Analytical

Bill's Brain
"Damn the consequences, give me the pen!"
Lewis Morris, signing the Declaration of Independence

Creative

December 2007

Pakistani Wet Dreams
Finally! It’s a cool December evening and I’m finally sitting down to the keyboard to spend a little time writing. The Christmas cards have been sent, the lights are hung on the house, and most of the holiday shopping is done. And there has been plenty of insanity in the news recently to put me in the holiday spirit, especially when that holiday is National Seething Hatred of Incredibly Stupid People in High Places Day, one of my personal favorites. Where do I begin? Let’s see, how about Pakistan? Ladies and gentlemen, the Stupid Train is leaving Pakistani Station, all aboard! Read more.

November 2007

Happy Thanksgiving!
I’d like to take a minute to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. I’m sure we all have many things to be thankful for, including the fact that we only have to put up with our boneheaded president for one more year! So much has been happening in the world of politics that I have a lot I’d like to write about, but somehow “work” has been occupying all my time lately. I need to figure out how to do less of that! Send me your tips and suggestions … please! The Brain wishes you and yours all the best this holiday season!

October 2007

Assorted Thoughts and Musings
Whew, what a busy couple months it’s been. There’s been no shortage of absurdity to write about but one thing after another has kept me away from the keyboard. I finally have a break in my “extreme home makeover” project so what am I doing? Relaxing? No!!! I’m writing. The only question is, where do I start? Well, more rats are leaving the sinking ship, George W. Bush descends further into his fantasy world, you were just volunteered to pay another $190 billion (surprise!), and the government sinks further into debt. And that’s not even the half of it. Read more.

August 2007

Executive Arrogance and Contempt
King George has been busy again trying to establish his supremacy over the land, asserting that no person, organization, or governing body has authority over him or anyone within his circle of fiends … uh … I mean circle of friends. No, on second thought, “circle of fiends” is more accurate. He’s been ordering members of his administration to ignore Congress, and making it crystal clear where he stands on issues like protecting the environment and children’s health. And what’s this I hear about some sort of war in a place called Iraq? What’s that all about? Read more.

July 2007

Do the Crime, Don’t Do the Time
President Bush has once again boldly asserted his complete and total disrespect of the law and the American justice system. This time it involves the case of former White House aide and diehard neocon Lewis “Scooter” Libby, who was convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice in the Valerie Plame case. Libby was found guilty and sentenced to two and a half years in prison, but Bush stepped in and commuted Libby’s prison sentence, allowing him to avoid going to jail. I don’t know abut you, but I think it’s time we all embraced the “Bush standard of justice,” it shouldn’t just be for the rich and powerful. Why should we ordinary Americans have to pay the price when we break the law? If “Bush justice” is good enough for the president and his cohorts, it’s good enough for us too! Read more.

June 2007

Judge Rules Against King George
Poor little Georgie Bush, he just hasn’t been having a good time of it lately. All he wanted to do was follow in his daddy’s footsteps. Just start a little war so he could look like a brave “war president,” give all his friends government jobs, make the rich richer and the poor poorer, declare himself a supreme ruler who is above the law, and then ride off into the sunset back to his Texas ranch so he could spend the rest of his days clearing brush or holding hands with Saudi oil sheiks or doing whatever sick twisted men do in Texas when they’re alone with a herd of cattle. But a little thing called “reality” keeps interfering with George’s grandiose plans. Read more.

Constitution? What Constitution?
The Constitution of the United States of America, is it the foundation of our country, setting forth the fundamental guiding principles of our nation, or is it just an old piece of paper, an irrelevant and outdated document? It all depends on who you ask. Recent events in Washington have made it clear which side the Bush administration is on, and to regular readers it’s certainly no surprise. Read more.

May 2007

It’s Over!!!
Whew, the semester is finally over. The last few weeks were a killer. Taking five classes, 13 units, was a lot of work on top of starting a business and trying to have some semblance of a life. I think I’ll just take one class at a time from now on. It was a great experience though, it reminded me how much I love learning, how great it is to be intellectually stimulated and to work with people who share your interests and passions. I feel like I want to continue taking classes for the rest of my life, there’s just so much to know, and knowledge always expands your horizons and gives you more possibilities. This experience of going back to school has made me realize how intellectually stagnant and unchallenged I was working in a corporate environment. My job had gotten to the point where I felt like I had to turn off 75% of my brain when I walked through the door, if I didn’t I’d go crazy. It was great to really use my brain again, to learn new things and develop new skills (including some that I thought I’d never have), to be challenged, and to once again realize all the exciting possibilities that life has to offer. Take my advice, if you’re feeling like you could use a little something extra in your life, look at your local community college, pick a class in something you’re interested in, and take it. I’ll bet you’ll be glad you did, you’ll be smarter and you’ll probably even make a few new friends.

The End is Near!!!
No, I’m not talking about the end of the world as we know it, I’m talking about the end of my back-to-college odyssey. The Brain’s blog has been quiet for a while now and that’s because I’ve been occupied with tons of homework. Insanely occupied, actually. As in “getting up at 2:00 AM – 3:00 AM most days so I can get 4-5 hours of work done before my 8:00 AM class” occupied. And working too, just to make it even more fun. But all of that is almost at an end. Today is my last day of regular classes and next week I have final exams, after that I’m taking a week off! I’ll have more time to write too, as the political hijinks have shown no signs of slowing down. Did you hear about how the National Guard doesn’t have enough people or equipment to deal with domestic problems because so many of their resources have been sent to Iraq? The neocons got their war, Halliburton is getting richer, and American citizens are left to fend for themselves - imagine that, what a surprise. And how about the group of retired generals who say that global warming contributes to social instability, and thus helps religious radicals and terrorists gain supporters for their causes? So by steadfastly refusing to do anything about global warming for so many years (and in fact making it worse) George Bush has been helping our enemies in yet another way. Gosh, another surprise. Of course none of these things are surprises to anyone who understands that they are all interconnected, one thing affects another, all you have to do is take off your blinders and THINK! And then there’s good old die-hard neocon Paul Wolfowitz, put in charge of the World Bank by his buddy GW, who has been bitten in the behind by his unethical behavior. An unethical member of the Bush administration, will the surprises never end? It looks like Wolfowitz will have to leave his position at the bank, which could be an unsettling development for the Bush administration. I’ll have to double-check my research, it’s been a couple years since I dug into this, but if I remember correctly the World Bank controls the funding for the International Criminal Court in the Hague, the court where certain US government officials would be tried for war crimes if it was discovered that they lied to start a war with a country that hadn’t attacked them. Putting Wolfowitz in charge of the bank gave Bush and his cohorts a way to shut down the court if they were ever charged with war crimes for their invasion of Iraq. I’ll be interested to see how this all plays out. Stay tuned for more! Onward to final exams!

April 2007

April was a really, really busy month for me. I opted for trying to get some sleep instead of writing. More to come!

March 2007

You Want Patience? I Got Your Patience Right Here
Oh what fun it’s been in the world of politics lately. Even though I’m certifiably insanely busy (I’ve been getting up at 2:00-3:00 AM lately so I can get work done before my classes, and as I sit here now I’m ready fall over onto the keyboard, so forgive me if this ends up being somewhat less than coherent) I just have to vent my spleen. Stand back, and I recommend wearing a washable apron. The thing that pushed me over the edge and made me put fingertips to plastic was George W. Bush’s call for patience with the Iraq war. Patience? I’ve got your patience right here George, so come and get it. Read More.