Middle East, What The Fuck? --- Here's the background link, from the BBC. Last Tuesday, 20 people were murdered and 80 injured in a suicide bombing. The bomber was dressed as a Hasidic Jew. Hamas and Islamic Jihad both claimed responsibility for the murders. This was during a "ceasefire" that both of those groups agreed to, in place since June 29. Yesterday, Israeli helicopters killed a Hamas leader (who possibly coordinated the bombing) and his two bodyguards in a missile attack. Today, Hamas and Islamic Jihad announced they are "free of the ceasefire" even though they already claimed responsibility for the 20 murders on Tuesday. When you murder civilians, it's not a "military" exercise. Blowing up cafes, discos, busses, hotels, etc., is not military, and the people doing the murdering are not soldiers. It's nearly impossible to develop any sympathy for the plight of Palestinians in the refugee camps when their "leaders" recruit, train, and send young people into crowded areas with bombs strapped to their backs. These are not legitimate targets. This isn't targeting an MP or the head of the Israeli government: it's killing ordinary folks just trying to live and to worship their own way. Just imagine what you would do if that was happening here. If every time you went into Starbucks on Bundy and 20 people behind you in line died, or visited the Hollywood & Highland Cineplex and 100 people were nailbombed to death, or grabbed a slice of greasy pie at Damiano's and you never saw your loved ones again, you might get really fucking pissed off. Those suicide/murderers strike without regard to political ideology. I could be the biggest supporter of a Palestinian State, but maybe that wouldn't matter when they randomly kill me. All of these leaders are drenched in blood. Only men and women of peace can ever end the madness in the Middle East. Religion can go get fucked. It's time to stop doing things in the name of God and to start living with those who disagree with you.

Arnold, Figure It Out! --- Now Arnold S has assembled his campaign "team" for his run at California's brass ring, the Governor's Mansion. He picked Warren Buffet and Pete Wilson. Yet Arnie comes out and says he's for immigrants' rights (Wilson created the anti-immigration furor in CA with Prop 187). Buffet wants to rescind Prop 13 and reassess property taxes (but Arnie says he wants to lower taxes). Arnie also says he supports gay rights, a woman's right to choose her reproductive future, and is pro-environment. Okay, Arnie, figure it out: you're not a Republican! It's that easy. If you don't agree with the basic ideas of the party you're in, then you belong to the wrong party!!!

Al Franken --- Former Saturday Night Live comedian Al Franken is being sued by Fox News Corporation for copyright infringement. The suit involves Franken's use of "Fair And Balanced" in the title of his new book, a phrase which Fox believes they own. Fox's chief tire-biting "save-the-rich" lapdog of the right wing, Bill O'Reilly, is leading the effort to sue and censor Franken. What you can do, to show O'Reilly and Fox the error of their ways, is to head over to Amazon or Barnes & Noble and pre-order Franken's book. It's already the #1 book thanks to this brouhaha, but let's keep it up there. To check out a story on this, go to the Christian Science Monitor, here. To order Al Franken's book, "Lies, and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair And Balanced Look At The Right," go here for Amazon, or here for Barnes & Noble, or finally you can go here, to Powell's Books, an independent store (but it will cost you an additional $7).

NY Power Failure - Want to know what's going on with NY's electricity woes? Read Greg Palast's article, here, on how the Texas power companies like Houston Natural Gas (Enron), Houston Industries (Reliant) and TXU gamed the system. An excerpt:

Enron circled California and licked its lips. As the number one life-time contributor to the George W. Bush campaign, it was confident about the future. With just a half dozen other companies it controlled at times 100% of the available power capacity needed to keep the Golden State lit. Their motto, "your money or your lights." Enron and its comrades played the system like a broken ATM machine, yanking out the bills. For example, in the shamelessly fixed "auctions" for electricity held by the state, Enron bid, in one instance, to supply 500 megawatts of electricity over a 15 megawatt line. That's like pouring a gallon of gasoline into a thimble -- the lines would burn up if they attempted it. Faced with blackout because of Enron's destructive bid, the state was willing to pay anything to keep the lights on.

And the state did. According to Dr. Anjali Sheffrin, economist with the California state Independent System Operator which directed power movements, between May and November 2000, three power giants physically or "economically" withheld power from the state and concocted enough false bids to cost the California customers over $6.2 billion in excess charges.

Centro-Matic On Tour
US TOUR DATES: Centro-matic will hit the road to support their new record.
Fri 9/12 - Ft. Worth TX - Aardvark
Sat 9/13 - Austin TX - The Mercury
Mon 9/15 - Albuquerque NM - Launchpad
Tue 9/16 - Phoenix AZ - Modified
Wed 9/17 - San Diego CA - Casbah
Thu 9/18 - Los Angeles CA - Spaceland
Fri 9/19 - San Francisco CA - Cafe du Nord
Sat 9/20 - Sacramento CA - Capitol Garage
Mon 9/22 - Portland OR - The Blackbird
Tue 9/23 - Seattle WA - Tractor Tavern
Wed 9/24 - Boise ID - Neurolux
Thu 9/25 - Salt Lake City UT - Kilby Court
Fri 9/26 - Denver CO - Larimer Lounge
Sat 9/27 - Kansas City MO - The Brick
Sun 9/28 - Lincoln NE - Duffy's
Mon 9/29 - Iowa City IA - Gabe's Oasis
Tue 9/30 - Des Moines IA - Vaudeville Mews
Thu 10/2 - Minneapolis MN - 400 Bar
Fri 10/3 - Madison WI - TBA
Sat 10/4 - Chicago IL - Subterranean
Sun 10/5 - St. Louis MO - Hi-Pointe
Mon 10/6 - Columbia MO - Mojo's @ Blue Note
Tue 10/7 - Norman OK - The Opolis

Have you ever wondered why those in power in government do some of the soul-killing things they do? You can look around and find misdeeds on any side of a political spectrum, so it's not reserved specifically for any ideology. Do you wonder why super-rich people like Jack Welch still pursue money like a dog in heat? Here are some interesting thoughts from "1984" :

O'Brien has been interrogating and torturing Winston for a considerable length of time when this conversation takes place:

"You understand well enough how the Party maintains itself in power. Now tell me why we cling to power. What is our motive? Why should we want power? Go on, speak," he added as Winston remained silent.

"You are ruling over us for our own good," he said feebly[...]
"Now I will tell you the answer to my question. It is this. The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power. Not wealth or luxury or long life or happiness: only power, pure power. What pure power means you will understand presently..." (p.275)

"How does one man assert his power over another, Winston?"
Winston thought. "By making him suffer," he said.
"Exactly. By making him suffer. Obedience is not enough. Unless he is suffering, how can you be sure that he is obeying your will and not his own? Power is in inflicting pain and humiliation. Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing. Do you begin to see, then, what kind of world we are creating? It is the exact oppostie of the stupid hedonistic Utopias that the old reformers imagined. A world of fear and treachery and torment, a world of trampling and being trampled upon, a world which will grow not less but more merciless as it refines itself. Progress in our world will be progress toward more pain. The old civilisations claimed that they were founded on love or justice. Ours is founded upon hatred..." (p.279).