Elvis Meets Nixon

Jumping the Shark

2006-09-20T18:31:00.000-05:00

There are many predictions being made about what crazy shit Bush will pull this fall before the mid-term elections. A big one is that we will start bombing Iran, after all, the group (Special Planning Group) the got us into Iraq has been reconvened by Bush to study the Iran issue. And by "study" I mean create enough fake inteligence to give the White House cover. Another one is that bin Laden has already been captured and they are waiting to announce (not very likely). The whole Diebold voting machine nightmare is fertile ground but shenanigans there are unlikely.
The truth is, with Bush, anything is possible. The man has a messiah complex and no learning curve. Fortunately for all of us, I believe the Neocon (authoritarian) experiment has run its course. I think it was really done last spring, don't ask me why, it just felt done. However we are stuck with Bush for another 2 years. This administration, like Happy Days in its last years, has completely run out of ideas and like all good sit-coms it is time for the Fonz to jump the shark. I think the worst thing Bush could do for himself is to fire Cheney and replace him with, say, Rice. Having Dick in the back room, like DeNiro in Casino, with a ballpeen hammer ready to F*** people up is Bush's only ace. Once he gets rid of Dick he will be completely screwed. For this reason, I think Cheney will announce his retirement in the next month and Rice will be announced as his replacement. Like I said, can anybody say Bush won't do something stupid. If anyone can think of a stupider thing this man could do please let me know.
At any rate, both the Senate and the House will turn Demcratic and then the fun will really begin. Unlike the mid-terms in 1994, the tide is only beginning to turn and 2008 will look like 1976 in terms of Democrats being elected. Good times.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jump_the_shark

The best time of year

2006-09-01T13:32:00.000-05:00

If had acres of land and nothing else to do I would grow unique strains of pumpkins. That's just the sort of horticultural geek that I am. Enjoy! I discused my 2006 pumpkin goals here: (http://elvismeetsnixon.blogspot.com/2006/06/return-of-elvis-meets-nixon.html). As you can see I did not get not get any of the white/blush pumpkins I was hoping for. So far, my 2004 seed batch which I collected from a single pumpkin has yielded 6 distinct phenotypes (they all look diferent). Of course I've already decide on the type I want but I will plant out more from the 2004 batch next season and I might get more varieties still. I will save the seeds from each type against the time I have more ground and the wherewithall to put screens/cages around the plants to control pollination.

Playing to his base

2006-07-26T10:29:00.000-05:00

It should be no uprise that Bush is allowing Israel to have its way in Lebanon. It isn't that he thinks the world will be safer with fewer non-christian or non-white people. What he is doing while doing nothing is playing to his base. I'm not talking about the small cadre of neocons who want just enough destabilization so that borders can be redrawn in the middle east, new oil extraction agreements can be created, and a new constiution created for the United States. No, I'm talking about his Christianist base for whom a safe and intact Israel is a necessary part of a developing Rapture fantasy. In this version of Christianity, Israel and the Temple Mount are the center of the world and the end of the world and Jesus can't pick his team for the big dodge ball game in the sky until the Temple Mount is under Jewish control. (http://www.mt.net/~watcher/date_set.html) is a good place to go for the crazy stuff.
Anyway, this is all just a repetition of everything else that is written about the crazy SOB at 1600 Pennsylvania ave. The well-being of the United States is put on the back burner once again as GW, the worst president in history, does some screwed up thing to either encourage the Christianists in their efforts to destroy the Constitution of the United States or to encourage the Neocons in their efforts to destroy the Constitution of the United States. Either way we all lose. Can we take another 2 years of this bastard?

Espalier

2006-07-14T11:46:00.000-05:00

This is an espalier, fruit trees on a trellis, apple in this case. Facing, on the left is a Calville Blanc d'hiver, and on the right is a Roxbury Russet. This is used to economize on space or to take advantage of a microclimate niche in a garden. In my case I wanted a trellis to break up the large expanse of the back of a split level and also I wanted to grow apples so it sort of came together.
The posts are 4x4's, the facing beam are 2x8's, the cross beams are 2x6's and the turnbuckle anchors are 2x4's I put the posts down about 24 inches in concrete. The facing beams are bolted in and the anchors are attached with screws to the posts. I believe the wire is a 9 gauge. The wire is attached with turnbuckles, ask for them at the hardware store. I stained with a water based stain called cinnamon chest. The width is 128 inches, the height is 90 inches, the depth is 21 inches. These dimensions fit the location I had available.
The location is against a painted wall facing straight west. The bed in front of the espalier is crowded but the angle of the sun means there will be a lot of exposure. The site is very shaded in winter getting very little direct light.
Early in the spring I lopped of the apple whips I had planted the previous summer. I made sure to leave some growth buds on the stumps. As the new growth has come up I make decisions about whether it will be the leader or if it will be trained to the wire with twine. It's not very nice yet but it will be amazing in a couple of years.

