ever feel kind shamful

when a horrible joke of a Canadian '80s band sums up your state of mind (and maybe capitalism/American society in general)?

(Why can't I just have some fucking Eddie Cochran in my head, at least!?)

Everyone's watching, to see what you will do
Everyone's looking at you, oh
Everyone's wondering, will you come out tonight
Everyone's trying to get it right, get it right
Everybody's working for the weekend
Everybody wants a little romance
Everybody's goin' off the deep end
Everybody needs a second chance, oh
You want a piece of my heart
You better start from start
You wanna be in the show

Come on baby lets go

Everyone's looking to see if it was you
Everyone wants you to come through
Everyone's hoping it'll all work out
Everyone's waiting they're holding out
Everybody's working for the weekend
Everybody wants a little romance
Everybody's goin' off the deep end
Everybody needs a second chance, oh

You want a piece of my heart
You better start from start
You wanna be in the show
Come on baby lets go(quick break)
You want a piece of my heart
You better start from start
You wanna be in the show

Come on baby lets go

You want a piece of my heart
You better start from start
You wanna be in the show
Come on baby lets go

Ubuntu!

Ubuntu...it's all you need. Leave it to Clinton to dazzle the public with his knowledge of a Nguni word/concept...

thank gawd fer Woodward

So exciting and just in time for the election! Woodward, thwarted before by the White House...comes up with this. So fucking needed.

From the New York Times, today.

September 29, 2006
Woodward: Bush Concealing Level of Iraq Violence
By REUTERS
Filed at 4:37 a.m. ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration is concealing the level of violence against U.S. troops in Iraq and the situation there is growing worse despite White House and Pentagon claims of progress, journalist Bob Woodward said in advance of a new book.
Insurgent attacks against U.S.-led forces in Iraq occurred, on average, every 15 minutes, Woodward said in a CBS ``60 Minutes'' interview taped for broadcast on Sunday.
``It's getting to the point now where there are eight, 900 attacks a week. That's more than a hundred a day. That is four an hour attacking our forces,'' Woodward said in excerpts of the interview released on Thursday before the release of his book on the administration, called ``State of Denial.''
``The assessment by intelligence experts is that next year, 2007, is going to get worse and, in public, you have the president and you have the Pentagon (saying) 'Oh, no, things are going to get better,''' Woodward added.
Parts of a National Intelligence Estimate that President George W. Bush ordered released this week showed an upsurge in Islamic militancy, while a new U.N. report said the Iraq war was providing al Qaeda with a training center and fresh recruits.
A senior administration official saw little new in Woodward's charges ``except that Bob believes he has a lot of making up to do since the Washington establishment criticized him for being too soft in his first two books (on the Bush administration).''
``We've seen this movie before, and we shouldn't be surprised of another critical book about the Bush administration 40 days before an election,'' said the official.
Bush's Republican Party faces a strong challenge from Democrats as it seeks to retain control of Congress in the November 7 elections. The unpopular war in Iraq is a major issue in the campaign.
The official added there was nothing revealing in Woodward's account of the daily attack numbers. ``You print them all the time.''
Woodward said Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney often met with Henry Kissinger as an adviser. Kissinger was President Richard Nixon's national security adviser and then secretary of state during the Vietnam War.
The reporting of Woodward and fellow Washington Post reporter Carl Bernstein played an important role in exposing the Watergate scandal that forced Nixon to resign in 1974.
According to Woodward, Bush was absolutely certain he was on the right course on Iraq. The writer said that when Bush invited key Republicans to the White House to discuss Iraq, the president told them, 'I will not withdraw even if Laura and Barney are the only ones supporting me,''' referring to his wife and Scottish terrier.

and no one cares

Whew. War is hell. Does anyone care? Check it out: Sixty-five American female soldiers have died in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Been a long time

too, terribly long, really. I feel shitty about it, too. I hate not writing. I've barely written in my journal... Makes me feel a that lil' sick kick inside. By not expelling it, it creates that knotty feeling in the thoat. To quote Bart Simpson, it feels like I swallowed a potato chip of shame sideways.

Been in the Moving Mode (I move to my very own, lovely studio in just 3 days. Feeling great about that, despite those moving woes...Stress, etc.) I've also been burning the candle at both ends, as they say.... But, things are tot on the up and up.

James and I saw my most favorite iconoclast, George Carlin, last night...which was just about the most wonderful thing ever... It was the second time for both of us, very necessary that we went this time together. [something of fascinating note: James had spoken to his mother earlier that day and mentioned our plans. She told him that she and his father had seen Mr. Carlin "probably 30 years ago" in MPLS. This was absolutely shocking and revelatory information...since his rents, very Catholic and (at least) somewhat conservative would want to be subjected to Carlin-style heresy! Maybe it's just that Irish Cathoic bond, man. Maybe they were really into the heresy! Loved hearing that piece of family history, though].

George was in great, fighting form, despite post-rehab sobriety and a bad back which made him a lil' crabbier than usual (only at the beginning, it seemed). He had a huge chunk of new material that was golden and he actually uncharacteristically used notes, even reading directly from them at times. I found it refreshing and fun to see a writer look at his written words. Carlin is so known for his intricate pieces he recites so precisely from memory each and every time he spews it. The guy is a fucking genius with language and really takes care to deliver it effectively.

It was just great to *see* him again... in his hunched-over, pursed-faced glory. To simply be in a theatre (the Orpheum) with all those other fans laughing our asses off at *crisp*, concise, brilliant rants about everything from why Catholicism is the only religion that doesn't have The Bomb to wondering why humans can't take a shit in the street, if dogs can...to all those great bits about *WORDS* ((sigh)) I adore him. He has consistently served as my personal philosopher on life, language and society since I got really into him in 1999.

As cynical and harsh as can be, he somehow always makes me feel better about things. Puts it all into perspective. Reminds us to *THINK* and write and examine and question...everything. And, yep, things are all really fucked up and the world might explode tomorrow, but learn that you gotta have a fucking good time, imbibe intoxicants, alright, and be sure to laugh, laugh, laugh.

Remember those seven words? (and the history he made):

• shit
• piss
• fuck
• cunt
• cocksucker
• motherfucker
• tits

ah. words.