OK, the weekend’s here. Whoopdie-doo. I’m just about done with the book I’m reading, so I reckon I’ll go out and get another one to kill the next few nights, and try not to think too much about getting this over with.
If you’re out there in CA, you have three chances to catch Marc in Irvine tonight, so you better get moving. Have a good one.
Oh, and Happy Birthday Travis! :cake:
:rabbi:
:rant1::eek::shock::yuck:
:gate::omg::jason::fist:
Water is a scarce commodity in Lebanon, especially in the provinces of the Biqa` and the South which are almost solely dependent on the Litani River and its tributaries. These provinces, Lebanon’s largest, share a number of common attributes. They are the country’s most rural provinces and its principal agricultural regions. They are also the least-developed and most impoverished of the provinces, and in them are found the largest concentrations of Lebanon’s Shi`a population. In many ways also, these provinces fell outside the political and economic mainstream of the First Republic.
We are the Modern Universalist Maronites!:rabbi::fist::omg:
:sdavid::pent::jesus:
A snippet of Liberation Maronite History:
{A dispute] plunged the region back into civil conflict which included not only the sectarian warfare but a Maronite revolt against the Feudal class, which ended in 1858 with the overthrow of the old feudal system of taxes and levies.
:fist::rabbi::sdavid:
:jesus:
Hey Freeper Lurkers!:fu:
The French, aligned with the Maronites (originally followers of a 4th-century Syrianliberation priest named Maron) of Lebanon and created an autonomous region for the Maronites in their ancestral home of Mount Lebanon.
We are the Maron Universalists!
:rabbi:
:sdavid::pent:
:jesus:
The water used by most of the cf the cities along the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains comes from snow met in the mountains east of the continental divide. Denver and Colorado Springs also have extensive diversion tunnels and additional reservoirs to bring water from the western slope of the mountains. In good times most cities have enough reservoir capacity to hold about three years of water. A continuing drought in 2002 and 2003 brought water storage levels down to disturbing levels. The Denver water board holds water rights on some two million acres in the south Platte drainage making agricultural practices impossible in that area. The water coming from the western siopa takes water away from the Colorado river pact and also from developing communities like Vail and Beaver creek.
it also takes water away from shale oil development in so much as all the Colorado river water is spoken for by down river communities, agricultural and hydro projects.
Continuing development along the front range will eventually have to stop unless other sources of water are found.:eek::eek::eek::shock::rant1:
Q: What role does Israel play in the tension between Lebanon and Syria?
A: The Shiite militia Hizbullah is fighting an intermittent guerrilla border war with Israel over a contested area called Shebaa Farms, which is Israeli-held territory that the Lebanese government and Hizbullah claim as Lebanese. But while Israel and Hizbullah skirmish over Shebaa Farms, the UN has determined it to be part of the Golan Heights – meaning Syrian territory that is occupied by Israel. Because of this, many Lebanese feel that Syria is fighting a proxy war with Israel on Lebanese soil.
Q: What is Hizbullah? How does it factor into Syria’s involvement in Lebanon?
A: Hizbullah (which means “Party of God” in Arabic) is a Shiite Muslim militia founded in 1982 after the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. Originally established with help from Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards, Hizbullah’s initial goals were to expel Israel from Lebanon and establish an Islamic state similar to that in Iran. Hizbullah is widely believed to be responsible for the 1983 suicide bombing of the US Marine barracks in Beirut, which killed 241 US service members. From 1982 to 2000, Hizbullah fought a guerrilla war against the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon. When Israeli troops withdrew in May 2000, many in Lebanon and the Arab world credited Hizbullah with achieving the first Arab military victory against Israel. But for years, Hizbullah has also been building a network of schools, hospitals, and social services that have won it a political following. The US considers Hizbullah a terrorist organization; so far, despite American pressure, the European Union does not.
Christian Science Monitor
Day five of Ghost month. :yinyang: :bow:
The beach was empty of locals today. Nice to go for a swim (and the last typhoon pulled the clouds with it leaving blue tropical skies).
* Lebanon has three bona fide proper canonised saints: Charbel, Hardini and Rafqa. However, St Maron, patron saint of the largest and most politically universal sect – the Maronites of Lebanon – is excluded from that list. :omg:
Spread the Universal Maronite Message of Liberation. You are St. Paul.
:rabbi::sdavid::pent::cres::yinyang:
:jesus:
Grass/brush fire spreads in the southern part of Chadron Nebraska,. Half to a third of the city is evacuated in the middle of the night.
http://www.nebraska.tv/news/local/3451191.html?skipthum
Hey KK .. I saw videos of the flooding caused by the typhoon in China.. It looked pretty bad.:eek::shock:
Maronites ARE a big group. AND it’s not US! :rofl2:
Thanks Nicki!
Hi fred! No, the last one wasn’t bad here. We didn’t even get a day off! Some counties in the south did get a day off.
How’s the heat wave been treating you?
The heat isn’t to bad as long as the AC keeps working.. The malls are filling up in the afternoon with people of all ages taking refuge from the heat.. The merchants were being coming upset because they weren’t spending and were keeping the Yuppies away.:eek::paranoid:
Maronite history is coloured with the romance that attaches itself to a struggle of a determined people…
Sound familiar?
We are the new universalist Maronite liberationists!:rabbi::fist:
:sdavid::pent:
:jesus:
House GOP Gives Paris Hilton $91M @ 2AM!
So the Republicans in the U.S. House stayed up until almost 2am tonight to give Paris Hilton some extra money (there’s something funny about millions of dollars being showered on Paris Hilton in the dead of night, but I’ll leave that joke for someone else to finish).
How much extra money? Try a cool $91,089,200.
CURRENT HOUSE FLOOR PROCEEDINGS
LEGISLATIVE DAY OF JULY 28, 2006
109TH CONGRESS – SECOND SESSION
http://clerk.house.gov/floorsummary/floor.html
1:41 A.M. –
H.R. 5970: to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to increase the unified credit against the estate tax to an exclusion equivalent of $5,000,000, to repeal the sunset provision for the estate and generation-skipping taxes, and to extend expiring provisions, and for other purposes
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
On passage Passed by recorded vote: 230 – 180, 1 Present (Roll no. 425).
more
http://tinyurl.com/ksdc4
=======================================
:gate::omg::jason::fist:
The Maronites have survived the storms of invasion, occupation, repression and suppression for over 1600 years, preserving the hard-won universal rights of religion, liberal traditions, and comedy.
:rabbi:
:sdavid::pent:
:jesus:
Congress gives Paris Hilton $91M and the nation gets f***ed.
How’s that for a better headline, fred?
Why is Dukakis now in the news? (I heard Coulter trash him on Randi Rhode’s show. Elliot is going to a baseball game with the former Gov. tomorrow.)
King Kong, :rofl2: One of the strays I have been calling and feeding outside the past year, whom I just got fixed, has been mine since he finally came to me as a skeleton 2 weeks ago, IS CALLED GHOST:!: — for the ghost realm? or my realm:rofl2: Mwah HaHa :pent::wink:
skeleton is next name for a stray :billcat:
Fred and NickiRose especially Thank You for :doh::omg::growl: and more regarding great info
Jesus’ own Aramaic language was widely spoken well into the late 19th century and still survives today in Maronite liturgy and in some villages. The mountain Maronites remain much as the earliest travellers found them, not having lost the virtue of love for universal freedom for which they have been long admired.
:rabbi:
:sdavid::pent:
:jesus:
Universal Liberation Theology, baby!
:nixon:
Seattle Jewish community and southern Washington State in panic over shooting
http://tinyurl.com/psg26
The killer has been caught. The local Muslim community spokespersons have condemned the crime. Best to let it go.
Vigilance!
:sdavid:
Hezbollah accepts “EUs peace plan”
Hezbollah politicians back peace package By SAM F. GHATTAS, Associated Press Writer
8 minutes ago
……………………………..
It starts out with an immediate cease-fire. Following that would come:
• the release of Lebanese and Israeli prisoners; Israeli withdrawal behind the border; the return of Lebanese displaced by the fighting.
• moves to resolve the status of Chebaa Farms, a small piece of land held by Israel and claimed by Lebanon. The proposal calls for the U.N. Security Council to commit to putting the area under U.N. control until a final demarcation of the border.
