I am spennding all of my blogging time here.

I will begin a new blog soon. One free of silliness and assininery (and words like "assininery"). I have not decided which site will host the joy that is every word that leaves my mouth. I know you will be sitting on the edge of your seats, so I will do this soon. Sitting on the edge of your seat is bad for your posture and I don't want any litigation levelled against me.

Bush is still set to veto the bill on stem cell research. His reason?

Embryos must be destroyed in order to harvest the stem cells. Even though the cells could save many lives, they refuse to back down.

Which is cause for confusion. Why, if human life is so precious, and opponents of stem cell research are so against the loss of even one human life (potential though it may be), is it acceptable to sacrifice human lives in Iraq and Afghanistan?

The Bush Administration has been defending the War on Terror as protecting American lives against another September 11. The 2,500 dead in Iraq are viewed as heroes who gave their lives so that others may live by the Administration and, while it is not specifically said that this is acceptable, it is certainly known.

And no one in the House or the Senate has said that they would like American couples to "manufacture" stem cells for this purpose. The problem is, we don't know what they can do. All they are asking is that scientists be allowed to study it, to be allowed to find what these cells can do.

But the President will veto the bill regardless and probably without reading it. The hypocrisy of it all is that the same hand that will veto this bill which could potentially save thousands if not millions of lives is that same hand that sent 2,500 men and women to die in Iraq. The same hand that placed our men and women into situations which damaged their minds and bent their morals.

His hipocrisy, and that of his Administration and counterparts in the House and Senate, is evident. Save the humans that are to be and to hell with the ones that are. Abortion is wrong but it is okay for a vast majority of babies and children in this country to go without medical and dental care. Abortion is wrong but we are not going to help the poor feed, clothe, and house the children.

My question to Mr. Bush is this: If you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that by your death one million lives could be spared, would you give your life for them?

Senate debates over stem cell research...and who woulda thunk that Bill Frist would be supporting this?

The White House says that the bill (there are three; but only one is substantive) will "force" american taxpayers to fund the intentional destruction of human embryos.

I could argue that the war in Iraq forces the American taxpayer to fund the intentional destruction of human adults and children.

"Get Hezbollah to stop this shit"

Amen!

And include Israel in there, why dontcha? Someone has to stop the violence because this is a circle that keeps going and going.

To quote Michael Keaton in "Gung Ho", "If you ask me, you're all acting like a buncha Yokohama Mamas."

A reason to question the war on terror.

Basayev was not a good man. Anyone who jeopardizes the lives of children in an effort to make their point is not a good person. I do not condone his behavior or those of the terrorist camp of Chechen fighters for independence. What I want to do is ask what could have been done to prevent this.

How many lives would have been spared if, after the fall of the USSR, Chechnya was granted independence? There are many who would agree with Russia that, since Chechnya did not have independence prior to the formation of the Soviet Union, they could not claim it afterward (a bit of a fallacy as they only reason that the states of the Caucasus were integrated into Russia were the attempts of Russia to add the states of Persia and Turkey to their own holdings). There are many who would agree that Russia was presented with the same problem as Lincoln: to unite the nation rather than divide it. This is, to a point true. One of the more important reasons, however, was Chechnya’s strategic position in relation to the flow of oil into Russia and it’s association with Islam.

In a fashion typical of the larger nations, Russia moved to protect its oil before its people or those of the Chechen people. And any attempt by Chechnya, terrorist or peaceful, to secede was presented as the attempt of a small group of Russians attempting to set up their own Muslim State. They were painted as the finger that would start a domino effect of Russian states seceding and thus destroying the great nation of Russia.

But one has to wonder how different things would be if Russia had allowed to secession or maybe even assisted the small nation. Would they have created a friend in a Muslim state? It is certain that the Beslan school disaster would not have happened. The first attempt to establish a Muslim state in Chechnya (and the surrounding Caucasus area) was by a Sufi, a Muslim mystic. The Sufis tend toward the internal jihad, the more literal interpretation of the Koran, and are firm believers in peace where peace can be had. With the support of Russia in regard to Chechnya, who is to say that there would not be a Muslim state more friendly to the West as a result?

Most actions of war are knee-jerk reactions when viewed against the backdrop of history. Sometimes it is a necessity and sometimes it is simply a political ploy which goes horribly wrong. It is important that the consequences be thought out and studied before decisions such as this are made. Once you have entered a stage such as the one Russia faces along with the U.S. and Israel, one is often stuck with the role one has chosen. If Russia, Israel, or the U.S. give the terrorists what they want, they could be paving the way for future attacks as the result of allowing victory. These states have painted themselves into corners from which they cannot easily escape. And all for want of thinking ahead.

I have been neglectful of LJ lately. Myspace sucked me in for a bit. I have decided to visit myspace only once per week. When will someone come out with a new thing that isn't myspace? Seriously. Google? Hello? Anyone?

I am also going to start a new blog for political/social silliness. I don't think it will be LJ. If anyone knows any good blogs I could use, that would be great. This one will remain in effect for my random silliness. Stuff like that last post about a movie.

Have a great day! Work stinks!

In case you don't know, a film version is being made of the Neil Gaiman novel, Stardust. If you haven't read the book, do so. If you don't know who Neil Gaiman is, please crawl out from the rock under which you have been living and go to your local library or book store and read some of his stuff. Start with Neverwhere. Work your way from there.

Anyway, here are the actors already lined up (and filming):

Robert DeNiro
Ricky Gervais
Michelle Pfeiffer
Rupert Everett
Claire Danes
Sienna Miller


I cannot wait for this film to be release. It is going to be brilliant!

When you have prayed for victory you have prayed for many unmentioned results which follow victory—must follow it, cannot help but follow it. Upon the listening spirit of God the Father fell also the unspoken part of the prayer. He commandeth me to put it into words. Listen!

“O Lord our Father, our young patriots, idols of our hearts, go forth to battle—be Thou near them! With them—in spirit—we also go forth from the sweet peace of our beloved firesides to smite the foe. O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with anavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with their little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy winds of winter, broken in spirit, worn with travail, imploring Thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it—for our sakes who adore Thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their steps, water their way with their tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet! We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is the ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. Amen.”

- Mark Twain, “The War Prayer,” Europe and Elsewhere, pp. 397–98 (1923).

I just baked a Guiness cake. It's seriously good. I so rule.