M.I.A.

Good show, but looking right into the day's hottest sun...
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Joss stone

A few drops of rain and a nice breeze as I sit waiting at the MIA stage. Soulful-slash-chintzy joss croons in the background...
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Blonde Redhead

They finally let us in just before it started, and good thing too cause it's a great show!
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Aclfest day 1

Acl day one and we start with a fire, somewhere inside the fest grounds. They're holding us at the outer perimeter. The smoke has since gone down so hopefully we'll get in soon.
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Foresight's 20/20

I'm not saying I agree with the Feingold or the French all the time. They can be pretty big douchebags themselves. Today I came across these pre-war statements and combined with my thinking about things, such as, the iraq in the last week it was pretty bitter tonic. This in the face of claims I hear all the time that everyone was following the same mistaken intelligence reports, or how noone could have known what would have happened in this fucking mess. Or how the dems bitch about the war solely for political gain, Bush talking about how the media ruins any rosy picture he tries to put out there, gimme a fucking break. It's terrible and a lot of people called that shit. But we're in break it-bought it mode now, and in the face what has been such a sorry downward spiral it's really hard to accept that some people still feel we have the best people in the top jobs. Honestly, I know jackshit about international politics or actual military strategy, but I don't know much about pitching a fastball or fixing a motorcycle either. But some people do. Some people do.

Both in terms of the justifications for an invasion and in terms of the mission and the plan for the invasion, Mr. President, the Administration's arguments just don't add up. They don't add up to a coherent basis for a new major war in the middle of our current challenging fight against the terrorism of al Qaeda and related organizations. Therefore, I cannot support the resolution for the use of force before us.

I associate myself with the concerns eloquently raised by Senator Kennedy and Senator Byrd and others that this could well represent a disturbing change in our overall foreign and military policy. This includes grave concerns about what such a preemption-plus policy will do to our relationship with our allies, to our national security, and to the cause of world peace in so many regions of the world, where such a doctrine could trigger very dangerous actions with really very minimal justification.

But, Mr. President, I am increasingly troubled by the seemingly shifting justifications for an invasion at this time. My colleagues, I'm not suggesting there has to be only one justification for such a dramatic action. But when the Administration moves back and forth from one argument to another, I think it undercuts the credibility of the case and the belief in its urgency. I believe that this practice of shifting justifications has much to do with the troubling phenomenon of many Americans questioning the Administration's motives in insisting on action at this particular time.

What am I talking about? I'm talking about the spectacle of the President and senior Administration officials citing a purported connection to al Qaeda one day, weapons of mass destruction the next day, Saddam Hussein's treatment of his own people on another day, and then on some days the issue of Kuwaiti prisoners of war.

I am especially troubled by these shifting justifications because I and most Americans strongly support the President on the use of force in response to the attacks on September 11, 2001. I voted for Senate Joint Resolution 23, the use of force resolution, to go after al Qaeda and the Taliban and those associated with the tragedies of September 11. And I strongly support military actions pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 23.

But the relentless attempt to link 9-11 and the issue of Iraq has been disappointing to me for months, culminating in the President's singularly unpersuasive attempt in Cincinnati to interweave 9-11 and Iraq, to make the American people believe that there are no important differences between the perpetrators of 9-11 and Iraq.

Statement of U.S. Senator Russ Feingold on Opposing the Resolution Authorizing the Use of Force Against Iraq From the Senate Floor - October 9, 2002

A second reason for the reluctance of the French people is that Iraq is not viewed as an immediate threat. Thanks to the determination of President Bush and the international community - and to the inspections that destroyed more armaments between 1991 and 1998 than did the Persian Gulf war itself, and which have now been reinforced with stronger means and bigger teams - Saddam Hussein is in a box. And the box has been closed with the inspectors in it.

Europeans consider North Korea a greater threat. Imagine what a sense of security we all would feel if, as in Iraq, 100 inspectors were proceeding with unimpeded inspections throughout North Korea, including the president's palaces.

A third reason for the cautious mood relates to the consequences of a war in Iraq. We see Iraq as a very complex country, with many different ethnic groups, a tradition of violence and no experience of democracy. You can't create democracy with bombs - in Iraq, it would require time, a strong presence and a strong committment.

We also worry about the region - considering that no peace process is at work for the moment in the Middle East, that none of the great powers seem able to foster one, and that a war in Iraq could result in more frustration and bitterness in the Arab and Muslim worlds.

People in France and more broadly in Europe fear that a military intervention could fuel extremism and encourage Qaeda recruitment. A war could weaken the indispensable international coalition against terrorism and worsen the threat of Islamic terrorism.

The inspections should be pursued and strengthened, and Saddam Hussein must be made to cooperate actively. War must remain the very last option.

Thank you very much.

