic. The psychic was going on a Caribbean Cruise soon with her daughter, and Mousy Lady said that she was impressed because if it was her and her mother on a cruise, one of them would end up in the ocean. I laughed when I heard that. She's funny. I liked her. So, we talked a bit and I heard the most disturbing thing I've ever heard. The Mousy Lady said that she comes to this every single month because "it's cheaper than therapy." Is she for real? I nearly choked when I heard that. She's willing to get bad information thinking it'll help her situation, whatever it is? The other people who were getting readings all seemed like "blue collar, trailer park types." I know that's such a snobby thing to say, but that's indeed what they look like. That they could take this information seriously is dangerous! You really have to know yourself well to see through the deceit of the psychic! Me an EMT! Me a personal trainer! Certi-freakin'-fiably batshit crazy!

I was a sucker and had bought two tickets before getting my reading with the sham psychic. One guy was giving Tarot card readings, so I decided to get one so I could get the hell out of there and chalk it up as one hell of a funny experience that I can get miles out of in conversations with people. I surely didn't pay $8 to hear some phony psychic tell me that I should be an EMT and then a personal trainer!

The Tarot card reading was actually a shocker. Of course, the reader asked me what issue I was coming to him with, so I told him about my job situation and my job search. He did the standard Tarot card layout and as soon as he laid a certain card on top of the one representing my current issue, I nearly laughed again. As he explained the meaning behind the card, I was nodding my head. It was eerily exactly like the information the psychic I saw last August had told me but I didn't follow his suggestion, thus why I'm still in the same place of desperation. It was also news I wasn't thrilled to hear. Basically, I won't be permitted to leave my current employment until I resolve the issue that's blocking it and that puts me into a real Catch-22 situation that I'm not too happy about. So, if this is true...I'm screwed. And I'm being purposefully vague here because it is kind of too personal to put on a public blog. I still don't see how the issues are connected, but who knows?

When I walked out of there, I just shook my head at the craziness of it all. I wasn't expecting much since it was such a cheap reading (most "psychics" charge $50 or more for a reading, which I refuse to pay that amount)...but I certainly didn't expect to receive information that validates both what the psychic I saw last August told me as well as information I've gathered myself during meditative moments. In a way, I'm kind of miffed to hear information that advancement to my dream job depends on an unrelated situation that needs to be resolved first, and that situation is something that I'm not willing to pursue until I land a better paying job. Thus, my Catch-22. As I waited for my bus ride back to downtown Portland where I live, the phrase kept playing in my head..."certi-freakin-fiably batshit crazy!" That's truly what it was. And I didn't get to see Mousy lady when my Tarot reading was done. I wanted to get her number (not because I was interested in her dating wise, but I felt that she truly needed a friend and there was something about her that I liked. She made me laugh more than a few times, so her sense of humour and mine mesh well and then when she revealed that she worked on the Nader campaign in 2000 and tried to go off on Gore, I of course defended the great man like the loyal intern that I was and always will be, but we had a great political conversation).

It was an interesting evening, but I was relieved that I had gone with the MAYA group to the special screening of "Lord of the Rings" trilogy in January (we only went to see the last film) instead of the Spiritualist Church. I would've been mad at myself for skipping out on the Young Adult group that has given me great joy for the past year to attend a sham psychic reading. Now that I've done that, I can now cross it off my list. I experienced it, met some interesting people, and had a few laughs. Not bad for $8. I've seen "comedic" films for that much money but didn't make me laugh as much as the psychic lady's mis-reading of my ideal career. Like I said..."certi-freakin-fiably batshit crazy!"

Bliss is Epiphany

Why can't I meet someone like her?

I've been in a funk recently. Fourteen months in search of a better paying, more fulfilling job has taken a toll on me. Things came to a head during a flare up with a co-worker on February 1st when she got involved in something that wasn't her concern and proceeded to scold me like a mother does a child. What really shocked me was that this co-worker was really angry about something I didn't do, which my own supervisor wasn't angry about. But, it didn't matter to her. She took it upon herself to start yelling at me and lecturing me. I didn't know where the anger came from, because the thing she was angry about was so minor and didn't involve her at all (I didn't go into the basement to bring up a few boxes of applications like my supervisor had hinted that I should). I walked away and when I came back a minute later, she was still going on about it, so I lost my patience and cool. In a cold, low voice, I cussed her out, which made her even more livid and she started yelling more intensely, which shocked some volunteers in our office and had three co-workers running from their various officespaces to see what was going on.

I admit, when my co-worker yelled at me that I had no right to speak to her the way I did, I almost laughed because she speaks to everyone else in a way that is very inappropriate. She has lost her temper on many a co-worker and I'm one who won't tolerate it. The end result was that she ended her day in tears, unable to explain herself to the office manager. I was angry about the situation and told the office manager that my co-worker's negative attitude, snappish tone to everyone around her (co-workers and volunteers included), and explosive temper creates a "hostile work environment" and I warned that if she ever speaks to me again the way she did, I will guarantee that she leaves the building in tears.

It may come as a shock to you. I love being a nice guy...but a nice guy has limits. I've seen my brother's kindness get taken advantaged of time and time again. I've never made a good carpet. If people push the boundaries with me, well...usually they end up in tears or regretting it because they had no idea that I fight back hard (and some might say "dirty"). I totally believe in psychological warfare and I know which buttons I can push if my co-worker really wants to go there with me. In a word, she'll lose and be the one in tears. One co-worker has called this lady an "emotional basketcase." She doesn't even know the half of it!

Anyhow, it's not a side of me I'm proud of (I haven't resolved the problem of kindness that runs the risk of being abused versus an asshole no one dares messes with) and to let you know, I was reprimanded for my use of the "f-word" (I know many people consider it the most obscene word in the English language but for me, I love that word because it works on so many levels). I generally want peace and don't push buttons like I could if I really wanted to make someone's day a living hell. There's a karmic price that I'm not willing to pay for such mischief. I admit that my co-worker does push my limits of compassion and understanding. She is generally an unhappy person, unpleasant in so many regards, so disliked in our office. I tried being friends with her early on, but realized it was a wasted effort. You just never know when she'll snap at you, even if you say something kind. She has too much going on internally and lacking self awareness to resolve them. I can say this because I've heard her complain about co-workers for the very thing she is guilty of (like when she told me I had no right to speak to her the way I did, even though she speaks rudely to everyone else in a condescending and angry tone).

This incident has worn on me. When I accepted the job offer in August 2006 during my second week in Portland, I thought that I wouldn't be here past December 2007 at the latest. I'm on "extended time" according to my vision. I thought I would find another job more in line with my values and interest early on last year. The job keeps degrading worse and worse over the months and I truly have been at the end of my rope and avoiding bridges as often as I can.

Okay, so it's not that drastic. But I am seriously thinking of going to Afghanistan or Iraq if I'm still working in the same place when my 37th birthday comes around. I'm waiting for the outcome of the election, because I'm hoping that my investment of free time as a volunteer on a local campaign or two will lead to a job opportunity somewhere. Really though, I'm hoping March will be the month of new beginnings on the job front. I feel good about my prospects and continual searching.

So what about my deteriorating job situation? Well, this past week in particular, I felt myself falling into the depths of despair again and I hate that feeling...the feeling of no hope that my situation will change, even though my life story is one of constant change. I just have to trust that change is coming and I don't even have to wait for Obama to personally deliver change to my life. After sending a best friend an email that was probably better put to a journal for my eyes only, I went to bed and for the first time in a weeks, I woke up happy! Usually, I hate waking up in the morning because I dread going to that dysfunctional office environment and dealing with the negative energy. It's wearing me down. People at work even notice my demeanor has changed.

However, a small miracle occurred a few days ago. I guess one could call it an "epiphany." I've had one several months ago in response to a question I had about why management were so snobby towards the support staff. That epiphany actually made me laugh. Basically, the information my higher self communicated to me was that even at my low wage salary, I have done more with my life in terms of the experiences I've had, the people I've met, and the places I've been than those who are paid far superior wages to me. See, they run in different circles. Some are members of country clubs with carefully manicured golf courses. When you meet moneyed society people, there's a certain inauthenticity in those relationships. It doesn't matter the business. For instance, when I was an intern in D.C., some of the staffers might've been snooty towards interns and service workers, but I had some of the best conversations with those people who worked in the Capitol cafeteria, with the official driver for the OVP office (to travel between the Capitol and the White House), with the custodians. Those people are more real to me than those moneyed execs and their false values. They may make more money than me, but it is I who feels sorry for them. To run in circles with fake people is the surest way to lose your soul, so God has blessed me to be among the salt of the earth.

The epiphany I had the other day regarded the novel "What Dreams May Come", which I read ten years ago. If you've seen the movie, it is far different from the novel. I preferred the novel and felt sick upon watching the film (I've grown to like it, but the novel is still one of my spiritual guide books). Anyhow, one of the messages of the novel/movie is that if one must travel through hell, one runs the serious risk of losing one's mind. In the novel and movie, the protagonist discovers that his distraught wife had taken her own life and he decides he must venture to the depths of hell to rescue her, even though every spiritual guide advises him not to. That image was clear to me in my epiphany. I work in hell. That's how I have to view it, because the despair is so great. It truly is the most dysfunctional office environment I've ever worked in and the negative energy I feel every day has affected my sleep. The amazing thing I noticed is that only at work do I feel tired all the time and negative vibes around me. As soon as I leave the office, I feel buoyant and happy. I have a great social life, I love Portland. I feel positive energy everywhere I go...except at work. That's why the visual I received was perfect for me to understand my situation. I have to maintain a strong, positive mind to keep from being affected by the negative energy and despair I feel all around me. So with that message, I went to work the past two days blissfully happy. The work load hasn't changed, but I feel a change in me. I feel like the light is now appearing at the end of a long, dark tunnel. As Gloria Estefan once sang, I'm coming out of the dark. My time is now. Good things are happening. My funk has expired like an old Sly and the Family Stone song.

I hope I can maintain this level of awareness until I land my dream job. I feel the funkdafied energy flow throughout my body until I'm riding a wave of positive goodness through eternity.

