Don't tread on me

Legislation. There is a bill before the Senate today. It will take away some of my freedom in the name of "fighting terrorism".
The house has voted. My representative is a lame duck nutcase.
My senators are little better. However, I feel duty bound to try.
I sent the following message:

There is a bill going for a vote today that will erode our liberties under the guise of fighting terrorism. While i recognize the importance of fighting terror, Our freedoms are also important.
I also feel that we are too good a country to descend to the use of torture. When we do this, we are no better than those that we fight.
The protection of habeus corpus is important. When we suspend this freedom for an alleged terrorist, It is one step away from suspending it for me.
I urge you to vote against this bill

http://isakson.senate.gov/
http://chambliss.senate.gov/public/index.cfm

eighty six

Notmuchhappening.The morning was uneventful. Make a couple of runs, check a couple of jobs, listen to the whine parade(talk radio), and before you know it lunch is here.
The ramen noodles and picante sauce go well with the internet. Alas, even on cyberspace there are days when nothing is happening.
So it is back to the road, and deliveries to the hospital jobsite and the rebar erection engineers. Tiring of the whine parade on am radio, PG turns to frequency modulation.
On the first button he pushes, he hits paydirt. "I wanna be sedated". Cranking up the radio to top volume, feeling the bass vibrate the side panels of the truck, the Ramones live again.


Renovation.It is a shame the key Ramones had to die. They would have made a great oldies band. When PG saw them in 1983, they were halfway there already. By that time, Dee Dee had decided that working for a living was too much a distraction for his drug habit. But Joey and the Guitar Player…was he Johnny? were in good form that night, as much as good would ever apply to that seminal ensemble. Pinheads don't do good very well.
(author giggles at thought of the ramones as a seminal ensemble)

TruthinAdvertising. D U M B, everyone's accusing me.
Ah, the sight of Joey hitting himself in the head, as he introduced "beat on the brat with a baseball bat". Or, as Dee Dee said once " its not good to get hit on the head while you have been drinking. It might cut off the flow of oxygen to your brain" Or something like that...PG doesn’t feel like looking through a 300 page book, just to get an exact quote from a dead junkie.
Alas, commercial radio is not able to knock PG out twice in a row. The next song was evidence of payola in the music industry, "with or without you" by U2.

Homeagain. This has been another week in the real world. My picture is just about ready to go into final production. The last part of detailing took two nights to get right, and it was a minor detail.
The blue part of the image is made of blue masking tape, and it comes in two inch rolls. This means that the blue portions of the image that are larger than two inches have to be broken into sections, and in a way that is aesthetically pleasing.

Aesthetically Pleasing. What am I doing, talking about the Ramones and then segueing into aesthetically pleasing?
I wrote a letter earlier this week which describes this a bit..
. It has been an ordinary start to the week. Working is a drag, but it is better than not having a job at all. The thing I dislike the most is not having the time or energy to go much else. Since I got home today, I have cooked dinner, gone for a walk, worked on a picture, and read a few things on the internet. It seems like I have gotten very little done, but already it is 930, and if I am gonna get 8 hours before tomorrow I need to get to bed at 10.
Last night, I turned on the tv with every intention of watching the falcons on monday night football. When I turned on the tv, there was a commercial on the game...big surprise...and I turned to a pbs special on andy warhol. I was fascinated by that, and watched the remaining two hours of it. Warhol is an amazing character, even if he was a total jerk. The pivot point of his life apparently was when he was shot...before he was into the underground art scene, and after he was a capitalist pig. The shooting was going to happen...he had all the edgy, drugged up people around him, he treated them like dirt, and sooner or later someone was gonna get tired of it and try to off him...which she very nearly did.

PublicBroadcast. The special on Warhol was getting in the way of my making revisions. At one point, this man was describing a movie Mr. W (now there is a concept, considering who W is today) made. The movie was his bf sleeping for six hours, or was it eight. Anyway, the commentator said " who is going to watch a movie like this, not millions, that’s for sure" I decided this was a good time to go in the studio and make a few changes to my model.

cry wolf

Proclaimation.The push for war is on. This time the guest of honor is Iran.
It is very similar to the pre fight press agentry before "operation iraqi freedom". Substitute "nuclear program" for "WMD" and it begins to sound alike.
I see two issues with basing "OFI" on WMDs. First, we never did find the massive warehouses full of chemical and biological weapons. Yes, we know Iraq used chemicals against the Kurds, and yes, we know the United Nations and the Clinton Administration believed there were WMDs in Iraq. The invading army just didn't find them.
Second, the "incursion" was not really about WMDs. WMDs were the excuse, not the reason.In an interview with Vanity Fair, Paul Wolfowitz said that WMDs was one issue they could all agree on at the White House, and so that was used as the centerpiece of the run up to war.