Embassy of France in the United States - February 14, 2003

But then I glance back at a great uncyclopedia page on redundancy, which is uncyclopedia's entry on redundancy that uncyclopedia created to discuss the topic of redundancy, itself written in a repetitive way that states the same ideas over and over, and once more again, restating its definition of redundancy ad infinitum, and I find it amusingly hilarious that I can still laugh.

Here's the link.

Wells branch

+4, with a birdie on 8
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The lair

Spiny orb weavers seem to follow us everywhere. Honestly before the westgate house I never saw them so regularly. In Dripping we had those big long-legged garden spiders, but I don't remember these black and white crab-looking things. They make some cool webs though.
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What the Douches are Missing, Part 2

Day 2 of the 2007 SGS Reunion began in the late afternoon at a field near Caleb's house, where we all* met in the drizzle for some wiffleball. Team (Dirt) Shawn took an early lead but Team The General surged ahead in later innings. It got close again in the final innings but Team The General scored the win. Some highlights: Ted jumping and sliding through the muddy grass to (almost) catch the very first hit of the game, Caleb and Mack's collision, and one home run (I forget who hit it, someone remind me). Here's Caleb and Mack enjoying a more intentional collision:

Big strike - a beautiful pitch if I do say so myself:

After the game we retired to Caleb and Karas for some food and drink.

Eventually poker was joined. The game played a little late but in the end I went home with the winner.

* All of the truecore, anyways...

What the Douches Are Missing, Part 1

Will and the Cecils managed to grab a great spot in one of the parking garages off San Jacinto and myself, C2, and Mack all joined in the ensuing tailgate action.

From our seats we could watch all the pretty orange passersby with the capitol building in the background.

Before they headed to the game, Huckster Cecil even managed to give away his last ear of corn to a stranger. Butter, salt, and Cecil... who could resist?

Me and C2 finished the night out playing another round of disc golf. Me +9, C2 +13. So much for getting better... still, it's a damn fun game.

Born on the Bayou

I went with pops to Cedar Bayou this weekend, via Goose Island State Park. Roughly the latlong is 28.071130 N, -96.84465 W. We took a boat from the ramp there across Copano Bay towards San Jose Island, taking a left at the ICC, up to Mesquite Bay, then into the bayou, almost all the way to the outflow into the gulf. We parked the boat, picked up some mullet with a throw-net, and wade-fished the surf on the gulf side for an hour or two. Pretty rough waves but otherwise very comfortable. We didn't get any bites, but there was plenty of seaweed getting caught on the lines and, thankfully, no stingray encounters. The actual bayou itself appeared to be somewhat plugged up with grass and debris. Human modifications on the flow regimes of our rivers in Texas appear to be affecting the natural passes through the texas barrier islands - important refuges and nurseries for fish and other animal species. Here's a relevant article from Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine.

We went back to the boat and drove back out to the mouth at Mesquite Bay to wade the oysterbay and throw artificials for a half hour as the sun went down. No fish caught there, either. Just as we were leaving, we spotted some porpoises circling some baitfish in the shallow water, slapping their tails and splashing around. We got back to the beach just after dark, and as we unloaded some overnight gear, the mosquitoes commenced their attack. We set up a tarp on the gulf-side beach in the stronger wind, set out some pads, and tried to catch some z's. Unfortunately, from time to time the wind died down and enough skeeters got through to start a blood bank; I'm covered with bites pretty much head to toe. Still, if I hadn't been woken up so many times by the shitty little bugs I might have missed the big family of peccaries that came through, squealing and snorting when we startled them. Apparently the resident coyote came by as well but I somehow managed to sleep through that.

Around five, the Off ran out and we booked it for the boat, driving out to the bay to idle around until the sun came up. The tide had gone out and several times we had to wade around in the darkness in order to find a deep enough channel to run the motor and get out. Back at the Mesquite Bay mouth we threw some more lures in the water trying one last time to catch a red or speck to no avail. The sun came up and created these two large blue beams in the sky and luckily they came out in my picture (below). There was noone else on the bay but the birds, including some ibis, herons, spoonbills, pelicans, frigates, and terns.

We headed back to Goose Island and drove back home, tired and empty handed but still happy with the experience. It's an awesome place and I hope to return with better luck fishing next time.

Me and c2 watched Animal Factory the other day. C2 was so-so about it, I thought it was great. It's a prison movie written by Eddie Bunker, directed by Steve Buscemi, starring Eddie Furlong, Willem Dafoe, Danny Trejo, Mickey Rourke, Tom Arnold, and Jake La Botz. There were also a couple of Wire actors in there too. Obviously being a prison tale it was stark and depressing, but pretty interesting overall with good acting and a suspenseful plot.

This bathroom stall foot tapping whathaveyou is kinda funny.

We played a round of discgolf again on saturday. I scored +7 and c2 got +11. Bad maybe but we're getting better.

You say they were pacing on a ferry? Never heard of such a thing. They probably just didn't know about the cardio gym on the second deck. They could have gotten much more beneficial exercise up there.