950 to go...

Nothing would make me happier than to see the whole organization fold like a cheap lawn chair!!!

Gazette.com:

Because of a weak economy and cash-strapped donors, Focus on the Family said it is eliminating 202 jobs, the deepest cuts in the 32-year history of the Colorado Springs-based Christian nonprofit. The ministry laid off 149 workers, and cut another 53 vacant positions.

The cuts announced Monday slash Focus' local workforce by nearly 18 percent - from about 1,150 to 950. Twenty percent of the cuts are in management.

The layoffs come just weeks after Focus announced it was outsourcing 46 jobs from its distribution department. Focus also laid off 30 workers and reassigned 15 more in September 2007.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - R.I.P.

Sad for the music world.  They're all dead - but their legacy will live on forever!!!

• Jimi Hendrix - guitar, lead vocals (also occasional bass, keyboards, drums, harpsichord, and recorder(once))
• Noel Redding - bass, backing vocals (also occasional lead vocals, 8 string bass, and rhythm guitar)
• Mitch Mitchell - drums, percussion, backing vocals (also occasional lead vocals, and glockenspiel)

 

 

Hat Tipped to Chuck Lorre

Great episode of Two and a Half Men tonight...  I have trouble sleeping in beds that aren't my own, too... 

Vanity card #228

CHUCK LORRE PRODUCTIONS, #228

We were recently slammed by something called the Parents Television Council. Rather than protest, I wrote a vanity card thanking them for the plug and sent them a box of fancy cupcakes. They promptly responded with a cute thank you letter suggesting that I might've poisoned the cupcakes. The letter went on to explain how they planned to employ one of their young interns as a food taster. If he did not die from eating one of my cupcakes, the rest of the PTC staff would happily dig in. If he did die, they would happily hire an attorney, sue me and become wealthy. Cute, right? But then I got to thinking, this is an organization that exists solely to protect the youth of America from entertainment they find objectionable. And yet their immediate response to a box of cupcakes - albeit in joke form - was to sacrifice a young member of their team. Say what you will about the comic content on Two and a Half Men, when suspicious food arrives at our offices we would never dream of asking a young intern to test it. We'd ask an old writer. And only because the body of an aging comedy writer is capable of ingesting poison and turning it into TV.

File under: Huh?!?!?

A good analogy for the quote below (via Power Line) would be "Edward R. Murrow should conduct his interviews as Groucho Marx does on "You Bet Your Life?":

Obama thinks he is a good talker, but he is often undisciplined when he speaks. He needs to understand that as President, his words will be scrutinized and will have impact whether he intends it or not. In this regard, President Bush is an excellent model; Obama should take a lesson from his example. Bush never gets sloppy when he is speaking publicly. He chooses his words with care and precision, which is why his style sometimes seems halting. In the eight years he has been President, it is remarkable how few gaffes or verbal blunders he has committed. If Obama doesn't raise his standards, he will exceed Bush's total before he is inaugurated.

 

 

Photo via Wikipedia

Deep Thought

Now that the election is over - I need a new "enemies list".  And I think I've found it in the Parents Television Council.

Better Late than Never

Our President-elect...  Barack Obama giving his acceptance speech on November 4, 2008.  A very historic day for the United States of America!!!

 

My Views on Proposition 8 in CA

I've been listening to many views on this subject and I've never supported such a measure, even in my own state of Nevada. My feelings are that if two people are in love, they should have the right to marry like anyone else. It's sad when religion has to play a role in affecting peoples lives the way it does.

I agree with John Aravosis that the Mormons crossed the lines when they descended upon California from Utah to fund and canvass a state that is not their own (Via Washington Post):

Gay rights activist John Aravosis, whose well-trafficked AmericaBlog.com is urging the boycott, is unapologetic about targeting Utah rather than California, where voters defined marriage in the state Constitution as a heterosexual act.

Utah, Aravosis said, "is a hate state," and on this issue, "at a fundamental level, the Utah Mormons crossed the line. . . . They just took marriage away from 20,000 couples and made their children bastards. You don't do that and get away with it."