Botanic Gardens

2006-07-05T15:59:00.000-05:00

This is one of the bonsai trees at the National Botanic Gardens in Washington DC. I think this is a trident maple. It is amazing. It is almost 3 feet tall. It's pot is less than 4 inches deep. If you are going to be in DC, definitely go to the Botanic Gardens but definitely take a cab (Union station is good) because its in the boonies. Getting back will also be a hassle because the cab companies don't care at all but I think it is worth it. Troy, Janice, and I tried to go by the Metro. We asked the guy at whatever station we got off at and he said "Oh, about 6-8 blocks". We walked along and and asked a city worker and he said "Oh, 6-8 blocks". Of course we were miles away. We finally flagged a cab but he was from Virginia but he got us there. Besides seeing Thomas in a cap & gown at Georgetown, this is near the top of my DC trip.

The Return of Elvis Meets Nixon

2006-06-23T14:45:00.001-05:00

Elvis Meets Nixon is back from hiatus. Where, one asks, was I hiating? In class, at the library, in my back yard, at my community garden plot, and, somewhat regularly, at the Homy Inn over overly large glasses of Fat Tire with Matt, Kevin, Janice, John, and Beth, and recently Molly again. There was also a trip to DC in there somewhere (Shout out to CC!) to drink more beers with Thomas. Yes, a lot of obligations but suddenly, my calendar is not as full as it was and the pleading of the huddled masses yearning to breathe free reaches my ears and Elvis Meets Nixon is ready to return to the fight.
For the first time in 2 years I'm not taking any classes, I put the GRE out of its' misery last week, and my application to grad school is almost completed (for spring 2007). Most of the gardening is done, all there is to do is water and wait and pull the occasional weed. The black plum tomatoes are already going strong and the brandywines are set. The pumpkins are spreading and are about to put up the male flowers which precede the female flowers by about a week(ask me). I'm trying to refine a strain of pumpkin which is mostly white/blush with pale salmon and green vertical striping. The original source was a open pollinated Jarrahdale (Cucurbita maxima) which is a sort of jade-blue squash from Australia with flattish blossom end and squarish shoulders on the stem end. The first season I got all the whitish type which remind me of Iran's. The second season, last season, I got the whites again plus a big hubbard type (blue-green and oblong like a very large football. I'll post pics in the fall. Of course one can refer to Elvis Meets Nixon of (http://elvismeetsnixon.blogspot.com/2005/10/10-17-05.html) for photos from last year, the center one is a "fairytale pumpkin (C. pepo). We will see what this year brings. Of course, a few acres and a lot of time would make my experimentation go a lot easier. As I've said many times, this is the sort of nerd I am.
The thirst for good government is still unquenched. We watch the same games played to the same disastrous effects and we wonder if we can last the 2 more years the drunken fool has left in office. The neocons are still seeking to force a constitutional crisis is this country and for a while I thought they would win. Now, I'm not so sure they will destroy everything. They will continue to try.
Elvis Meets Nixon wishes to thank JCQ for the encouragement, keep the cards and letters coming. I can be contacted at elvismeetsnixonblog@yahoo.com or leave a message in the comments.

This Machine Kills Fascists.

South Africa 1979

2006-02-24T08:29:00.000-06:00

Yahoo, Google, and other American corporations are helping China maintain its murderous totalitarian regime by supplying the names of internet users to the Chinese government. The argument put forth by the corporations is this is the price of doing business in China. We must reverse this equation. Justice for all citizens, freedom from repression, and an open society must be the cost China pays for doing business with the world.

Divest Now!

China needs us more than we need China. China must have an outlet for manufactured goods. (Have you seen the container ships in San Francisco Bay?) China must have a supplier of raw materials. (Have you seen the iron ore boats leaving Lake Superior's North Shore in Minnesota?) China must have investment vehicles. (Have you seen how much US debt China has purchased?)

China needs us more than we need China.

Divest Now.

We forced change in South Africa. We can force change in China.

Divest Now.

Jobs, Justice, and Good Government

2005-11-29T09:15:00.000-06:00

We will fight. We will win. This machine kill fascists.

