Worst. Deficit. Ever.

"President Bush's budget would produce deficits totaling $2.75 trillion over the next decade, the Congressional Budget Office projected Friday in the first authoritative look at the plan's longer-range implications."

The Veil of Secrecy

God bless Lisa Rein for posting this Bill Moyers special on the Bush administration's manner of secrecy.

Well shit, he's got my vote

New Paltz Mayor To Wed Gay Couples

The 26-year-old mayor of this Hudson Valley village says he will begin performing gay marriages Friday, calling it "my moral obligation."

Yay Jason West! For those of you unaware, my sister Aliza was West's campaign treasurer... (c/o Boogie Monster)

Allota Angina

It was reported today that at a White House staff meeting last week there was a heated discussion about the health of Vice President Cheney and his angina problem. President Bush interrupted and stated emphatically that "Men do not have anginas!" The president was especially perplexed when a staffer mentioned that Cheney has "acute angina."

Puff The Magic Candidate

"[When Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul & Mary] sang "Puff the Magic Dragon" at [a Kerry fundraising] event in a private home in Ames, Iowa, 'Kerry lifted his fingers to his mouth for a quick toke on an imaginary joint. You can almost see his thick mane of silver hair returning to the shaggy brown do of those days.'"

[Update] NarcoNews' Al Giordano goes in-depth on Kerry's pot positions.

yee haw frosty mug (of celebration cider)

&this little bug got into grad school. it's a brand new department, so i'll be in the inaugural class. many thanks for the support to those of you who extended it.

Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!

So as you can see, I have some plans. Ahhhh, a nice little decadent Roman Sunday.

Although the movie is gory, violent, and of course, maybe slightly anti-Semitic, given that the bible, although a spiritual base for more than a few religions, is really not the definitive source of how creation, history and attitudes, etc. Of the time frame it represents. This book is but one source. According to many reports of how Mr. Gibson came to this movie, there is still a lot of debate as to whether or not this film could even be called "historically accurate", or anything close to it.

Of course, there are going to be problems. When watching something of this nature, being that it is a live, dramatic visual creation of an even that could be seen to have changed the world, better or worse, there will of course be a bias filter of the creator. Same as with the Bible. History is remembered by those who remember. And given that Jesus died for all sin, even his death is forgiven, as that is one of the sad necessities of matrydom: Death. Sorry, kinda happens that way, no way around it. By the way, anyone complaining or a severe amount of gore and violence, remember, this is a crucifixion. It's not a walk in the park, nor a kids movie.

As for the anti-semitism, well, I'm not going to get into that, much. As for the curse, "His blood be on the hands of all of us and our sons (sic)", is nothing more than an overstatement. (And I thought the catholics were supposed to be the guilty religion?) Had Jesus not died in this manner, the world would be out a few large religions, a few minor cults, and numerous crazies running around. So at least in my own little head, there is no basis for anti-semitism, or the whole "Jews Killed Jesus" meme, as although the Romans were the people responsible, hell, for millions to have a religion, and a structure of belief, someone had to die. Could also be something that was just put in to make for a better read. Remember, the New Testament was compiled years after Jesus had died. So, immediately, that draws suspicion.

I feel like I am starting a huge fight, but really, if anything, this movie is nothing more than entertainment, on par with something like Stone's JFK, American Splendor or Steal This Movie. Yes, it is a movie based on fact, be it a small select group of them, (Apocrypha anyone?), but then again, certain embellishments, and the like, to sell tickets.

Anytime any religion is portrayed in, or as, art, there are people who are going to instantly jerk knees, point fingers, and just get all reactionary. Pisschrist, Joe Coleman's "Man Of Sorrows", and to say Arise! didn't step on some toes, who knows what I am forgetting.

"You think when Jesus comes back, he really wants to see another fucking cross???? 'Fuck'em Dad, let me bury dinosaur fossils with you. Yea, let's fuck with their heads'" Bill you are missed.
Maybe we're just being fucked with again. Should be a great movie.