• the provision by Israel of maps of minefields laid during its 18-year occupation of the south.
• “the spreading of Lebanese government authority over the entire country,” meaning the deployment of the Lebanese army in the south, with the strengthening and increasing of the small, lightly armed U.N. peacekeeping force currently there.
http://tinyurl.com/pjc5g
==========================================
:?::?::?::?::?:
:shock::40::nixon::banana:hey im driving through northern nevada today and they have legal houses of ill repute!
good morning everyone.
good headline text, king kong!
looks like we’re going to finally have a cool day in california.
The Blair/B* news conference is on C-span.. I have to stand on my chair and hold my watch above my head to keep it out of the s*:omg::eek::shock::fustrate::paranoid:
Hey Sean .. do they advertise on road side billboards ??:?::?::?::eek::shock:
Druid- the seventh lunar month, here in Taiwan, is called Ghost Month because the gates of hell (the dead) open and the residents are free to roam the Earth. Halloween for a month!
Glad the cat is OK.
:omg:I hope this news conference is over soon.. dry heaves at 4:30 in the morning are not good..:barf::barf::eek::shock::paranoid:
FoggyB-
thanks. what’s happening around you? :yinyang:
It looks like The Era is active, again.
Glad to see it!
kk, well, it was really hot here for a while but now it’s cool. reminded me of growing up in dallas when we didn’t have air conditioning until i was 12 years old.
we have never had air conditioning in our cabin here, which isn’t a problem until the outside temp gets over a 100. then it’s a problem. we just move more slowly and take time to sit in the creek in the heat of the afternoon.
i think i’d rather go through a heat wave than a typhoon, though. you must have strong roofs if they’re so complacent as to not give you the day off for a typhoon.
no but they talk to you on the cb i gave one a ride before it was crazy she was just about to go on a humanitarian mission to africa she was the hooker with a heart of gold! and when i say ride i mean i drove her from one “house of ill repute” to the other:no:
the era is jason w kinney right?
foggyblue, it is sooooo good to hear from you. I would see your name once in awhile, but never around…:wink:
HOW ARE YOU:?:
King Kong, Oh Great M O N K E Y (said as Rachel does teehee)
Now I have more reasons to keep Samhain (Halloween) to start in August :rofl2::banana: Thanks 😉 8)
I :omg:like things that go “bump” in the night :omg:
FoggyB- Taipei, like Rome and Hong Kong’s Kowloon, has seven mountains around it. More people die from bits of free flying manmade stuff than other stuff.
:omg:Several years ago the Snooze or the Post had an article on the Ladies that worked in the strip clubs down around Fort Carson. They were mostly , white, well educated women.. they just found that the erotic dancing business and the tips was more lucrative than a job in a bank or something.:rant1:
re: 37, yes. :yinyang:
i just read this story in the guardian that made me think of melina’s birds.
the article says soy isn’t good for humans or for birds or for the planet (unless you eat very small amounts that have been fermented for months, like they do in the far east).
the researchers started looking into the ill effects of soy when some parrots died:
more
kk, how much soy do chinese typically eat? in what form (tofu, tempeh, etc.)
Druid- this month, will be doubled this year. 13 months inthe lunar calendar.
FoggyB- soy?
It is eaten and drunk at every meal. :smack:
hi druid! 🙂
Doughjang-
doughwha-
doughfu-
dough??? yum
what’s all this proselytzing on this blog? :pent::sdavid::rabbi:
showtime is sweet in the middle of the night!
fred, WSJ and :barf: bush is attempting to speak
and I use to be so :peace:now
:fu::growl::fist::jason:
OMG! Gotta call! I’ve got a date! bye!
Susan Joy, 😉
FoggyBlue, did you move yet? When we melted at 105 to 115 inland, I must admit I do not miss that. :lol::wink:
King Kong :knit: Happy Journeys:gate::banana: (:hubba:perhaps:rofl2:)
:peace:good luck on the date kong no climbing tokyo skyscrapers with her though!
:barf::barf::barf:All the wing nuts must have been lined up to call WJ this morning..all are FAUX news listeners too.:gate::omg::jason:
Some of the American left need to call into WJ and while mumbling something revolutionary through their ski mask start firing their automatic weapon in the air..:gate::omg::eek::shock:
:shock:they interrupted the good stuff right in the middle of it!
:mad::fu::jason:showtime!
:crap: 😐 i nominate you fred!:banana:
druid, it looks like we don’t have to move right away after all. our land partners decided they weren’t in such a hurry to sell as they thought they were. but we bought a lot in shelter cove, so we’ve taken the first step, at least mentally, for moving away. we might get to stay here in the woods for a few more years. it all depends upon when our land partners want to sell.
we visited eureka during the height of the heat wave just so that we could cool off! when we move to shelter cove, we’ll have weather similar to yours.
Mornin’ everybody. You’ve been busy. Hey Foggy, nice to see ya. Good luck on your date, KK. Glad to hear The Era is back in action. Maybe Jason will stop by and say hello one of these days. And Gajinda. And Tom T – are you still lurking out there? How’s Saturday soccer been going?
Watching the Democrats’ hearing in the Senate on CSPAN2, about how the Bushies totally blew it w/ regard to building hospitals in Iraq (in fact, they say the hospital building was the last thing they should have started – too many other basic things need to be done before you spend $350 million on one hospital). They need basic healthcare before they need MRI equipment. And the work that they did actually do was shoddy. Poor work, poor design, money wasted or outright stolen.
Lebanon has been great for Bush, I think. Everyone’s forgotten about the daily death toll in Iraq.
C-span’s WJ is a conspiracy between the cable companies and the phone companies .. there call in numbers are all toll numbers and I don’t have enough quarters to do it on a pay phone.. I also don’t have any blanks.. shooting live ammo in the air can be dangerous when they come back down. :eek::shock::paranoid:
:doh:i will drop you off a roll of quarters next time i come through denver!
Maronite Universalist Liberationists: UNITE! FREE the PLANET!
:fist::nixon::rabbi::rabbi::rabbi:
:sdavid::pent::cres:
:jesus:
:rant1:i really want to hear fred freaking out on WJ one of these mornings as i drive across the country!
How about a couple of hundred pounds worth..to make it worth while..the last time I called C-span the number was busy for the first 15 minutes and then I was on hold until the program finally went off the air.
Hanging around outside the Albertson’s with my ski mask on and holding an assault rifle might also attract to much attention from the wrong people.:eek::shock::paranoid:
You just need one quarter with some fishing line attached to it.
:banana:PJ is a genius!
foggyblue, I am so glad for you. :banana: Now when I look at my pastels of the mountains and things made during my time on land, it will remind me of you. Eureka…and I was going to let you know of the Shout Out (:rofl2:PJ:wink:) the Dems have sent out for people to run for local offices.
I am going to let them know my good and bad points. But, I was extremely radically in actions, so they will probably run, as quick as they can from me Bwah HaHa.:wink:
jeeez
:priest:everybody go get the dvd of cemetery man
“extremely radically in actions”
I’m in love with that statement… :peace::pent:
:priest: 666
i only saw the movie once in the middle of the night awesome film! left quite an impact on me supposedly its out on dvd finally havent seen it yet but will buy it the second i do! very surreal and interesting! uh what is this movie with sly stallone im watching where he is union organizing?
PJ, Fred, and SeanMS :rofl2::lol::rofl2: 8)
PJ thx for advising C-Span 2 as I am preparing for bed.
666 :priest:
Great holes will form and suck all sinners into them.
It is thus written.
:omg:
holes will form? I hope I haven’t been bad…
Holes???
They even have the head of the Nursing program from the Catholic University School of Nursing testifyng. I feel like I’m almost a CUA alum.
Of course, she’s a nurse, and nurses kinda scare me.
Especially the Catholic ones. They’re always reaching for the rectal thermometers.
If I wanted to go to sleep I think i would just find a clip of some Al Franken show and play it.:yuck:
_666 Proselytized today on the bus. Outreach to pentacoastalists. 666 chips and incantations of sentence strings.
druid, are you going to run for office? which one?
_666. Captive economy. All resources not contaminated or destroyed will be accessible only with 666 purchasing chip, according to the pentcoastals.
