Hei Tiki

As promised Guy., a picture of the Hei Tiki I gave Joe for his birthday.

To explain the meaning or significance/importance of this gift it is best approached by giving you it's name by the carver Lewis Gardiner...Kaitiakitanga, translation (loose) Guardian of the Future. Common name for these types of pendants is Hei Tiki, (hanging pendant).

Many people think they are ugly, however, to Maori this a is a beautiful, powerful symbol, of strength, wisdom and trust. It respects the wearer to be one strong enough to bear the burdens of life for the betterment of future generations.

Maori Mythology

How The Kiwi Lost His Wings
Full acknowledgement to maori.org.nz

One day, Tanemahuta was walking through the forest. He looked up at his children reaching for the sky and he noticed that they were starting to sicken, as bugs were eating them.

He talked to his brother, Tanehokahoka, who called all of his children, the birds of the air together.

Tanemahuta spoke to them.

"Something is eating my children, the trees. I need one of you to come down from the forest roof and live on the floor, so that my children can be saved, and your home can be saved. Who will come?"

All was quiet, and not a bird spoke.

Tanehokahoka turned to Tui.

"E Tui, will you come down from the forest roof?"

Tui looked up at the trees and saw the sun filtering through the leaves. Tui looked down at the forest floor and saw the cold, dark earth and shuddered.

"Kao, Tanehokahoka, for it is too dark and I am afraid of the dark."

All was quiet, and not a bird spoke.

Tanehokahoka turned to Pukeko.

"Pukeko, will you come down from the forest roof?"

Pukeko looked up at the trees and saw the sun filtering through the leaves. Pukeko looked down at the forest floor and saw the cold, damp earth and shuddered.

"Kao, Tanehokahoka, for it is too damp and I do not want to get my feet wet."

All was quiet, and not a bird spoke.

Tanehokahoka turned to Pipiwharauroa.

"Pipiwharauroa, will you come down from the forest roof?"

Pipiwharauroa looked up at the trees and saw the sun filtering through the leaves. Pipiwharauroa looked around and saw his family.

"Kao, Tanehokahoka, for I am busy at the moment building my nest."

All was quiet, and not a bird spoke. And great was the sadness in the heart of Tanehokahoka, for he knew, that if one of his children did not come down from the forest roof, not only would his brother loose his children, but the birds would have no home.

Tanehokahoka turned to Kiwi.

"E kiwi, will you come down from the forest roof?"

Kiwi looked up at the trees and saw the sun filtering through the leaves. Kiwi looked around and saw his family. Kiwi looked at the cold damp earth. Looking around once more, he turned to Tanehokahoka and said,

"I will."

Great was the joy in the hearts of Tanehokahoka and Tanemahuta, for this little bird was giving them hope. But Tanemahuta felt that he should warn kiwi of what would happen.

"E kiwi, do you realise that if you do this, you will have to grow thick, strong legs so that you can rip apart the logs on the ground and you will loose your beautiful coloured feathers and wings so that you will never be able to return to the forest roof. You will never see the light on day again."

All was quiet, and not a bird spoke.

"E kiwi, will you come down from the forest roof?"

Kiwi took one last look at the sun filtering through the trees and said a silent goodbye. Kiwi took one last look at the other birds, their wings and their coloured feathers and said a silent goodbye. Looking around once more, he turned to Tanehokahoka and said,

"I will."

Then Tanehokahoka turned to the other birds and said,

"E Tui, because you were too scared to come down from the forest roof, from now on you will wear the two white feathers at your throat as the mark of a coward.
Pukeko, because you did not want to get your feet wet, you will live forever in the swamp.
Pipiwharauroa, because you were too busy building your nest, from now on you will never build another nest again, but lay your eggs in other birds nests.
But you kiwi, because of your great sacrifice, you will become the most well known and most loved bird of them all."

Moussaoui Pleads Guilty

Great day in the morning!!!! What great news to awaken to!!!