Bush's Amendment

(c/o Discount Blogger)

Urban Outfitters Encourages Shoppers Not To Vote

A new t-shirt from Urban Outfitters bears the phrase "Voting Is For Old People," and perhaps intentionally encourages young people not to vote. This makes perfect sense considering that most young people will be voting against George W. Bush in the coming election, and that Urban's president is a gung-ho Republican and big-time contributor to Rick Santorum's PAC and senatorial campaign.

By the way...that kid really shouldn't be a model.

No RNC in NYC!

The NY Times chimes in on this summer's upcoming RNC demo. Heh, the article's by Michael Slackman, who quotes Bill Dobbs. Praise "Bob".

Andrew Sullivan Gets A Clue

The anathema that is queer Bush-supporter Andrew Sullivan made an about face yesterday, in response to Bush's proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, writing "[Bush] is proposing to remove civil rights from one group of American citizens - and do so in the Constitution itself," as if he were genuinely surprised that Bush would do such a thing!

As I wrote to Sullivan, hey Sully, where the fuck you been for three years? Bush has consistantly been diminishing the rights of women and people of color in this country, as well as left-wing activists and Arabs.

First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me.
Then they came for the homosexuals. You made your fucking bed...now who's gonna stick up for you?

What a jackass.

AIDS Vaccine vs. Monkey Torture

Scientists may have finally discovered an AIDS vaccine in the protein of a certain monkey that seems to be resistant to HIV infection.

Now, I know Starre HATES animal testing; but in cases such as this, can't you just make a little room for monkey torture?

Clear Channel Suspends Howard Stern Show

Howard Stern's first amendment troubles continue:

The nation's largest radio station chain announced Wednesday it was suspending shock jock Howard Stern's show after issuing new rules to limit indecency and address criticism of what airs on television and radio. Clear Channel Radio said it suspended broadcast of Stern's show after assessing the content of his show Tuesday.

"Clear Channel drew a line in the sand today with regard to protecting our listeners from indecent content and Howard Stern's show blew right through it," John Hogan, president and CEO of Clear Channel Radio, said in a news release. "It was vulgar, offensive, and insulting, not just to women and African Americans but to anyone with a sense of common decency."

I don't know...He's a Bush-loving scumbag in a big market. I'm inclined to say fuck him—he deserves it. But unlike his champion President, I respect the Constitution, so I'm more inclined to stand up for his right to spew vile garbage. Sigh. It's tough having convictions.

Don't Be Surprised When His Head Comes Home On A Platter

Welp, now that Georgie has fucked everything up—the environment, the budget, our schools, the war on terror, and everything else he gets his grubby little paws on—the "irrelevant" Osama Bin Laden (who is not on the Af-Pak border) is once again our top priority.

I swear, if this cocksucker pulls Bin Laden out of a hat come Election Day, my head's gonna explode.

Long Live Goatboy!

Tomorrow marks the 10th anniversary of the passing of late comedian Bill Hicks, who regretably died of cancer on February 26, 1994. Hicks was, by far, the greatest standup comic of the modern era—well, in so far as conspiracy theorists and psychedelic enthusiasts like myself are concerned. He hit upon subjects that others were afraid to touch, from evangelic Christianity to the Kennedy assassination, and did so with a remarkable wit that could bring reason to surface in the most dimwitted and befuddled of characters. 10 years after his passing, Hicks' legacy lives on—his routine becoming ever more popular with a generation that wasn't old enough to grok him his first time around. And deservedly so. His commentaries are timeless, such as that on the first Iraq war—which applies still yet to the current one; as well as his stance on marijuana and psychedelics as an evolutionary catalyst, which I myself draw upon in the first chapter of my book on Jews and drugs. Hicks was a bloomin' freakin' genius, I believe, and we are blessed to have had the short time we'd been granted with him.

In commemoration, I've posted his final HBO special, Revelations, to the APE. If you don't know what the APE is, I guess that's too bad. For those seeking initiation (an invitation I extend exclusively to Jakeneck staff), please contact me.

Porn To Run

A driver was nabbed in Schenectady, NY this week, for watching a porn movie while driving. Andre Gainey was stopped and charged with the public display of offensive material, driving with a suspended license and driving while watching a television, after police noticed porn eminating from the video screens embedded into his car's headrests and passenger-side visor. Gainey was also charged with forgery after providing police with a false name during fingerprinting. A DMV official noted that it is likely the first case of its kind in the state of New York.

