The President hits new lows!
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
Don't ask me why I was doing it, but this morning I watched the President Bush give his morning address to the nation. His address was to let the nation and the rest of the world know that the Tsunami stricken countries and people would be receiving a "we're sorry for your loss," $35 million, a handful of top notch disaster inspectors, and some military people to help with the clean up and keeping order. Seems like one heck of a nice gesture. Then there was the format from which he delivered this speech.
First, he didn't have the decency to appear for this speech from a place where he could be filmed. Nope, instead he was at home in Crawford Texas to deliver what amounted to nothing more than a radio address. I'm sorry, but I would think if I was addressing the families, friends, and countrymen of 60,000+ dead I would have the decency to at least appear to care. We are living in the 21st century, television has been around for some time now. The President of the U.S. can be wherever he wants to be almost whenever he wants to be there. The American people pay for it. This is not 1944 when FDR had nothing but the radio to address the masses en mass. This is 2004, and if you have something important to say to the American people, and the world, GET ON TV! Even the Pope gets it.
Further, he was CLEARLY reading a pre-prepared speech that he didn't even write. Mr. President, after listening to your half hearted speech even I had no problem remembering how much aid you are sending. You on the other hand couldn't even say that Laura and yourself were sorry for their loss without a verbal "um" or 3! I learned to deliver 8 minute prepared speeches from rote memory by the age of 19. The only time I speak with visualized pauses like "ums" is when I try to explain something hard, like law when I am unsure. Was this beyond the President's facile cognitive grasp? Why can't the President of the United States just READ one sentence in the first paragraph without a vocal pause? Not that anyone should need a prepared speech to tell the world that America is sorry that 60,000+ people are dead. $35 million is a nice round number, easy to remember. Maybe the President could learn extemporaneous speaking and the use of talking points?
Then what's up with justifying the $35 million? The world knows that our budgets are strapped. The American people know what kind of deficit that is being run up. Deficits were a big Kerry point in the election debates. Oh wait, that's because this won't even be close to the amount of money needed. Here's a hint. This is an AWFUL tragedy, truly terrible. Everyone from the most stone cold conservative to the biggest bleeding heart liberal will understand running up our deficit to help these people. Justify to me why we aren't sending more. Justify why we are spending so much in Iraq, but not in properly arming our troops. Justify to me why we can short change these traumatized people, but spend money to court marshal the woman who scavenged US military equipment to better prepare her troops. Don't try to make this seem like a lot by saying that the US sends so much aid to the rest of the world. Bottom line, it's NOT!
posted by ZEUS @ 9:18 AM, No comment,
Friends and Family
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
Tis the season for relationships both new and old.
Examples include:
My "Grace" is moving back to Wyoming, and possibly looking at UW as a place to finish her school. Not because it was ever a dream of hers to come here, but because it is cheap and will get her on with her life. She has a BA but wants a teaching certificate, so UW works for her. Bonus for her, I AM HERE! I even already have a Jack and know a Karen. No, I am not a gay stereotype.
My best friend, and debate partner, from HS is going to be in Douglas for a few days. He is already begging me to get my arse home so I can rescue him from the general monotonous toothlessness that is commonly associated with our home town.
Drinking last Thursday with people from my 1L class. I had a lot of chances to set and talk with people. It was great to get to know some of them a bit better, and hopefully I won't feel so secluded any more.
It's Christmas time, DUH! (covering the family aspect). Could do without mom asking me daily if I will come home instead of work. But that is par for the course, and I think is part of what mommies are for.
All-in-all, excluding my first LS finals and a painful trip back from Denver yesterday, this is turning out to be one FABULOUS month.
posted by ZEUS @ 10:29 AM, No comment,
Because I excite easily
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
So, apparently there are members of the 1Ls here at UW who regularly, or semi-regularly read Mackenzie's blog. You can check out his reaction here. The fact that he did not advertise it and somehow was found has me totally excited. Because I actually post there, and these random readers are people with which I am (at least) familiar. Ok, so I am living vicariously through a friend. I don't care.
The part that has me even more excited is that this may mean that I too have phantom readers! Ok, so I always knew this was a possibility. Everyone I know in the whole of the blogerverse has people who randomly follow their blog. Mackenzie and I even joked about the possibility of our Professors finding our blogs. (Because there are blogs about law professors finding their student's blogs.) Yet somehow, I still assumed that since my regular readers don't regularly comment, there maybe just wasn't anything interesting here. Then today I got to thinking about that. I realized most of Mackenzie's posts don't get comments, and most of them ARE interesting. And further yet, none of these phantom readers were commenting on his blog either..
I don't have a stat tracker yet, going to work on that with a friend over break, so .. .. if you are out there, say hey (or don't and retain your anonymity). I don't even really care if I know you. I promise to not let any of this go to my head.. heck how can someone who's alter ego is named Zeus let anything go to his head? I'll be cool in a couple days, until then I quote Syndrome: "hiding behind the bones of another super? Wow! I'm still geeking out over that one.!"
P.S. - Yes, I realize this post is a crass rip off of Mackenzie's method of soliciting comments from ghost readers. Dang it, I want to know too. So there!
posted by ZEUS @ 1:33 PM, No comment,
Taking Time
Sunday, December 05, 2004
With the approaching end of my first semester in Law School, and many friends ending tough semesters of their own, I have been thinking. We must all make a point to take some time for ourselves. Take a bath after a night of hard studying. Go see a movie before a big test in order to keep the world in perspective. Sit and breathe. Remember that in 2 weeks, it will all be over, and no matter what happens you still have to go on with the remainder of your life. Zeus is making plans to rent Dodgeball when it comes out on the 7th and seeing the new BLADE movie before the end of the week. These are happy things.
There will still be much studying and stressing. My hardest finals are this week, my parent's case is going to be at the Supreme Court on Tuesday, and I don't have Xmas decorations up yet! But there must still be time to walk amongst mortals. It is not pretty when Zeus gets stressed out - ask Florida.
posted by ZEUS @ 11:05 PM, No comment,