"ALEXANDRIA, Va. (Reuters) - Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person charged in the United States in connection with the Sept. 11 attacks, pleaded guilty on Friday and said Osama bin Laden handpicked him to fly a plane into the White House as part of a broader conspiracy."

Now this piece of shit faces the death penalty which he had previously said he would accept but will now fight, saying, "I can't expect any leniency from the Americans." What's the matter, tough guy? These islamo-whackos are sooooo bad-ass when they want to take their own lives, but they aren't too keen on having others make that decision for them. As far as I am concerned they are the biggest cowards on the planet. Worthless scum. He won't die too soon for me. Of course, his equally scum-infested attorneys state he was "not competent to enter the plea." They should share his fate, as well. May this French-Moraccon goat fucker rot in hell.

Check This Out

This is a poem by our good friend, Guy, aka, Oldcatman. He has his own blog which is a combination of art, satire, always interesting, and just a little bit different.

THE OPEN ROAD

BY OLDCATMAN

The sun glowed
On the open road
Showing the way. And
The Moon glowed
On the open road
Showing the way.
Soon the sun lost it's light
And the open road was gone
Showing no way. And
Soon the moon lost its light
And the open road was gone from sight
Since the open road showed no way
It was closed.
*********************************

Go visit our friend, Oldcatman for an entertaining blog experience. One of his many talents is for what I call the "Thumbnail Passion Play." Check out "Star Trek III: The Search for Kirk, Jr." at the bottom of the page to see what I mean.

The First Post ...Introduction To History of Anzac Day April 25th

The following is a brief summary of the meaning of ANZAC Day to New Zealanders, I thought I would post this, for those of you that are not aware of ANZAC significance to New Zealand.


"ANZAC Day is the 25th of April. It is a day that is set aside in both New Zealand and Australia to think about and honour those who have fought for our freedom. ANZAC stands for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. ANZAC Day is a public holiday.

Although red poppies are a symbol of Remembrance Day (Nov 11th) in New Zealand they are more closely associated with ANZAC Day. They grew wild on the European battlefields of WWI. One story has it that the soldiers were able to look out from their battle trenches across these fields of poppies and imagine that each represented a fallen soldier; another which appears more credible is that poppies grew more easily in the churned up soil of the battlefields making the blood red flowers a potent symbol of the war. In New Zealand poppy buttonholes are sold by volunteers on the weekday prior to ANZAC Day which is known as Poppy Day and the proceeds go towards helping veterans, and their families. This tradition started back in 1922.

In human terms the cost of WWI to New Zealand was horrendous. Between 1914-1918 out of a population of 1 million nearly 17 000 men - 1 in 65 of the population did not return from the war. The total NZ casualties in the war represented one in 17 of the population. The casualties at Gallipoli were 33 000, including 8000 New Zealanders and 7000 Australians. Out of 10 000 Kiwis who fought at Gallipoli 3000 lost their lives and 5000 were wounded. If those figures were put in context with the USA population today, [1996], it would be like the US sending away 2.5 million men and 2 million of them being killed or wounded."

Full acknowledgment to the site azmetro.com where I obtained this piece.

Questionable?

After reading this article I can see where some may go, the non Norwegian victims were prostitutes, however, that is not an excuse of the crime, only a bias outlook in my opinion.

"Oslo municipal court has ruled that it is cheaper to rape women from countries with a lower standard of living than Norway, and complaints are already raised from Eastern European voices."

Michelle Malkin

Michelle Malkin is a must read, I admire her writings. Her site contains so many articles that are relevant to the security and safety of America and it's Citizens, if you have not read any of her works, I urge you to do yourself a favour and do so now.

Quick News Link Updates

"The Texas House of Representatives passed a bill banning homosexuals, bisexuals and transsexuals from being foster parents."

"VILNIUS (Reuters) - Russia and the United States clashed over Belarus on Thursday as Moscow's foreign minister rebuffed a call by the Secretary of State for change in what she branded central Europe's "last true dictatorship."