Favourite Songs

For this week's Fun Friday post, I decided to list my favourite song by many of the singers and bands that I listen to. To include the widest selection possible, I'm only picking artists who have several albums worth of songs to choose from and the list below are the ones I love the most for each recording artist (and if there's a close second or third, I'll also name those as well). To start off with my favourite band of all time, U2, here are my three favourite songs by them:

1. Stuck In a Moment You Can't Get Out of It

2. Walk On

3. One

Genesis: Misunderstanding

Phil Collins: Don't Lose My Number

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Don't Do Me Like That

ABBA: Take a Chance On Me

Indochine: Salombo (runner up: La colline des roses)

Fleetwood Mac: Everywhere

Sting: Desert Rose (runner up: If I Ever Lose My Faith In You)

The Police: Wrapped Around Your Finger

The Human League: Don't You Want Me?

Duran Duran: A View to a Kill

Depeche Mode: People Are People

Queen: Under Pressure

The Cure: Just Like Heaven

The Pet Shop Boys: How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?

Wham: Everything She Wants

George Michael: Love is in Need of Love Today

Whitney Houston: Where You Are (runner up: My Heart Is Calling)
Youssou N'Dour: Undecided
Peter Gabriel: In Your Eyes
Dionne Warwick: Heartbreaker
Aretha Franklin: I Knew You Were Waiting
Stevie Wonder: Part-Time Lover

Tina Turner: We Don't Need Another Hero (Runner up: I Don't Wanna Fight)
Eartha Kitt: Santa Baby

Diana Ross: Missing You

TLC: Waterfalls

Bette Midler: Wind Beneath My Wings

Gloria Estefan (with or without the Miami Sound Machine): Don't Wanna Lose You

Jody Watley: Friends

Gwen Stefani: 4 In the Morning

No Doubt: It's My Life

Pat Benatar: We Belong

Bruce Springsteen: Born to Run (runner up: Dancing in the Dark)
John Mellencamp: Crumblin' Down (runner up: Key West Intermezzo)

Garth Brooks: Every Now and Then (runner up: We Shall Be Free)

Bryan Adams: Summer of 69

Sheryl Crow: Soak Up the Sun

Prince: Raspberry Beret

Celine Dion: Power of the Dream

Bonnie Raitt: I Can't Make You Love Me

Paula Abdul: Rush Rush

Michael Jackson: Man in the Mirror

Janet Jackson: Runaway

The Jacksons: State of Shock

Midnight Oil: Earth and Sun and Moon
Crowded House: Weather With You

INXS: Beautiful Girl

Madonna: Live to Tell

Keb Mo: A Better Man

Johnny Clegg: Woman Be My Country

UB40: Here I Am

Angelique Kidjo: Adouma
Enya: Anywhere Is

Huey Lewis and the News: If This Is It (runner up: Perfect World)

Bruce Hornsby and the Range: The Way It Is
Chicago: Hard To Say I'm Sorry (runner up: Look Away)

Journey: Separate Ways

Kool and the Gang: Joanna

Van Halen: Jump (runner up: I'll Wait; 2nd runner up: Dreams)

David Lee Roth: Just a Gigolo

Def Leppard: Pour Some Sugar On Me

Culture Club: Church of the Poison Mind

Boy George: Bow Down Mister

Kenny Loggins: Footloose

The Cars: Drive

Survivor: The Search is Over

Toto: I'll Be Over You
Guns n' Roses: November Rain

Dave Matthews Band: Ants Marching
Collective Soul: The World I Know
Green Day: When I Come Around
REM: Man On the Moon (runner up: Stand)

B-52s: Dead Beat Club

Debbie Gibson: Do You Have it In Your Heart?
Robbie Williams: Strong

Take That: Pray

Backstreet Boys: Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely

NSYNC: It's Gonna Be Me

New Kids on the Block: Didn't I (Blow Your Mind)

Cyndi Lauper: Time After Time

Hall and Oates: Family Man

Tears for Fears: Everybody Wants to Rule the World (runner up: Head Over Heels)

Bananarama: Cruel Summer
Bon Jovi: Livin' On A Prayer

Blondie: The Tide is High
Olivia Newton-John: Magic

Britney Spears: Anticipating

The Beach Boys: Don't Worry Baby

The Beatles: Hey Jude

The Rolling Stones: Beast of Burden

John Lennon: Woman (runner up: Imagine)

Paul McCartney: With a Little Luck

Elton John: Little Jeannie

David Bowie: Let's Dance
Billy Joel: Allentown (runner up: We Didn't Start the Fire)
Rod Stewart: Maggie May (runner up: Love Touch)

The Bee Gees: Night Fever

Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons: Grease

Eric Clapton: Cocaine

Eagles: One of These Nights

Don Henley: Dirty Laundry

Glenn Frey: True Love

Aerosmith: Angel

Jimmy Buffett: Changing Channels

Billy Idol: Eyes Without A Face

Paul Simon: Born at the Right Time

I Heart Coeur d'Alene

That's me, loving the snow fall during my visit to Coeur d'Alene on 26 January. The photo was taken outside the Visitor's Center in the heart of "Heart of the Owl," Idaho.

Happy Valentine's Day to all the lovers who rub their lovey-dovey bliss in the faces of those who lack!

For this day, if you don't have plans with your loved ones, may I recommend my favourite romantic comedy of all time? That would be:

Why do I love that movie? Ever since I first saw it as a teenager back in 1987, I was struck by the story, the scenery, the beautiful saxophone soundtrack, and of course Daryl Hannah. I also related to the Steve Martin character, as I have a way with words on paper but even as a teenager, had trouble asking a girl out in person. I got better with more experience, but it was always my words on paper that succeeded better, with all that note passing in the 10th grade to my crush that year: Vicki Garcia (who was half-German, half-American). She and I would laugh about scenes from "Dirty Dancing", and imitated the scene when Baby and Swayze crawled on the floor and lip-synched to that cheesy song ("How do you call your loverboy?" "Come here, loverboy!" "And if he doesn't answer?" "Oh loverboy!" "And if he still doesn't answer?"). Ah, those were the days!

Anyhow, about "Roxanne"...one thing that I really liked about the film was the town it was filmed in. I have been wanting to live in a town like that, with Victorian houses, hills, and great surrounding scenes. When I found out that it was filmed in Nelson, British Columbia, it immediately went up on my list of places to visit. Someday, I'll make it there (it's directly north or northwest of Spokane WA). I later learned that it has a large ex-patriot American community (those who fled north rather than fight in Vietnam). It also has a Youth Hostel, so it won't be expensive to stay if I make my dream vacation loop of Spokane, Nelson, Sandpoint and Coeur d'Alene.

So, if you haven't seen that film, please do. The romantic saxophone score will definitely make you feel all lovey-dovey with your special someone. And it's nice to know that at least in some screenwriter's fantasy, attractive women do fall for intelligent men over himbos.

Potomac Fever

Amazing! Obama has racked up a few more wins (in Maryland, Virginia, and D.C.), putting him ahead in the state count, the delegate count, the vote count, and the donation count. Could the nomination be far behind?

I'm thrilled by his latest victories and it appears that the momentum is with him. If he continues in this way, the Democratic Party establishment will have to back him even if they have their hearts set on the return of Clintonism. If Obama ends up crossing that threshold of 2,025 delegates to seal the nomination and the Party still goes with Hillary as the nominee to face McCain in the fall, I fear that we'll have to endure another four years of the same old, same old.

With Obama as the nominee, the public can't blame their resistence to "dueling dynasties" or a return to Clintonism as a reason for returning the ailing and hopelessly corrupt Repugs to power. Voting for Obama would be the historic choice, a chance to turn the page and wow, what a statement it would make to the rest of the inhabitants of planet earth. That a predominately white nation elected a black man to lead us in the post-Bush era will show the world that we're serious about change. And I will no longer have to envy the South Africans for their having a President Mandela in the 1990s. We too can have a president to be proud of...racially diverse, liberal, charismatic, visionary, and inspiring. We need that more than ever. Go-bama!

Thriller's Silver Anniversary

February 12th marked the 25th anniversary of the release date of the groundbreaking album by Michael Jackson. That's right. "Thriller." It was probably one of the first records or cassettes that a lot of people of our generation received for birthday or Christmas (though it was released in 1983, it didn't really hit its stride until 1984). Michael Jackson was genius in his visual gift of taking advantage of MTV by making awesome music videos (which still holds up remarkably well today against any by the current stars). The "Thriller" music video was unprecedented in the early music video medium by having a budget in the seven figures, of being a long-form video of 15 minutes (a short film, essentially) and directed by John Landis, who made "An American Werewolf in London." Add Vincent Price for a voice-over and a bunch of dancing zombies and you had an irresistable hit. So classic is this video that it has been often imitated (including in the film "13 Going on 30" and on one of the most popular YouTube downloads of 2007, with more than 1,500 Filippino prisoners dancing simultaneously to "Thriller").

What made "Thriller" such an awesome album was the endless parade of hits. Most albums at that time had "filler songs" and maybe four singles (out of an average of 10 songs) if they were lucky. Some albums were better than others, obviously, but if I'm not mistaken, "Thriller" was the first time that 7 singles from a single album were released, all of them making the Top 10. It helped make Michael Jackson the biggest star on the planet. You know he achieved crossover success when one boy in my Scout troop who was into heavy metal music liked him (sort of like the popularity Obama enjoys now). Michael Jackson had a large fan base that crossed racial, gender, and economic lines. He was the man, and even his jackets were mass produced and sold in stores. I embarrassingly confess that I had a jacket just like the one you see him wearing in the picture above. I wore it to school a few times until one day when I got sick. Back then, I had a weird idea that if I got sick, it was because of whatever I was wearing or eating, so I'd never wear or eat again whatever it was when I got sick. And after my parents were so cool about buying such a fad item for me (which they rarely did).

