Harry Potter, Tin Hats, and Poor Lindsay.....

My, what a week! The last Harry Potter book (halfway through, I promise no spoilers), Lindsay in and out of rehab and topping my Celebrity Death Watch list (ahead even of Liz Taylor), and interesting conspiracy theories on Datalounge (a site usually reserved for discussions of obscure Valley of the Dolls trivia and "I know that Jake Gyllenhall/George Clooney/Brendan Frasier/"Fill in the Hot Male Celebrity Here" is gay because.....") have kept me engrossed in an otherwise mundane summer.

The Potter Book: Fun. Halfway through, and already lots of death. Will anyone survive? Or is this J.K Rowling's version of the Book of Revelation? Although, it is amazing how so much of You-Know-Who's rise to power is eerily reminiscent of the tactics of a certain Vice-President Who Must Not Be Named.

But then we have Poor Lindsay. Sad, I never thought you could digress lower than Brittany Spears, but think again. Are you two in a race for the Neely O'Hara Memorial Scholarship to Betty Ford, or what?


Of all, though, I think it is the conspiracy theories on Datalounge which interests me the most. Not wanting to fall victim of Deux's accusation of being "headline philosopher", let me just say that I do not actually buy any of the theories, but I am intrigued by them none the less. The latest, and most prevalent, is in regards to Michael Chertoff's "gut theory" about an impending large scale terrorist attack on the U.S., a "presidential emergency broadcast test" gone awry in Chicago, and the despotic plans of Bush/Cheney/Gonzales, et. al.


The gist of all of this is that there are a lot of supposedly normal, sensible people, out there who think that the current administration is going to allow a terrorist attack (or, in the most extreme conspiracy theories, stage one) to occur in order to A) at the least, bolster support of the war and impending invasion of Iran, or B), at the worst, suspend the Constitution, declare Martial Law, cancel the next presidential election, and create a Halliburton driven dictatorship. What has happened in our country in the last seven years that so many normal, decent, usually non-tin-hat people may be thinking like this? I think that this is a relevant question to ask in these trying times. Unlike Fox Mulder, I do not want to believe, but there is a part (mind you, a small part) of me that is just naive and scared enough of the people running our country to believe just a tiny, tiny part of it all.

More importantly, though, is if such a far-fetched, Clive Cussler meets Stephen King meets Left Behind scenario were to occur, how would we as a nation respond? Would we rise up in defense of the Constitution, or would we, like the citizens of Rome when the Republic became an Empire, respond with a collective yawn? Just some food for thought.....Of course, I am nothing more than a "headline philosopher", so what does it even matter?

On the non-tin hat front, however, just to show that there are a lot of conservatives out there who also think that Bush has F@#$ed up our nation and standing in the world, is an excellent OpEd piece in today's WaPo in which none other than former Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. P.X. Kelley and Robert F. Turner blast last week's "executive order" which attempts to broadly redefine Common Article 3 of the Geneva convention. Here are the two most telling statements in the article, and ones in which I whole heartily agree:

"...we cannot in good conscience defend a decision that we believe has compromised our national honor and that may well promote the commission of war crimes by Americans and place at risk the welfare of captured American military forces for generations to come....
Of all U.S. military personnel killed in action in Afghanistan and Iraq, America's losses total about 2 percent of the forces we lost in World War II and less than 7 percent of those killed in Vietnam. Yet we did not find it necessary to compromise our honor or abandon our commitment to the rule of law to defeat Nazi Germany or imperial Japan, or to resist communist aggression in Indochina. On the contrary, in Vietnam -- where we both proudly served twice -- America voluntarily extended the protections of the full Geneva Convention on prisoners of war to Viet Cong guerrillas who, like al-Qaeda, did not even arguably qualify for such protections....The Geneva Conventions provide important protections to our own military forces when we send them into harm's way. Our troops deserve those protections, and we betray their interests when we gratuitously "interpret" key provisions of the conventions in a manner likely to undermine their effectiveness. Policymakers should also keep in mind that violations of Common Article 3 are "war crimes" for which everyone involved -- potentially up to and including the president of the United States -- may be tried in any of the other 193 countries that are parties to the conventions.

It is an excellent, non-tin hat read. Now, back to see what that nasty Condelezza Ri...er, Delores Umbridge, is up to now!