I’m going to put Maronite Church posters up by the swimming pool
Susan Joy, I thought of you, GuietGirl, PaintGirl (and others) when my old pastels fell off table while I was asleep. I awoke to have Ghost (mostly white ex-stray) with many wonderful, vibrant colours throught her fur. :rofl2::wink:
has anybody else seen the cemetery man movie?
some lovely drawings of children… link
sounds like one colorful cat, Druid…
I’m listening to Thom Hartmann now and drawing now.
:fustrate::jason::fist::omg::omg::omg::omg::jason::fire:
Nicki is Emo happy!
FoggyBlue, but they will prob run from me — but I would be good, but no time to get votes, but if they want me…but if there is a will there are other ways. Are a Dem :rofl2: I am going to write them this weekend. Want to run? 😉
CITY & DISTRICT OFFICES FOR NOVEMBER 7, 2006 ELECTION
City of Eureka
Mayor – Peter La Vallee
3 Members, Eureka City Council (Council members run from a Ward but are
elected at-large)
Ward One – Mary Beth Wolford
Ward Three – Jeff Leonard
Ward Five – Mike Jones
City of Arcata –– 2 Members, Arcata City Council – At Large
David Meserve
Mark Wheetley
City of Blue Lake –– 2 Members, Blue Lake City Council – At Large
Sherman Schapiro
I. Marlene Smith
City of Ferndale
Mayor – Elizabeth Anderson
Member, Ferndale City Council – At Large
James Moore
Carlos Benemann
City of Rio Dell –– Member, Rio Dell City Council – At Large
Julie Woodall
Mike Dunker
Melissa Marks
City of Trinidad –– Member, Trinidad City Council – At Large
George Bowman
Terry Marlow
Jim Cuthbertson
Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District
Division Four – J. Bruce Rupp
Division Five – Wendell Cole
Southern Humboldt Community Health Care District –– Director – At Large
David Kirby
Corinne Stromstad
Jim Lamport
a heartbreaking blog by an arab living in beirut about the war there
link
BTW, I don’t know if y’all are familiar with the Roger Waters song, “Leaving Beirut,” but you can read the lyrics here. Here are a few excerpts:
druid, i would be a terrible politician, i’m not the outgoing type. if the OTHER SIDE won’t vote for you, probably OUR SIDE will! are you thinking eureka city council? hoo boy, you would really shake things up there if you took wolford’s place.
pj thx for the roger waters lyrics.
:banana:hey theres a workers riot on my television!
:smack:oh wait its a period piece with sylvester stallone
:fustrate:oops i thought it was the news for a second!
they forced the truck drivers bosses to pay for the healthcare of their employees!
Foggyblue, Beautiful Ink Drawings. One of my series is called “Light”, where several is done in Pen and Ink; as also several others in other series.
You Inspire:!: 🙂 😥 regarding 89
Oh, there’s that “I need a Hummer to feel like a real man” commercial on HGTV again. I can’t wait to get back to the land of commercial-free teevee. The anti-net neutrality ads that are so ubiquitous here on the local channels are very offensive to me. Are these things on all over, or is just here in deecee?
😯 ive never seen one of those net neutrality ads maybe they are just in your head?
I’ve got a lot of nasty things in my head, but that’s not one of ’em.
Note: The Maron Gigs page has been updated with info from Marc’s site. The addition is info to attend the taping of Marc’s Comedy Central Presents show on August 27th at 9:30 PM, at the Hudson Theatre. The actual ticket info doesn’t seem to up yet at the CCP site, so keep checking.
I always thought a personnel locomotive would be masculine.. its kind of hard to drive it on a city street though.:eek::paranoid::fustrate:
Actually just the air horns would be ok..:hubba::hubba:
Our fault:[Quoting TNR “culture writer” Lee Siegel:]
No wonder, several years after the blogosphere allegedly became a people powerhouse, the country is mired even deeper in Iraq and successfully distracted by one false public alarm after another.
Sorry, but that’s so downright insane that, for the first time in the history of this blog, I have to quote it again. Remember, this is Lee Seigel, an employee of The New Republic, blaming bloggers for the continuation of the Iraq War:
No wonder, several years after the blogosphere allegedly became a people powerhouse, the country is mired even deeper in Iraq and successfully distracted by one false public alarm after another.
Color me Blog-o-stonished.
pjsauter the lyrics are perfectly 🙁 powerful.
WOW.
Fred I turned off C-SPAN, FINALLY, :omg: keep me informed …the DLC is suppose come on soon:eek::barf:.
I am hearing the POLLS…are people just stupid or are the polls purposely biased?:barf:
SeanMS I might have to check Cemetary Man:!:
:jason:everybody has to check cemetery man!
:yawn:sleep!
Sorry my keyboard has been haunted. #101 from Daily Kos.
:yawn:NickiRose and Susan Joy … I cannot respond regarding your ___666 posts, cuz I am so :yawn: …but very interesting and yet :rofl2:.:yawn:
I am falling asleep at computer again, but fascinating posts ALL so:
G’Night G”Day. To One and To All.
Happy 21 Travisdem04 :cake::alc::cake::40::alc::cake::alc::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana:
:knit:
WTF?:fustrate::fustrate::fustrate:
:40:
Wow, the Maron-Maronite connection. Fighting for liberation, freedom and comedy going on 1600 years. Universalist Maronites, I like that :rabbi:
This forwarded from the Stratfor strategy analysis website by a friend of mine:
Special Report: The Israeli Puzzle
By George Friedman
The question that is now most pressing is figuring out exactly what Israel is up to. Hezbollah’s strategy is fairly clear-cut: Now that the war has started, it cannot maneuver in the open, for fear of Israeli air power; therefore, it is holding its positions, absorbing the airstrikes and engaging Israeli troops as they approach. Hezbollah continues to fire rockets at Israel. The longer it fights and the more resistance it offers, the more of a psychological blow it inflicts on the Israelis and the more it improves its credibility as a fighting force and its influence among groups resisting Israel. In an ideal form, the Israelis would be drawn into Lebanon, forced into an occupation and forced to fight the kind of counterinsurgency in which the United States is now engaged in Iraq.
Israel’s stated goal is the destruction of Hezbollah’s ability to wage war. This means shutting down Hezbollah’s rocket attacks,
engaging and destroying deployed forces, destroying Hezbollah’s support infrastructure — and doing this so thoroughly that Hezbollah either will not recover its capabilities or will take years to do so. Israeli forces also must do this without being drawn into an occupation that Hezbollah and others could draw out into an extended counterinsurgency operation. In other words, Israel’s goal is to shatter Hezbollah without an extended occupation of Lebanon.
Thus far, Israel’s strategy has focused on an air campaign.
Supplementing the air campaign has been a substantial mobilization of ground forces and a very shallow insertion of these forces along the southern Lebanese frontier. This is where the mystery begins.
Historically, Israel has tried to fight wars as quickly as possible.
There are three reasons for this. First, Israel is casualty-averse
and fears wars of attrition. The rapid destruction of enemy forces has always been a principle. Second, large-scale mobilization is extremely expensive for Israel economically. Wars need to end quickly, so as to keep the costs of mobilization low. Third, Israel has a dependency on the United States. An example is its need for additional precision-guided munitions and for jet fuel. The United States normally supports Israel but usually wants to see cease-fires put into place as quickly as possible. Therefore, Israel typically has to end major, conventional combat operations as quickly as possible. In previous wars the Israeli model has been sudden, surprise initiation of war or — when not possible, as in 1973 — rapid seizure of the initiative, followed by rapid termination.
But to this point, Israel is fighting a very different war. It
essentially has been conducting an extended air campaign without significant engagement on the ground. Now, Israeli commanders, heavily influenced by American thinking, have been attracted to the air option: It holds open the promise of destroying the enemy without exposing Israel’s forces to extensive casualties. The war can be conducted in an environment in which air power is immune from defenses.
Historically, the air campaign has been seen as incapable of
delivering victory except in concert with a ground campaign. In this particular campaign, Israel clearly has not achieved either of its two objectives. First, rocket fire from Hezbollah has not been
suppressed. Israel seems to be having the same problem in this area as the United States had in 1991, with its famous Scud Hunt in Iraq.