The United States of America is in dire staits. Over the last five years we have watched G. W. Bush, Dick Cheny, Karl Rove, and their cabal of neocons attempt to destroy this country. Budget surpluses have been squandered, the rule of law has been supplanted by rule of the rich, and the idea that government can serve as a bulwark against catastrophe like hurricanes has been supplanted by a neo-darwinism that the poor and disadvantage should occasionally be winnowed from society.
The professed goal of the neocons that the US government should be reduced in size until it can be drowned in the bathtub is no idle threat. G.W. Bush and the neocons keep creating budget crises in order to reduce the ability of the government to do anything. At a certain point the existence of the Federal Government will be pointless and the the United States government will have to be dissolved and a new political entity created. The Neocons know they will never achieve their aims under our current constitution. The Neocons will have an easier time creating an entirely new state than changing the current one.
While the above paragraph can be seen as a rant, why else would the Neocons seek to defund the Federal Government? The threat from Neocons to this country must be taken seriously.
Those commited to a just society must find and support good cadidates for all levels of government. The House of Representatives is a good target but also city councils, school boards, county commissioners, and all the rest. In the coming weeks this blog will seek to identify all elected positions in the great state of Nebraska.
Jobs do not just happen. Justice does not just happen. Good Government does not just happen. I we want a just society we must creat it.

We will fight. We will win.

Even My Nightmares Have Nightmares

2005-11-23T13:59:00.000-06:00

OK, worse case scenario: what if the whole Bob Woodward thing is part of some scary set-up by Dick Cheny. What if the whole idea all along was to string this out until it came out that Bush was the original leaker and is impeached and leaves office and then Cheny slithers in? I know I had a few Fat Tires down at the Homy Inn last night when this thought came to me but this still sounds plausible in the light of day. I don't think anyone will ever go broke betting on how sick and twisted the vice president of torture can be.
Happy Thankgiving to all.

Go Big Red

2005-11-15T21:07:00.000-06:00

Not so mighty as in the past but the glory will return.

Calling Dr. Mengele

2005-11-15T09:30:00.000-06:00

In Letter from Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963, Martin Luther King, jr. said "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere". I think this is the operative quote when we read the latest from the New Yorker http://www.newyorker.com/printables/fact/050711fa_fact4 . This article lays out the path we have taken in becoming a state the practices torture. It is a must read. To those of you who don't like long New Yorker articles, TS. This is your homework for the week. People are dying, our laziness make it possible. The gist of it is that the Pentagon is using Psychiatrists, psychologists, physicians, and other health workers to fine tune their torture practices. These people are largely from the SERE group in the US Southern Command.
Please read the New Yorker articl and send it to friends, especially conservative friends. Send it to everyone you know.

We will fight.
We will win.
This machine kills fascists.

The most important election no one talked about

2005-11-15T09:06:00.000-06:00

The most important election of the many last week was the election where one Democrat replaced another Democrat. The mayoral election of St. Paul Minnesota (fairly conservative for the great north) hinged on the support Mayor Randy Kelly had given to George W. Bush. Democrat Chris Coleman won with 69% of the vote. (http://www.startribune.com/stories/587/5715831.html)
This is important because it shows not only a lack of support by the mainstream voter but also a willingness to punish even supporters of our fine president. No one has talked about this election at all but it bears examination. I think the obvious lesson is that friends of human decency have to attach George Bush's and his failures to those who have made his failures possible. The other important point is this, St. Paul is largely Catholic and fairly conservative and yet the Democrats there (rightly the DFL http://www.dfl.org/) have been able to communicate to religious voters in Minnesota. Of course the religion of the great north tends towards the positive responsibilities of individuals to one another rather than the midieval cum calvinist concept of religion as an obligation to the state and suffering as an outward manifestation of sin more common to the non-north. Take the fuax (fox) piety away from the fascists.
Take some time and look at this election.

Peace.

Peaceful scenes from the east end of campus to view while contemplating our secret torture chambers

2005-11-08T20:09:00.000-06:00

This fall has been beautiful and mild. I took a few pics of the pines on the east end of campus. Think about this: no one doubts the existence of the secret CIA torture chambers reported in the Washington Post. That's how far we have fallen. Also notice the reports in Italian media of American use of white phosphorous (sp?) against civilians in Faluja.

Republican France

2005-11-07T12:59:00.000-06:00

It is at first suprising that the usual cast of neocon cheerleaders are not falling over themselves to wallow in the social unrest in France. I say at first because when one realizes that France is suffering from the results of governmental policies that acknowledge no protected classes one sees why the Neocons are loathe to draw any attention to the failures of France. The dissafected of France say they are protesting because a complete lack of of opportunity of upward mobility for anyone not "french" enough. While France bills itself as a place where all are equal and no one deserves special or protected status, the real result is not a classless society but a society where those too brown or too arabic are free not to be hired and free not to be allowed a decent place to live.
This is the Neocon ideal, no protection for anyone who wasn't smart enough to be born into a wealthy, christianist family. The unrest of France will be ours if we allow the neocons to gut laws which, oddly enough, simply say you have to treat people fairly.