While "Thriller" was such an amazing success (and always refreshing to listen to again after not hearing it for awhile), I also believe it ruined Michael Jackson forever. Because it ended up becoming the biggest selling album of all time with over 30 million copies sold in the mid-80s, it put pressure on him unlike any other singer to deliver. "Bad" was good while "Dangerous" wasn't bad, but neither could ever reach the heights of "Thriller." Plus, all that money and success when he was a mere 25 seemed to go straight to his head. With money, one can afford to be eccentric, and that's when all the stories started coming out about his oddity, which isn't a bad thing in itself, but too many odd behaviours can distract from the overall talent (just watch Britney Spears' downward spiral today). Unfortunately by the late 90s, the allegations of child sexual abuse pretty much sealed his fate, as well as botched plastic surgery operations on his face, making him look freakishly scary, thereby destroying his career in the image-conscious Warhol era of fame. His last CD of original music ("Invincible") came out in 2001, but was the only album of his I didn't buy since "Off the Wall." It was so blandly unoriginal and uninspiring that no one could doubt that his talent has crested. He obviously knew it too, as he now only repackages his old hits into new CDs, including the just released 25th anniversary of his landmark "Thriller" album, featuring collaborations with today's biggest singers. Nothing is sadder to me than seeing an old performer having to sing old songs with the public no longer interested in new material. That so many end up in Las Vegas, resigned to sing the old hits to hoards of tourists is just a sad commentary on the fleeting nature of fame.

"Thriller" was definitely a landmark album worth remembering and celebrating. It redefined music and crossover appeal. One could almost say that Michael Jackson was a pioneer in getting white America to accept the accomplishments of a black man and reward him accordingly. Twenty-five years later, we have a new "Thriller" in the guise of Senator Barack Obama. And I hope he will break records like Jackson once did. He's off to a great start, and even won a Grammy Award to boot. How about that?!?

Will the Real Michael Jackson please stand up?

(On the left is Helena Bonham Carter as an ape lady in Tim Burton's "Planet of the Apes", looking like Michael Jackson's long lost twin sister)

A Prophetic Message from Abe

In honour of Abraham Lincoln's birthday, I found a quote that is timely and prophetic. Whatever happened to "The Party of Lincoln"? They were anti-slavery and anti-polygamy. Now they are against anything that doesn't support the corporatization of America. Anyhow, here's what the wise old Republican president said in 1864:

"I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. Corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed."

Can I get an "amen" for the Abe-ster?

A Sad Farewell

Yesterday, I learned that Congressman Tom Lantos of California passed away. Sadly, he did not get to live to see retirement (he was on his final term). He was the only Holocaust Survivor to serve in our hallowed halls of Congress. Though I was disappointed by his vote to authorize Bush's war against Iraq, Congressman Lantos did have a good record for supporting Human Rights causes and even founded the Congressional Human Rights Caucus.

Eight years ago during my internship experience in D.C., our group of BYU interns had a Friday session at his office in which one of his staffers had educated us on the long, drawn out and somewhat boring history of Yugoslavia and it's ethnic conflicts, particularly in Kosovo. He gave a few remarks about human rights before leaving us to his staffer. Later on, I remember roommate Elliott telling someone that he was annoyed by Congressman Lantos' "obsession" with the Holocaust. He actually said something along the lines of: "It's great that he had that experience and all, but I don't want to hear about it! It's like get over it!" I was infuriated...mostly that he actually said that it was "great" that Lantos experienced the Holocaust and that he should "get over it!" No one should. It's not a great experience, but it is something people who endured it should talk about so as to remind us and educate us that it did happen, that humans are capable of doing that to other humans.

One student on our program was an intern in Congressman Lantos' office. Kimberly Fry, daughter of our program director Earl Fry. She was the only BYU intern to get tickets to see Clinton's final State of the Union address. And I once saw her near my office in the Capitol building with my roommate Matt Baker being led by Annette Lantos on a tour around the Senate side. I remember immediately falling for Annette Lantos. She was quite the character, with her huge framed eyeglasses, her colouful fashion sense and her heavy Hungarian accent (sounding a lot like Zsa Zsa Gabor, who's also Hungarian, dah-link!). Annette is a true original, not afraid to be herself, with a presence that fills the room. It was easy to see what attracted Tom Lantos to her, and theirs is a love story for the ages.

I was surprised to learn that though Tom and Annette Lantos are Hungarian Jews, Annette converted to the Mormon Church and attended the LDS Ward in SE D.C. where we held our Friday classes before we went on our field trips to various government offices. I was also a bit envious that Annette took a serious liking to my roommate Matt. She barely noticed me when I was introduced to her. But, she was a sweetheart and my thoughts are with her in this time of grieving. It can't be easy losing your soulmate, the one person you've been with since adolescence and through an experience most people have no idea what it was like. They endured some of the worst of humanity and found success representing the lucky people of San Mateo, California and surrounding areas. Like I said, their story is a love story for the ages. We'd all be lucky to find a wonderful love like those two have shared. I wish Annette much love and peace during this sad farewell.

The Lantos in the 1950s.

Join the Anonymous Revolution

I've been wanting to write on this for awhile now. That's right...the Cult of Scientology. Tom Cruise asked for it, with the leaked video to the saps of the twisted genius of SCIENCE-FICTION WRITER L. Ron Hubbard. I can't emphasize the SCIENCE-FICTION part enough because seriously...how can any self-respecting individual believe any of the crap that Scientology puts out? And more importantly, what is it about this Hollywood cult that could get the normally serious and very image-conscious Tom Cruise to laugh like a loon as he talks about how great Scientology is and admit that he, like our president in some respects, divides the world into two groups: Scientologists and the rest?

What has prompted me to finally write my opinion piece about this pseudo and dangerous "religion" is that I had heard that a group of people all around the world were going to protest against Scientology as part of a group called "Anonymous." Today, as I rode the MAX train after church back home, I saw two anarchist-looking young men (one in a ski mask, the other with a bandanna around his head) handing out flyers. In need of reading material, I of course accept it. One brief glance mentioned Scientology but it was so vague that I didn't know if they were defenders or detractors. A closer reading indicated to me that they were probably part of the Anonymous group. One bullet point on the sheet says that it costs over $300,000 to "achieve enlightenment" in Scientology!!! Man, who can afford that except Hollywood actors? Buddhism offers information on achieving enlightenment for free or the price of whatever Buddhist book you want to buy.

Sometime in the 1990s, when I read about Scientology out of curiousity because of all these Hollywood celebrities who are members (besides Cruise, includes John Travolta and his wife Kelly Preston, composer Isaac Hayes, Elvis' wife Priscilla Presley, and countless others), I couldn't believe how on earth anyone could believe such crap. Seriously. Especially from a writer who made a living writing Science-Fiction stories and pulpy novels. Where does his creative stories end and "religious truth" begin? How can anyone believe that our galaxy was ruled by the evil warlord Xenu, who banished thetans to live inside the earth's volcanoes, thereby infecting every single human born on this planet? Thus the scheme was born. If you ever go into a Scientology Center (downtown Portland has one, unfortunately), the first thing they'll do is give you a basic "audit" for free to determine if you need further auditing sessions. I once got a coupon for a free auditing session in Atlanta. But because I did my homework, I learned that the auditing sessions are recorded and whatever is revealed can one day be used against you if you ever speak out against Scientology. So, if you value your freedom and your privacy, DO NOT be tempted to get your free audit. All you'll learn is that "everyone needs Scientology"...but too many people have gone bankrupt in this most successful pyramid scheme ever devised. The average American cannot afford to be a Scientologist. Which means that the majority of the people on this planet cannot afford to be one either.

I'm always leery about the cult label (for obvious reasons...many evangelical/fundamentalist Christian types have been quick to label my church a "cult" without knowing anything about it). The word is thrown around too casually. I certainly educate people if I hear them call the Mormon Church or the Jehovah's Witnesses a cult. While the dictionary definition does fit for all religious groups, in the modern lexicon, the word conjures up images of Jim Jones and Jonestown where a thousand followers drank cyanide-laced Kool-Aid; or of David Koresh and his Branch Davidian compound that ended in a fireball explosion; or of Heaven's Gate led by a spacey looking sexually-conflicted guy named Herb Applewhite who convinced his group of androgynous followers to leave their human "containers" to catch a ride on a comet into the heavens (but not until after they went on a field trip to watch the special edition of "Star Wars" in theaters). Cults tend to be withdrawn from society so life can revolve around a charismatic leader who holds sway over his (or her) followers.

With Scientology, I don't really consider it a religion or church and I resent the official name: "Church of Scientology." I see it as nothing more than an elaborate ponzi scheme, which pressures members to spend more and more money for advanced auditing sessions with the promise that they will one day be free of these "thetans" that affect everyone. Yes, we'd all love to have a "thetan-free" existence, wouldn't we? While Scientologists claim that you don't have to leave your current religion to become a Scientologist, it's totally anti-Christian because Jesus ministered to the poor and afflicted. He didn't start some get rich quick scheme to fleece his followers of their hard earned cash in order to live a lavish lifestyle. Scientology, simply put, is not compatable with the values of Christ. Jesus would never make it a requirement that enlightenment depends upon how much money you can afford to spend to free yourself of your affliction. Authentic spirituality has nothing to do with money. In fact, money is a big hindrance to true spirituality as Jesus pointed out time and time again.

So if Scientology is not a church, is it a cult? Well, the organization operates a yacht called Seaorg in which the leader, David Miscaviage, supposedly lives aboard and only true devotees of the organization are allowed to serve as crewmembers. To become a member of Scientology, one has to sign a contract of obedience for over several million years. Think of it as permanent indentured servitude! How do I know all this? I read every article I come across about this secretive organization because I believe it is one of the biggest threats to our democratic form of government. If they get too powerful, I fear for our country. I certainly would never vote for any politician who was a Scientologist, for President, for Congress, for Governor, or for Mayor.