It could eventually work, but it hasn’t yet. Second, the air
campaign, from the little we have seen, does not appear to have
broken Hezbollah’s will to resist. The small-unit combat we have had reported from southern Lebanon describes a capable, motivated resistance that could be absorbing more casualties than the Israelis
are, but that has not been defeated.
It is difficult, thus, to envision the air war as the totality of the
campaign. If the Israelis have counted on this to be sufficient, it
has failed so far. It also is difficult to imagine the Israeli air
force having convinced the army that an air campaign by itself would suffice. Therefore, we are drawn to one of two conclusions: Either the main effort will come on the ground but has not yet been launched, or the Israelis envision some diplomatic solution to the problem of Hezbollah. In other words, the air campaign is either preparation for a ground invasion, or it is designed to set the stage for a political settlement.
The Political Option
Let’s examine the second possibility. Obviously, there has been a tremendous amount of diplomatic activity going on, not least of which has been U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s visit to the region. There are myriad possibilities, but in the end — from Israel’s point of view — any settlement must contain the following elements:
1. An end to rocket attacks against Israel and the release of
captured Israeli soldiers.
2. Controls over Hezbollah by a third party to assure that Hezbollah would cease to be a threat to Israel.
The first issue can be readily dealt with; the second cannot. First, there is no force that can impose controls on Hezbollah, or that can do so without incurring other consequences. The Lebanese army, even if it had the will, is simply not strong enough to engage and defeat Hezbollah. An outside peacekeeping force — from Europe, for example — would not be prepared to engage in direct combat against Hezbollah
(or Israel) if either resumed fighting. The assumption that the mere presence of such a force would prevent either party from pursuing their interests assumes that each would fear the consequences of inflicting casualties on the peacekeepers. Since it is not clear that there would be any consequence aside from stern warnings, a third-party buffer would offer no solution for Israel’s (or Hezbollah’s) security concerns.
There is an assumption that Iran or Syria could simply order
Hezbollah to stop the fighting. In our view, this vastly
overestimates the political influence of Tehran and Damascus — or the unity between Iran and Syria. Each has different interests in this fight, the governments are wildly different regimes, and neither has as much trust in the other as might be imagined. Iran is very far away and, though it has covert levers, it has few overt ones. Hezbollah has its own interests in this war — and though Iran and Syria are enablers, providing the militants with weapons and training, that does not ultimately give them control over Hezbollah. Put it this way: Hezbollah would not be what it is without Syria and Iran, but it does not follow that it is under the control of Syria and Iran. At this point, few if any weapons are getting to the militants anyway. Hezbollah is playing its own game.
One non-Israeli way of controlling Hezbollah is Syria. Syria’s army is strong enough to compel Hezbollah to cease fire, and it is in a position to assure compliance. But for that, the army would have to re-enter Lebanon. The United States, concerned about Syria’s behavior in Iraq, engaged in maneuvers to force Syria out of Lebanon not too long ago. It is unlikely that the Americans want to see them return.
Indeed, Israel, which has quietly collaborated with Syria over
Lebanon in the past, might have fewer objections and even a degree of trust in this regard. Certainly, the Israelis do not want to see regime change in Syria, since whatever might succeed Bashar al Assad would be worse, from their point of view. But in the end, relying on Syria to end rocket attacks against Israel would be a tenuous solution at best.
It is therefore difficult to see how diplomacy can produce a
solution. Even if Hezbollah is being badly hurt by the air campaign, it is not so bad a beating that it is being crushed. In fact, the diplomatic settlement would give Hezbollah what it has not yet won — and might not win — on the battlefield. As for Israel, there is near unanimity in the polls that the Israeli public wants a final resolution of the Hezbollah threat. A solution that would simply postpone such a resolution, such as a cease-fire and a NATO peacekeeping force, would be quickly attacked by Likud — and we would bet the Olmert government could not survive.
This is a moment when diplomacy cannot provide a resolution that is desirable to either side. Now, it is possible that the Israeli view is that, with extended pounding from the air, Hezbollah will reconsider its position. However, aside from the example of Kosovo — where Yugoslavia was fighting for what was, in the end, a peripheral interest — air power simply hasn’t forced such a capitulation historically. From what we can see, it isn’t producing it this time either.
There is also a public relations shift taking place. In the early
days of the air campaign, there was a surprising amount of
international support for Israel. As the air campaign wears on and the pictures of civilian casualties beam around the world, that support is deteriorating. Israel is coming under greater political pressure. Shortly, the United States will be experiencing it. As we have said, the United States wants to see Hezbollah crippled. At the same time, the Bush administration is politically weak in the United States and is fighting to recover its balance. An extended Israeli air campaign that is not reaching any recognizable goal will generate pressure inside the United States and might force Washington to pressure Israel to terminate the campaign. Israel will not be able to resist that pressure — not while it requires re-supply from the United States. Bush, with his poll numbers and increasing problems in Iraq, cannot resist indefinitely either.
Next Moves
Israel is engaged in an air campaign that has not yet achieved its
goals, it has mobilized ground forces that are standing by, it is
engaged in diplomacy that cannot logically achieve a sustainable end, and it is fighting an enemy that shows every sign of being able to continue to resist — even after being engaged in air-ground operations. The political window is not closed, but is beginning to close. From Hezbollah’s point of view, this can and should go on for a long time. From Israel’s point of view, the pressure for war termination is building.
There are three possibilities here:
1. Israel is going to go with the air campaign indefinitely.
2. Israel is going to negotiate a diplomatic solution.
3. Israel is going to wage a ground campaign.
We have explained why the first two options do not appear viable to us. Unless Israel’s battle damage assessment of the airstrikes is showing its intelligence people something we can’t see from afar, the air campaign is a valuable preparation for a ground war but not a substitute. Unless some sort of strange deal is in the works with Syria, which we doubt, we do not see the shape of a diplomatic settlement. And unless Israel is going to declare victory and just stop, we don’t see the war ending. Therefore, our analysis continues to point to a major ground operation.
People we have contacted in Israel keep talking about Israel having some surprises. We already are surprised by the amount of time between the initiation of the air attack and the initiation of a
major ground offensive. If the Israelis have more surprises waiting,
it will be interesting to see what they are. However, at this point,
unless Israel wants to abandon the goal of rendering Hezbollah
harmless for an extended period of time, it would seem to us that a massive raid in force, followed by destruction of infrastructure in detail, followed by withdrawal, is the most realistic option remaining.
One other possible explanation for events (and perhaps this is the surprise) is that Israel has been taken aback by Hezbollah’s
abilities and resilience, and that the Israelis are not certain they
can attain their political ends militarily. In other words, the cost
of imposing defeat on Hezbollah might be seen as so high, or perhaps unattainable, that the outcome of the war must be something of a stalemate. If that is the case, the balance of power in the region has shifted dramatically and Hezbollah has, in fact, won a victory. Since we do not think Israel will concede that point, we continue to await Israel’s move.
We have been told to expect surprises in how Israel does this. We agree fully: We are surprised. We see the Hezbollah plan and it is unfolding — not as well as it might have hoped, but not that poorly either. We await the Israeli solution to the problem posed by Hezbollah. There will be at least one clear criterion for victory or defeat on both sides. If Hezbollah continues to attack Haifa and other major cities without Israel being able to stop it, or it halts those attacks only after a diplomatic compromise, Hezbollah would have achieved its strategic goal and Israel would have lost. If Israel can end the attacks without making political concessions, Israel would have won. At a certain point, it is as simple as that.
Send questions or comments on this article to
analysis@stratfor.com.
© Copyright 2006 Strategic Forecasting Inc.
All rights reserved. :omg:
Took me about ten minutes to go line by line and tighten up the format, which transferred this in straggly pieces.
I’ll go into why I highlighted one part in bold, soon as I get some breakfast going, and change the batteries in the mouse.
Hey PJ or anyone. My computer shut down on me this morning flashing a blue screen with white text that said something about a serious error in windows. When I tried to get it back up the green “on” light was on but the wireless card and wireless mouse weren’t activated and all I got was a black screen. After a while I tried again and windows came back up and I was able to get online and then it froze up. Is my computer crashing? 😕
Sorry for that epic-long post, but I haven’t seen such a stark realistic battle analysis in a long time. I neglected to include the url for the website: http://www.stratfor.com. Be aware the site requires registration, even to read the freebies.