Look at France and see the disorder the Neocons seek. I will address this idea of Noeconservatims/Fascism and its inexorable self distruction and movement toward chaos in future blogs. Right now I have a very important Genetis exam for which I must study.

At least we sang songs for Nelson Mandela

2005-11-02T08:50:00.000-06:00

When I was 15 or so I came across a book that that amazed me. The title of that book is "The Gulag Archipelago". In it, Alexandr Solzhenitsyn describes the prisons of the Stalinist USSR as separate but related islands dotting a sea. The book was actually published in 3 numbing, stunning volumes as a catalogue of crimes of the totalitarians and a tribute to the strength of those they sought to break. Reading of the latest revelation of the open secret of America's secret CIA prisons spread across the globe makes one wonder what books will be written about the times in which we now live. Think about it, if we torture and murder captives in our known gulags, what do we do to our victims in the secret gulags? Think about it, if the captives in our known gulags starve, mutilate, and kill themselves seeing in the self-inflicted increase of suffering a regaining of self-control and thereby dignity, what unbelievable horrors visit our victims in the dark corners of the endless nights of our secret gulags? Think about it, if the guards in our known gulags take photographic or digital souvenirs of their boredom and cruelty what bloody souvenirs are kept by the warders of our secret gulags?
Twenty years from now, when you are asked what you did when you learned of the terror and horror meted out in your name in Bush's secret gulags, what will you say? Will you respond with bland platitudes about how secret, faraway torture/homicides of somebodies' driver's nephew's neighbor made it safer for you in Omaha, Nebraska? What will any of us say? Silence is complicity.
What can we do? The way to kill a public thing is to make it secret. The way to kill a secret thing is to make it public. Talk to everyone you know about the crimes committed by the Bush administration. Bring it up in every conversation. Here is an example: Friend: "Boy, that was some game last night" You: "Yeah, watching that sure beat the hell out of being tortured to death in one of George Bush's secret gulags which are spread across the planet." It's that easy. Silence equals complicity.
We will fight. We will win. This machine kills fascists.

Fitzmas Eve

2005-10-27T21:28:00.000-05:00

So, I got an 87% on my most recent Algebra/Trigonometry exam. This was an important test because my previous exam grades have not been too strong and I was wondering if I had the chops to go on to Calculus I, the GRE, and grad school. Maybe I do.
Regarding Harriet Meiers, what's next? Are we going to get some torture proponent who's also pro-birth? I think Bush' next nominee will be a member of the federalist society who is proslavery, in favor of torture, pro-segregation, in favor of executing 2nd time misdemeanor offenders, christianist, against the rights of anyone who isn't wealthy and white, and oh yes, VERY PRO-BIRTH.
How did turning women into baby factories for the state become a Republican value? How did mortgaging our future to the totalitarian bastards in Bejing become a Republican value? How did sending soldiers into into harm's way without body armour become a Republican value? How did torture become a Republican value? How did the endangerment of America by appointing worthless cronies become a Republican value?
How? The Neocons, that's how. The Neocons ruined the Republican party and they want to ruin America. They are evil, bastards.
Well, it is Fitzmas Eve and I'm a little giddy but I remember the incredible despair I felt over the last 2 stolen elections so I'm relly reining it in. C'mon Paddy Fitz! Kick these treasonous F-sticks where it really counts.
Have a good weekend to anyone reading this. Please post a comment if you have time.

Vice-President Jeb Bush

2005-10-25T11:50:00.000-05:00

I've been toying with different themes for this second post and I've decided if I wait for the perfect idea I'll never write anything. What is on my mind most these days beside my make-or-break Algebra-Trigonometry test on Wednesday is the possibility of indictments being handed out this week. My biggest fear after no one being indicted is that Cheny gets the boot and is replaced on orders from Poppy by Jeb Bush. That is really what keeps me up at night. Jeb moves into number 2 spot, W starts acting slightly responsible, blames everything on those bad, bad neocons, and Jeb is positioned to carry on the dynasty. I know this is a little far fetched but its possible. Look at the appointment to Fed chair, W actually appointed someone qualified. I think he's starting to position himself as the misled monarch now freed from bad advisors. These are my scary nightmare. That and the dream I have where I can't remember the color or make of my car. Merry Fitzmas Everyone!

10-17-05

2005-10-17T15:10:00.000-05:00

Just a test post. This is my blog. I will write about agriculture, politics, economics, and whatever comes to mind. These are pictures of Pumpkins from my garden. Left to right: Cucurbita maxima "hubbard type", C. pepo "fairytale", C. maxima "Iran type".