The Mormon Church, based in Salt Lake City, encouraged members to work for passage of the ballot measure. Thousands of Mormons worked as grass-roots volunteers and gave tens of millions of dollars to the campaign.

Also, listening to Randi Rhodes about this issue and how easy it is now to change a state constitution with a ballot initiative. To change the US Constitution you need the following to happen under Article V:

The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress; Provided that no Amendment which may be made prior to the Year One thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any Manner affect the first and fourth Clauses in the Ninth Section of the first Article; and that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate.

It should be just as hard to do with a state constitution. In essence, all of the gay couples who were married were just divorced by the State of California.

But Keith Olbermann said it best on tonight's edition of Countdown:

Laughable

Some people need to find a good hobby...  If they don't like a show, change the fucking channel!!!  Personally, I thought the episode in question was smart and funny.  Apparently the PTC knows nothing about the show or the premise behind it.

LOS ANGELES (October 22, 2008) – The Parents Television Council™ is filing an indecency complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and urging its members and concerned citizens to do the same after a three minute long strip club scene featuring a lap dance aired on CBS’s “Two and a Half Men.” The episode at issue aired on Monday, October 20 at 9:00 p.m. in the Eastern and Pacific Time zones/8:00 p.m. in the Central and Mountain Time zones.

The strip club scene features the main character attempting to have a conversation with his nephew’s former teacher turned stripper while she gives his brother a private lap dance. The stripper grinds on his brother’s lap eliciting moans and cries of “yes, yes, yes” before the scene ends.

“We believe that the patently offensive sexual content in this episode of ‘Two and a Half Men’ crossed the broadcast indecency line. Rather than airing the program after 10:00 p.m., and rather than assigning a content rating that accurately reflects the material contained within the episode, CBS chose to air it when millions of children were in the television viewing audience, and they deemed the material to be suitable for 14-year-olds,” said PTC President Tim Winter.

“The shocking episode included a strip club scene that lasts three full minutes and features up close shots of a leading character being ‘serviced’ by a stripper complete with moaning and other sexual references. The scene was in no way ‘fleeting’ or accidental; rather, it was specifically written into this scripted program.
“It’s high time for CBS to be held accountable for violating the public trust, the broadcast decency law, and the two consent decrees it signed with the FCC promising not to air indecent content. This episode of ‘Two and a Half Men’ is just the latest act of irresponsibly from the network that brought us the Janet Jackson Super Bowl striptease, an unedited ‘f-word’ on ‘Big Brother’ and unobscured male genitals in high-definition to kick off the new season of ‘Survivor.’

“In addition to our indecency complaint, we are urging parents to contact the FCC to let them know enough is enough from CBS. We will also be contacting advertisers that appeared in the episode to ensure they are aware of exactly what type of content they chose to associate with their hard-earned corporate brands,” said Winter.

My hat is tipped to Mr. Chuck Lorre who has shown grace to this:

 

CHUCK LORRE PRODUCTIONS, #226

A special thank you to the Parents Television Council

Every time you single out Two and a Half Men for being a horrible and tasteless television show, our ratings go up. Since you do this pretty regularly, I've gotta believe that's your intention. Well, kudos! Very crafty on your part. Were you to simply label the show as being funny and naughty (what my eighty-nine year old aunt in Fort Lauderdale calls it), our viewership would probably remain unaffected. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I'm sending you a big box of tasty cupcakes as a way of expressing my gratitude. I hope they add a little sweetness to your next meeting. Keep up the good work Parents Television Council! Oh, and if it's not too much trouble, could you please condemn The Big Bang Theory... and my stock portfolio.

Porter blows more smoke up my butt!!!

Why Jon Porter must go down in November:

Thank you for contacting me to express your views on Attorney General Michael
Mukasey’s comments on the Global War on Terror and detainee rights. I appreciate you taking the time to express your views on this important issue.

As you may know, Attorney General Mukasey recently gave remarks at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C. concerning national security issues where he also provided his perspective on the legal approach in the war with al Qaeda. In your correspondence to my office, you referred to several requests that the Attorney General made of Congress, and your belief that they allowed for the cover up of torture and the indefinite detention of detainees, I would like to take this opportunity to clarify his remarks.