Scientologists like to compare the discrimination against them (especially since the German government has rightfully labeled it a corporate scheme and not a religion) as being similar to the discrimination against the Jews. However, the Jewish religion is older than Christianity, thus more established and steeped in tradition. Scientology has amassed huge wealth in the past 50 years and influence, it has faced numerous lawsuits, and has documented newstories about aggressive tactics taken against anyone who speaks out against it. It's very impulse is anti-democratic. It is perhaps the most totalitarian organization on earth. Stalin and Hitler would only look on in envy.

It does have one good point, though. I agree with Tom Cruise's view and statements against psychiatry. He, and Scientologists, are against the drugging of our children for every little thing, particularly the misdiagnosis of Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (and increasingly Autism). I have my own beef with Psychiatry because I believe that Sigmund Freud, while a pioneer in the field, was simply too obsessed with sex that it colored his view that everything can be reduced to one's childhood relations with the opposite gender parent. I'm more of a Carl Jung person myself, but this is probably the only point I agree with Scientologists on: stop misdiagnosing children and giving them drugs to "cure" them. However, I don't believe Scientology is the proper cure. Auditing is blackmail. No one should trust any organization with an authoritarian or totalitarian tendency.


In closing, when I was in South Africa in 1994, one tourist place I visited for a possible tour of Soweto was next to a Scientology center. I brought up that fact with the nice lady who worked in the tourist agency. She told me that she didn't know what kind of Christians they were because they were so unfriendly. I told her, "oh, they aren't Christian." I was surprised that she didn't know anything about them even though they were next door. I have a feeling that most people don't know much about them. That's why I support the Anonymous Revolution to raise awareness. It certainly gives me great hope. It seems like there are so many things happening under the radar that we are on the verge of what could be a new American revolution...a revolution against corporate power in government, religious (and pseudo-religious) organizations, and business. It's an exciting time to witness the conscious-raising awareness as people learn more about secretive organizations, their power, and their ulterior motives. We are on the verge of an authentic spiritual culture, free of fraud, where people can be empowered not by the amount of money they have, but by their level of awareness and knowledge of universal truth that no religion has an exclusive claim on.

Certi-freakin'-fiably Crazy!

A Date With The Most Exciting Woman In The World

The Original Hello, Kitty!
On Saturday night, the legendary Eartha Kitt came to Portland for a performance that the introductory speaker said the Oregon Symphony Orchestra had been trying for five years to secure. Orson Welles once called her "the most exciting woman in the world" and an interesting fact is that she was once black-listed after comments made as a guest to the Johnson White House in 1968 when she criticized the war in Vietnam.

Well, just look at her now! Age 81 and she still "got it"! In her performance, she was flirtatious, seductive, and funny. She did her trademark purr (as only she can do, which sent chills down my spine) and leaning backwards (as shown above).

I had debated whether to go or not, but I thought that this might be my only opportunity to see her perform live that I decided why not? I don't regret it, either...though I had the cheap seats up on the second balcony far above the stage (wish I had binoculars or opera glasses). But her charisma filled the auditorium. The most crowd pleasing bit was when she sang a song about wanting some champagne, then out comes a young man in a tuxedo with a tray holding a bottle of champagne and two glasses. She of course flirts with him and asks his age. He says, "32." Then she pauses before saying something about their age difference that made the audience roar in approval. She proceeds to give him glass after glass of champagne (probably water or empty). They do a little flirtatious routine and Eartha laments that she wishes he were his dad's age (which would still be young enough to be her son). As a segue into intermission, she walks off with the waiter hand in hand.

How did I come to like Eartha Kitt? Well...as a kid, I used to love the "Batman" show (though it's too campy for me to enjoy now, as I prefer the Christopher Nolan vision of the Dark Knight) and maybe her role as the Catwoman and the purrrrrr-fect growl that only she can do stuck with me. Then in 1992, she made a comeback with a role in Eddie Murphy's own comeback film "Boomerang." She was hilarious in that film, not afraid to come on to younger men. Despite her age, I found her strangely seductive. A few years later, my sister got me interested in Eartha Kitt's classic "Santa Baby", which I had only heard the Madonna version and didn't like because it was too Betty Boop-ish to me. However, my sister is right. Eartha Kitt's version of the song is the definitive version.

Years later, when I bought the excellent soundtrack to the film "Laurel Canyon", there was a song on there by her ("C'est Si Bon") that made me curious about her music, so I went out and bought her greatest hits CD. It wasn't music that I normally listened to, but every year, I always have a policy of trying something new just for personal growth. So, as I listened to it in the evenings as I was trying to finish my novel (in 2003 and 2004), I realized that it wasn't bad. Not my kind of music normally, but I actually liked it. Or perhaps is more accurate, I liked her.

In the write up on her in the program, I was surprised to learn that she is of a mixed race heritage, born on a sharecropper's farm in South Carolina and sent to live with relatives in Harlem. After being black-listed, she found a thriving career overseas (France, in particular has always been the place for American black entertainers to find success when rejected by American culture). She's considered "the original sex kitten" (whatever the hell that means) and none of the talentless pop princesses of today's tabloids can hold a candle to Eartha's genius.

So, that's how I spent my Saturday, as part of my annual observation and participation in Black History Month. Good thing I didn't have a backstage pass. I'm sure that Eartha could seduce me without a bottle of champagne. All she'd have to do is purr in my ear and I get chills (they're multiplying!).

My favourite songs by her include "I Want to Be Evil", "Old Fashioned Girl", "C'est Si Bon", "Everything Changes", "I'm Still Here", and of course, "Santa Baby" (which she did not sing).

I hope she lives to be a century. And if you get a chance to see her live, please experience an evening with a legend.

Nitwit Mitt, Bit by Bit

Mitt Romney attempts to explain what happened to his campaign

On Thursday, the inevitable happened. Mitt Romney suspended his campaign for president as expected he would when the exit polling data was analyzed and the media reported that he has spent over $1.2 million per delegate he won, meaning that he'd have to spend a BILLION dollars to win the Republican primary. He's only worth $250 million. It makes me wonder if his wife and children told him to drop out to save the family fortune. Certainly the amount he has spent seems little more than vanity. What's interesting in contrast is that Mike Huckabee is running a shoestring campaign and won about as many votes/delegates as Romney. All that money couldn't buy love. Mitt forgot the most important ingredient that voters were looking for this year: authenticity. Mitt reminds me of what Julia Roberts' character said in "Pretty Woman" when people asked her name: "Who do you want me to be?" (paraphrased). People wanted authenticity and Romney gave them a stereotype, pandering to the worst instincts of the Republican base, thereby debasing himself.

The moderate (and one could say somewhat liberal) governor of Massachusetts disappeared in this campaign. That was the Mitt I liked. The one I could live with as president if it came down to that. Thus, it baffles me why he threw all that away to pander to the worst instincts emanating from the Republican base. The hateful, retro-looking, reactionary, fearful group of neanderthals who hate illegals, believe that the solution to terrorism is to "kill them all" and that torture is perfectly acceptable, and are obsessed with pro-life when it comes to women making a difficult personal decision but pro-death when it comes to sending people to war.

Romney should have called the base out on their views, but maybe it wasn't his place. Because of his religion, he had to walk a tightrope and couldn't afford to offend the base. It takes someone like Huckabee to inspire religious conservatives to the true principles of Jesus the Christ: loving thy enemies, turning the other cheek, forgiveness, understanding, economic justice, and exposing hypocrisy. Man, if Romney had ran a noble campaign that raised the level of debate on the Republican side, he'd deserve to be president. But nope. He did what every Republican politician does...throwing meat to the rabid right. It's like a school of pirahnas...no matter how much you feed them, they're still vicious in wanting more and more. The Republicans seem determined not merely to go back to their idyllic age of the 1950s, but to the 1500s when the Dark Ages ruled Europe with a small nobility class and a large population of serfs who were ignorant and easy to manipulate with fear of God, where the Church was the State and vice versa.

In Romney's speech announcing his decision, he said something infuriating...proving to me that he's not so much a visionary leader, but a pandering stooge of the corporate capitalists. Here's what he said:

"We are a nation at war. And Barack and Hillary have made their intentions clear--they would retreat and declare defeat. The consequences would be devastating."

"If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I would forestall the launch of a national campaign and make it more likely that Senator Clinton or Obama would win. And in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign, be a part of aiding a surrender to terror."

Excuse me? "Surrender to terror"?

It is this kind of language that makes it very difficult for any self-respecting liberal to not want to fight the right in the election. The Republicans have found a way to rally low wage earners to vote against their economic interests by promoting a stereotype of liberals being too weak to defend our country (before it was against the communists, now terrorists). Granted, the Democratic Party hasn't represented its views well by caving in to the Republicans time and time again, whether in Congress or on the presidential campaign trail. Kerry was the worst example of a liberal, because he has a history to be proud of (telling a Congressional committee as a young man back from Vietnam: "who wants to be the last man to die for a mistake?") but played to the fear by vowing to be a more effective killer of terrorists than our incompetent president. By not challenging the right on their wrong thinking, Democrats and liberals lose ground in the ideological warfare the right is waging against Americans.

But Romney knows better. So, disappointingly, his campaign didn't aim for high-mindedness like Obama's campaign. He only proved himself as cut from the same unacceptable cloth that most Republican candidates try to fit themselves into: Bigot-in-Chief and warmonger. So long as Republicans pander to the worst human instincts, we'll never evolve into the great nation we were destined to become. I often wonder what our Founding Fathers would think of the current crop of Republicans. It does appear to be a "descent of man", as our Founders were men of the Enlightenment era, who mistrusted the power of religious institutions to represent all of the people, and who created checks and balances so we wouldn't be ruled by a tyrant who could wage war on personal whims and get away with it.

So Romney...you lost my respect by selling your soul to the corporate agenda of more war, of the death machine, of indebting our low wage earners in this devastating downward spiral of economic injustice. I hope and pray to God that He holds you accountable for the views you espoused in your panderfest of a campaign. You betrayed your reputation as a fair minded and moderate statesman for what? To lead a party of hateful, backward looking, bloodthirsty, caveman era conservatives? That's not visionary to me. It's stupidity. I hope you do some soul searching and find your true self before you attempt another run at the White House. Maybe a new and improved "Renaissance Romney" in 2012 or 2016 will be just what our country needs. But not the current version. At least you chose the right name for your book, "Turnaround". You did a U-Turn from your days as governor and it's too late to turn around again. But in four to eight years, who knows?