The whole article caught my attention, but this part especially jumped out at me:
Hezbollah would not be what it is without Syria and Iran, but it does not follow that it is under the control of Syria and Iran.
This same exact analogy applies to the Israel-U.S. relationship, but even the likes of Noam Chomsky refuse to see it. I.e., read the sentence thus: “Israel would not be what it is without the U.S. (and shall we throw in Europe, for good measure?), but it does not follow that it (Israel) is under the control of the U.S. (and Europe).” Some of my friends/comrades and I talk ourselves blue in the face trying to point this relationship out to our friends and fellow comrades, to scant avail. It frustrates the hell out of me. Ok, some of you here may beg to differ, but to me it’s as plain as the nose on your face, and with Irael’s current atrocities, it looks like it’s up in giant neon letters to me: the U.S. Congress and the elite and non-elite sectors of U.S. society are zionist controlled territory. (hmm, elite and non-elite, that would seem to cover everything, wouldn’t it?). But even Malloy has is sucked in by the anti-semitism is on the rise ruse. It is not, yesterday’s terrible shootings in Seattle notwithstanding. Read Norm Finkelstein’s The Holocaust Industry, please! And listen to his talks or go see him if you’re lucky enough to have him visiting or in your area. Numerically, both in absolute numbers and percentages, there are fewer – much fewer – attacks on Jewish people and institutions than in previous years, and that is worldwide. Finkelstein is a meticulous researcher (as any of you who have read his Beyond Chutzpah and other works know), and he has the raw incontestable numbers to back this up.
I gotta run to a neighborhood town hall meeting, I’ll try to come back later.
Poor Krista.. the infamous blue screen of death.. This is usually caused by some corrupted system file or bad blocks in the swap space ( virtual memory) on your hard drive. If you have the machine up again go to the my computer icon and right click the c: drive then choose properties.. In the properties screen choose tools then choose error checking and choose to automatically fix errors and to scan and to attempt to recover bad blocks..
Reboot and shortly after the Windows logo appears it will start checking the hard drive for errors. Go take a nap and in a hour or two it will automatically repboot.:eek::omg:
There is a debate among “The Fateful Triangle” analysts and scholars and journalists over who is controlling whom in the US/Israel relationship. As was pointed out, there are people like Finkelstein and Chomsky (and Mike Malloy, I believe) who say that Israel gets the royal ally treatment from the US because of strategic reasons, keeping the Middle East in turmoil, etc. If Israel ever crosses the US, say, they take out Saudi Oilfields, it is over–ala Iraq, Iran, Nicaragua, …….. AIPAC be damned. Who are they? As obsolete as the Formosa lobby.
The other side are those who say it is the AIPAC lobby which wags the US dog. For example, AIPAC can quickly get both houses of congress to line up behind Israel whenever it feels the need. Recall Howard Dean’s recent blathering mantra: “Israel has the right…” which was echoed by many more in congress. Yes, we are seeing it being played out right now. People in this camp maintain that Israel is allowed to be a rogue nation with the support of the US because of AIPAC’s pull, and it is against the best interests of the US. Alexander Cockburn and others at CounterPunch take this position.
One commonality I see is that there is a lack of public protest and organizing against what is going on in the Middle East by the US public. People will need to take the streets the next time the US prepares to vote on a UN Security Council resolution concerning Israel’s rogue behavior. Huge subsidies are paid by US taxpayers so that Israel can build more illegal settlements in the Occupied territories.
Shall we continue the conversation? Is ant-semitism on the rise in the US and Europe?
What is the Holocaust Industry?
READ Israel Shahak’s
Jewish History, Jewish Religion: the weight of three thousand Yearsif we were to fast forward a couple of years in our own history lets assume the Bushivecs stay in power and some blue states or parts there of decide these fools have to go and elections are broken or we are in imminent danger of getting blown off the face of the earth or that neither party is representing us so we decide to leave the union and form our own country..( the name cascadia comes to mind) The states that break away all have national guard units and they are mobilized to fight the remnants of the US army. We seek financial aid from Brazil, Venezuela and China.
China furnishes us with some 12,000 IRBM’s with conventional war heads that can strike with reasonable accuracy targets 1200 miles away. Brazil’s navy seizes oil tankers coming to the port of Houston while Venezuela seizes Panama and provides us with cash and oil. The government of Mexico joins the coalition. The Busevics panic and respond with over whelming force and blow the San Francisco bay area off the face of the earth..Our provisional government surrenders but the IRBM’s and other military assets are rounded up and disappeared into the woods of Oregon ,Washington and Norther California where the resistance still aided by Brazil, Venezuela and China, keeps blowing portions of LA , Las Vegas and Billings away every week or so….
You now see an equivalent problem to what we see with Hezbollah, Hamas and Israel.
The resistance sneaks out at night and begins disappearing the puppet politicians in the near by states and cities.. Transportation is disrupted , the power goes off, food stops being delivered .. now you have the equivalent of Gaza and Lebanon. Every time the illegitimate government attacks the resistance they blow up another other little town some place and just make the resistance more popular.
Its not only possible but it could happen here.:eek::rant1:
Hey! Where are all of the anti-semites and self-haters on this blog?
Come out and Play!
uh what is this movie with sly stallone im watching where he is union organizing?
Comment by SeanMS — July 29, 2006 @ 7:57 am
Sounds like “FIST.” :fist:
(No, not like that. Get your minds out of the gutter. Although there are rumors that Sly did some gay porn early in his career.)
Thanks Fred, I’m at my boss’s place, house sitting right now but will try that when I get home later.
Everything is going bad now and I haven’t been working that much this summer and don’t have the money to deal with all this crap raining down on me. I had to take the dog to the vet, the plumbing is messed up and we have to keep the water shut off if we’re not using it until it can be fixed and I am facing a shut off notice on my phone. I have plenty of work for August and Sept but that doesn’t do me any good now. :fustrate::cry:
Pass around the collection plate for KP.
“A Real Friend of Israel Wishes Its Army a Sound Defeat in South Lebanon”
Friends, True and False
By ISRAEL SHAMIR
This essay ends with a warning to Jews–“Fear The Wrath of God.” This warning applies also in my opinion to the American people.
After two weeks, the war settled down comfortably in the Middle East, like an old aunt on a regular visit to her nephews. It came to stay for a while, and as the first shock of the battle for Lebanon is over, the picture clears up. First, the news. Despite awesome, crushing might of the Israeli onslaught, despite its unprecedented viciousness and brutality, the steadfast warriors of Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah kept their ground. The blitzkrieg planned by Tel Aviv strategists grinded to a halt in the low hills of Maroun Ras, came to naught in the streets of Bint Jbail. If in 1982, during previous Israeli invasion, the Jewish tanks crossed Litani River within 48 hours, now their advance is counted in single yards.
An old but fearsome weapon forged by the Russians in the days of their fateful struggle with Germans, and named after a girl’s name, Katyusha, keeps fretting the always-so-safe Israeli hinterland all the way to Haifa. Israeli Apache gunships and navy’s Saar warships, best Merkaba tanks were met with precise missiles. The frustrated invader covered the roads and villages of Lebanon with hundreds of charred bodies of Lebanese children; but remarkably few fighters of Hezbollah were killed or taken prisoner. They wield a secret weapon: it’s the first ever Arab body the Jews failed to infiltrate. Israeli intelligence did not know what weapons they have and what plans they prepare. Hezbollah warriors did not oblige the Jews and did not commit suicide a-calling “Allah is Great”: they fight, defeating the enemy and destroying the twin myth of Israeli invulnerability and Arab impotence.