In his remarks, the Attorney General urged Congress to pass legislation to ensure that the proceedings mandated by the Supreme Court are conducted in a responsible and prompt way. In issuing this request, the Attorney General laid out several principles that he feels should guide any legislative initiatives undertaken by Congress. One of those principles was his belief that any proceedings for these
enemy combatants be conducted in a way that protects how our Nation gathers
intelligence, and what that intelligence is. Our men and women in the
Intelligence Community risk their lives on a daily basis to provide policy
makers with the information necessary to make informed decisions concerning the
national security of our country. In order to protect those individuals, as well
as their sources for gathering intelligence, I feel it is necessary that such
safeguards be put in place.

The Attorney General also called on Congress to make clear that habeas proceedings should not delay the military commission trials of detainees and that Congress should establish sensible procedures for habeas challenges to go forward. He called for Congress to ensure that one district court takes exclusive jurisdiction over these habeas cases in order to prevent the risk of duplicative efforts and inconsistent rulings.

Please know that I understand that Congress shall have to act to strike a reasonable balance between the detainees’ rights to a speedy trial and a fair hearing on the one hand, and our national security needs and the realities of wartime detention on the other hand. I believe that Congress should accept the request of the Supreme Court in the Boumediene v. Bush case to make these proceedings practical and adapted to the real world we live in, not the ideal world we wished we lived in.

Again, thank you for writing me. If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me in the future.


Sincerely,

Jon C. Porter
Member of Congress

Getting "In Denial" E-mail from an ASS Part 2

But it sounds like he's trying to blow smoke up my ass instead!!! Talking like a true Bushie!!!

Thank you for contacting me regarding the continued presence of our armed forces in Iraq. I appreciate your taking the time to share your thoughts with me, and I value the opportunity to address them.

Earlier this year, recognizing that the war against Islamic terrorists could not be won without achieving success in Iraq, our nation embarked on a new strategy with a new general. This strategy called for committing 30,000 additional troops to quell violence so that Iraqis could have a chance to achieve political stability. It is clear that General David Petraeus and the troops on the ground are doing an exceptional job on the military front.

On September 11, 2007, six years to the day that al-Qaeda attacked this nation, General David Petraeus testified before Congress. He stated that, since the surge had reached full-strength in mid-June, security incidents have steadily declined, reaching the lowest numbers in over a year. General Petraeus stated that, "One reason for the decline in incidents is that the Coalition and Iraqi forces have dealt significant blows to al-Qaeda-Iraq.and the tribal rejection of al-Qaeda that started in Anbar Province and helped produce such significant change there has now spread." I agree with the General that the rejection of al-Qaeda, the very same terrorist network that attacked us six years ago, is encouraging.

I also realize there can be no lasting peace without political progress and national reconciliation. Even though there have been positive signs at the local and a provincial level, the national government still has a long way to go. Oil revenue sharing laws, national reconciliation, and federalism issues must be addressed by the central government sooner, not later.

I am pleased that President Bush will implement the recommendations of General Petraeus and that a preliminary drawdown of troop levels could begin this December, with the possibility of reaching pre-surge levels by June 2008. However, I feel that we must constantly reassess the situation to ensure that the gains are not reversed. Iraq is part of a greater struggle that is being waged around the region. A precipitous withdrawal will embolden our enemies and frighten our friends.

The various resolutions addressing the conflict in Iraq will be debated in the Senate within the next few weeks; please rest assured that I will be sure to keep your concerns, and the concerns of all Nevadans, in mind. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with me. If you should have further questions or comments or would like to share your thoughts on another matter, please feel free to write or e-mail me via my website at [redacted].

Sincerely,

JOHN ENSIGN
United States Senator

Yeah Jose, Screw Yoo

About time someone is holding the Bush DOJ accountable - even if it's a civil suit. John Yoo is an ass who really has no idea about the law and tries to bend it to work for whomever he is working for. I suggest someone torture him - but that would be wrong under Amendment VIII (Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.) of the US Constitution and the Geneva Conventions.