A Life Lived In Fear Is A Life Half Lived

Wow. What a week. Closed on my condo, moved, preparing to uproot my life in a way I never have before. Yet, there is a feeling of trepidation. Not fear, for fear is the mind killer, but....trepidation, and excitement. And sorrow.

Sorrow for the direction my country has gone in the past eight years. Sorrow that we have been forced to give up so many of our principles in the name of George W. Bush. Sorrow that so many people, including some I love dearly, don't get that the Bush administration has not only weakened our Constitution and democracy, but our standing in the world as well. Sorrow that Michael Chertoff, the man who is supposed to protect us against terrorists attacks provokes the fear of them by saying that he "has a gut feeling" that their will be major terrorist attack in the U.S. this summer. (Well, Michael, if that is what your gut is telling you, what are doing to stop it? Or are you even trying? Oh wait, if the people aren't afraid.....). Sorrow that that the Supreme Court is on the verge of overturning years of precedent (if you didn't notice, they pretty much overturned Brown vs. the Board of Education last week, but no one noticed.....). Sorrow that so many people are finally realizing what a small minority knew, and tried to warn about, this president from the very beginning.
(Kudos to Bill Moyers, and of all people, Peggy Noonan.)

There are two video clips that show just how pathetic the situation has become. One is pure satire, but very telling. Check it out here.



The other is far too real, and reveals far too much about the hubris and denial of the Worst President ever. God Bless You, Helen Thomas:



So, maybe it isn't such a bad time to get the hell out of the country.

And with this non-fluff, Barrowman free post, my blog by-atches, I now pronounce myself officially back.

Thing Fall In Place....and Apart

Wow. I am constantly amazed at how the fates have aligned with this move. The condo sold in three days, we close on Thursday. My visa and work permit are both in order. I have found a place to live for a month. My house in an uproar, with furniture being sold, items placed into storage, or being shipped to the Salvation Army.

The sad note is, however, that I cannot take my cats with me. There is no quarantine anymore, but they would have had to have been chipped and had certain shots six months ago in order to travel with me. That, and most of the places I am looking at in the UK to rent don't accept pets, and I don't want them to suffer the trauma of being carried in the hold of a 767.

So, this morning I await a friend from the Renaissance Festival who has graciously agreed to adopt my two kids. The parting is bittersweet. Jake has been with me for 14 years, ever since he followed my ex home from the 7-11 in Orlando. We were determined not to keep him, but two weeks later he was at the vet and being fixed, and he has been a part of our lives ever since. If the ex had a different living situation, where he could separate his dog from the litter box, Jake would be going with him, and still might eventually. The newer cat, Essie, I think could survive just about anywhere. But, as the ex said on the phone just now, "this seems so final."

And so I wait. And feel a tear begin to well up in my eye.

Yeah, I am a sentimental old fart at times.

Life Goes On..and On...and On......

Well, long time, no post. Perhaps it is because my life has been a whirlwind of adventure and activity since about the 28th of May. That is the day I was offered a job teaching in the United Kingdom. For security reasons, I won't go into all the details here, but hey...I took it. And I bade a fond adieu to the school in which I have taught for the past three years. Although it was a bittersweet parting, ultimatly they have no one but themselves to blame, and yes, I think it is their loss. It certainly is not mine.

For those of you know the overblown turmoil that I encountered in March, this is a direct, unexpected, exciting outcome to those events, proving that however bad something may be, it all happens for a reason.

And I think that this opportunity was meant to be, mainly by the speed and ease with which it is all taking place, although the speed has blindsided me a bit, leaving me a bit shell shocked. My work permit and visa are in hand. My condo in D.C. is under contract, in what I think is a record six days after going on the market. They want to close on July 13th. I want to leave on August 14th. I will directing a show in the meantime, packing, finding a home for my cats, and generally divesting myself of a lot of crap in my life, both physical and emotional, and moving off to the United Kingdom with my debts paid and a lot of money in the bank. There is serendipity in the world.

The job I am going to pursue will be a challenge, but one which I am excited and energized to confront. My only feeling of sadness is, well, I will be leaving behind all of those people I know and love to start life anew, at least for the coming year. I think I have their tacit approval. I hope that they are excited for me. I hope that they will come and visit me to relieve the culture shock.

And if you know of anyone who wants to take in two wonderful cats, let me know. They need a home before July 13th.

Yoiks, and Rule Britannia.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes.....

It has been a heady week. My life has turned drastically upside down in less than three days, and I am still recovering from the shock.

