7:15 pm CDT
Cindy Sheehan's Vigil in Crawford

Stand with Cindy Sheehan - People's Party in Crawford- Now

7:14 pm CDT
These people need your help ...

Please Help Jen

6:58 pm CDT
Someone's been watching too many B movies (and I think I know which one)...



Homeland Security Investigates Puppet Guild (no kidding)

11:18 am CDT
Crawford, Texas: "Christian Troop Supporter" Runs Over Crosses Commemorating Dead Troops



READ ABOUT IT HERE.

9:48 am CDT
Keeping the Skies Safe

"Drop the pacifier and put your hands behind your head. Now ..."
Babies Caught Up in 'No-Fly' Confusion

9:46 am CDT
Unapproved Topic #2

Have Leading Figures in the Bush Administration Really Been Indicted?

Sherman Skolnick: Bush-Cheney Crime Family Facing Prosecution

9:44 am CDT
Unapproved Topic #1

Charleston Post and Courier Mangles Nuke-Drill Facts

Final Push to Stop the Nukes of August

9:42 am CDT
How the Boy King Spent His Summer Vacation

Biking, fishing, reading, taking naps, and avoiding the questions of a grieving mother--in general, having a "balanced life."

3:59 pm CDT
Cindy Sheehan's Vigil contd.

It Takes a Village to Smear Cindy Sheehan

In Praise of Citizen Cindy Sheehan

The Murder of Casey Sheehan

12:29 pm CDT
Cindy Sheehan's Vigil in Crawford

The Boy King is afraid:
Bush Using Helicopter to Enter, Leave Ranch to Avoid Confrontation

Another distortion from Drudge Report:
Cindy Sheehan's Non-Blood Related Neo-Con Relative Sides with Bush over Her and Her Dead Son

An ugly agenda:
The Savaging of Cindy Sheehan

Video Being Played on Crawford Cable Access:
Mother of Fallen Soldier Asks Questions of President Bush

Latest Info from Camp Casey:
One Mother's Stand

9:12 pm CDT
Unapproved Websites

And, by the way, as long as I'm pissed off and ranting, I'd like to say this to the anonymous (i.e., chickenshit) individual who has been repeatedly emailing me Fintan Dunne's List of Unapproved Websites: The next time you take a notion to write me, don't send it by email. Write it down on a piece of paper, fold the paper, stick it in a bottle, and shove it straight into that portion of your anatomy where the sun don't shine ...

9:10 pm CDT
Unapproved Topic

I don't know if there's anything to these rumors. But this I do know: They are worthy of our attention. And we are perfectly capable of making up our own minds as to their veracity without assistance from self-appointed Guardians of the Truth who have nothing more than smart-alecky put-downs* at their disposal to persuade us to look in another direction ...
Nuclear Terror Drill to Go Live? Let's Hope Not

*Psst, Fintan: You forgot to mention Elvis and Alien Greys and Tin Foil Hats in your clever headline.

4:12 pm CDT
Protest in Crawford

Hey, Bush, be a man: MEET WITH CINDY!

Military Families to Join Cindy Sheehan in Crawford

Plaming Cindy Sheehan

3:45 pm CDT
I Wonder

I wonder about people whose websites are full of articles attacking other activists, bloggers, researchers, and talk show hosts, but contain very little else ...

I wonder about people who cannot calmly and respectfully disagree, using a logical argument and facts, but can only launch shrill attacks, using lies, distortions, and ridicule to make their "points" ...

I wonder about people who set themselves up as the guardians of Truth and the arbiters of what should or should not be discussed, and loudly condemn anyone who dares discuss an Unapproved Topic ...

I wonder about people who identify everyone else as CIA agents, charlatans, or fools, and proclaim themselves our only saviors, but never accomplish anything but the sewing of distrust and division.

Yes, I wonder about these people. But that is all I can do. Wonder ...

9:50 am CDT
Rumors of a Coup

Four Star General Fired for Organizing Coup against Neo-Cons?

United States Military Forces Begin Coup, Top US General Arrested By Anti-Coup Factions, Russian and Chinese Military Forces Go To High Alert

9:19 pm CDT
Back in Time

Last night I watched a movie I videotaped off one of the movie channels in the early 1990s. I had not played the video in a long time, and was surprised by the high quality of the picture. Which just goes to show you: If properly taken care of, those VHS tapes will last a lot longer than you'd think.

Then, when the movie ended, something unexpected happened: a series of 1980s-era commercials suddenly appeared on the screen. These were followed by the WTBS station i.d., which in turn was followed by the CNN Headline News. At first, I could not account for this anomaly; then I realized that, years ago, I must have recorded the movie over an older recording, and this was what remained of that recording.