HistoryLesson.Now, after Pearl Harbor, there was no internal debate at the White House about what would be the best reason to give the public for a war. It was obvious that we were at war with Japan, and, soon enough, Germany. When you have to discuss what is the best strategy to use for selling the war, something is wrong.
So, now the line is "we must stop Iran from getting the bomb". "They will test their new bomb in the suburbs of Tel Aviv".
And Israel will retaliate, and Iran will become a radioactive ruin. And the fallout from that attack will land on American soldiers in neighboring Iraq.
But I get ahead of myself. While we should not be complacent over Iran getting the bomb, I don't think that air power alone will wipe out all of the nuclear sites in Iran.
Nor will this prevent Iran from buying a bomb on the black market from Russia or Pakistan.
The economic ruin that would follow an air raid on Iran would be considerable. The Chinese have considerable investments in Iran, and are largely dependent on Iranian oil. What if China decided to pull some of it's capital out of the American economy?
But, lets get back to the reasoning behind this proposed war...stopping Iran from getting the bomb. Is this the real reason for the push to war, or just the excuse?
When you cry wolf, you are not believed the second time. Which is the thrust of my commentary...what is the real reason for the proposed invasion of Iran?
Is it pressure from Israel and/or Saudi Arabia?
Do we covet the oil in Iran?
Has our government become addicted to killing? It is like the last days of Nazi Germany, when production was speeded up on the final solution to the Jewish problem, knowing that the Soviet and American Armies were fast approaching. W has only two more years until he retires.

Big Mouth

PopeBenedictI does it again.
Do I really want to comment on the latest "Papal Bull"?
It is not like Joseph Ratzinger has common sense. He knew what he was saying. You can tap-dance around and say he was quoting some medieval cleric, but that doesn't make it right.
It is not like the world of Islam is not overly sensitive. This is a largely illiterate people, led by unscrupulous clerics who like to get their people fired up. As if World War W is not enough, or the rape of the Palestinian people.
Christopher Hitchens (bless his heart) has a good essay on this sorry affair in slate. The Muslims and the Pope equally disgust him, as well they should. Mr. Hitchens seems to specialize in saying tacky things upon the demise of much loved celebrities, like Princess Diana and Mother Theresa. Maybe Mr. Ratzinger will give him an opportunity in this direction soon. ( It should be noted that The Pope lacks the fashion sense of both the Princess and Mother Theresa)

Translation Loss. David Warren has a few words, focusing on the role of the BBC in this putrid spectacle. Apparently, the BBC spread the word about an obscure speech in Germany all over the "arab street".
Given the academic nature of the Pope's remarks, and the ease with which he can be taken out of context, one can only wonder how this came out in Arabic, Farsi, Turkish, Urdu, and other languages. Could it be that the remarks sounded harsher than they really were in these other tongues? And how skillfully were they translated?
And the “apology”! It was just as slippery as the original statement. Is it any wonder things are worse now than before Pope Benedict I opened his big mouth?
There is a reason why they call these things "Papal Bull"

castiron attitude

Weekendsupply
This weekend has been much too fast. I did get some things done.

JoanMiro
Mr. Miro is one of my heroes. He was both a prolific artist and a good marketer, and apparently was worth a lot of money when he died at an old age. In his later years he was into self parody, but when the gas was connected to his stove, he was cooking. This image is the genesis of my current project.

SaturdayMorning. I was starting to whip this puppy into shape saturday. The yard sales were worthless, the clothes got washed, so there was nothing to keep me from finishing this image.

Numberplay. This is the numbered pattern that I plan to work with. Of course, the model stage is yet to happen, and there will be a lot of changes then, and the design may be altered.

Modelplay This is what I produced today. The design has been rendered into 1/4" blocks. This will allow me to make a model of the image with the colors that I will use in the final product. I will see what it looks like, and make changes until I have a product I am happy with.