An Iraqi insurgent group said it shot down a commercial helicopter with 11 people on board on Thursday and then killed the only survivor, according to a statement and video posted on the Internet.

Prevailing Justice

72 Virgins in Paradise for this Scum ...I Don't Think So

"Prosecutors say Hasan Akbar, 33, told investigators he launched the attack because he was concerned U.S. troops would kill fellow Muslims in Iraq. They said he coolly carried out the attack to achieve "maximum carnage" on his comrades in the 101st Airborne Division"

I do hope that the goody 2 shoes aka ACLU who choose to fight for this scum's right to life, share his sentence.

Mystified

I can not understand how some US citizens can classify themselves as Americans when they are destroying the Nation from within. Read this optimistic, "progressive" prognostication:

" By late summer, 2006, the United States is in a desperate condition. Following the collapse of the dollar in international currency markets, there has been a cascade of business failures and mortgage foreclosures, and a precipitous rise in unemployment, as the US economy slides inexorably into a depression. Meanwhile, the June 2005 American attack on Iran and the continuing war in Iraq has made the United States an international pariah state; thus the community of nations shows no inclination whatever to rescue the United States from its economic collapse.".....more here

Liberal Radio/Anti Rush anyone?

The person responsible is Ernest Partridge, Co-Editor, The Crisis Papers

Also, this sample piece I cut and pasted from an article he wrote for an NZ media outlet:

HITLER BOOK AND MOVIE

I recommended to the Democrats Abroad that they get ahold of Sebastian Haffner's illuminating book "Defying Hitler," written in the '30s inside the country about how the Nazis came to achieve full power in Germany.

Obviously, America 2005 is not Germany 1933, and Bush is not Hitler, but the history of how the Nazis slowly sliced away the freedoms and rights of the German population, to the point of total dictatorial rule, has lessons to teach us as the U.S. extremists of the far-right take us further down the road to an American brand of effective one-party, authoritarian domination."


The use of an analogy like Hitler/Bush, attacking Iran, economic disaster, America's media being totally controlled by the right-wing - Are these meant to portray America in a light that encourages world wide co-operation?....Hell NO! These authors and individuals only acheive to undermine the foundations of the USA.

Torture & Terror

Finally found an article written by a New Zealander that reflects some of my views in regard to security issues faced by the US, and let's be real, all non Muslim countries. His name Paul G. Buchanan.

" Paul G. Buchanan is the Director of the Working Group on Alternative Security Perspectives at the University of Auckland. He formerly worked at the Pentagon and as a consultant to various US security agencies."

Now, I just read an article that is opposite to what I believe (one of many), barf... barf,by Kansan Mary Pitt.

"Mary Pitt is a septuagenarian Kansan who is self-employed and active in the political arena. Her concerns are her four-generation family and the continuance of the United States as a democracy with a government "of the people, by the people, and for the people". Comments and criticism may be addressed to mpitt@cox.net ."

What Goes Around Comes Around

With all the brew-ha-ha over Tom Delay I must have missed this one, but that loud-mouth House Minority Leader, Nancy Pelosi, apparently has a little 'splaining to do of her own. Check it out here. I doubt it will garner the attention of the MSM the way Tom Delay's recent woes have.

Virgin Mary Spotted in Chicago

It seems that with Pope-o-mania making headlines lately, a really important religious figure has been overlooked for a while...until now...

The Virgin Mary has been spotted on a concrete wall in Chicago. But reports are inconclusive because here in the southern hemisphere She is being reported to be in an underpass, while in the northern hemisphere it is reported as an overpass. This is not the first sighting of the Holy Mother in the area, however, as She was spotted floating in Lake Michigan about a year ago. She apparently has an affinity for visiting Illinois, which has a rich history of hosting her visits. Developing....

A Little Humor

Hat tip to my Mom for this one:


At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated, "If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon."

