Another Old Photo from the Texas Gallery

This is another picture of my Great Uncle Paul somewhere in North Texas, probably in the 1930s. I like the straw-reinforced adobe buildings in the background - a sustainable building technique that's back in vogue for many good reasons.

The Thrilla in the Ville-a -- Sunday, August 12

I'm really looking forward to this bout on 8/12 - The Hard Knox Roller Girls (Knoxville, TN) vs. The Derby City Roller Girls (Louisville, KY). I think the mostly healed and re-tooled Jackie O'Nasties have a real chance of taking anything Knoxville can throw at them (especially since a battered and short Jackie's roster STILL kicked the dogshit outta a full Clevelend team - oh, did you miss that? Tsk Tsk). I also happen to have insider knowledge that the Red Menace are seeing RED, improving strategies, and working hard towards their first win.

There are also strange rumors about a super-secret training cadre of DCRG ladies using unconventional methods to prepare for ths bout. To wit: I've heard that they recently took over the Louisville Skatepark by force, beat tractor tires with sledgehammers while cursing on a regular basis, and use leather..."toys" to spank strangers in public. NO SHIT!



Anyway, If you've missed the flat track roller derby revolution, you're missing out on a some of the most interesting chapters in sport's history, women's sports, and feminism. I hope to see you at this exciting double-header. D.C. Bomaye! Click the button below for ticket info - it's cheaper online.

Engage in Democratic 'Publicity Stunts', etc

I just wrote the following letter to Minority Leader, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky:


WAKE UP! This Veteran Says Enough!

I just read this quote of yours, "Our enemies aren't threatened by talk-a-thons, and our troops deserve better than publicity stunts," in response to the all-night debate on the atrocity you and your cronies have created in Iraq.

At least the DEMS are TRYING something. Your oil grabbing republiCANTS have yet to do something REAL about threats to the United States like getting Osama or delaring war on your corporate friends - Saudi Arabia, the country time and time again proved to be the generator of countless terrorists.

I am a veteran of the USAF and have friends who have served multiple tours in the nightmare you and your buddies created. We are sick of your bullshit. My friends and our families are being detroyed because of your flippant and ignorant foreign policy. Start engaging in the Democratic process (like these debates you call publicity stunts) and recognize the foolishness of your party's and your boy-king Bush's obvious ignorance about the art of war. Listen to the majority of your fellow Kentuckians and Americans who have had enough!

Saddam is dead, Iraq has a standing government, declare victory, pull out now...let the the Shias, Shiites, and Allah determine their own fate. Start focusing on the real issues - economic strength. People don't generally bomb people when they have good trade relations and food on the table. An impoverished Middle East only creates more problems. WAKE UP.


Now I know that in this day and age, this letter just gets some kind of meta-taggish scan for keywords and maybe produces something like this on some tab of some spreadsheet:

veteran | male | louisville | war | against | hostile | refer-to-CIA |

The more of these we send, the more likely they add up and may make a dent on some weekly piechart report that he gets.

So I'm just askin ya since I really do have active duty friends facing their 2nd, 3rd, and in some cases 4th trips to Iraq. I want to have these friends for a long time so I'm askin you to write your government peeps and let em know what's on your mind in no uncertain terms.


Oh yeah...here's a poll on another busllshit issue that McConnell is behind:

What’s McConnell hiding?

1. 
   

   Should Senator McConnell tell us who is blocking a bill that would require electronic disclosure of Senate campaign finance reports?

   
   
   
   
   1. 
      Yes
   
   
   2. 
      No
   
   
   3. 
      I don’t know
   
   
   
   


2. 
   

   Should senators be required to electronically file the reports that detail who gave them political contributions so the public has easy access to this information?

   
   
   
   
   1. 
      Yes
   
   
   2. 
      No
   
   
   3. 
      I don’t know
   
   
   
   


3. 
   

   Why do you think Senator McConnell is blocking a bill to require that senators file their campaign finance reports electronically?

   
   
   
   
   1. 
      He doesn’t want public scrutiny of where senators get their money
   
   
   2. 
      He doesn’t think the public cares about campaign finance reform
   
   
   3. 
      He is protecting another senator who is blocking the bill
   
   
   4. 
      None of the above
   
   
   5. 
      All of the above