We haven't seen the last of Romney. The Udalls have it right when one of them famously said that the only cure for a politician's presidential ambitions is embalming fluid.

Enjoy the cartoons and photos of the man called Mitt. We hardly knew ya!

Proof that Mitt is a cardboard prop? Hilarious political cartoon knocking two politicians

I'll have to admit, he does look "presidential"...

...but he's too tied to the disasterous current one

Buddies for the corporatization of America

Mr. Moneybags

Funny that he only hunted twice in his life, with about a thirty year gap between the two hunting trips

There's always a career selling hair colouring products for men

Doonesbury often calls it right

Cool shot to get "the halo effect"

"Are you down with Mitt, brah?"

Everything's going to be a-ok. There's always 2012

Mitt and his Five Point Plan

Five Things Survey

For this week's Fun Friday post, I'm taking a cue from Vanessa who forwarded me a survey to list five things from the prompts. I've added a few to those she had in the email, just to make things interesting. And yes, I put mine in order of favorites (except for the jobs I've had...as I only truly liked one and that would be the much talked about internship you've undoubtedly heard me mention ad nauseum!). Enjoy. Oh, and Sean...you're it! Tagged. As in meme. I want to see your list.

5 Places I've Lived

1. Fulda, Germany

2. La Maddalena, Sardinia, Italy (Pictured above)

3. Alexandria, Virginia

4. Portland, Oregon

5. Stone Mountain, Georgia

5 Jobs I've Had in Life

1. Intern for Vice President Gore

2. Yeoman in the United States Navy

3. Admin guy at the Boy Scouts of America

4. Stock Clerk at Lionel Playworld

5. Houseman at Sheraton Colony Square Hotel

5 Shows I Watch

1. Brothers and Sisters

2. Big Brother

3. Survivor

4. Eli Stone

5. Cashmere Mafia (hey, I'm a huge fan of Frances O'Connor)

5 Places I've Been

1. Johannesburg/Soweto/Pretoria/Sun City, South Africa

2. France (12 times)

3. Oahu, Hawai'i

4. Thailand (earliest childhood memory)

5. The United Kingdom

5 Favourite Foods

1. Chicken Pesto Pasta

2. Lasagna

3. Spaghetti

4. Chicken Tikka Masala

5. Raclette over potatoes

5 Places I'd Rather Be Right Now

1. In a new job

2. Coeur d'Alene

3. Vancouver BC

4. Paris

5. In Bed

5 Places I'd Like to Visit the Most

1. Australia

2. New Zealand

3. Tahiti

4. Rio de Janeiro

5. Thailand

5 Things I'd Like to Own

1. Scion tC

2. Loft Condo in Portland's Pearl District

3. Summer home in Coeur d'Alene

4. Honda Element

5. Golden Retriever named Kundalini

5 Careers I've Dreamed About

1. Novelist

2. Political Aide in a Gore Administration

3. Paranormal Investigator

4. Human Rights Activist

5. One that Travels A LOT

5 Famous People I'd Like to Meet

1. Nelson Mandela

2. Aung San Suu Kyi

3. Audrey Tautou

4. Natalie Portman

5. Richard Kelly (director of "Donnie Darko")

5 Things I'm Looking Forward to this Year:

1. President-elect Barack Obama

2. The election of Sam Adams as the next Mayor of Portland

3. A new and exciting job

4. The Memorial Day Weekend Young Adult Retreat in Spokane/Coeur d'Alene

5. The Tax Rebate (hopefully I can finally move my stuff here!)

Oprah's Latest Endorsement

For a few months now, I've been reading off and on, Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth," thus I was surprised when I walked into Borders Bookstore recently and saw a whole cardboard display case with copies upon copies of the paperback. I had bought mine on a markdown sale at Powells a few months ago. Bookstores only markdown books when they have way more copies to unload on people like me who generally only buy books after they've been marked down from the cover price. But these copies on display had the Oprah Book Club label on it, which means that there was a new mass printing of this book that only a few months ago, bookstores were trying to get rid of! How's that for marketing?

I was pleased by the serendipity of my currently reading it and Oprah now selecting it for her Book of the Month. Though I like some of her choices in her second version of the book club (after the very public spat with writer Jonathan Frazen who had called her previous choices "schmaltzy" which was exactly what I had thought about some of her choices in the first version of the book club), I haven't gotten around to reading most of them as I'd like. I have a huge book list myself, so when people make recommendations or insist that I read something, I hate to be rude, but...I'm simply not a fast reader and I have a long list of books that I want to read but not as much time as I'd like to read them.

My reading selections is a mix of classics, literary fiction, spirituality, biography, history, political, and the commercial fiction of the three writers I'm loyal to reading all their books (that'd be Michael Crichton, Nicholas Sparks, and John Grisham). I'm anxiously awaiting the very long overdue third Robert Langdon novel by Dan Brown, to be called "The Soloman's Key" (about freemasonry and our nation's Capitol). It's supposed to be published this year. But they've been saying that since 2005, when it was originally supposed to come out.

One writer whose books I've been reading every few months or so is Wayne Dyer. I can't get enough of his ideas and I'm glad he has a lot of books out there because I always want to read more and more of what he has to say. He is the one self-help "guru" whose ideas that I believe in and try to practice in my life. My favourite of his is "Inspiration", which upon reading it a couple years ago, I had experienced a lot of "synchronistic experiences." Perhaps it's due for a re-reading.

As for Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth", it's interesting so far but I'm only halfway through it. Perhaps I'll post my thoughts on it when I'm done. What I like about it is his view about the nature of ego and how it gets in the way of our authentic spiritual development. I've always felt this strongly since I was a teenager and different people tried to convince me that their religion represented "THE TRUTH" and that anyone who didn't agree was bound for hell or whatever else they could think of. I guess I was spoiled in that I grew up in a church where it wasn't emphasized as much. Though old timers did claim that we were the "true church", I never heard condemnations of those who weren't members. When I was at BYU, it was hard explaining my view of my church to Mormons, who believe that their church is "THE ONE TRUE CHURCH." What surprised some of them is that they expected me to view my church the same way and wanted to argue why that view was wrong. In reality, I don't believe there is any completely true church, as I believe all churches are inventions of man, subject to the same foibles and politics that always happen when you have people with different opinions and agendas.

While I don't believe any church is "THE ONE TRUE CHURCH" (my own included), my church has done an excellent job in my life of "recreating heaven on earth" in all the reunions, retreats, World Conferences, Peace Colloquys, and other special services that I've been blessed to be a part of. For me, that's simply enough. I can truly envision what heaven must be like because I've experienced it many times on earth and I have my own faith community to thank for that. And I think that's what makes a church "true" for people, so the idea of converting people who are happy in the churches they belong to is wasted energy. The trick is to find those who are looking for that experience in the wrong things (drugs, promiscuous sex, money, fame, materialism, etc). That's where religion went wrong, I believe.

Anyhow, I will hopefully post my review of the book when I finish reading it this month. Stay tuned for that. If you're an Oprah fan, perhaps you can pick up this book to read this month so we can all participate with the world's largest book club.

One author who doesn't need Oprah's endorsement to become a best seller is John Grisham. I recently saw two interviews with him. One with Bill Moyers (which I loved because he made his political views known, and it was very scathing of the current administration) and the other with my favourite interviewer Charlie Rose.

I started reading John Grisham when I was in the Navy. In 1991, he hit the big time with his second novel "The Firm" and was credited as single handedly saving the bookselling industry, which was in a slump.

A co-worker of mine was reading it and eventually, practically everyone on my ship was reading his books. It was passed around and given great word of mouth. He kept spitting them out, each year a new one would appear. His writing style was very easy to read, the pacing was great, the stories intriguing, and I simply couldn't get enough of them. He created a loyal fan in me and I wasn't a big reader before the age of 21.

More recently, I've fallen behind on reading his books. Right now, I'm reading "The Last Juror" (along with "A New Earth"). I still have "The Broker", "A Painted House", and "An Innocent Man" to read. I wait until his books are in paperback before I buy them, so I won't get around to his two most recent books until the paperback editions come out later this year. But that's okay, with four books of his to read this year, that's more than enough.

In the Bill Moyers interview, I was pleased to see him talk about politics because he once served in the Mississippi State legislature. I had hopes that he might run for Congress someday, but he admitted that he wasn't interested in constituent services, which is a major part of the job. However, that doesn't keep him from an active political life. He is supporting Hillary Clinton's campaign for president and joked that he wanted to be her Ambassador to France, which she said wouldn't happen because he doesn't speak French (that's the one political appointment I'd love to have as well, mais je parle un 'ti peu francais).

John Grisham is one of the authors I most admire and one whose career I'd love to replicate for myself, though I'd prefer an output of books more along the lines of Michael Crichton (in two or three year intervals). I'd love to be a published novelist who is actively involved in party politics and perhaps run for Congress of my own once I achieve a certain success.

At any rate...a lot of people seem obsessed with the lifestyles of the Hollywood set of starlets, actors, singers, and heiresses to large family fortunes...but I like the way writers John Grisham and Nicholas Sparks live. They have put their literary success in raising their families in normal environments and don't get caught up in the New York/L.A. scenes. There's nothing wrong with living in Charlottesville, Virginia or New Bern, North Carolina. That's another reason I want to be a writer. So I can live where I want to live and be involved in the political life at the local level. I envision myself as a successful novelist living in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and becoming mayor of that town someday.

Post Primary Analysis

So, Tsunami Tuesday didn't prove a total washout of anyone. Each of the candidates can spin the results in their favor, even if the results proved disappointing to some more than others. As an armchair political analyst, I'd like to offer my amateur reading of the results...

On the Democratic side, Clinton won the larger prizes of California, Massachusetts, and Missouri, which bodes well for her campaign. She made the Kennedy endorsement of Obama rather irrelevant. Obama's win in Georgia was especially thrilling to me because that's how I'd vote if I still lived there and he beat her by a 2 to 1 margin in my former home state. Woo-hoo!