In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release stating: If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics:

1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash twice a day.

2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.

3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.

4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.

5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive - but would run on only five percent of the roads.

6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single "This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation" warning light.

7. The airbag system would ask "Are you sure?" before deploying.

8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.

9. Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.

10. You'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off.

Ohhhhhh My

His job sure does suck, however better than being a patient having heart surgery in this hospital, as you will see in this post at Barking Moonbats........

Shoot Dean

This Dean character should be drawn and quartered, pieces of him scattered to the nether regions of hell.

Howard Dean said yesterday that the Democrats would use Terri Schiavo as a weapon against the Republicans in 2006 and 2008, according to the Los Angeles Times:

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean said Friday that his party would wield the Terri Schiavo case against Republicans in the 2006 and 2008 elections, but for now needed to stay focused battling President Bush on Social Security.

"We're going to use Terri Schiavo later on," Dean said...

"This is going to be an issue in 2006, and it's going to be an issue in 2008," Dean told about 200 people at a gay rights group's breakfast in West Hollywood, "because we're going to have an ad with a picture of Tom DeLay saying, 'Do you want this guy to decide whether you die or not? Or is that going to be up to your loved ones?'


Can someone please educate this piece of turd, by force if necessary, that Terri's demise was not orchestrated for a Political weapon but by her lowlife scum husband and lawyer............hold on one minute ...WHAT'S the difference.

ps Did not put link to LA Times as if you are not registered, it is a pain in the butt

Example of Chrenkoff Blog - Really Great Place to Visit

Something is rotten in the state of France
"This story had only popped up very briefly in the world media for a day or so in late March, but other than that it hasn't really made much waves outside of France - possibly because no greedy American oilmen were involved. Reminiscent of the recent scandal in Canada, but dwarfs it in magnitude. The opening paragraph from a story in a Polish magazine (my translation):

" 'The trial of the century,' 'the noose tightens around the president,' thunder French newspapers. In court, 47 people, including four former ministers and several directors of prominent firms, accused of funneling over 90 million Euros to political parties. Everything was working perfectly. In the early 1990s, each contract for the renovation of a Parisian high school included a 2 per cent "voluntary" donation. Later on, the bribes were shamelessly shared by the ruling right and the opposition left. Several of the accused are facing up to 10 years in jail. The man who was then the mayor of the capital is safe from prosecution, protected by his immunity. His name is Jacques Chirac, and since 1995 he's a president of France."

European politico-bureaucratic-business elites are rotten to the core. One day, when all the corrupt dealings between the Big Government and Big Euro Business finally bursts into the open, it will make Enron look like a secretary stealing pencils and post-it notes from work. But the European are starting to slowly wake from their slumber. If the EU constitution referendum goes down in France on May 29, it will be partly a well-aimed swing at Brussels and partly a slap for their own previously untouchable elites."

More of Chrenkoff

For Those Who Ask About Thermal Activity

Not Far from Recent Small Eruption


190405ac1 Geothermal Eruption.
Huge geothermal eruption spews rocks into the sky
20.04.2005

By REBECCA DEVINE in Rotorua

When his cows started stampeding up the hill, Reporoa (name of the area btw) farmer Phil Morgan knew something wasn't quite right. But he couldn't have imagined the huge geothermal eruption which was taking place just behind him - throwing huge stones into the air and leaving a crater more than 50 metres wide.

Yesterday morning's eruption on Department of Conservation land near Tutukau Rd is believed to be one of the biggest in New Zealand in the past 50 years. It was bigger than the massive eruption at Rotorua's Kuirau Park in 2001 and has amazed a local geologist who described it as "a real beauty".

Mr Morgan said he turned around after the cows started stampeding and saw "a massive cloud heading up into the heavens". He said while the area had always been a geothermal site, he never had any inkling it would erupt the way it did.
"It hurled some big rocks a fair distance so it must have had a bit of grunt."