During the dark days of spring, I posted my resume on a site which recruits teachers for the U.K. On Tuesday, I interviewed with a school outside of London, on Wednesday I was offered the job, and on Thursday I accepted the job, asked for a leave of absence from my current employer, put my condo on the market....and am planning a whole new life, far from friends, family, et. al. to pursue yet another adventure in life. My mind is still reeling from the speed of all of this. If all works out, I shall be in the U.K. by August to begin the term in September.

The things I will do to see the second season of Torchwood before anyone else in the states.....

Wow. Is. All. I. Can. Say.

Never Say I Don't Like A Challenge....

Deux has challenged me to define the term neo-con. As a teacher, I sometimes caution my students against using Wikipedia as a resource, but sometimes it come in handy. So check out this very detailed history and definition of the neo-con movement at the following link:

Three_pillars_of_Neoconservatism

Confused? Of course you are-because even neo-cons can't agree on a definition!

However, I will give you my views of the movement based on observation and discussion. It can be reduced to one sentence: "Everyone else is wrong, and we are right- and if you don't agree with us, nannie nannie doo-doo." There is no room for negotiation, either in their beliefs or with other political ideologies, and anyone who goes against their beliefs is harshly criticized, at times patronized, often vilified, sometimes slandered, and the what not. Many, like Jonah Goldberg and Ann Coulter, are venomous, bigoted, nationalistic and homophobic, and verge on the fascist. Many, like Deux, and, I believe, Chris Muir (as much as he often infuriates me, he still makes me laugh) are not-indeed they are quite reasonable and intelligent individuals. So, it is a plethora of feelings and beliefs. However, they all share one trait in common: don't you dare say they are wrong.

Deux has also challenged me to dissect BLOOM COUNTY and Doonesbury in the same manner in which I dissected DAY BY DAY. So, I will give it the old college try.

What I learned from Bloom County:

• Small Children and penguins have all the answers to life.
• It takes a long time for a true to conservative to come out of the closet, and then watch out bucko, cause perfect male-mate Steve Dallas is on the loose and crusin' the gay ghetto.
• All Cats Have Hairballs
• Monsters lurk in all closets, and are usually made up of our everday fears.
• The best way to enjoy life is by relaxing in a field of dandelions in your underwear.
  
• You are a geek if you don't role play Star Trek and Star Wars.

What I learned from Doonesbury:

• Slacker teens and potheads have all the answers to life.
• It takes a long time for a true liberal to come out of the closet, and then watch out, cause perfect bear-male-mate Mark Slackmeyer is on the loose and cruisin' the airwaves.
• The best way to enjoy life is by relaxing in Walden Puddle.
  
• Conservative, war-hawk-football players, suntan worshiping hippies who never age, not as dumb as you think and not as smart as they appear blonds, and nerdy, bookish liberals can get along because they all played on the same football team in college and /or lived in the same commune during the '70's, thus proving that true friendship is not defined by political affiliation, religion, color, or creed, but endures through the ages. (See: Deux and Captjack as exemplors)
  
• Unlike Bloom County, not all comic strips evolve into better versions of themselves after they jumped the shark the twenty years ago.
  

Anyone want to add anything else?

Things We Have Learned From Chris Muir

Okay, I have been absent for a while. Let us just say, as Deux informed me last week, that the bloom may be off the blogging rose a bit. But, I shall strive to do better.

Over at Hazegrayetc., Deux has reintroduced his link the Chris Muir's sometimes funny, often infuriating neo-con comique, Day by Day.

This is an interesting,mildly amusing cartoon, which teaches us lots of things about neo-cons that we never knew before! I will begin my list, feel free to add on in the comments:

1. All neo-con men are hot, goateed, multi-racial, earring wearing, trendy coffee drinking metrosexuals.

2. All girlfriends of said neo-con men are gifted with the voluptuous figure of Lara Croft, the wry wit of Amy Sedaris, the marksmanship of Annie Oakley, and the annoying liberal views of Nancy Pelosi which constantly befuddle and irritate the said hot, goateed, mulit-racial, earing wearing, trendy coffee drinking metrosexual neo-con men, but they love them anyway.

3. Bush Administration good, Democrats bad.

4. Burqa wearing women maybe not such a bad idea, but voluptuous figure of Lara Croft liberal girlfriend in military uniforms of any kind an even better idea.

Okay, everybody! Add to the list! Be creative!