How old was this older recording? To be exact, it was recorded on August 16, 1987. Seventeen years ago, almost to the day. The reason I was able to pinpoint the date with such precision was because the top story on the Headline News was all about the 10th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death. (Yes, that's right--it was the top story.)

The scene was Graceland, where people were holding candles and crying. It had been ten years since the the tragic loss, yet these people were still inconsolable. Which made me wonder if, in the 17 years that have passed since the newscast, these same people have somehow managed to come to terms with the King's death. I hope so; it is about time.

The second story was about some Kuwaiti oil tankers that had been reflagged and were traveling under US protection, due to the terrible repercussions of the Iran-Iraq war that was raging at that time.

This story was followed by a related (?) story about an American woman who had married a Kuwaiti man; unfortunately, when the marriage ended and she tried to leave Kuwait, she discovered that the Kuwaiti government would not let her children return with her to the US. Very sad.

The next story was about the Harmonic Convergence. Do you remember the Harmonic Convergence? Well, if you do not, this is what it was: It all had to do with the fact that, on August 17 (the day after the anniversary of Elvis' death!) every planet in the Solar System was expected to line up-a remarkable enough feat in itself, but not nearly as remarkable as the effect the alignment would have on the world: it would give birth to a wonderful New Age of Global Peace and Universal Harmony!

In the newscast, people were shown chanting and dancing and doing various other things to help the Harmonic Convergence along. For, evidently, the planetary alignment could not be trusted to work the change by itself; it needed human assistance.

And thank God these people went to all the trouble to provide that assistance. For, if they had not done so, imagine where we would be today, 17 years later. We would not be enjoying all this Global Peace and Universal Harmony-that's where we would be.

1:58 pm CDT
Meanwhile back at the "ranch" ...

The Boy King does not wish to be disturbed by their unsightly presence when his procession passes on Thursday:
Authorities Getting Ready to Throw Anti-War Protesters from Bush Ranch for Trespassing

1:56 pm CDT
Taser Report

Three Men Die after Being Shot with Stun Guns

12:42 pm CDT
Then and Now

Re-posted below is the 1950s photo of Fort Worth's West Freeway which I posted on July 15 with my "Forgotten World" piece ...



After seeing this photo, my friend Brian Roper, who lives in Fort Worth, went to the stretch of freeway seen in the 1950s photo and took the photo below:



As you can see, the freeway has widened considerably in the intervening decades; that green triangle of grass on the right marks the spot where the KTVT-KFJZ building stood.

The only recognizable landmark in the photo is the building with the steeple, Arlington Heights High School. This was Brian's school, incidentally; other illustrious alumni of AHHS ("Adolf Hitler High School," as Brian affectionately refers to it) include moon-walking astronaut Alan Bean, the late singer John Denver, and the late "lone nut" patsy Lee Harvey Oswald.

One of mine and Brian's favorite topics of discussion is the changes that have occurred in Fort Worth over the years. Brian, a regular contributor to File 23, wrote on this topic in his article My Hometown a few months ago. One need not be familiar with Fort Worth to appreciate this piece; anyone who has lived enough years in the ever-morphing urbanscape of modern American should be able to relate to the disorientation described by Brian.

As I mentioned, Brian writes for File 23. Check out his latest highly amusing article, "Whut Wood Jesus Dew?" currently on the front page: HERE.

Also on File 23, check out Cranky the Clown's latest column.

3:56 pm CDT
B.S. Alert

Drudge Report Takes Anti-War Mom Out of Context

3:56 pm CDT
Caveat Lector

Michael Rivero comments on the following story:

Because the story comes from a single source, I am cautious. We are at a time when the governments of the US, UK, and Israel would love to embarrass the Internet and try to trick the general public back into the clutches of the presstitutes.

In brief, I am doubtful about this story, yet cannot rule it out.

But within the next hour there will be an announcement by the Prosecutors looking into the AIPAC spy scandal, and I have to wonder if someone wanted a distraction ...

Federal Whistle Blower Claims Chicago Grand Jury Indicted Bush And Others For Perjury and Obstruction Of Justice; U.S. Attorney's Office Says 'No Comment,' Refusing To Confirm Or Deny Alleged Indictments

3:06 pm CDT
Holy Abu Ghraib, Batman!




3:02 pm CDT
Shoot to Kill

Nothing makes me sweat nervously more than being surrounded by cops ready to shoot anyone who sweats nervously ...
(Global) Police Agree on Shoot-to-Kill Rules: Watch for Nervousness, Excessive Sweating

Thousands of Armed Police Prepared to Shoot to Kill Deploy in London to "Reassure" Public

2:59 pm CDT
New Toy for Airport Screeners

According to the following article, the innocent traveler need not be concerned if an unusual amount of metal on his person should cause him to be knocked unconscious by a jolt from this device. The effect is "temporary and reversible." Just like the Taser ...
New Airport Scanners Deliver Electric Shock