Willie Style

Not! Me get fat after Thanksgiving? Nah, but it was a nice relaxing escape from the rigors of urban living to be in small-town American, where your choices of entertainment include two country bars, a Starbucks and/or 2am meals at Whataburger. Well, actually I did all three in one night. I did consume plenty of Coronas, enough to wonder if I am not secretly Mexican inside. Saw some familiar faces from my past in town this holiday - some I like, some I definitely don't like. It's nice to be able to visit, that's about the nicest thing I can say about the whole experience. While the hometown has certainly entered the 21st century of late (some would argue even the 20th century), it still remains what it is and what it will be, a town of closed minds, mental inbreeding, old-fashioned ways, with just a touch of gayness to keep things lively. I like Austin just fine thank you. And proud of it.

C'mon, you mean to tell me that families with kids watching football on TV - grunts hitting each other really hard - and people are complaining about too sexy an introduction? I listed to Howard Stern this morning and when he mentioned this, I thought, how true, what a big deal. Ah, the hypcrites, gotta love 'em.

Now the pro-family anti-gay forces are trying to say kids are being brainwashed to accept homosexuality in the animated movie Shark Tale. What is the world coming to? Click the link above and read the article. It's almost 2005 for crying out loud. worry about something else!!

Here's a long, long opinion from the editors of some publication that says the red/blue, conservative/liberal divide is not coincidence. http://www.urbanarchipelago.com/. It's all about the urbanites vs. the rural ppl. It's a very interesting take that I had not considered before. I have to say that after living in Austin for the past year and a half, that I find myself identifying. When I return home on weekends or holidays, the urban vs. rural mentality is more obvious to me now.

http://www.esri.com/industries/elections/graphics/results2004_lg.jpg
Another interesting take showing that the country is not all red as our eloquent Elephant friends brainwash us to believe.

It's rain, rain, raining on this fine start to the workweek. Today more than ever is a reminder that while I love being an urban citizen, the whole concept of the Commute is not fun - at all. 60 minutes to go 10 miles isn't so excruciating when you have Howard Stern to keep you company. Cheers!

will be run by whitetrash republican christian evangelists who have no idea and don't care what some of us in the blue states want. just b/c we didn't support him, does not mean that we should be ignored. it's his goddamn duty to represent us all.

After 3 XX, I am ready to pass out, but fuck, it's 3pm and I have to be at work 2 more hours goddamit. And it's like 50 degrees outside and I am loving it. I want to be home. Blah.

Truth will bring you success. Manipulation will bring failure.

By the way, this Kerry article was copied from somewhere else. I didn't compose it. But I could have ;-)

My fellow Americans, the people of this nation have spoken, and spoken with a clear voice. So I am here to offer my concession. [Boos, groans, rending of garments]

I concede that I overestimated the intelligence of the American people. Though the people disagree with the President on almost every issue, you saw fit to vote for him. I never saw that coming. That's really special. And I mean "special" in the sense that we use it to describe those kids who ride the short school bus and find ways to injure themselves while eating pudding with rubber spoons. That kind of special.

I concede that I misjudged the power of hate. That's pretty powerful stuff, and I didn't see it. So let me take a moment to congratulate the President's strategists: Putting the gay marriage amendments on the ballot in various swing states like Ohio... well, that was just genius. Genius. It got people, a certain kind of people, to the polls. The unprecedented number of folks who showed up and cited "moral values" as their biggest issue, those people changed history.
The folks who consider same sex marriage a more important issue than war, or terrorism, or the economy... Who'd have thought the election would belong to them? Well, Karl Rove did. Gotta give it up to him for that. [Boos.] Now, now. Credit where it's due.

I concede that I put too much faith in America's youth. With 8 out of 10 of you opposing the President, with your friends and classmates dying daily in a war you disapprove of, with your future being mortgaged to pay for rich old peoples' tax breaks, you somehow managed to sit on your asses and watch the Cartoon Network while aging homophobic hillbillies carried the day. You voted with the exact same anemic percentage that you did in 2000. You suck. Seriously, y'do.
[Cheers, applause] Thank you. Thank you very much.

There are some who would say that I sound bitter, that now is the time for healing, to bring the nation together. Let me tell you a little story.
Last night, I watched the returns come in with some friends here in Los Angeles. As the night progressed, people began to talk half-seriously about secession, a red state / blue state split. The reasoning was this: We in blue states produce the vast majority of the wealth in this country and pay the most taxes, and you in the red states receive the majority of the money from those taxes while complaining about 'em. We in the blue states are the only ones who've been attacked by foreign terrorists, yet you in the red states are gung ho to fight a war in our name. We in the blue states produce the entertainment that you consume so greedily each day, while you in the red states show open disdain for us and our values. Blue state civilians are the actual victims and targets of the war on terror, while red state civilians are the ones standing behind us and yelling "Oh, yeah!? Bring it on!"

More than 40% of you Bush voters still believe that Saddam Hussein had something to do with 9/11. I'm impressed by that, truly I am. Your sons and daughters who might die in this war know it's not true, the people in the urban centers where al Qaeda wants to attack know it's not true, but those of you who are at practically no risk believe this easy lie because you can. As part of my concession speech, let me say that I really envy that luxury. I concede that.