Importance of their stand can’t be over estimated: if Lebanon were overrun with little resistance, Israeli tanks would keep rolling to Damascus, and Israeli jets soar to Teheran. This is the wish of the American neocons (or should it be spelled neo-Cohns?). William Kristol speaks plainly: “For while Syria and Iran are enemies of Israel, they are also enemies of the United States. We might consider countering this act of Iranian aggression with a military strike against Iranian nuclear facilities. Why wait? Does anyone think a nuclear Iran can be contained?” Michael Ledeen supports him: “You cannot escape the mullahs. You must either defeat them or submit to their terrible vision.” Larry Kudlow is sure of victory: “It will take the U.S. andIsrael about 35 minutes to knock out the entire Iranian navy and airforce… Now is the time to really put the squeeze on Syria’s dictator, Baby Assad.” The neocons have a good reason to push for war now: their positions in the US administration weakened recently, and first signs of goy rebellion materialised in the paper on Jewish Lobby. A good war will return them into full power in Washington.
http://www.counterpunch.org/shamir07292006.html
just exp[laining to my cousin how all people of Jewish heritage aren’t Zionists and why… I thought she wouldn’t talk to me but I think I’ve opened a mind today…
US Left and Anti-Semitism
Alexander Cockburn
May 2002
Over the past 20 years I’ve learned there’s a quick way of figuring just how badly Israel is behaving. There’s a brisk uptick in the number of articles here accusing “the left” of anti-Semitism. These articles adopt varying strategies. Particularly intricate, though I think well-intentioned, was a recent column by Naomi Klein who wrote that “It is precisely because anti-Semitism is used by the likes of Sharon that the fight against it must be reclaimed.” Is Klein saying the anti-globalization movement has forgotten how to be anti-anti-Semitic? I don’t think it has. Are all denunciations of the government of Israel to be prefaced by strident assertions of pro-Semitism?
If this is the case, can we not ask that those concerned about the supposed silence of the left regarding anti-Semitism demonstrate their own good faith by denouncing Israel’s behavior towards Palestinians? Klein did, but most don’t.
In a recent piece in the New York Times Frank Rich managed to write an entire column puportedly about Jewish overreaction here to news reporting from Israel without even a fleeting reference to the fact that there might be some factual basis for reports presenting Israel and its leaders in a bad light, even though he found time for plenty of abuse for the “inexcusable” Arafat. Isn’t Sharon “inexcusable” in Rich’s book?
So the left gets the rotten eggs and those tossing the eggs mostly don’t feel it necessary to concede that Israel is a racist state whose obvious and provable intent is to continue to steal Palestinian land, oppress Palestinians, herd them into smaller and smaller enclaves and in all likelihood ultimately drive them into the sea or Lebanon or Jordan or Dearborn or the space in Dallas/Fort Worth airport between the third and fourth runways (the bold Armey plan)…
Of course the rhetorical trick is to conflate “Israel” or “the State of Israel” with “Jews” and argue that they are synonymous. Ergo, to criticize Israel is to be anti-Semitic. Leave aside the fact that many of Israel’s most articulate critics are Jews, honorably committed to the cause of justice for all in the Middle East. Many Jews just don’t like hearing bad things said about Israel, same way they don’t like reading articles about the Jewish lobby here. Mention the lobby and someone like [Dennis] Fox will rush into print denouncing those who “toy with the old anti-Semitic canard that the Jews control the press.”
COCKBURN
exactly…what helped me with my cousin I think is the fact that’ she’s largely agnostic and logical about most things, but has been fed the Israel=being Jewish thing since her earliest days. It was a thin nut to crack, though, because she doesn’t like coming to any viewpoint without thoroughly thinking it over, so I basically just told her to think this one through the way she does everything else. That won’t work with most people, of course.
Remarks by Noam Chomsky on Arab Anti-Semiitism:
There surely is anti-Semitism in many circles in Egypt, sometimes rampant, and it’s also true that “Arab leaders say one thing on a subject in English and then contradict that when speaking in Arabic,” exactly as Jewish leaders and writers do. The counterpart in countries without “secret languages” is the striking difference often found between public pronouncements and internal documents. For example, in public the Israeli Labor government and Washington praised the Sept. 95 Oslo II agreements as a great step towards peace with noble sacrifices by Israel, but I don’t recall reading in the English press that President Ezer Weizmann had exulted that “we screwed the Palestinians,” or that Labor Foreign Minister (now party leader) Ehud Barak, when asked by the Hebrew press how they expected the Palestinians to accept this virtual surrender, answered simply: “We are the ones with the power.” Similarly, one would be unlikely to read in the New York Times the advice to Israel by its Middle East correspondent Thomas Friedman on the occasion of his (second) Pulitzer prize: that Israel should treat the Palestinians in the manner of southern Lebanon (run by a terrorist client army under the direction of still more murderous Israeli forces, with ample torture, etc.), but that Israel should grant the Palestinians something, because “if you give Ahmed a seat in the bus he may lessen his demands”; try that with “Sambo” or “Yankel” instead of “Ahmed,” and as advice to Syria instead of Israel. Would the author of such remarks immediately be promoted to chief diplomatic correspondent and hailed as a great figure? Friedman’s statements were in the mainstream Hebrew press, and as far as I know, appeared here only in things I wrote at the time in Z, later in books. So, effectively secret, like the examples you refer to in the secret language of the Arab world (where, in fact, it’s far more likely to be exposed in the West, for reasons of doctrinal warfare).
It should be added, however, that Western anti-Arab racism is so extreme that it often isn’t even concealed, because it isn’t noticed; it’s like the air we breathe. For example, a western “secular hero” like Irving Howe is highly praised for urging that Israel send settlers to the “underpopulated Galilee” — underpopulated because it has too many Arab citizens and too few Jews. That shows what a passionate advocate of a just peace he is. Again, try an experiment: suppose someone were to call for more settlement of white Christians in “underpopulated New York City,” which has too many Jews and Blacks. And there are much more extreme cases; I’ve sampled some of them in “Necessary Illusions.” None have any impact, because of the extreme racism of the intellectual culture, Arabs being probably the last “legitimate” targets.
For example, a western “secular hero” like Irving Howe is highly praised for urging that Israel send settlers to the “underpopulated Galilee” — underpopulated because it has too many Arab citizens and too few Jews
Very sick people
Ex-NY’er:
To your question about the lack of Maron links, that will come (also look in the sidebar on PJ’s page). I was hoping that we can all pitch in to find interesting audio streams that we wouldn’t otherwise be aware of.
Audio Links
I imagine that there is still lots of good stuff out there, just have to know where to find it. For example, I would love to find some new Ricky Gervais mp3’s, but it looks like he gave up on that after the beginning of the year.
Caeser? :ear: I didn’t even know her.
Nice date last night. She’s also a reader.
:yinyang:
:40::cake::barf:Yup!
Man, I had a whole bottle of Tanqueray gin and, like, 5 beers at the Blue Moon. Made a complete fool of myself:doh:
Poor Travis .. but .. hey… it oly happens once in a lifetime.:banana::banana:
Happy :cake:
Re: 108. WTF? What?
Hey, thanks, Frad. But I think I’ll do the same th9ng tonight.
I remember all the freshmen college students from Ohio, Missouri etc that had five beers not realizing what would happen at 11,000 feet.:eek::omg:
I think I’ll call Sbluefox later, too. To see what’s goin’ on and stuff.
:cake:H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y * T R A V I S:cake:
:alc::alc::alc::alc::alc::alc::alc::alc::alc::alc::alc:
:banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana:
:cool::cool::cool::cool::cool::cool::cool::cool::cool:
:alc: Thanks, Druid.
Oh, I have some Wild Turkey and some…something else…I just can’t remember.:doh: Anyway.
:barf::barf::barf: Sorry Travis You must have gone to Blue Moon at midnight?
Are you at the library?
Yup! The bartender gave me a free beer. But before hand I had a lot of gin, so I was already pretty crispy. Um, then at around 2:30 I took a cab home. Not very exciting, but it was alright. The music was a little loud, though.:ear:
Yeah, I’m at the library right now.
:40:so did anybody from the blog come out drinking with you travis?
Re:108
I was frustrated ’cause I had just missed everybody and Druid had just gone to sleep.:fustrate:
:40:im gonna get drunk at a whorehouse tonight!
Oh, OK. RE: 108.
Nope, A friend ditched me at the bar. Kinda like what happened at the Allegro, Sblue.:neutral:
How is Bill’s HP? I take it he is not online yet.
The computer seems to be working properly, but, yeah, he’s not plugged into the net yet.
So, uh, I’m going to walk back to Bill’s place and take a shower and then I’ll call you. Is that cool?