Geologist Ashley Cody was called to the farm after the eruption and was stunned by the extent of it. Mr Cody said the rocks that were thrown out of the crater were up to 60 centimetres in diameter and more than a hectare of land had been destroyed. The land within 20 or 30 metres of the crater was covered with ash and mud more than four metres thick. About a hectare of land has been left barren.

Mr Cody said it was both unusual and exciting to see such an event as they often happened when nobody was around.
"It is pretty rare to see an eruption on this scale."

While the major eruption came about 10.30am the area was still erupting at 3.30pm yesterday with stones being shot about 15 metres into the air and the steam column rising almost 50 metres. Mr Cody said geologists would be keeping an eye on the eruption and it was likely it would weaken as it lost its energy. This could take hours or even days.

It was lucky the eruption happened in the Department of Conservation's scenic reserve and not in an area where there were people. Mr Cody said it was possible that had someone been within 20 metres of the eruption, they "may have come to grief".

Before the eruption, head-high blackberry covered the land but now there was "not a skerrick of vegetation" left. The eruption has blocked the neighbouring stream which is expected to "run muddy" for days.

Mr Cody said while the area was not really thought of as a place for eruptions, it had been heating up over the past year, with trees dying and new springs breaking out. An almost identical eruption happened in the area in 1948.

There had been no obvious triggers for the eruption, such as earthquakes, heavy rain or changes in air pressure.
"Almost every geothermal field does this from time to time."

Mr Cody said he would be returning to the area in the next few days to keep an eye on the activity but didn't think other farmers in the area needed to be too worried about it. Meanwhile, Mr Morgan said he would be carrying on his normal farm duties today after yesterday's excitement.

Haves and Have Nots

Muslim Incentive







Western Incentive

Black Smoke ...White Smoke... No Pope...New Pope

What do we make of this.... my caption would be ......

"Sign from God"


Mae

More Moonbats on Parade

Just when I think I can step away from politics for a few days, something comes across the screen that I just can't ignore or walk away from. First, the hat tip goes to my better half, Mae, for finding this one. She is an excellent researcher who prefers to leave most of the writing to me, and I prefer to leave most of the research to her; so it's a beautiful thing.

With that said, I bring you this piece of tripe from "award winning journalist" (according to his site), Tribune Media Services contributing writer, Robert C. Koehler. We'll just call him Bob...or...Bobby. Bobby was just at the National Election Reform Conference, in Nashville, Tenn., which was, as he concluded, "an extraordinary pulling together of disparate voting-rights activists — 30 states were represented, 15 red and 15 blue — sponsored by a Nashville group called Gathering To Save Our Democracy. It had the feel of 1775: citizen patriots taking matters into their own hands to reclaim the republic. This was the level of its urgency." He then poses the following question: "Was the election of 2004 stolen?" He then lamely tries to dismiss the fact that he didn't really ask the question but then writes an article with that very notion as its underpinning. Sly, crafty Leftist mind-fuck artist you are there, but I'm onto your bullshit, Bobby.

What we have here is a classic, archetypal example of the Barking Moonbat - We couldn't bring you a better specimen than this. I could sit here all night and deconstruct this guy's entire worthless, piece of shit article, but I've got better things to do...The following paragraph, however, has so many glaring symptomatic ramblings and inuendo it's worth deconstructing:

"Let’s simply ask why the lines were so long and the voting machines so few in Columbus and Cleveland and inner-city and college precincts across the country, especially in the swing states, causing an estimated one-third of the voters in these precincts to drop out of line without casting a ballot; why so many otherwise Democratic ballots, thousands and thousands in Ohio alone, but by no means only in Ohio, recorded no vote for president (as though people with no opinion on the presidential race waited in line for three or six or eight hours out of a fervor to have their say in the race for county commissioner); and why virtually every voter complaint about electronic voting machine malfunction indicated an unauthorized vote switch from Kerry to Bush."