By the numbers, the actual vote count was close to even, which proves that the Democrats are evenly divided between the two candidates. If this trend continues, it means there's a good chance that the DNC will have to cobble together a Clinton/Obama ticket for the November election. That has its own risks, because of the unknown and unprecedented factor of people's biases. I hate to say it, but without a white man in the VP slot, would people who are hesitant to vote for a woman or a black man run towards the party of geriatric white men? If Obama is the nominee, I see him selecting someone like Senator Joe Biden as a running mate. With Hillary, I'm not sure about. She's the one who pushed her husband to name a female Attorney General, a criteria that became ridiculous when his first two nominees had nanny problems (Zoe Baird and Kimba Wood). She also pushed for Madeleine Albright to be Secretary of State. She was actually wise in this, for it got America used to seeing women in higher government roles. One could claim that she shrewdly saw this as a way to prepare Americans for her eventual run for president.

So, it's a mystery who Hillary would pick as a running mate, but I wouldn't be surprised if she went with Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, though I'm sure she'd probably select a white man for "ticket balance" (former Governor Mark Warner of Virginia is a possibility). However, if the results continue down this 50-50 split between the Clinton faction and the Obama faction, Democrats will have no choice but to run a coalition ticket with Hillary at the top half. Neither candidate can be too thrilled about that, but what can you do? Democrats are in a serious bind between going backwards (with Clintonostalgia) or forward (with Obama).

On the Republican side, John McCain is the clear winner, taking contests over a wide swath of America. It's also clear that his natural running mate can be no one other than Governor Mike Huckabee. It would be a very strong ticket and one I wouldn't object to much.

I think this spells the end for Governor Mitt Romney. That he ran about even to Mike Huckabee shows that he has liabilities. He can't "close the deal" and who knows if it's his religion or his flip flopping? I know that in the Bible belt, Mormons are not popular, so it's no surprise that Huckabee won Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee.

Also no surprise is that each candidate won their home state. I find it interesting that all five of the candidates' "home" states voted in Tuesday's primaries. Additionally, Romney won Utah and Hillary won Arkansas, though she's originally from Illinois, which Obama won and needed to win.

One thing's for sure...if I was one of Mitt Romney's son, I'd tell dad to drop out and save my inheritence! With all the money he spent on his campaign, he has very little to show for it. Not a wise investment of money. If he does decide to drop out (to save his reputation and money for a run in 2012 or 2016), I hope he goes on a long vacation and does some real soul searching. Who is he, really? Were the views he had as Governor the true Romney or is the pandering for the bigot vote of the Republican primary the real Romney? Inquiring minds want to know!

Tsunami Tuesday

We've finally reached the day that might decide it all. Eight years ago, it was called "Super Tuesday" in which eight states held primaries on a single Tuesday in March. Now, it's been moved up a month earlier with 24 states voting in primaries in hopes of making and breaking candidates. All it takes is 2,022 delegates on the Democratic side to secure the nomination.

If you're in one of the primary states voting today, please make your voice heard and head to the polls. If you're still undecided, let me make a case for why Senator Barack Obama should be the nominee. Because Oregon doesn't get to vote for another three months, I hope for the chance to make my vote in the race.

Hillary Clinton's negative ratings are way too high for her to win against the Republican candidate in the fall. Additionally, Americans seem worn out of the dueling dynasties and if she wins, our country will have 24 years of the presidency held by two families. That's a whole generation. As exciting as it is that we could have our first female president, the Democratic Response to the State of the Union proves that there are other, fresh faced female candidates in the governor's office who are capable to run in the future (namely Governor Kathleen Sebelius of conservative Kansas). Hillary has always wanted to be the first female president and seems to think only she is "experienced enough" to be that woman to break the ultimate glass ceiling. But the sad fact remains...she has over 40% unapproval ratings and that makes her a serious liability in November against whoever the Republican candidate will be. Though it would be fascinating to see if hatred of Hillary would be enough to get conservative Republicans to hold their noses and vote for John McCain, do we really want to take that chance?

Barack Obama represents a new face and new blood to infuse our ailing Republic. His favorable ratings is 70%. His candidacy excites a whole group of young Americans, which is a fickle group that generally doesn't vote. That his campaign can get the apathetic generation to the polls says a lot about his personal touch. If he is our next president, it would send a strong signal to the rest of the world that the America they love and admire is back. He would essentially be a superstar president not seen since Nelson Mandela was president of South Africa. No doubt, his victory would reflect well on Americans in places like South Africa (a nation that is a photo negative of ours in many respects) and Kenya. That a 70% white nation would elect a black man to lead them for the next four to eight years would say a lot about where we are today.

I know we shouldn't look at him as a redeeming figure who will solve all our problems. That's too much to expect for any single person. However, we shouldn't underestimate the power of sheer inspiration. Obama inherits the promise of the Robert F. Kennedy Administration our country was denied with an assassin's bullet in June 1968. He is the inheritor of the movement that Howard Dean tapped into in 2004. That grassroots movement won't be denied this time around.

Simply put...voting for Obama in the primary in your state would put the nail on the coffin of cynicism. Our country cannot survive the challenges of the future with the corrosive cynicism of the Bush years. We need a dose of inspiration again, we need to believe in the possible again. Most of all, we need a fresh face with new ideas for a new political coalition to meet the challenges of the future. Barack Obama is that candidate to entrust with our crumbing government. Please consider voting for him if you want to change our country in the best possible way.

Purity in Politics

On Saturday, I volunteered to help set up the banquet hall for a fundraising dinner organized by the Multnomah County Democrats (of which I'm now a member of). It turned out to be quite a night as I finally got to have a short conversation with the man I hope will be the next Mayor of Portland and whose campaign I'm dedicating a lot of my free evenings and weekends to (that would be Sam Adams). As a group of us were waiting around in the lull after setting the tables and before another job assignment was available, one man (an outspoken Kucinich supporter) just lit into Hillary Clinton, calling her "evil." Evil? I called him on it, saying that the word was unnecessary, but he kept at it.

The other two people with me was a middle aged man and woman, both more moderate in their views of the Democratic candidates. I was peeved by the views of the Kucinich supporter, but I wasn't surprised. I never understood the fascination with the little Napoleon. These way leftist liberals think he's the second coming of Jesus (when I know better from personal experience and I can attest that Kucinich is not who he claims to be...some peace-loving Gandhi who will bring about kumbaya and universal harmony) and any other candidate is too "corporate" to support.

Like the long-time family friend who asked me last August if I was supporting "Hitlery" Clinton, I just think both the way leftist liberals and the conservatives are out of line. I don't understand why it's just so difficult to say, "I don't like this candidate and here's my reasons why..." Instead, they use terms like "evil" or comparisons to Hitler and generally avoid giving examples of why such candidate is evil or the second coming of Hitler. Their extreme hatred says more about them than about their choice for presidential candidate. Everytime I meet someone who hates Hillary, I always ask why. I simply fail to understand how she can arouse such hatred in people because I believe a lot of people are unconsciously aware of just how influenced they are by media characterizations of public figures.

For example, the media portrayed Gore to be stiff and wooden, and my dad of all people believed that was the case. Because I had interned for him and got to meet him on several occasions, I always found Gore to be personable and funny. I certainly wasn't plucking out splinters from my hand after shaking his!

One thing that really baffles me is the faction of liberals who lean Democratic and their full embrace of Dennis Kucinich, all because he's telling them what they want to hear. Because he polled in single digits, it allows these self-righteous liberals to claim that the media was conspiring against him and his views, and enforcing the mindset that he truly is the purest candidate out there for them. They don't even think for one minute that maybe Kucinich has been conning them all these years. That he's long on talk and short on action. It's not possible that he's every bit as egotistical and ambitious as the other candidates. Maybe he knew he would occupy a certain niche, since in the spectrum of political opinion, there is a bell curve where most Americans tend to be in the moderate middle. There's a reason why fringe candidates are on the fringe!

The obsession with purity in our politics is naive. Politics is often about compromise. Our system of government was born out of a compromise. Small states wanted an equal number of representatives and bigger states wanted representatives based on population. So, what did we get? A Senate where every state has equal representation and a longer term of six years, and a House of Representatives where every state has representatives based on population and two year terms of office which would be held closely accountable to the whims of the moment. It was a brilliant compromise. As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said about negotiating, we have to seek ways in which everyone can feel that they "won" something. The zero sum game of I win, you lose is a major problem. That's what politics is about...the art of negotiation and compromise. There's nothing wrong with compromise on most issues.

The leftist liberals who support Kucinich don't seem to understand that there's a reason why Kucinich polls in single digits. His views are not representative of most of the country. And because these "purists" preferred to vote for Nader than Gore in 2000, they are partially to blame for the way our country has turned out under Bush. Nader is another egotist who pretends to be authentic and kumbaya liberals buy into it with naive, flower child trust. Can they honestly tell me that things wouldn't be far better off under Gore these past 7 years? He might not have given us an ecotopia, but we most likely would not have had 9/11 or an endless war in Iraq. Our surplus wouldn't have been squandered to give tax rebates to the already filthy rich.

So, to call Hillary "evil" is just a bit much and I told that Kucinich supporter to save the word for someone truly evil (like Dick Cheney). To brandish the word about so carelessly, people will forget what evil truly is. We might not agree with Hillary on everything, but how can helping so many people improve their lives be evil? Evil is starting a cynical war and getting rich off it while other people's children die and not shedding a tear. Evil is shooting a friend in the face and not reporting to the police or the president about it until your blood alcohol level is back to zero. Evil is manipulating an ignorant president to wage an immoral war and giving government contracts to your previous employers, which you still own stock in. Evil is masterminding the 9/11 attacks and making it look like it was committed by a band of ragtag Muslims hiding in caves in Afghanistan. Evil is pretending to be religious to win the votes of conservative Christians, then doing everything against the life, ministry, and teaching of Jesus himself. That's what evil is.