SFGate.com:

A man who was held in isolation for more than three years before being tried and convicted of aiding terrorists filed suit Friday against the UC Berkeley law professor and former Justice Department official whose memos justified inflicting physical and mental pain during interrogations.

Military officials relied on John Yoo's writings in subjecting Jose Padilla to prolonged sensory deprivation, sleep interruption, stress positions and other techniques designed to break his will, Padilla's lawyers said in a lawsuit filed in San Francisco. Padilla faces sentencing Monday in Miami.

~snip~

"John Yoo was central to the justification and creation of the torture system," Jonathan Freiman, an attorney at a Yale Law School human rights clinic who represents Padilla, said in a statement. "What Yoo seems to have forgotten is that lawyers are not above the law."

~snip~

Padilla's lawyers said government documents show that Defense Department officials relied on Yoo's advice, in the August 2002 memo and other writings that "purported to provide legal justification for unprecedented and illegal detention and interrogation techniques."

Although Padilla's lawyers say he suffered serious psychological harm and violations of numerous constitutional rights, the suit seeks only token damages of $1, along with a declaration that Yoo acted illegally.

Artist Support

What is written below is something I've been thinking about for a long time and how I should write it, so I just sat down it all came out. I'm just a normal person, who is trying to do something to have a clear conscience about the world around him. I'll admit I've used file sharing in the past, and have watched snippets of TV shows on the Internet (but never full episodes). When I've downloaded music in the past, however, if I did not like the song, I deleted it immediately; but if I liked the song, I bought the CD. I believe every person, whether a writer, actor, musician, or author should be compensated for what they do, and not fucked over by the industry they represent.

I DO NOT file share because the artist/group does not get paid!!! I have always disliked Metallica, but understand why they did what they did with Napster. It's very simple - download for free, the artist/group makes no money; buy the CD, the artist/group makes money. They took a lot of time to create what is released, so they should be compensated. It is their job (just like I have a job that I get paid for doing), and if it's a real musician/group, they will tour to promote said CD and make money from merchandise -because, in the end, they are eventually screwed up the ass by their record company. The only exception to this, when I had any software for P2P sharing was for songs and/or albums which were out of print and no longer available from the recording companies.

From Janisian.com:

One other major point: in the hysteria of the moment, everyone is forgetting the main way an artist becomes successful - exposure. Without exposure, no one comes to shows, no one buys CDs, no one enables you to earn a living doing what you love. Again, from personal experience: in 37 years as a recording artist, I've created 25+ albums for major labels, and I've never once received a royalty check that didn't show I owed them money. So I make the bulk of my living from live touring, playing for 80-1500 people a night, doing my own show. I spend hours each week doing press, writing articles, making sure my website tour information is up to date. Why? Because all of that gives me exposure to an audience that might not come otherwise. So when someone writes and tells me they came to my show because they'd downloaded a song and gotten curious, I am thrilled!

I DO NOT buy used CDs or DVDs because the artists/writers/actors/etc do not get paid. Simply put, artists/et al only get paid for first sale of the CD/DVD and there is no tracking of sales from used records, VHS tapes, CDs, cassette tapes and DVDs. People deserve to be paid for their work - no matter how many times one item is sold.

(Note: However, the only exceptions I have to the above for myself are for "out of print" items. These are CDs or Movies that the record company or movie studio no longer produces for sale.)

I WILL NOT (not that I have in the past) watch any TV show on any network website until the WGA strike is resolved. Writers deserve to be paid for what they do, and compensated fairly. From what I've read, and from what I understand, not all writers are equal. Not all writers make the same salaries. Some writers don't work for periods of time and rely on residuals. As you can see by the banner at the top of this blog, I support the WGA in their efforts to get what they deserve and I support them.

And finally, I WILL NOT buy used books if they are still in print (and the writer is still alive and kicking). This does not included publishers making money on authors who have been dead for centuries and will never see a fucking dime - can you say Shakespeare??