The long lines "caused" roughly one-third of potential voters to "drop out of line?" You have got to be kidding! What kind of victimology bullshit is that?!!! Hey, Bobby, what about the other two-thirds that didn't drop out of line, you jerk-off? Are we to also infer from what you appear to be implying that these poor, disenfranchised voters were going to vote for Kerry? This whole thing about Ohio being the focus of a Republican manipulation of the vote is absurd as well. First, how can anybody know in advance to pick this one area to be the area of critical mass? Second, if such a plot could be devised, why would you do it (if your're Republican) in areas where the election process is supervised by Democrats from pretty much the registrar of voters down to precinct captains? And wasn't it the Dummycraps who had sooooo much trouble with the old punch card system in 2000 (the conspiracy was in Florida that time the Democrats lost, in case you forgot) that they bitched and moaned and got the computer systems they wanted? When are these people going to get it that the rest of America isn't buying what they are selling? How about coming up with a viable candidate instead of some relatively obscure shmendrick senator? How about distancing yourselves from the far Left that has taken over your party? Even if you think the religious right has hi-jacked the GOPissers (which they have to some extent, sadly), apparently they don't offend Americans as much as the whack jobs in Camp Dummycrap. Either that, or just get over it and try again. But please STFU already.

Bobby then goes on to babble about the previously unheard of disparity between early and late exit polls, numbers not adding up using some statistician involved in a lawsuit against the President as a source, and, get this, the media silence. All of this would be laughable, and it is; except for the fact there is no mention of any malfeasance perpetrated by Democrats on Republican voters; no evidence or documentation to back up anything he says except how a bunch of people feel. Just because a few hundred (he never says how many were actually there at this crisis intervention convention for Dummycraps in Despair) whiners and moaners whine and moan does not make it true. And, I originally found this on an NZ site. If this is the kind of shit that passes for objective journalism to an international audience, it's no wonder a certain amount of them have negative opinions of the US.

For the record, I am an Independent, and am in no way an apologist for President Bush, his administration, or the Republican party. I am an equal opportunity offender. If you're fucking up, and I hear about it - no matter what side of the fence you're on - I'm comin' after ya'. Bobby, you have just been fingered.

Redneck Divorce ...Item from "DR@HDfixit"

DEAR BILLIE BOB,


OUR DIVORCE IS NOW FINAL!

AS PER MY COPY OF THE COURT ORDER,

WHICH SAYS THAT YOU AND YOUR NEW WIFE

WERE AWARDED THE DOUBLE WIDE MOBILE HOME AND THE

PICKUP TRUCK, PLEASE NOTE THAT

I PROMPTLY DELIVERED THE TRUCK ON

OR ABOUT 2 P.M.YESTERDAY!

SO, HOW IS YOUR DAY GOING?

SEE YOU AROUND,

JAMIE LEE






 

Answers To OCM Ad

Remember yesterday we ran an advert on behalf of Old Catman, we have had two reponses to date, so the choice is his to make from the following


Number 1 ...the Puppy lover 

or


Number 2....Here Kitty, kitty 

US Force....NZ Force?????

US style 

The differences can you tell what they are???


NZ style 

Time To Sleep

Laughing it is 5.24am, better go to sleep I think ...to all have a great day

More.............no more please

500 "bombspotters" arrested at nuke inspection
Tuesday, 19 April 2005, 8:47 am
Press Release: Greenpeace

500 "bombspotters" arrested during massive citizens inspection of NATO nuclear weapons
Brussels

500 "bombspotters"were arrested by police today after thousands gathered in Belgium to carry out a citizens nuclear weapons inspection.

A massive police presence greeted inspectors from Greenpeace and Bombspotting at NATO-HQ, SHAPE and Kleine Brogel airbase. Greenpeace activists from the six NATO countries currently hosting the 480 nuclear weapons based in Europe: Italy, Germany, Belgium, UK, Turkey and the Netherlands joined the inspection team .