Healing? We, the people at risk from terrorists, the people who subsidize you, the people who speak in glowing and respectful terms about the heartland of America while that heartland insults and excoriates us... we wanted some healing. We spoke loud and clear. And you refused to give it to us, largely because of your high moral values. You knew better: America doesn't need its allies, doesn't need to share the burden, doesn't need to unite the world, doesn't need to provide for its future. Hell no. Not when it's got a human shield of pointy-headed, atheistic, unconfrontational breadwinners who are willing to pay the bills and play nice in the vain hope of winning a vote that we can never have. Because we're "morally inferior," I suppose, we are supposed to respect your values while you insult ours. And the big joke here is that for 20 years, we've done just that. It's not a "ha-ha" funny joke, I realize, but it's a joke all the same.
Being an independent candidate gives me one luxury - as well as conceding the election today, I am also announcing my candidacy for President in 2008. Thank you.

And I make this pledge to you today: THIS time, next time, there will be no pandering. This time I will run with all the open and joking contempt for my opponents that our President demonstrated towards the cradle of liberty, the Ivy League intellectuals, the "media elite," and the "white-wine sippers." This time I will not pretend that the simple folk of America know just as much as the people who devote their lives to serving and studying the nation and the world. They don't.

So that's why I'm asking for your vote in 2008, America. I'm talking to you, you ignorant, slack-jawed yokels, you bible-thumping, inbred drones, you redneck, racist, grade-school grads. Vote for me, because I know better, and I truly believe that I can help your smug, sorry asses. Thank you, and may God, if he does in fact exist, bless each and every one of you.

I cannot believe that the inbreeders that call themselves radio journalists and spew their venom from 96.9 in my hometown are still at it. Check out Steves' Soapbox (link at left) to read more. I don't even live there anymore but it's bad enough I hear about it from other people.
I mean, c'mon, what is the point?
Is your dick really that small and you have serious penis-envy?
Do you feel the need to belittle other people, specifically any minority, just to make up for how low and vile of a person you were born as?
Did yo mamma not slap yo sorry ass in da face when you's wuz born?
Sounds like I need to make a trip home and perform a bitch-slapping.
I rest my case.

I sent some of you the map of the US now vs. the US map in 1860 depicting how the split is basically the same. I don't think it's wrong to draw the connection between slave states of the last century and the South as it stands today. I also have been told not to forget that the South once voted Democratic, but c'mon, the Democrats today were not the blue-blooded, liberals back then that they are today, and the Republicans were surely not the same Bible-toting gun-lovers back then that we see today. It's still about culture and what makes each region of the country unique.

If you're in a hurry, here's the link to Canada's Immigration gov't website - http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/index.html. Make sure you download the official Welcome to Canada immigration guide PDF.

I have to agree with the headline of the UK's Daily Mirror that blares "How can 59,054,087 people be so DUMB?" http://www.mirror.co.uk/ . It only helps though that they have Jon Stewart, Al Franken, Bill Maher, Howard Stern and others to keep us laughing thru the next 4 years. I'm not pissed anymore, I'm contemplative, and I'm optimistic about 2008. Time flies soooo fast that we won't even notice it. We'll have great options for 2008 candidates. Exciting. But for now, just keep trudging on as always, stick with the tasks at hand. Or hand in fist. Or howEVER you like it.

Moving on in today's news, disgruntled Democrats everywhere go thru the hand motions of slitting their wrists and scheduling appointments to their shrinks to refill their Zanax prescriptions with the thought of medicating themselves to endur 4 more years of hell. BUT, there is a bright side, at least that's 4 more years of Bush-isms. It will be sad and funny at the same time.

Wendy's is calling my stomach. Apparently my brain hasn't gotten its intake of grease for the week and wants to get an early start. I wonder down the road if I will pay for all these fast food indulgences. Nah, fuck it. By the time I have heart problems, they will have a wonder pill to fix it all.

Finally, it feels like fall. About 60 degrees this morning. Ironic it happens on Election Day. Can't wait to pull out the fabulous winter wardrobe. I just look smashing in a tight black sweater.

Two sites have the Electoral College vote leaning to Kerry and not by a hair, but by a good margin, even though they say the Popular Vote will only be 2% split.. http://www.electoral-vote.com and http://election.princeton.edu.

(reprinted from Andrewsullivan.com) ...Bible Belt states have higher divorce rates...divorce statistic has no relationship to religious beliefs. The best statistical predictor of marriage "success" (non-divorce) is getting married the first time after age 25 - 28 (varies depending upon the study). In the South, people get married younger...the other predictors are socioeconomic status, level of education and Catholicity of the population. Again, religion (pro-Catholic) does influence the marriage success in a positive way...no provable connection between increased divorce and religion...
---Yet, they want to make sure it's engrained in their state constitutions that ONLY THEY can get married at 16, have 4 kids, and then get divorced, leaving a broken family. Much better, right?!

This is my 5th posting in 2 hours. I'm bored. I'm talking to myself. La la la la laaaa. Supposedly the 8am meeting at work that I busted my ass to get to ontime for is not happening. I think I am going to fake cardiac arrest or just go break a leg so I can go home.

Reader(s) - What's your informed opinion on the results after Tuesday's polls close? Looks like a dead heat right now. Biased websites can spin any poll to their side. But I know I'll be up late tomorrow nite glued to the tube AND the web.

Found a link to the infamous Bush wire photos that IMO look like he was 'assisted' at the debate. Judge for yourself. http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/10/29/bulge/index_np.html

Vote tomorrow if you haven't already. Every vote counts.

To summarize my Halloween weekend, I closed down the bar Saturday nite w/ a friend, if that says anything. And it was drug free aside from the vodkas. And this taking into account the time change, where getting to drink an extra hour at the bar only made for a more perfect celebration. And my feet hurt like hell. And I'll do it again and again.