In Dutch high school, I eagerly studied the symptoms of fascism. The strongman feeding off discontent. Singling out race, or religion and scapegoating it. Like a good boy, I read Anne Frank and promised NEVER to forget. Anti apartheid demonstrations filled the streets, and as anthems about a color blind world filled the airwaves, booing racism got you laid. Then I grew up. (kind of). In most parts of Dutch politics however, the euphoria continued. By the time I had moved to the USA, Moroccan hordes terrorized neighborhoods, and danced in the streets to celebrate 9-11. In 2005, Theo Van Gogh was assassinated by a hash smoking, porn watching Jihadi living off welfare. Terrified of being perceived as racist, the authorities shrugged, and mumbled something about bad apples. They proceeded to avoid, play down, and tip toe around the rising tension between an increasingly hostile Moroccan youth and secular Dutch society. Defining problems as structural amounted to fear mongering, and remained taboo. When the quaint Geert Wilders broke the taboo and began questioning the sincerity of certain Muslims regarding integration into Dutch society, he was soon loathed across the political spectrum. The queen of Holland objected to his tone, and the political establishment soon decided ...

Thanks to the eunichs that sabotaged Barack Obama's effort to close the Caribbean Hanoi Hilton, the Effort to make the USA look like the douchebag of the world continues on. Despite the overwhelming popular vote against keeping the Cuban gulag open, democratic senators refused to fund Obama's plan to close it. The reason: FBI Director Robert Mueller, who was appointed by President George W. Bush in 2001 and is serving a 10-year fixed term in office, successfully scared constituents by suggesting they would commit another 9-11 while in solitary confinement in supermax: "FBI Director Robert Mueller told a congressional panel that he had concerns about bringing Guantanamo Bay detainees to prisons in the United States. Among the risks is "the potential for individuals undertaking attacks in the United States," said Mueller, who was appointed by President George W. Bush in 2001 and is serving a 10-year fixed term in office." How spineless is it to authorize torture, but not having the balls to house the prisoners in our own prisons? I am not the only one who thinks it's strange that the largest, most modern prison system in the world can not house a handful of real bad guys. Even Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. ...

A job on TV is like a HEMORRHOID: eventually every asshole gets one. I am pretty sure Khalid Shaikh Mohammed would beg to be waterboarded rather then having to watch The View, or Hannity. Ever the masochist, I ended up watching, by ways of digg.com,  a segment of The View on which Jesse Ventura NAILED it by saying: "If waterboarding isn't torture, why don't we have the cops do it?". In stead of answering the question, torture apologist Elizabeth Hasselbank managed to utter no more then the following: "I understand that question". A priceless moment. Although shuttered, Hasselbank's pea sized, yet relentless brain successfully defaulted to the talking points installed on it's root folder: "But what about Nanci Pelosi, she's lying about what she knew..". Ventura would have none of it: "They want her (Pelosi) out now, because she lied...why didn't thay ask Bush and Cheney to leave when they lied about why we went to war in Iraq?" Boom, two strikes. Gears grinding, the now steaming energizer bunny brained Hasselbank spewed out another one: "But Senator Hillary Clinton was right there with them.." Three strikes. A beautiful example of where a memorized talking point becomes useless. In blond regurgitating land, lying about WMD's is the same as being lied to, and ...

Deja Vu: A democratic President wades through the knee deep feces left for him in the White House, as phony rhetoric oozes through the jockstrap filter that is Newt Gingrich's mouth. Let's reflect. Fabricating a link between Iraq to 9-11? Patriotic. Torturing to extract proof of that link? Commendable. Sending soldiers to their deaths anyway when proof isn't found? Protecting America. Nancy Pelosi suggesting the CIA mislead her too during that time? DESPICABLE! The wounds left by our government and intelligence agency misleading us in it's rush to war are still open. Gingrich callously rubs salt in them with his feigned outrage. At the same time, his routine cynicism represents the exact shameless hypocricy Americans want stomped out. Just like Limbaugh, Newt Gingrich is an elected official. At this point, I wouldn't hold it against Obama if he used some of his executive privilege to discreetly make him disappear. Saudi Arabia, or Yemen have plenty of vacant dungeons to waterboard that waterhead. When his America hating buddies ask the CIA to brief them on his whereabouts, they can politely munch from the horse manure buffet, just like Pelosi did. We're at war and in economical crisis, and the Newt is trying to undermine the ...

Personally, I don't ask the stripper for her take on the stimulus bill when I get a lap dance. Pageants are about T and A, not politics. Perez Hilton should stick to staking out the UCLA cancer ward. Not only does he make Conservative Christians look like victims, his shrieking in this non-troversy makes the Donald seem like a soothing voice of reason. By not firing Miss California, Trump takes away the right wingers' coveted cry of persecution. Meanwhile, the martyred Cary Prejean, (a mere "7" for LA standards) is using her 15 minutes to make the rounds in the conservative Christian Media. The topless model quickly mastered the religious lingo, as you can tell in this vomit inducing excerpt from the James Dobson show: Dobson: Why did you give the answer you did with regard to the affirmation of marriage? Prejean: . . . I felt as though Satan was trying to tempt me in asking me this question. And then God was in my head and in my heart saying, "Do not compromise this. You need to stand up for me and you need to share with all these people . . . you need to witness to them and you need to show that you're ...

