Did you hear that Pope Francis has been selected Time Magazine's Person of the Year? .. beating out my main man Edward Snowden by a hair.
I can almost hear young Edward talking to his father (on a secure line, of course), "Dad, if you gotta lose to somebody .. the Pope is not a bad person to lose to. Come on. Gimme a break. Even Putin is giving me shit ..
.. Anatoly started calling me 'Number 2'. He says that Napoleon was #2 here ..
.. back in 1812. And that Hitler was #2 here in the 40's.
Sarah left suddenly for Germany soon as the announcement was made ..
.. and Anna called to cancel our date to go see the Fabergé eggs. She said she was going with the Pope instead." =)
You must find the whole thing bordering on the bizarre at times, no?
Eugene calls you "smug and self-righteous". He must be seeing something that I'm not.
"No, I DONT think that's fair, Eugene. Dont get me started on the self-righteous."
I am curious as to how you cope and maintain sanity during periods of emotional ebbing, which we all experience from time to time.
I just run the hill here .. until the physical pain overcomes the emotional pain. Or until I'm exhausted.
We do what we must to survive, no?
No, Edward Snowden is no Mandela. (Nor does he claim to be.) But he doesnt seem to be letting that stop him.
But yes, I do see similarities. They are both willing to endure discomfort, which many would call » extreme.
Their actions both say » "I am willing to go wherever ..
.. to do whatever .. to get this shit done.
To help right this wrong. So help me, God."
And actions speak louder. "Espionage? Okay .. if that's what you wanna call it."
I also feel that Mr. Snowden, like Mandela himself, shows remarkable restraint. I mean, that has been no-shit impressive. Very mature. Well beyond your years.
The only thing more impressive is the precision execution. I think everybody is still blown away by that.
The scale and scope. Breathtaking. And the competence .. among so many moving parts. You know. They are *still* scratching their heads .. trying to figure out wtf just happened.
[ I *told* you they are wizards. You should have listened. ]
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Remarkable, especially when contrasted with our government .. which is so dysfunctional that it can't get shit done ..
.. unless you make a generous campaign contribution. Then the gears magically turn.
» The Snowball Rolleth
Oh! Update 12-16 » Vindication. Beautiful. The snowball rolleth.
I calculate » six months, one week and a few days .. from release date, which was the 5th or 6th of June.
Six months. (Anna will be impressed. Anatoly, too.)
When I read about Judge Leon's opinion, I felt like I had just taken the biggest crap of my life .. that feeling like I could finally breathe easy. =)
He is a Bush appointee. (Kudos to W.) I could kiss this guy.
Vindication in six months. Are you satisfied?
I would certainly consider that an encouraging sign. Congratulations. Have a shot of Stoli for me.
Once the snowball gets rolling, people who may've been sympathetic but reluctant will be more inclined to help push.
Which makes me wanna ask if you feel like this thing is "bigger" than you. Does it feel that way? As tho it has a life of its own?
Being charged with espionage is no trifle .. no matter how sexy the term might sound.
These guys wipe their asses with the Bill of Rights and call themselves patriots. They dishonor the blood that was shed to win for us those very rights. Shame the fuck on them.
"It's for your own good that I'm inserting this probing eyeball up your ass. I know it feels uncomfortable, but you'll get used to it. Or would you rather I put my boot on your face?"
Oh, I just saw this. Dude, if you really wrote that yourself, then you are even a badder dude than I thought you were. That was like ninja shit. Beyond mere techno-wizardry. Somebody pinch me. =)
You are talking to the nations .. and they are listening. (Good for them.)
This is what I want » verification. That they arent violating the Fourth Amendment.
They have lost trust. Now they have forced us to treat them like we dont trust them. (Because we don't.)
» FISA & Their Voyeuristic Friends
And to you fellas at FISA I say » "Dude, we're coming in there. With flashlights. And magnifying glasses. So you might want to sweep up and make things look pretty."
Cuz if Momma Wizard finds out that you have been signing off on these anal probes ..
.. that your voyeuristic friends at the NSA have been inserting up our asses ..
.. she will not be happy. Feel me? Dont say you werent warned.
Please refer to the Bill-of-Rights and a history text if you have any questions. You guys have heard of the Bill of Rights, yes?
You will never convince me that a wire up the ass of every American is somehow acceptable.
Again I say » "We're coming in there, dawg. So stand the fuck by. You havent much time."
» Unfathomable Disdain for Ex Parte Hearings
What kind of court agrees to hear only ONE SIDE of the story? « That there is what they call "a rhetorical question" .. but I'll go ahead and answer it anyway » a bullshit court.
If hearing a case from more than one side proves too difficult or daunting, then you are in the wrong profession .. no matter HOW much they might be paying you to rubberstamp.
You cannot possibly fathom the disdain that I have for Ex Parte hearings.
But hopefully this gives you a clue.
I mean, the first few arent so bad. But, after a while, they start to get to you. Feel me?
Is there not something downright Un-American .. about a "court" that hears from » ONE. SIDE. ONLY.
No?
Am I the only one holding my head and saying, "What the fuck?"
"Uh dude, I'm bring a case against you .. but you can't go. No, dawg. Cuz this is a PRIVATE court. But you will definitely feel the consequences of our decision. Feel that tingle in your anus yet? You will."
As a way to save money and stem the flow of fiscal red ink, I am proposing to the government that we train a team chimps ..
.. to stamp papers with a banana-shaped rubberstamp. Every time they do, a tasty ripe banana is lowered from above.
Other than the wage-scale, what's the difference between my chimp-system and FISA court we have now?
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Speaking of things bizarre .. did you see this? » The Dark Prophet. Wow. [ I think Walter used to run Time Magazine. ]
Is it not interesting how merely telling the truth makes you a doomsayer?
I have gone back, btw, and fleshed out my impressions of this new Pope (Francis) and added some representative graphics (gfx).
That was kinda strange because that entry was not about the Pope.
I just added one quick sentence as a side-comment. Then another. And another. Hard to stop.
If it gets too big, then I would have to cut it out and post it as its own entry .. cuz that page is huge already. It got that way (huge) .. from » not talking about writing. Obviously a lot of stuff there that I didnt mention.
But I would like to keep it there .. so I dont think I'll add any more comments to that page. I grew up Catholic, so I naturally feel qualified to comment. Very much so.
I also want to tell the Pope about the Film School girl (Wendy) .. because she was a big fan of the original St. Francis (1182-1226).
She had a read a book on him and it changed her life .. and she wasnt even Catholic. But she *was* a good person, yes. She would even pick up trash and throw it in garbage cans while we walked the beach.
She never missed one of her daughter's high school drama performances (ever).
The Pope would like her, I'm sure, and would find her story fascinating.
The Film school girl was simply THE BEST at making relationships work .. that I have ever seen. And she said that relationships must contain some creative spark or outlet (such as raising beautiful children together) ..
.. if they are going to last. Cuz once the spark is gone, once the creativie juice is gone .. the relationship is dead. ■
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