I don’t suppose you feel like eating anything? roxieseattle said she would be up for a beer or three but never answered my email.
But it could be a problem with my eamil.
That’s cool.
:knit:
Oh, I thought you wrote warehouse, Sean. Have fun, man.:alc:
I think there’s a warehouse near the bluemoon:spank:
:banana:it is a warehouse a warehouse of whores! anyway i have to go back to salt lake and get my laptop i left at the friggin place that fixed my truck did you know whorehouses have free computers for truck drivers to use? cool stuff! ok well back to salt lake for the laptop!
Alright. Well, I guess I’ll start to trek back to the place that I’m staying at.
Did Roxie ever send a phone number through email to you, Sblue?
Nope- never heard a peep. I think she thinks I’m a blog stalker:omg:
Ok maybe we can blog live from the Blue Moon.:40:
Call ya later.:banana:
Um, it might be kinda hard to see the keys, though
Later:peace:
http://www.myspace.com/rubyshuz
live at the bluemoon tonight.:nod:
Better bring travis some liver Cleanse…:nod:
:cake:*H A P P Y * B I R T H D A Y * T A V I S*:cake:
I will be starting to make Margaritas :alc: soon. Now to send you Cheers :alc: and Best Wishes…via Ether Realm and/or Spirit Realm and/or Ethereal Realm and/or Whatever Realm 😉
…ahhh memories :cool::cool::cool: :hubba::wink:
Later :alc: also to watch Practical Magic…
I am distantly Lurk’n 😉
…and tell SBlueFox, Cheers :alc: 😉
:cake::cake::cake::cake: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRAVIS
Hey Druid- I may see my friend tomorrow at the coffee shop.
He is unreliable at email though.
Maybe I will tuck Travis in at the Blue Moon and go see “I’m your Man” Blue Moon holds many:barf: memories from way before our buddy Travis was born.
😳
Happy Birthday Travis!:cake::alc::doh::bow::crap:
This political person that’s filling in for Flanders started out talking about the middle east and WWIII then goes off on who do we find for a presidential candidate in 2008.. Once again a feel good DLC democrat type.. Just the :fu: what we don’t need right now.:eek::yuck::fustrate:
sblue:
sorry i haven’t responded, i ended up having to go to work today for awhile and i just got to my friend’s computer. call me on my cell and we’ll coordinate our data.
roxie
So, who do we find for a presidential candidate in ’08?
Y’all think McCain is a lock for the Republican? How do you think he’d be as prez? Better/worse/no difference from what we have now?
You think Hillary has the power and the clout and the money to be the Dem? You think maybe she’s just doing what she thinks (or is getting the advice for) would get her elected, but that she’d turn out to be a great prez? If not her, who do you think? Edwards seems not so bad and not so unlikely to me, at this point.
Roxie, you sure you want to post that? If you want to take it down and have me pass it along to sbluefox, I can do that (e-mail me at my username here AT morning seditionists dot com. If you used a legit e-mail to register for the site, use that to e-mail me, and I’ll know it’s you (and also you other yous).
Hey, Maronites! Guess what! The New York Times not only endorsed Ned Lamont in the Sunday editorial page, but delivered a sound spanking to Holy Joementum.
:banana::banana::banana:
oh…maybe not. thanks. i just called her and i’m talking to her now.
OK, well, I wanna see this movie, which opens next weekend.
OK, i edited your post. Everybody here is OK, but not everybody on the Internet is.
Yeah, I saw that Brill. It’ll be interesting to see if Ned takes the primary, and, if so, what Joe does in the election. I’d really like this to wake up Democrats to the fact that there will be consequences for being DINOs.
thanks pj, i just feel too secure in my insecurity.
i’m off to eat italian food in fremont with sb and t. apparently travis did enough bluemooning last nite.
roxie:40::alc:
Tell travis happy, happy, and say hello to both of them.
ooops, before it’s too late (midnight would be too late?) Happy Birthday, Travis!
Maronista Liberation Movement:rabbi:
:sdavid::pent:
:jesus:
here, here, I already donated to that temple…
Hey everyone….Is today Trav’s b’day? Happy :cake: Travis!!
I just read Frank Rich and I am depressed….this is really difficult stuff to stomach….what this administration has done to us with this war.
In Happy News, Lamont is beating the pants off Lieberman, even after Clinton can a calling and all….
There’s a wake tomorrow…
8 pm CENTRAL time on http://www.FreeRadioSAIC.org.
Everyone should listen. Live.
Why?
Because I’m having a clusterfuck of abandonment issues.
Oh, and I’m gonna play some of the funny.
But seriously. Listen.
Woah, current users online: 2. That means me and who else?
Travis, if you’re still here – Happy Birthday! And if you’re gone from here, Happy Birthday anyway and sorry I didn’t say it earlier.:doh:
3 online. :omg:
me
:nixon:
yeah, see you better act all excited
MLF!
:rabbi:
and that means…..???
I am tired. I ran into some Apocalypse believers on the bus yesterday. I thought I did a nuanced job of getting one of them to think.
hmm, I AM impressed…usually those people are missing cerebelums…
Liberation Front
Frente Maronista Liberacion Universale!
Ah. Of course :jesus:
For those who have not seen the “Lieberman sucks” video here it is:
http://guerillawomentn.blogspot.com/2006/07/joe-liberman-sucks-video.html 😆
One was a hobo. A real character. The other was a young woman whose father is a Pentecostal Preacher. She had rejected the teachings, but the recent crises have got her scared. I said that we will know when it is time for the real 666 stuff, but that the government is manipulating us into accepting avoidable outcomes. For instance, the war in Lebanon would end in a day if Bush ordered Israel to stop.
FMLU
:rabbi::rofl2:
so these people are riding around on a bus waiting for end times…what a way to live. Maybe they’re a little bit fatalistic now
hallelujah! :omg::pent::fist:
No. The jolly hobo was going to a church for evening meal. The woman was with her Mexican husband. They were not preaching, the subject just came up in conversation–after a discussion of the new Las Vegas laws against feeding the homeless in public..
do not feed the homeless in public. Goddamn world gets crueler and crueler all the time
Hey, what’s goin’ down?:40:
Happy Birthday, Travis! :alc:
Hey NickiRose and Susie- The Blue Moon better than I remembered it:alc:
hick….
roxie
Getting the laundry done and airing out the matteresses. (and MAYBE some daiquiris)
we’re just sitting here ata the Blue Moon. Pretty cool, man. I think I’m going to get pretty tanked and then take a cab home or something.
Hey, the computer is havinga little trouble. Kinda falling asleep or something. I don’t know what the deal is.
It’s anaesthetized. Like you!:doh:
Well ok, NickiRose, Susan, bluefox and KK and Roxie and Travis, it’s just us!:alc:
Went to blue moon’s website, it seems to require that you register, is that right?
Sattiday night, and noone to hang with :knit2:
So we’re noone? Well, yeah. OK.
WHAT! I’m not noone, I think. Maybe… I don’t know , man.
Alright. Well, I think it’s time for another beer:40:
Sorry, I mean noone in person, in the flesh 🙁
But I’m glad you all are here 🙂
ex-nyer- did you go to the myspace Blue Moon page?
:40:
Travis, is there a short guy with all white hair and a beard who answers to Jim Walsh there?
Ruby Shuz is sounding good:nod:
http://www.myspace.com/rubyshuz
How do you know him King Kong?
Wait…What? Huh, Jim Walsh? You lost me on that one, man.
He’s my oldest friend here in Taiwan. He’s visiting Seattle right now. And he loves to hang out at the Blue Moon, as he did when he was a student there.
So is anyone as drunk as me? Travis :rofl2:?
Druid. There’s a new bus in Taipei- route 666! No joke!
did jimwalsh have anything to do with a coffee house here in the u- district way back when?
roxie
So what are you all clicking on at the rubyshuz website to listen to whatever it is you’re all listening to? Or are you all just posting there?
Travis now: Yeah, maybe, Druid.:40:
sbluefox-here: – route 666! No joke! :rofl2::rofl2::rofl2:
Ok, I figured out what to click on at rubyshuz, but my dialup is making the stream cut in and out. Sounds like some music. Is there going to be any talk on it?