With only 12 notes in our musical scale, melodies resemble each other. What grabbed me when I first heard the Coldplay song was not the melody, but the words: "Now in the morning I sleep alone, sweep the streets that I used to own" Aside from being instrumental, Joe Satriani's version is in a different key, and has a different beat, making it sound really major and upbeat. I dare anyone to sing the Satriani melody without dancing like Carlton Banks. Two lines that capture what millions are feeling equal a hit. Not one fifth of the melody before, after, or underneath it. Satriani plays the notes with guitar hero virtuosity, but his composition, although very crafty, does not change the lives of those exposed to it. Instrumental music has it's limited appeal, unless you're Yanni or Kenny G. I am not a big Coldplay fan, but these lawsuits are weak. The song in question may resemble the plaintiff's melodies, but they are used only as a part of the song. Coldplay wrote lyrics, which, combined with the verses and bridges around it, are the stuff hits are made of. Publishing shares are normally shared 50/50 between composer and lyricist. Melodies re-appear all the time. ...

Learn about modern day Dinosaur sightings, and how abortion causes breast cancer. Bone up on what causes the disease of Homosexuality, why Barack Obama is a Muslim, how Hollywood undermines marriage and patriotism, and why old science is more reliable than modern science. At first glance, Conservapedia appears to be a hilarious spoof on Wikipedia, that makes the Onion seem timid. As it turns out, it's comedic value is entirely unintentional, and even the following definition is offered without irony. Liberal: "A liberal is someone who rejects logical and biblical standards, often for self-centered reasons. There are no coherent liberal standards." Created by Andrew Schlafly, a conservative lawyer who teaches one of the largest home school classes in the country, Conservapedia is the answer to un-religious Wikipedia. To be self sufficient within his radically conservative bubble, Schlafly dumped an incredible amount of outrageous "lierature", for his classroom victims to use as reference. I must admit that the fact it's meant to be taken seriously does not make it any less amusing. On the contrary, it makes it pretty much impossible to leave the site. Sadly, by the time our children are grown, this type of "conservative watching" will probably be limited to safari trips to the ...

Colin Powell kinda reminds me of a Mexican dude saying: "I didn't cross the border, the border crossed me". It's sort of true, but BS at the same time. Although the GOP shrunk and covers a smaller area on the demographic map, it didn't suddenly swerve to the far right. It has steadily traveled there for years, and for someone who was part of the force driving it there, complaining seems a little insincere.  To be fair, at least Powell is speaking up, instead of pretending to be "driven out" like the opportunistic Arlen Specter. At the same time, Dick Cheney is desperately trying to adjust his legacy as being responsible for eroding Republican appeal. On "Face the Nation, he suggested it wasn't the GOP, but Powell that changed positions: "If I had to choose in terms of being a Republican, I'd go with Rush Limbaugh. My take on it was Colin had already left the party. I didn't know he was still a Republican." By suggesting that Powell is a defector from his party, Cheney defines a loyal member as one who is in lock step with the party's executive branch (Limbaugh), rather then to it's original platform. A Nixonian Cheney-ism that does ...

As a devout agnostic, I don't know for a fact that billions of daily prayers go unheard. I simply suspect they do. The religious KNOW that God is listening. They also feel strongly that the more requests are sent his way, the better. As a result, the meek are constantly being recruited for collective prayer. Persistence is key in an appeal to the creator, because apparently, he gives the squeaky wheel all the grease. I found that spiritual meditation can suspend an overactive mind, enabling the body and soul to reset. It can help reflect, and even focus on achieving certain goals. Web sites and churches that solicit wish lists to realy to God in massive prayer sessions make a mockery out of any form of spirituality. The American constitution states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof". Live and let live, basically. Observing a National Prayer day cleverly, but certainly violates that spirit. While you can't say that one particular religion is being established, it's pretty obvious that kneeling toward Mecca isn't what is being suggested. A National Prayer Day is nothing less than an effort to ESTABLISH religion in the public life. ...

Theo van Gogh was a vulgar man. He equally offended all religions, and I loved him for it. Obviously, he was hated for it as well. In Holland, that used to be okay. Long standing etiquette demanded that, no matter how heated a debate, violence was never an option. A silent code that required immense restraint, mutual respect, and was religiously adhered to in my country of birth. Until a man "defending" his religion was arrogant enough to violate it. Lacking the sophistication to engage in debate, he shot the unarmed Theo Van Gogh eight times at point blank range, then cut his throat. Like his uncle, who was a resistance fighter executed by the nazis, and unlike his assassin, who surrendered to police, Van Gogh became a martyr for liberty, and freedom of speech. The reaction of politicians? "Maybe he shouldn't have insulted the Muslims so much". It was November 2004, and the shriveling up of Holland's testicles to what eventually would be the size of peas, was well underway. // --> // --> Not too long before Van Gogh's death, a disgruntled animal rights activist had triggered the process by murdering the upcoming politician Pim Fortuyn. Fortuyn had risen to fame fairly quick, and embarrassed the ...