Greenpeace and Bombspotting are demanding that NATO become a nuclear free alliance.In two weeks the 184 member countries of the nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty will meet. "They have a clear choice. Either disarmament or a new arms race", said Hans Lammerant, from Bombspotting.

"We choose nuclear disarmament! And a necessary step towards nuclear disarmament is the withdrawal of US nuclear weapons from NATO countries, and an end to the role of nuclear weapons in NATO policy."

"At a time when key NATO countries are doing so much to encourage Iran to give up its nuclear aspirations, it would be hypocritical for NATO to not do the same", said Nicky Davies, Greenpeace International.

"We are part of a growing movement of people who will continue to conduct these inspections of nuclear sites, to bear witness and draw attention to these crimes until the world is free of nuclear weapons."



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Bully Bolton Threatens National Security
By Marjorie Cohn
t r u t h o u t | Perspective
Monday, 18 April, 2005

"John Bolton is the wrong man for the job of US ambassador to the United Nations. His status as an avowed UN-hater, standing alone, disqualifies him. But there are other, stronger reasons to reject his appointment to that important post.

If John Bolton is confirmed as US ambassador to the United Nations, our national security will be seriously compromised in these already perilous times."


***************************************************

2004 Presidential Election Legitimacy Investigated
Tuesday, 19 April 2005, 12:24 pm
Article: Between The Lines
Between the Lines Q&A
A weekly column featuring progressive viewpoints
on national and international issues
under-reported in mainstream media
for release April 18, 2005
http://www.btlonline.org

Questions Surrounding Legitimacy of 2004 Presidential Election Investigated

Interview with Joel Bleifuss, editor of In These Times, conducted by Scott Harris

Listen in RealAudio:
http://www.btlonline.org/bleifuss042205.ram
(Needs RealOne player or RealPlayer)

Unlike the extended dispute that plagued the 2000 presidential election between Al Gore and George W. Bush, Democratic Party candidate John Kerry conceded the 2004 race for the White House rather quickly. However, in the months after the Nov. 4th ballot, citizen groups in the battleground state of Ohio launched protests and convened hearings demanding an investigation into allegations of vote count irregularities and Republican Party efforts to suppress the turnout of Democratic voters.

But now, five months after his quiet exit from the presidential election contest, Sen. John Kerry has raised the issue of voter intimidation and GOP dirty tricks, while stating that he does not believe these irregularities would have changed the outcome. Speaking to the Massachusetts League of Women Voters on April 10, Kerry charged that many of his supporters were denied access to the polls through the use of misleading leaflets and telephone calls.

Several issues regarding the 2004 election continue to cause many citizens to be skeptical about the results. Contradictions between exit polls and the final vote tally, and anomalies of electronic voting machine totals are the subject of a forthcoming book by investigative journalist Joel Bleifuss and statistician Steven Freeman. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Bleifuss, editor of In These Times Magazine, who discusses his investigation into questions surrounding the legitimacy of the 2004 presidential election.



***************************************************

Reforming the Homeland Security Department Is Unlikely
April 18, 2005
Ivan Eland

The Department of Homeland Security has too few incentives to protect Americans from terrorism. Testifying recently before Congress, Michael Chertoff, the Bush administration’s new Secretary of Homeland Security, admitted that his department often fails to adequately collect, piece together, and share intelligence information. (This same problem has afflicted the entire U.S. government in its failure to detect terrorist attacks as far back as September 11, 2001 and has not been corrected.) The situation is unlikely to improve because the massive Homeland Security bureaucracy has a poor incentive structure.

***************************************************

These are the headlines over a few day period, you have a little inkling on how the USA is misrepresented and how GWB can be so readily hated

More Moonbats on Parade

Moved item to top of page

Racing Re-cap

Hey, folks. Sorry I wasn't around yesterday, but I hope you enjoyed the photos posted by my better half.