RicoCarty Saturday afternoon, I went out on my bike with my camera. I wound up on a strip of businesses on Peachtree Road just before the Peachtree Industrial Split. I may or may not give a detailed commentary, but this one business is worth talking about. It started as a "shrimp boat", or some kind of place selling fried fish. After that failed, a Braves baseball player named Rico Carty opened a bbq place. I went in one afternoon when he was there, and it was obvious that, whatever his talents as a baseball player, he was not cut out to own a restaurant. After it closed, Dekalb County made selling liquor legal, and overnight dozens of failed businesses became liquor stores. This was a frequent stop for me in my drinking days. I haven’t been inside in ages, and don’t even know who owns it now.



ChambleeCityLimits
This is where I get my handle. The waffle house is down the road, so you can go down Peachtree and take a right at the waffle house. There is a little road next to the wh, with a kennel full of barking dogs at the end.
The cast iron man has an attitude problem.

headache remedy

HeadacheRemedy. When I got home today, I had a nasty headache. It had been brewing all day, and when I had to turn in a rent a car...and then go put gas in in, because the insurance wouldn't pay for the additional gas...it only got worse.
The best cure for a headache is exercise. Go out, get the blood pumping through your skull, and the bad chemicals just might go away.
Wonderful Bridge. As I approached the wonderful bridge, I saw that the sun was about to set. I went up on the crest of the structure, above the railroad tracks and an approaching marta train. The train missed me, which may be why I am here to write this. It is amazing what being 100 feet above a speeding train can do for your safety.
Why do I call this the wonderful bridge? The bridge goes over the railroad/marta lines, from the former end of Clairmont road to Peachtree industrial. There is a waffle house at the corner, so we can give directions.




BacktoWonderfullness. Before this bridge was built, to get from Clairmont (a major thoroughfare that goes to the courthouse in Decatur and has an exit on I 85) to Peachtree Industrial (an extension of the same Peachtree that goes to buckhead and downtown).... Well, you had to take a left onto New Peachtree Road, go over a rickety bridge made of telephone poles, take a left on Peachtree Road, and cut through the parking lot of the Krystal across from the Frito plant. The bridge is much easier, and is, wonderful. The Krystal is now the Paradise Café, and the Frito Plant is now a Lowes. Not all change is progress.
Yes, a lot of streets in Atlanta are named Peachtree. The odd thing is, peaches don't like to grow north of the fall line, which makes them a South Georgia thing. (Or South Carolina, which grows more peaches than Georgia)
One time, Dagwood Bumstead asked his wife Blondie why peaches have fuzz. She replied, If they had arms they could shave.
The spell check suggestion for Bumstead was Busted. There was no suggestion for Dagwood. While I don’t rule out the possibility of this great American being busted, I rather doubt it. Unless Mr. Dithers caught him taking a nap on company time.
When I started this commentary, I had no clue that it would lead to Dagwood Bumstead. And, until I went looking for pictures to illustrate this, that the middle name of the infamous Julius Dithers was Caesar. Also, this feature, well known for sandwiches, was awarded a “rueben” in 1948. It was named after Rube Goldberg, who was ahead of my time.

corruption

Deteriorosis .A common theme on the whine sampling is comments regarding Bush bashing. As some would have it, the Bush haters will stop at nothing to bring down the president, and by extension, America.
The irony is, many of these same pundits could not say a kind thing about Bill Clinton when he was in power. Now, they say Mr. Clinton could not fight the terrorist threat because he was absorbed in the Monica Lewinsky affair. Could it be that the media bears a bit of responsibility here...that the right wing obsession with Presidential entertainment, and the resulting cries for impeachment, let Osama Bin Ladin get away alive.

Of course, it may not have made much difference. There is a school of thought that Al Queda would have continued without the presence of its mouthpiece. Has the death of Yassir Arafat silenced the Palestinians? Did the demise of Mr. Zirquawi stop the insurgency in Iraq?

This was the biggest production to date of a 9 11 anniversary. It is also an election year, and the nation is growing impatient with world war w. Next year, with no election in sight, should see much less commemoration.
God bless America's heart




911Recall
Most of my fellow bloggers are telling their 911 stories. Mine is not that dramatic. I was at work, and someone called out that someone had run a plane into the World Trade Center. I didn’t think much of it, until I heard that the second tower had been hit, then the pentagon, then the towers collapsed, then a plane crashed in Pennsylvania.
I focused on my job most of the day. There was always a lot of melodrama at that facility, and concentrating on my production duties helped to keep me sane. This was roughly the halfway point of my seven year tenure at this place, which featured an unfortunate association with a professional jesus worshipper. After the extent of the damage became known, he shouted “ They are doing this for Allah” and he prayed at his desk. After seeing just what a hateful loudmouth jesus had made him, the spectacle of him praying was revolting.
I became alienated from Jesus during these years. Where I had once been tolerant of Christians and Jesus, as one would be with an eccentric relative, I had come to loath the entire affair…and I do not make excuses for Jesus either. I hear of others who found comfort in religion during this difficult time, but that option was simply not available for me.