An earlier comment about my post on the Obama-Clinton racial spat, in which I was jokingly compared to a "swift boat ad" was a bit much. To compare me to those lying veterans who aren't interested in the truth as much as perpetuating lies in service of a corrupt administration deserves a friendly rebuttal because as much as I detested John Kerry in 2004, I still think he got a bum deal on the Swift Boat ad. He is a genuine war hero and it angered me to see his purple heart medals be mocked at the Republican convention by a bunch of war avoiding hypocrites. If I ran for political office and someone tried to do me in that way, I'd hit back hard, exposing their hypocrisy for all to see. Following the example of Jesus, we need to chase out the money changers from our sacred spaces, we need to expose the hypocrites who wish to stone to death sinners of the same crimes that they commit. But John Kerry did no such thing, proving his weakness (conservatives don't respect people who don't stand up for themselves. I learned that in the Navy because a lot of guys didn't like my political views but admired that I never backed down from an argument even when I was the only one arguing against the group opinion).

My post that criticized the Clintons was justified, but it doesn't mean that I won't support Hillary if she's the nominee. Just that what happened in South Carolina when Clinton played the race card only reminded me of all the things I disliked about Clinton in the first place. I wasn't attacking any of the Clinton supporters, so I hope people realize that. I'm not in the Swift Boat business. Democrats need to stick together, no matter who you support!

Bargainer vs. Challenger

On Friday evening, I went to Powell's Bookstore to attend the lecture and booksigning by Shelby Steele, who is promoting his newest book, Bound Man, about Barack Obama's improbable run for president.

It was among the more crowded booksignings I've gone to at Powell's, with a diverse group of attendees. Though I didn't buy the book and had no intention to (as much as I love books, I can't afford to buy all the ones I want to read, so I have to select carefully and use the library more often), I was interested in Shelby Steele's premise. I had read an excerpt of this book in a magazine a few months ago because I wanted to understand why Obama was more popular among liberal whites (and more than a few white conservatives) than among black people. Late last year, Hillary Clinton had more support in the black community than Obama and it was completely baffling to me until I learned about Steele's plausible theory on race relations.

Here's his theory: Because our society has been racist since its founding due to the institution of slavery followed by another century of segregation laws, black people have had to make choices in terms of sheer survival. Some of them fall into the position of "bargainer" in which they don't accuse white people of being racist or to talk about racism (to rub it in white people's faces) in exchange for the white person not to hold their race against them. Under this category, Steele lists icons like Louis Armstrong, Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods, Bill Crosby, and even O.J. Simpson. Bargainers achieve great success and popularity among whites...so long as they avoid talking about what they really believe regarding racial issues. They become somewhat of a blank screen which allows white people to feel relieved of the "guilt" of racism.

Challengers, on the other hand, don't believe in letting white people off the hook. They are always going to remind white people of persistent racism and assume that each white person they meet that they are racist until they prove otherwise. Under this category falls Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Louis Farakkhan, and Malcolm X. By holding whites responsible for racism, Challengers help the black community advance towards greater equality and benefits that mere accommodation doesn't achieve.

Shelby Steele is a mixed-race black man (who passes for white--even I was amazed by that as I watched him and heard him speak) who is politically conservative. At times, his political views about Obama slipped out (even going so far as to compare Obama to Joseph Stalin!) that I didn't agree with. However, the idea of Bargainers vs. Challengers is intriguing and one I believe is true. Here's why...

In my last job in Atlanta, I worked in close proximity to two African Americans. One fits the category of Bargainer, the other fits the category of Challenger. Who did I like and trust the most? The Challenger, of course. Like Steele said, Bargainers are notoriously evasive about revealing who they really are or what they are really about. They will avoid controversial topics for fear of being discovered and thus losing their valued position of being popular among whites. The Bargainer at my last job fit the profile. He was funny, a true entertainer. He once even joked about how he would've been a house slave in the Confederacy. When I saw Spike Lee's excellent film Bamboozled, I was shocked to realize that this Bargainer I knew at work was just fulfilling the same old stereotype of a shuck and jiving entertainer to amuse ole massuh. I often tried to engage his intellect on things that truly mattered, but he was shallower than a kiddie pool at Holiday Inn.

The woman who was a Challenger had my respect, though. We often had verbal clashes regarding race, but I always knew where she stood on the issues. I admired her outspokenness and her insightful observations about the glass ceiling that existed for African Americans at our office. She educated me a great deal and even when we didn't agree on an issue, I always walked away with a greater appreciation for her experiences and wisdom. She is an amazing woman and I hope she will one day get the credit she deserves for the hard work that she does for that office.

While those two characteristics are unsatisfying roles in the long run, it was the constant obsession with race that ultimately made me want to leave the South for good. I just got tired of everything being made a racial issue. For example, former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney (the Green Party's candidate for President in 2008) often played the race card against opponents. If they were white, they were racists out to lynch her. If they were black, they were Uncle Toms playing the massuh's tune. It couldn't have been because the position was open to anyone who wanted to run and that other people have the ambition, experience, and ideas worthy of competing for votes. Nope, it always boiled down to race.

Shelby Steele's solution to the problem is for more African Americans to be individualists and for white Americans to stop looking for redemption from the past sins of racism, especially when that redemption is placed on the skinny shoulders of Barack Obama. Steele's prediction is that if Obama really spoke what he believed, his halo will be tarnished and a lot of people who now support him might not like what he has to say and will support someone else instead. He says it's an unfair burden to place on any black person, but especially on a talented Senator who aspires to be the first black president. In the lecture, Steele opened my eyes about why I'm supporting Obama. I feel guilty that a lot of why I like Obama is because I think he'll redeem our country (of our racist past and to the eyes of the rest of the world disappointed by our current president and his xenophobic policies). According to Steele, that's not reason enough to vote for Obama. His challenge to the Senator from Illinois is to offer real plans on what he intends to do as president instead of his shallow talk of some visionary future without specifics.

I hate to admit it, but Steele does have a point. As I told him after the lecture, "thanks to you, I'll never be able to look at Obama the same way again!" Steele had a nervous laugh and said, "uh-oh!" He got that right.

State of Our Union

Amazing. Truly amazing. Bush's final State of the Union Address got so little play in the press. On Monday, I was staying with Vanessa at her friend Scott's house in Spokane (since we were awaiting a car part so we could return to the Portland/Vancouver area). Scott is a former Navy guy and he told us the reasons he voted for Bush in 2000 and 2004. And yet, since it was his house, I had to ask if we could watch the State of the Union Address. Shocker of all shockers...this Bush voter didn't even want to watch it. He went so far as to give me a summary of what Bush was going to talk about and said that we didn't need to watch it. But, he was gracious enough and turned over the remote to me. Man, I couldn't believe it. Here was this Gore loyalist asking a Bush voter if we could watch HIS president's final State of the Union Address (rather than Scott's preferred home improvement shows). And I was more into it than he was. He and Vanessa talked while my eyes were glued to the TV screen.

I still shake my head thinking about how it came to be that a person who despises everything Bush stands for would be more interested in watching his final Constitutionally-mandated ritual than a person who voted for him twice. That's how warped our country has become! Those who installed this incompetent disaster in the White House have already checked out on his administration, while a person like me who never accepted his presidency as legitimate from Day 1 can't take my eyes away from the spectacular train wreck his administration has become.

I was stunned by the lack of originality in this speech. It was like a bad deja vu trip through his previous ones. Once again, he mentioned 9/11 (imagine if Clinton had mentioned the Oklahoma City Bombing in the 1996 through 2000 State of the Union Addresses). He had a few smirks and squints and eyebrow twitches. And most baffling of all was his defense of the No Child Left Behind Act from his first year in office. He must really be worried about his legacy, for even that piece of legislation will be scrapped once he's out of office. Dumbing down education so kids can improve their multiple guess test scores on math and English isn't going to help Americans keep up with the Chinese or even the computer savvy people of India.

His State of the Union Address was so dismal and unoriginal that even the media was bored with it. They were more interested in the Kennedy endorsement of Obama and the following day's Florida primary. Here we are on Saturday and I doubt anyone remembers a word Bush said in his Address. I know so many people who don't even watch whenever he's on because nothing but lies seem to come out of his mouth. He's a broken record stuck on 9/11. That's one thing I'll never understand about him. He brings it up every State of the Union Address. Why anyone would want to remind Americans of the worst security breach under his watch is proof that he's not playing with a full deck. No, Americans will not forget 9/11 and Bush. In a future history book's footnote, he will be known for incompetence on 9/11, in Iraq, and with Hurricane Katrina. There's no escaping that fate.

What is the true state of our union? Bush will leave American worse off than he inherited it. Because of that, he deserves no grade higher than an F. Complete and utter failure. If Americans want true redemption, to show the world what true democracy looks like, we need to bring him and his cronies to trial after he leaves office. He should be tried for crimes against humanity, war crimes, election fraud, conspiracy to undermine the Constitution, lying under oath, and treason. All those meet the requirement of "high crimes and misdemeanors." We can restore our place in the world if we put him in jail to live out the rest of his pathetic life. I'd say, put him in a jail cell where he has to watch over and over the events of 9/11. Since he used that event for political purposes, it would be just to force him to watch it constantly in retribution for cramming 9/11 down our collective consciousness over and over again.

Maybe after some time has passed, we will see him as below (on the verge of tears):

I love the above photo because Georgy-porgy looks like he's going to cry for his momma...but we all know that his acid-tongued momma is the last person anyone would want to run to for any kind of warm affection.

Jail buddies (we'll see who broke whose back first!)