It's certainly not the first in the nation, however... Playboy reported a similar incident which took place in North Carolina, in their January 2003 issue.

Fabricating Evidence

An administrator at a Michigan high school was caught planting pot in a student's locker in order to substantiate searching the student whom he suspected of drug dealing, and was thus bent on expelling. After his ploy failed, police are now contemplating whether or not to charge South Haven High School assistant principal Pat Conroy with marijuana possession. Conroy has since been placed on administrative leave.

Grey Tuesday @ Jakeneck

For those of you visiting us today using Internet Explorer, you might notice that the site has suddenly turned grey. The reason for this is that today is Grey Tuesday, a day of protest against EMI's legal action against DJ Danger Mouse whose recently released Grey Album (which blends the music of The Beatle's White Album with the vocals from Jay Z's Black Album) "infringes" upon their copyright, albeit a rather original, derivative work. In response, hundreds of bloggers are hosting copies of The Grey Album on their sites, including us (though we didn't sign up on the Grey Tuesday site officially, cuz lord knows we don't need our hoster getting a letter from EMI).

Sorry kids, party's over...FYI: We served about 26 copies total.

If you haven't heard the album, IMHO it's freakin' outstanding. I've never liked Jay Z, particularly because I could never get over how commercial his beats were. Danger Mouse's mix has given me the ability to not just stomach Jay Z, but to actually enjoy him. Now that I'm not caught up in how bad his music sucks, I can pay attention to his lyrics; and while I don't necessarily agree with his perspective, I now respect him and appreciate him as an MC. How's that for innovation?

Arnie Wants White House

I FUCKING KNEW IT

wanna see the script treatment i wrote about this two years ago?

I Love Ithaca

This is what's on everyone's lawn up here... Nothing pro-candidate, just anti-Bush. And I mean like, every lawn. The signs were produced by a local.

R is for Racketeering

"A New Jersey woman, one of the hundreds of people accused of copyright infringement by the Recording Industry Association of America, has countersued the big record labels, charging them with extortion and violations of the federal antiracketeering act."

Aw man, it's like Christmas.

Cheney's Staff Behind Wilson-CIA Scandal

Meh, dunno how we missed it, but here it is.

Bush's Superbowl Blunder

George Bush went out of his way to announce formally that he went to sleep long before the end of the first half [of the Superbowl].

What kind of all-American boy would say a stupid thing like that while he's running for re-election? Only a fool would deliberately insult the whole Football Nation, at a nervous time when polls show his Job Approval Rating plunging below 50 percent for the first time since he took office in January of 2001. That is like stabbing yourself in the back while you're preparing to fight for your life on a street corner. It is dumb, and so is the dingbat who told Bush to say it.

—Hunter Thompson for ESPN

Real Revolution

Check out this exceptionally interesting piece in a 1998 edition of the Egyptian weekly Al-Ahram, on what Palestinians can learn from the Black liberation movement.

priceless

(c/o wonkette)

flugenock art for rnc demo

click here to download

Chinpoko, chinpoko!

What is Kaiju Big Battel? I always knew the WWF was fake, thank god KAIJU is REAL! For those that don't know, pick up their new book "Kaiju Big Battel: A Practical Guide to Giant City-Crushing Monsters" available from Hyperion Books.

Click to see the action for yourself, but the videos don't do the live show or dvd justice. These cats have been written up in Playboy, FHM, Spin & the New York Post.

Oh yeah, looking for a squad? Don't sweat it, Dr. Cube has a posse.

We're Getting There

A majority of Americans believe President Bush either lied or deliberately exaggerated evidence that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction in order to justify war, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

The survey results, which also show declining support for the war in Iraq and for Bush's leadership in general, indicate the public is increasingly questioning the president's truthfulness -- a concern for Bush's political advisers as his reelection bid gets underway.

Praise "Bob".

More Hypocrisy

When Bill Clinton testifies about a blowjob, it's recorded for television. When George Bush testifies about 9/11 it's a private meeting. Tom Keane sure ain't Ken Starr.

fewer and fewer hands

Comcast to buy Disney.