Asphalt Abbreviation

CruellaDeville.These days I earn my living as a local delivery driver. One of the features of this lifestyle is talk radio. The ones that I hear are mostly right wing, and I seldom agree with them.
Now, between delivery stops, commercials, and an itchy button finger, I seldom listen to more than a few minutes of any show at a time. It leads to an impressionistic view...what is said at the moment I am listening, until I have to get out of the vehicle, or feel the need to shout a cuss word and turn the radio off.

Imagination.Now, as you may imagine, these folks had a few things to say about the anniversary of 911 today. One of the talkers here...his name rhymes with squeal...was so fired up about today that he arranged for a studio in Arizona to host his show while he was on vacation. When I first tuned into him today, he said " I never had sex with that woman". While he may have been talking about his marriage, I suspect he was referring to a certain cigar loving politician.
One of the others... a woman named Laura Ingraham (was Squeal talking about her?) said that we should take a positive view, and focus on the good things about America.
The third part of the morning trifecta, Denny Radio, said he was going to heaven when he died because he had the jesus in his heart thing.
Sigh. I thought religion was behind the 911 attacks.

Anniversary. While I may talk about 911 later... my story of where I was that day, what it has done to America, how I wish W would shut up...I really don't feel like it now. I also have a few ideas about the media's fetish for anniversaries. It is a common observation that we have more media than messages, and the gap is growing wider every day. The empty space is being filled with celebrity gossip, anniversaries, sports, and right wing nonsense...oh I forgot, and there is a liberal bias.
As a blogger, I am now a part of the media. I guess I need to do my part.
Back to the talk radio. I had a cosmic realization this morning (or is that comic). Someone had an ad for a wine and food show that was coming up, with gourmet food samples, cooking demonstrations, and wine samplings.
As I got out of the vehicle to deliver the merchandise, the last words were "wine samplings".
And I knew what the snippets of talk radio was...a WHINE SAMPLING.

September Dim Sum

PleasantValleySunday, here in status symbol land. As is often the case, I was starting to make progress with an image when I had to be somewhere in a half hour.


HanicapParking. My bicycle hardly qualifies as a handicap, but this fence beside the dumpster was the best place I could find to chain it.




Guardian Lions. China Delight was the scene of this month’s culinary crime. The fu dogs in front facilitated the consumption of dim sum. According to this source :
This threatening appearance is what gives the idea that they guard against evil spirits. It is important to point out that the Foo Dog is also known as the Celestial Dog, and the Happiness Dog. The animal is a symbol of energy and value, and is often displayed in a male/female pair. The male plays with a ball that symbolizes the Earth, while the female holds a cub.
What would life be without wikipedia .
The lions are generally present in pairs, with the male on the right and the female on the left. The male lion has his right paw on a globe, which represents his "feeling the pulse of the earth." The female is essentially identical, but has a single cub under her left paw. Symbolically, the male fu dog guards the structure, while the female protects those dwelling inside. Sometimes the male has his mouth open and the female closed. This symbolizes the ennunciation of the sacred word "om."
If you look close at papa fu, you will see that his eyes are clumsily drawn in with a magic marker. I don't think these are high quality fus.



southernfriedfilk. This man facilitates these monthly sojourns into cart cuisine. Micheal is to be commended for his relentless emailing of anyone vaguely interested in sunday morning dim sum.

dailydim.Am I dim daily? I plead the fifth amendment.
The meal went off without a hitch. There were only four this month, and we were not as eager to pull everything that came by off the cart. A highlight was a shrimp and tofu patticake. Ribs, shark fin, curry fish, fried rice, egg rolls and noodles were also on the table. We managed to get out before the dessert cart came around




PartlyCloudy.It was a lovely day for a ride. The intense heat of summer is over, and it was just warm enough to be pleasant. I went exploring on my way home. I found " aw pottery" next door.


TwentyFive years ago, I worked in this space. When I went to the back today, I found a tripod.
The kudzu was in bloom at the airport on the way home.