Well, the racing this weekend at Pukekohe (pronounced "pooh-kee-koh-ee") was absolutely fantastic. All three Australian V8 Supercar races were won by a Kiwi, Gregg Murphy, driving a Holden Commodore. The "Puke," as it's known among some of the locals, is Murphy's home track and it shows - He has won the last 4 out of 5 rounds held there.

V8 Supercar racing is all about factory wars, just like in the US (except here they turn left and right), and it is the classic Ford vs. GM contest- with a twist. While Ford has chosen to remain "Ford" all over the world, GM does business in Australia and NZ as Holden, after having acquired the Aussie brand and bringing it further into the GM fold. These cars are amazing performers. Weighing around 2800 lbs, developing 600-650 hp with fuel injected 5.0 liter V8's (rev limited to 7500 RPM), and 6-speed gear boxes, they hit zero-to-60 in just under 4 seconds and can hit top speeds of 185 mph, depending on the track. At Pukekohe they were hitting about 175-180 MPH on the back straight. And they stop and turn pretty well, too.
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In motorcycle racing news, Brazilian Alex Barros on a Honda won the MotoGP from Estoril, Portugal, defeating defending series champion, Valentino Rossi from Italy, on his factory Yamaha. MotoGP is the premier class of motorcycle road racing in the world, the motorcycle equivalent of Formula 1 for cars: These riders and machines are the best of the best. They ride special, purpose-built machines that weigh a bit more than 300 lbs. and make over 230 HP at the rear wheel. They hit 100 MPH in under 3 seconds, then they shift into second gear...and they have 5 left, allowing them to hit well over 200 MPH at many tracks. You folks in the US can watch a replay today at 10AM EDT, 1pm PDT on Speed TV if you have cable. Did I mention they stop and handle like mere mortals as ourselves can't imagine? And, no, you can't buy one. Life just isn't fair. But, then again, fare is what you pay to ride the bus...

Gods Hands

In Gods hands we trust.

We have Been Thinking

Now, be nice, we do think sometimes...lol

We have decided that since some of our old friends wish to post articles, that we would be more than welcome to receive their enlightened input. If you wish to add posts to this site just e-mail us a smoothest_jazz@yahoo.com so we can send the posting invitation.

The main reason for this being we believe that any help with posts and responses would be greatly appreciated with our time being 12 + hours ahead of some areas of the US, it creates a problem in our response time to comments made and we think you deserve better than what we currently offer.

So if you have articles pertaining to interests, politics, fun or anything at all, feel free to contact us.

We decided to place this ad on behalf of OCM......please respond if you fit the criteria as soon as possible by clicking on the link Old Catman.

Our motto: "We care."

The Cats Whiskers

Who Me???????

For those who Surffffffff

Water anyone

Kiwi

One of our native Kiwi, named of which is commonly associated to a person being from New Zealand.

I suppose I can relate to being a Kiwi , being shy and nocturnal. ( cheesy grin)

Mmmmmm

Common rainbow trout found in the lakes.

We have many tourist that travel to have the chance to catch trout, personally I don't see what all the big fuss is about. They are only okay to eat if smoked in my opinion, but, each to their own taste, and also not what I call a fighting fish to catch, so no fun to be had.

Mud Pools

Cool mud formations made when boiling mud bubbles, however the stench of sulphur can become overwhelming.

A tad like smelling rotten eggs is the best way to describe the sensation.

Aerial Shot

Aerial of two of the many lakes in and around Rotorua, there are numerous lakes within the district many of them are quite spectacular to view. The waters on the whole are crystal clear, although their colours are quite different from lake to lake, hence names for the lakes like blue, green etc.....laughing....didn't claim we were original

Nasty hand held traditional weapon, but beautifully deocrated 

Murphy and Holden in Hat Trick

A great weekend was had by Greg Murphy, in his Holden Commodore, winning all three races.

Joe will be providing full updates on results and performances.


Mae

Apologies and Thanks

Thanks to all that have visited Bohemian over the last few days and I apologize for no new articles or pictures being posted, however back on duty today.


Mae