When Bush made that statement, "you're either with us or against us," I knew I was in trouble because there was not a chance in hell I'd ever be for him after the 2000 election fraud. I never accepted him as legitimate, so he was never my president. And soon, he will be forgotten like a bad nightmare that we finally woke up from. I'm glad our next president will most likely be more gracious to those who don't share the same political philosophy. Bush made an enemy out of people like me, thus why people like me are just giddy at how broken the Republican Party is. Seeing the once arrogant and smug Repugs of 2000-2006 trip over themselves to get quickly away from their immoral politicians (the war mongers, the hate mongers, and the secretly gay homophobes) and be demoralized by the choices they have among a group of geriatric white men who've all seen better days is one of the few things to be happy about these days. The past couple years have been vindication for their smug arrogance of a stolen election. I consider it proof of karmic justice coming back to haunt them. As they say, "payback's a bitch!" That's why being gracious winners is so important and coalition building with people who voted for the other party is necessary to keep our country strong. Because Bush saw losing a popular vote as a landslide mandate to run to the far reich (I mean "far right"), I am glad that his administration came crashing down when Katrina hit. Thank God for karma!

Bush and his buddy Saddam. Two of a kind who deserve to share the same cell in hell someday. They can compare numbers, arguing who killed more Iraqis. My money is on Bush as the bigger killer.

In case I hadn't made the hell part more clear to you, Jesus claimed that it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. How do we get around that religious concept? Jesus must have known what he was talking about. Besides, there's a special place in hell for charlatans who abuse religion and deceive sincere believers. Jesus lost his temper in the Temple. Why? Because merchants were selling things, defiling the house of the Lord. How many times has Bush defiled our country, our Constitution, and our sense of the sacred?

If Jesus is the Christ and an "anti-Christ" is the opposite of Christ, then I present to you the idea that Bush is an anti-Christ. If it were illegal to be a Christian, there simply would not be enough evidence to convict Bush of the "crime of Christianity." In these past 7 years, I have failed to find one example of Bush living out what Christ preached: blessed are the peacemakers, blessed are the humble, blessed are the meek, etc.

In closing, I testify on my blog that Bush is the worst president ever, that he is guilty of war crimes and election fraud, that he is incompetent, immoral, and the phoniest Christian since Emperor Constantine. The State of our Union won't be strong until he's flushed out of office. And when that day comes, if he won't be tried for his crimes against humanity, he should become a persona non grata whom we never hear from again. I want nothing more than to see him disappear into irrelevance. His life is a complete waste and I feel sorry for his soul. The day will come when he faces the ultimate reckoning and will wish he had never been born because the karmic debt of his actions will be too much for anyone to bear. I'm just glad it's not me.

My List to Accomplish Before I Go

Picking up on Sean's meme about his "bucket list," I'm giving my list of things I hope to accomplish before it's time to return to the heavenly realm. I have no interest in seeing the film "The Bucket List", but having a list of things to do before you die is a great idea (there's also a book called something like "1,000 Things to Do Before You Die").

Eight years ago in the internship in D.C., one of my favourite lecturers was Omar Kader...but not because he labeled Mary Bell a "rightwing nut" (in response to her question about the U.N. in which she had used the term "one world government"). Granted, it was funny and the label stuck to her for the rest of the semester...and a few guys thought I should date her because I was considered the most liberal person on the program and they thought (wrongly) that opposites attract. Perhaps some opposites, but not extreme opposites!

Anyhow, Omar Kader had told us that we should always dream big and to think "what would you do if your wildest dreams come true?" So, I've had plenty of years to think about it. Here is my dream list:

Ever since I was 11 years old, I have dreamed about vacationing (and even emigrating to) Australia. That's still number one on my list. All I ask for is a one month vacation to the great land down under, in which I'd visit Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, the Great Barrier Reef, Adelaide, Alice Springs and Ayers Rock, Darwin, and Perth. I'd save Sydney for the last couple days before leaving. But I want to see all areas of it. In another trip, I'd spend 15 days in New Zealand in a rental RV.

A family trip to Thailand, the land of origin for my mother. We haven't been there since 1975 so my early childhood memories are fading and I'd really love to meet my mother's side of the family even though she'd most likely have to serve as the interpreter. But, I don't think my life will ever be truly complete until I have that experience of meeting my mom's side of the family and immersing myself in the culture she spent the first 20 years of her life in (wow, she's been an American citizen for longer than that now).

A visit to Cape Town, South Africa, which is considered to be one of the world's most beautiful cities (and compared to San Francisco). In 1994, when I decided to visit South Africa, I had to choose between Johannesburg or Cape Town. I couldn't afford to visit both but Johannesburg won out because I wanted to see Soweto, Pretoria, and Sun City along with Johannesburg. I don't regret that choice, but I knew that one week in South Africa wouldn't be enough. This time Cape Town would be my focus, along with...

Kruger National Game Reserve on South Africa's eastern border with Mozambique. I almost went there for a three day excursion on my original Johannesburg vacation plan. But when I had to change the dates of my vacation, I wasn't allowed to add any more days to my vacation than the 7 days they gave me. So, I had to settle for an afternoon game drive through an animal park near the Sun City resort (South Africa's Las Vegas). It was nice, but I saw more warthogs than I cared to and not a single lion. I want to do a full fledged safari someday.

When I finally achieved my childhood goal of having been to all 50 states, I realized I needed a new goal. What immediately came to mind was visiting all 50 state capitols. I've only been to 12. I love the diversity of them, though most of them follow the pattern of our national capitol of a marble building with a dome. The above photo is Oregon's state capitol, which I visited in 1999 and didn't like very much. My favourites of the ones I've seen so far are Hawaii's (symbolic of a volcanic island), New Mexico's (based on the Native American sun symbol) and Nebraska's (a tower with a dome on top). Only 38 more to visit!

Ever since I was in the fourth grade, I have dreamed of honeymooning in Tahiti. And I'd stay in one of the overpriced over-the-water bungalows as seen above. I'm not big on luxurious living (because of the images of Soweto still burned into my long term consciousness) but if there's one thing to splurge on, it would be a honeymoon.

Who wants to cruise in the Caribbean? I'm more interested in an Alaskan cruise, followed by a cruise through the Panama Canal, and another one in the South Pacific. Maybe an eastern Mediterranean cruise that makes ports of call on the islands of Greece and Turkey. But a Caribbean Cruise just doesn't appeal to me. Perhaps its the hurricanes and the cultural blandness of those tiny islands that cater to the tourist crowds. One of my pet peeves is hearing Americans who claim to be "world travelers" only to discover that their experience of "seeing the world" only includes places like Ocho Rios, Jamaica; Cancun, Mexico; the Bahamas and the Virgin Islands. Puh-leeze. That's not experiencing the world. That's a "look how cheap everything is/my don't I feel rich!" ego trip. One thing I love most about my South Africa trip was meeting and talking with real people who loved to tell me about their country, politics, and history. Holing up in a resort where the only contact you have with locals is when they change your bedsheets does not count as going out of the country (in my opinion).

A part of me wishes that I was independently wealthy so I could serve my church in the WoRLDService Corps. I'd love to serve my church in a country like Malawi or French Polynesia or even somewhere in Southeast Asia. I've gotten so far away from my childhood dreams of an international life. What the heck happened? Perhaps once I achieve other goals, this one will come true.

I'd love to travel across Canada by train, with stops along the way to visit Banff, Calgary, Saskatoon and Re-GY-na, Winnepeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, and the maritime provinces (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island). I love Canada and want to see more of it (I've only been to BC, Ontario, and Quebec).

I love solo road trips and hope to do Route 66 one day (all the way from Chicago to Los Angeles). I think it would be an awesome vacation because when I've done road trips in the past, I preferred the freeway for the sheer speed of it. However, the older I get, the more I enjoy the highways and driving through the small towns across our great country. I always see something interesting in every town I've been in. I'm the kind of guy who'd run for president mostly so I can see the small towns of America and meet the people who live there and learn what they're concerned about. I wouldn't want to actually be president. A presidential campaign is simply a great way to see America and meet fellow citizens.

I'd love to either take a riverboat cruise all the way down the Mississippi River from Minneapolis to New Orleans; or to drive down highways on either side of the river from one end to the other, with stops at the rundown Juke Joints of Mississippi. Again, this trip would be part of getting to know a great part of America. Rhythm and Blues was born in the Juke Joints along this great river; one of our greatest writers, Mark Twain, featured the river prominently in his books; and Abraham Lincoln spent time navigating a flatboat along the river as a young man. It truly is an American treasure.

Swimming with dolphins -- I've loved dolphins since at least the second grade when I had to draw one for a class project. It's probably my favourite animal (along with chimpanzees, pandas, kangaroos, and koalas). On a family vacation to Florida in 1990, I remember touching a dolphin swimming in the pool at a SeaWorld and was impressed how smooth the dolphin's skin is. I love their playful personalities and their intelligence and disagree with the Navy's use of them to sweep for mines. Leave God's creatures alone!

I want to write a screenplay about Henry David Thoreau and the Transcendentalist movement. A lot of what he believed is still relevant today and his legacy lives on (as one can see in films like "Into the Wild"). I'm a big fan of bio-pics and believe every famous person (fame as in "earned fame" because they accomplished something, not fame as in Warhol's idea of anyone having fifteen minutes of it for all sorts of banalities) should have a film about their lives. Henry David Thoreau's life story is one I'd love to see on the silver screen.

And yes, it is true. Ever since I read "Embraced by the Light" by Betty Eadie in 1994, I've wanted my own "near death experience." I don't want to actually come close to death to have one, so I've kind of pursued spiritual ideas and practices in the hopes that one day, I could have an "out of body experience" in which my soul will travel to the spiritual realm to sneak into the Temple of Records and peek into my soul's file to see just what it takes to achieve my dreams in life. Why is it so hard to manifest a good and meaningful job, anyhow? A part of me thinks that Gore truly was supposed to be president (and I was supposed to work in his administration), thus why we're in an alternative universe where everything went to hell. It didn't have to be this way. I'm hoping that the spell will be broken when Bush leaves office and I will finally be back on track in my life with a job that sustains me with a great salary and meaningful work with knowledgeable co-workers who share my passion and vision for life.

So, that's my list. There's a lot more things I could list, but I think that represents the core of what I want to do before it's time to return to the spiritual home for a rest before I start the whole process once again. If I know anything from my experiences in life, I've already achieved a lot of things I've wanted for my life so I know that anything is possible and I believe my above list will eventually come true. That's what makes life so interesting.