Necknose Hoedown

Been seeing quite a number of new names surfacing in the shouts and under the comments recently; wanted to grant our new guests an opportunity to introduce themselves to the Jakeneck community. Feel free to let us know who you are and how you found us...And welcome, friends, to the family.

Why Dean Died

I've been struggling, trying to figure out why Howard Dean tanked so badly. And well, now, perhaps, it's a bit clearer. Following up on my recent entry about CBS going jingo-jingo for the Bushies, The Guardian notes that Dean's thorough lashing in the press may be a result of the fact that last year, Dean made statements about breaking up media conglomerates.

And in what is apparently the wisdom of not keeping all of one's chickens in the same basket, it also seems that Viacom (CBS) and Fox are bankrolling Kerry's campaign. I wonder if any of the execs over there are also Skull N' Bones.

It's all very reminiscent of that one scene in Spin where Larry King suggests to Bill Clinton that Ted Turner would be willing to "serve" him. The idea of a media mogul intentfully serving the interests of the state should be apalling to any truly patriotic American. The press is, after all, supposed to be the people's role in our system of checks and balances. The press is supposed to root out corruption, not capitulate to it.

Anyhow, some things to think about: Rupert Murdoch is apparently a stooge for Communist China. He's built several state-run news agencies for the Chinese government. If he's willing to help a dictatorial government spread propaganda and lies via newsmedia there, it should be beyond apparent that that's exactly what he's doing here.

Next—what is the end result of permitting gluttonous media ownership? Adbusters (in their recent and now sold-out issue) has an interesting case example, as given by a CanWest journalist. But here's another one: Brazil, where one exceptionally jingoistic and politically entrenched company, Globo, owns 70% of the national media market, and where journalists live in fear of more than just losing their jobs. The company came into power by aiding the previous military dictatorship of Brazil in disseminating propaganda, earning the company its nickname, "The Ministry of Information." Globo, by the way, is Fox's partner in the Spanish-speaking digital cable venture Sky TV.

Now that the senate has granted corps the rights to 39% of the market, what's to ensure we have any accuracy or honesty in our newsmedia? What checks and balances remain for us the people to keep, not just our reporters honest, but their bosses as well?

McCarthy Lives

In what may be the first subpoena of its kind since the Communist-hunting days of the 1950s, a federal judge has ordered a university to turn over records about a gathering of anti-war activists.

In addition to the subpoena of Drake University, subpoenas were served this past week on four of the activists who attended a Nov. 15 forum at the school, ordering them to appear before a grand jury Tuesday, the protesters said.

Federal prosecutors refuse to comment on the subpoenas, served by a local sheriff's deputy who works on the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force.

In addition to records about who attended the forum, the subpoena orders the university to divulge all records relating to the local chapter of the National Lawyer's Guild, a New York-based legal activist organization that sponsored the forum.

Holy-fucking-hell!

From Passive Digressive, a nice piece of interactive Internet propaganda... Oh, and try typing "miserable failure" in Google.

senate relaxes media ownership rules; cbs, fox can own 39%

so cbs bans moveon's ad, and cancels the reagans. why? you gotta wonder why...

welp, after congress threw a monkey wrench in michael powell's plans to sell our mental environment out to the glorps, booya, legislation snuck past we the people this week which empowers media corps to own up to 39% of the national market. good news for sumner redstone and rupert murdoch, who in fact own 39% of the national media market, each.

the original legislation approved by congress (after the fcc uproar) permitted up to 34% (still excessive, by my standards), but the corps continued to push for 45%. i guess the reward for helping deliver an election is our unwittingly-offered undivided attention.

pssst...follow the money. (c/o boogiemonster)

it's the hypocrisy, stupid!

spike lee says janet jackson (who recently bared her breast during the superbowl—oh the horror, a woman's breast—run in fear) has reached "a new low".

"What's gonna be next? It's getting crazy, and it's all down to money. Money and fame. Somehow the whole value system has been upended."

yeah, ok spike. how 'bout you give all the money you made from your nike commercials to the sweatshop laborers who made a pittance manufacturing the goods you were hawking for primo cheese and then talk shit about janet's titty?

asshole.