:priest:666 so theres a guy in the brothel that is super drunk and being taken away in an ambulance! no not me :doh: some stupid mormon see what happens when you let them out of utah!
I’ll take a picture of it and try to post it somewhere. bus 666!
ExNyer
It is just the my space page for the band here. We are at the Blue Moon right here at the moment listening to this band live live live:omg::40::alc::cake::bong::crap::banana::banana::banana:
Seanie Sean!!! Go for the discipline:spank::spank:
Hey, Sean. I’m just throwing it down for sec or two with ya. :alc: What’s that brothel like, man?
Yeah like how much does it cost?
Seanie are ya too busy to throw it down with Travis?
I used to have to serve coffee while the Johns were waiting for their appointments at the waREHOUSE next to the restaurant I ran.
One guy was into discipline and they all kept teasing me that maybe he would really like hot coffee in his lap.
A little later I was at the Allegro and he came and sat next to me.
I knew too much…:omg::omg:
interesting um friggin expensive though! i was talking to the one girl and to uh :banana:woo hoo and what not its 200 for 30 minutes craziness!
the drunk guy that was going out in the ambulances friend got arrested for being stupid and drunk and fighting with the coppers dumb-ass!
Sean, you’re crazy!
:banana:You, GANG, are all too funny :rofl2::banana::rofl2:
:alc:eek: I am now making My kind of “Speed-Ball =
:alc:with tea:joe:chasers:rofl2::banana::billcat:
super speedball = :alc: :joe: :rofl2:. One can add:bong:in appropiate space and not :alc: :rofl2: or you can super duper it if one wants.
Gosh, I am sooo boring compared to the “bad ol’ days”
now I no longer have time for headaches:doh: and tomorrow = 😎 and these days tea:joe: is the key.
I run super hot so this is kinda 😎 :rofl2:…
I want to see if Marc will ever come to HSU?hmmm but I have so many letters to get out before the last String Series is upon me tonight, in this reality :rofl2:.:wink:
TRAVIS, How Are Ya Doing? :doh: = Me :doh:ouch
All Playing :banana:
:40:im just drinking and posting from the free computer they have wi-fi i might bring my laptop in!
bluefoxes – we’ve all had that job one time or another. You always get to know the regulars.
Um, not quite tanked yet. Getting there, though.
Seanie don’t leave your ‘puter behind!
This band is really good.
Yeah:nod::nod::banana::banana:
And get this the Blue Moon is smoke free:banana::banana:
:mad::fustrate:ugh dont remind me! i would of been here like six hours ago if i hadnt left it back in salt lake shitty!
wait a minute you are all on from the bar? i wanna be there! this place is dead!
Druid- what kind of tea? That’s a culture that’s important here.
Yep Yep Seanie we are at the bar:alc:
:omg:hey read this its an asswhore!
Somebody throw it down. time is truning up short quickly or somethinfg:40:
Oh, I guess the band is packing it up.
:banana:was everybody dancing like the banana!
Travis- what are YOU thowing down your gullet? :40:
So yes we know where your head is at Seanie Sean:spank:
Now they are playing some freaky recorded music and the creepers are coming out for the closedown.
“Hi Ho Stevo”
Ok, last call. If any of you are in SF sometime, maybe we can do a night out here somewhere…
Black Butte, Irish coffee, Heiniken, something… and Sol. :alc:
:doh:oh hey ex im going to concord ca is that close to you i was mistaken about oakland
:[
have fun…..I was doing/making last one for last call and didn’t know 😮 Mar and tea:joe: Oh My 😮
I think I have a hang over all ready:eek::wink:
:[ to all the Freaks or Creeps or whatever :rofl2:
Sure thing exnyer
Catch you later.
Druid You still up?
What kind of TEA?:joe:
hey i have a heineken too!
I have to go pee, sean; be back in a bit.
I remember the good ol’ days it would be going on all night … :rofl2: Memories … :alc: to those who Burn Hot — poor (not) Moms and Dads … :rofl2:
Hmmm I’m alone now oops now he’s back:alc:
😐 i didnt need to know that travis!
:billcat: huh?o those who Burn Hot — poor (not) Moms and Dads …
Like IN HELL???:omg:
I dug out my Ol’ Pratical Magic on VHS … Have to get it on DVD Oh My :rofl2:
Well I have to peee tooo Seanie Sean but for many years I have been Traumatized by what I have seen in the Blue Moon Toilets:omg::omg:
SBlueFox, are you channeling The Cardinal? :rofl2::bow:
yep I sure do miss the Cardinal!
PBS is doing Art and Death and Graveyards 😎
:omg::rofl2: 😉
:alc: So this is where the Drunkards hang out? Cheers!:alc: Remember to drink lots of water to forgo any pain in the morning:40:
pain in the morning? i think i will be ok as long as i dont get drunk enough to get arrested like the other guy!
B complex helps, too. Ah… I’ve been told. …
Yeah, B-complex, vitamin-c, and aspirin!
moonlightman ,I do not drink normally but thats not tonight. Travis Play and Practical Magic. Oh My :rofl2::omg::rofl2:
Tres Cool:cool: and Art and Death and Graveyards Tres Cool:cool:
I got Travis some liver Cleanse only because I’m afraid to take it myself :rofl2::rofl2:
this is the partyingest blog since the debut of the marc maron show!
Lots of water and tea:joe: and a bit of Vitamins
but you may think I am crazy, but I remember in school when I would Play with :alc: I liked the next day 😎 giggle
Naughty SeanMS :hubba::banana::rofl2:
:shock:who me? i havent done anything!:paranoid:
YET…………:hubba:
Too bad everyone else is missing out on the party! Fred could use a few drinks…(I do so love his posts):banana::banana::banana:.
:40:yeah we can get fred drunk and have him run around colorado with his AK looking for tom tancrapo!:crap:
well sean, I am watching the clock….if you do not post for 35 mins or so we will know WHATS HAPPENING:hubba::hubba::hubba::rofl2:
:alc:+ FRED = :jason::jason::jason::jason::jason::jason::jason::jason::jason::jason::jason::jason::jason::jason: hE WILL SAVE AMERICA! Lets put the man to work!
moonlightman re 281 :rofl2::rofl2::rofl2:
you know this neo-con anti-immigration creep! i wonder where his ancestors came from?
Tea:joe: and :alc: = my kind of “speedball” ahhhh:rofl2:
r#282 :rofl2::rofl2::rofl2::rofl2::rofl2::rofl2::rofl2:
there is only one hot chick at this place!
SeanMS, are you in line? teehee Be nice Jeffy:rofl2:
:rant1:jeffy’s not here and no theres no line this place is DEAD! three guys three girls
bluefoxes, Be Well :banana:
Hmmm Giving a warning bark, back soon
Just to let all know, Danu is a GREAT WARNING PUP.
The Guys are :cool:good
Well what a night….sean is scoping a hot chick and Druid is saying the guys are good…hmmm WHAT A BLOG! If the world only knew…..
Druid….you Pagan HEATHEN:pent:
Hmmm… Sean has been gone awhile….lets hope he got the hot one…………….:banana::banana::banana:
Hey the old ibook put itself to sleep rather suddenly and the Blue Moon gave us the rude boot.
It was actually a very pleasant night but I could use a drink. sbluethesoberone for the driving- so I can keep working.
Limeade with a little salt. ‘sall I have on hand.
Roxieseattle is:cool:
And we are warming up for the Maronade Calvacade come September.
Travis’ ability to maintain is admirable .
And a good time was had by all:alc::billcat:
moonlightman , me darlin’ many moved to new stream 😉
:sheep:hey theres a new blog up sheeple!
bluefoxes, 😉 I think some are in new stream.
I was wondering what happed to
you Players Three :love: :joe: 😉
Ok, I’m fading, but I can’t sleep, and this blog is too jumping tonight. This is what I get for trying out new recipes for carob-maple syrup hot fudge. Sean, am I understanding you’re on a waiting list for some workin’ girl services there in NV? My oh my. Just be safe out there, eh hem. :banana: :spank: Tee hee. (Insert emo of condom rolling up and down a banana – is that too risque for here, or no? I don’t think so…)
ex-ny’er :rofl2::rofl2::rofl2::rofl2::rofl2:Condom
Many have moved to new stream me darlin’:banana: