Trip report

Mr. Lee is shutting down the house, blinds, doors, windows and I'm here pounding out a blog post. What is it with this thing? Don't get started is my best advice. Anyway, we're on our way to Oregon for the weekend. This is my big week. I've hardly been out of the house since summer solstice and now.. an all day adventure in Reno, now Oregon until Sunday. Not looking forward to the ride. My knee will surely stiffen up but gotta go. I just have to put some goodies out for the birds. I already have the videos picked out so be sure and come back for Saturday at the Roxy!

Message in a bottle #10,001

F.T. Wuck recently left me this fuming comment: "I type in "ashabot" and all I get is "Yahoo News, Rabid Edition", but all I really want is comix, dammit! Jeez, even static films of feathery shitbirds is welcome at this point...how about a fucking poem or little story even?" Although the rants aren't going away (sorry F.T.) I get damn few visitors around here and even fewer comments so when someone makes a fuss I do pay attention.

Sadly, I only have excuses for why I don't post more fabrication. Certainly politics is fabrication of the grossest order but F.T.'s right. I am pretty stingy about posting my own poetry, comix, even feathery shitbird movies. I guarantee you, it bothers me a whole lot more than it bothers anyone else. I know, while it's true that I'm very disturbed by the advancing shadow of the corporate police state and, however marginally, have to participate in this maddening political debate, I am also profoundly lazy and spend far too much time mucking in the muck when I could otherwise be working on my own, creative projects. So no promises but, rest assured, the matter is under consideration. So, okay. Stories is it? Here's a short one I just heard, a true story as a matter of fact. It will have to do for moment.

My son and his wife ran into David Letterman the other day. They were just starting out on the South Fork trail of Montana's Bob Marshall Wilderness for a five day backpacking trip when a guy wearing chaps and a "Late Show" tshirt, came walking down the trail leading his horse and a small group of riders who were following behind. Naturally J. and A. moved out of the way to let the horse party pass. As the guide got closer they exchanged the usual, "Hi. Thanks. No problem. How are you? Fine. Thanks. How are you"s. It was then they noticed that the guy was none other than CBS Late Show host David Letterman. Now J. and A. are low key people, students at the U of M in Missoula, and not the kind to stop a stranger for a photo op, even David Letterman roughin' it behind a goatee. The next person to pass was a kid about eighteen. J. said to him, "Hey was that David Letterman?" The kid said, "Yes." Then J. asked where they'd been to which he replied, "Oh I don't know. Somewhere out in the Bob".

Yesterday, I promised W.T. "feathery goodness" but my doctor's appointment in Reno turned into a grueling all day errand quest so today, for you W.T. and Roy, I posted an all new, exciting adventure from the Bird Park.

The Waffle and the Crow
01:29

david letterman late show bob marshall wilderness montana backpacking

Lamont wins. Lieberman switches affiliation

Yes, I'm encouraged that Lamont won the Democratic primary in Connecticut tonight. And I think that Lieberman is a dirty bastard for switching to "Independent" when actually he is just another twit sucking on the neocon tit but, all things in perspective. A lot more Republicans are sweating under the collar and looking for "graceful" ways to jump their ship. I'm certainly willing to do what I can from my little corner to help restore some balance to the world but I can't help thinking how all this looks in a more comprehensive perspective.











lamont lieberman primary

Truth or squirm

Ass-kissing shills and craven hate mongers run interception for Bush Co. & Amerika Inc. I wish we had real journalists in this country like the BBC's John Snow.

UK Journalist confronts Israeli Ambassador

israel lebanon journalism

Saturday at the Roxy - 05.06

Just a quick note about the feature of the day, "Night Life in Reno". However tame and cliched it looks now, it shocked and outraged a lot of people in it's day. They felt it glamourized "modern behavior" and in reaction pushed for the Motion Picture Production Code of 1930, aka the Hays Code, which started being enforced in 1934. It's a simple plot but almost an hour long so when I played it, I diminished the window to the size of the viewer and half watched it as I surfed other sites.

Get ready to take the
Boob Test


Feature Film
Night Life in Reno
1931 - run time 57:33


The Show, by ZeFrank
Yes, I'm shamelessly grinding the birthday theme
into the dirt but still I think you'll enjoy this epidsode
which he claims is Run out of Underwear and Contemplate
how far you can get on an Empty Tank of Gas Day.

Alex Baldwin does the voice over for the last clip of the day.
It's the video the meat industry doesn't want you to watch
so I won't blame you if you chicken out
but I hope you have the heart to open your heart and
take the plunge.

alex baldwin zefrank boobs reno nights roxy

Overview

Long day. I accidentally deleted half of my blog template this afternoon. A moment's inattention. I hate it when I do that. I've have a positively lovely afternoon reconstructing things just so they look halfway the same. Another check in the "Why Bother" column but the encouraging comments from yesterday kept me going and I got through the worst of it without pulling the plug. I'd only regret it anyway.

It's evening now, the worst of that is over and it looks like rain may be on the way but you can never be sure in the desert. I watch weather moving towards me from miles away, rain trailing below the clouds like a long gray veil that never touches the earth. But the wind is up and whistling around corners, rattling the trees and sunflowers in the Bird Park and the light is yellow bouncing back from an increasingly gray sky fringed with dusty rose. And thunder overhead. It's kind of nice.

Aftermath

Yesterday was my birthday. It was also the 9th anniversary of William Burroughs' departure to Interzone. I really like Burroughs and as far as I'm concerned August 2nd is our day. I even wore my Burroughs' tshirt with the quote, "We intend to destroy all dogmatic verbal systems". My kinda guy.

The day started out on a low enough key with a trip to physical therapy. Still working on loosening up that knee. After that, it was a non stop party. The birds got the last of the scrumptious veggie Marvel Meal and a special mix of various seeds and Mr. Lee and I poisoned ourselves with mammoth helpings of lemon-strawberry cake and too much ice cream. My friend Susan even dropped by with a couple of cool gifts, which was totally unexpected. I offered her cake but she wisely ate watermelon. In the evening we went to a second birthday party. Big day.

Today, I'm a bit depressed. Don't bother telling me it's the sugar. Susan already kindly pointed that out. Plus I'm beginning to hate the pathetic "Dear Diary" quality of this blog. I don't know why I do one. It's embarrassing. All well. I'm a chronic sufferer of symbol overload. Blogging is a overflow valve. I've been in the house too long, almost constantly since the Summer Solstice. It's evening. The quail have just arrived in their little hats. In case you forgot, they spend the day under Dwayne's sprawling Indian Willow Tree, or whatever the fuck it's called. They stroll over here to the Bird Park for an evening snack. The finches spend all day on the feeders spewing seed everywhere and the quail drop by to see what's left when the temperature cools.

In case you're wondering, the image at the top is of the front of the birthday card Mr. Lee made for me this year. I love his cards. They are always unique and delightfully disturbing. Circuses are my thing anyway and this year's card has circus images on front and back and under his signature a tasteful gif of twisted barbed wire. The image on the back is very faded and grainy, in keeping with it being of a small, Depression era traveling circus. I'm not posting a photo of the backside. I have to keep something for myself. He always nails it. I'm sure I spent many of past lives in various traveling circuses and wandering theatre troupes. The backside also has a wonderful quote from Anne Sexton. I like her a more than Sylvia Plath these days although Mr. Lee was quick to point out that poor Sylvia was over-exposed. What can you expect when you stick your head in the oven and gas yourself, what with the children and a big mouth husband. She is a fine poet though. They both are.

An dear friend of mine, Michael O'Rourke (himself a fine poet and playwright) wrote me yesterday and had some nice things to say about Driftwork... "Driftwork is like pure cold well water in the desert. My gratitude to all who contributed--it's wonderful to know that the universal loners, pit stop desperadoes and holy whores, pacifists with fists full of poems and diehard prose, can face down the high noon tactics of oil fume ghosts gurgling in the blood of the indigenous soul." Michael was probably thinking of me when he wrote "holy whore"; and probably "pit stop desperado". Both apply. Shit, it all applies. That's the problem with old friends. They know too much.

So that's it for now. No politics today.

"For God was as large as a sunlamp and laughed his heat at us and therefore we did not cringe at the death hole." - Anne Sexton

The last written words of William Burroughs

Love story

Ann Coulter think Senator Joe Lieberman "should just come all the way and be a Republican". As usual this bitch misses the point. Lieberman already is a Republican.

senator lieberman ann coulter Connecticut primaries republican senator iraq war

Primeval Tide

Following links today, I found an alarming article on DailyKos by Mike Stark called "The scariest fucking thing I ever read." I decided to read it. Perhaps I'm getting inured to bad news. I don't know. I don't think so but today I thought what the hell? Might as well start at the bottom. So I read it. It's scary.

I don't want to force it on you. After all, you might prefer squinting at reality today and resent being snapped into sharp focus. Besides far be it from me to force anything. No. In these twisted times knowledge is optional. All I'll say is that it starts out like this:

"From Jeff Wells ' terrific Rigorous Intuition, I was tipped to this Climate Ark article."

Personally I suggest you go ahead and click one of links, either The scariest fucking thing I ever read, Rigorous Intuition or, if you're somebody who insists on going directly to the source, Climate Ark. But it's up to you.

I'll give you a hint though. The lock is broken. Beware the primeval tide.






climate change toxic oceans Amazon global warming drought

No fee writer's contests - August 06

I take it as something of a civic duty to occasionally post information about writer's contests so here's a short list of upcoming deadlines from Poets&Writers. These are all no-fee contests, which I prefer. I don't know about you, but I balk at paying people to read my work but entry fees are a permanent part of the writer's world and they are a legitimate way for small organizations to help writers out. The long list, including contests with entry fees, is here.

New York Public Library
Young Lions Fiction Award
A prize of $10,000 is given annually to honor a novel or short story collection by a U.S. citizen who is 35 or younger. Publishers and agents may submit 10 copies of a book published (or galleys of a book scheduled for publication) in 2006, a nomination form, an author biography, and book reviews by August 25. There is no entry fee. Send an SASE, call, e-mail, or visit the Web site for complete guidelines.
New York Public Library, Young Lions Fiction Award, 476 Fifth Avenue, Room 73, New York, NY 10018. (212) 930-0887. Katie Sanderson, Manager.
ksanderson@nypl.org
www.nypl.org/yl

Delaware Division of the Arts
Individual Artist Fellowships
Established Professional Fellowships of $5,000 and Emerging Professional Fellowships of $2,000 are given annually to Delaware writers who are at least 18 years old, have lived in Delaware for at least a year prior to application, and are not enrolled in a degree program. Submit 20 pages of poetry or fiction by August 15. There is no entry fee. Send an SASE, call, or visit the Web site for complete guidelines. (See Recent Winners.)
Delaware Division of the Arts, Individual Artist Fellowships, Carvel State Office Building, 820 North French Street, Wilmington, DE 19801. (302) 577-8278. Kristin Pleasanton, Coordinator.
www.artsdel.org/grants/default.shtml

Graywolf Press
Nonfiction Prize
An advance of $12,000 and publication by Graywolf Press is given annually for a book-length work of creative nonfiction by a writer who has published no more than two books in that genre. Robert Polito will judge. Submit a manuscript of 200 to 400 pages between August 15 and September 15. There is no entry fee. Send an SASE or visit the Web site for complete guidelines. (See Recent Winners.)
Graywolf Press, Nonfiction Prize, 2402 University Avenue, Suite 203, St. Paul, MN 55114. Katie Dublinski, Editorial Manager.
www.graywolfpress.org

Illinois Arts Council
Artists Fellowship Awards
Fellowships of $7,000 each are given annually to Illinois writers. Finalists receive grants of $700 each. The fellowships, which alternate yearly between poetry and prose, are given to Illinois residents who have lived in the state for at least one year prior to the application deadline and who are not enrolled in any degree or certificate-granting program. Poets may submit no more than 15 pages of poetry completed within the past four years, proof of residency, and a resumé by September 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the Web site for the required application and complete guidelines. (See Recent Winners.)
Illinois Arts Council, Artists Fellowship Awards, James R. Thompson Center, 100 West Randolph, Suite 10-500, Chicago, IL 60601.
www.state.il.us/agency/iac/
guidelines/guidelines.htm

Ohio Arts Council
Individual Excellence Awards
Fellowships of $5,000 and $10,000 are awarded annually to Ohio poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers. Writers who have been residents of Ohio for one year prior to the application deadline and are not enrolled in a degree- or certificate-granting program are eligible. Submit 10 to 15 pages of poetry or 20 to 30 pages of prose completed within the past three years by September 1. There is no entry fee. Call or visit the Web site for the required application and complete guidelines.
(See Recent Winners.)
Ohio Arts Council, Individual Excellence Awards, 727 East Main Street, Columbus, OH 43205-1796. (614) 466-2613. Kathy Signorino, Program Coordinator.
kathy.signorino@oac.state.oh.us
www.oac.state.oh.us/grantsprogs/
guidelines/individualcreativity.asp

Wyoming Arts Council
Blanchan/Doubleday Memorial Awards
Two prizes of $1,000 each are given annually by the Wyoming Arts Council for works of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. The Neltje Blanchan Memorial Award is given for the best work inspired by nature, and the Frank Nelson Doubleday Award is given for the best work by a Wyoming woman. For both awards, Wyoming residents who have published no more than one book in any genre are eligible. Full-time students and faculty members are ineligible. Submit a poetry manuscript of no more than 10 pages or a prose manuscript of no more than 25 pages by August 11. There is no entry fee. Send an SASE, call, or e-mail for complete guidelines.
Wyoming Arts Council, Blanchan/ Doubleday Memorial Awards, 2320 Capitol Avenue, Cheyenne, WY 82002. (307) 777-5234. Michael Shay, Literature Program Manager.
mshay@state.wy.us
wyoarts.state.wy.us/applications.html

Olivet College
Sandburg-Auden-Stein Residency
A three-week residency at Olivet College, including a stipend of $3,100, will be given annually to a poet who has published at least one book of poetry. The resident will teach a class and host two events. Submit four copies of five poems from the most recently published book, a personal statement, a resumé, and two references by September 10. There is no entry fee. Send an SASE, e-mail, or visit the Web site for complete guidelines.
Olivet College, Sandburg-Auden-Stein Residency, Humanities Department, 320 South Main Street, Olivet, MI 49076. Martha Perkins, Humanities Department Chair.
mperkins@olivetcollege.edu
www.olivetcollege.edu/departments/humanities

writer's contests poets writers no fee

Specter's FISA bill - Neutering the Constitution

Conservatives are like zombies,

brainless and senseless.
After reading Roy's post "On Being Human" last night I decided I wasn't going to do a political post today. I really wasn't. I swear. Like everyone else, I'm sick of staring into the whirling blades of the political shit fan. Then I read "Echoes of the Nixon era" posted at Salon this morning. It's so disturbing, well ... I just had to write about it. I'll give you 3 seconds to scram, go watch some funny dogs or something ... 3-2-1 ... otherwise, if you want to know what's trying to totally change your world ... proceed at your own risk.

Just after the Supreme Court finally ruled against the administration for something, Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, Senator Arlen Specter proposes a bill (S. 2543 - the National Security Surveillance Act) that would permanently put the office of president above and beyond the law. If passed the President of the United States would be replaced by an executive branch whose "president" would answer to no one and be accountable for nothing Instead the "president" would be a completely free agent, a dictator at liberty to do whatever he wants in complete, total, and impenetrable secret.

Bush and Senator Arlen Specter

It doesn't matter that Bush is on his way out.
He was just a place holder anyway, a lure to attract evangelicals. The real power brokers in D.C. are groups like the Project for the New American Century which has been around since the middle of the 20th century and plans to rule the entire 21st. Big surprise, its members include guys like Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Dan Quayle. They only make cameo appearances on the main stage to set things up, then it's back to the shadows where they can best do their nefarious deeds. At this point they must feel pretty confident that whoever steps into the presidency next will do their bidding. Why not? Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Specter's bill requires that...

"all pending cases challenging the legality of the NSA program be transferred to the secret FISA court, if the attorney general so desires, which he will. Second, it makes judicial review of the administration's behavior virtually impossible, as it specifically prohibits, in Sec. 702(b)(2), the FISA court from "requir(ing) the disclosure of national security information ... without the approval of the Director of National Intelligence of the Attorney General." That all but prevents any discovery in these lawsuits. Third, it authorizes, in Sec. 702(b)(6), the FISA court to "dismiss a challenge to the legality of an electronic surveillance program for any reason." Arguably, that provision broadens the authority of the court to dismiss any such lawsuit for the most discretionary of reasons, even beyond the already wide parameters of the "state secrets" doctrine."

Chilling and surreal but unfortunately all too real. In this article Greenwald writes that...

"worst thing that Specter's bill would do is place the president's FISA decisions beyond any kind of meaningful judicial review forever, and immunize the Bush administration from any real scrutiny of the legality and constitutionality of its conduct."

If this bill gets passed we might as well change the, "In God we trust" to, "In Secret Government we trust" and add the old motto of Germany's SS, "My honor is called loyalty."

We may be powerless to stop what going on but we damn sure won't able to do anything about it if we chose to remain ignorant about what's going on. As Greenwald concludes...

"It is one thing for specific warrant applications to be conducted in secret, with only one side present, and with even the decision itself always sealed from the public -- the standard operating procedures for the FISA court. But those procedures are plainly inappropriate for deciding critical questions of constitutional law that determine the protections guaranteed by the Bill of Rights to all Americans against the government. The parameters of the Fourth Amendment and decisions as to whether our highest government officials have been continuously violating it cannot possibly be determined in secret and then kept secret from American citizens. Yet the Specter bill would ensure exactly that disturbing, and quite extraordinary, result."

specter S. 2543 National Security Surveillance Act FISA "state secrets" conservatives