The Dusty Dog

Photos of the Day

A different "take" on the Lighthouse.....



Common Chicory, with a bee....

posted by Dusty Dog at 8/31/2006 | 2 comment(s)

Bill Maher's Analogy

I think this is priceless. Maher wrote a small piece for the Huffington Post, about his take on Rumsfeld. In Rumsfeld More Stubborn Than Bush, Maher chides Rummy for taking over three years to realize that maybe the U.S. doesn't have enough troops in Iraq. Just maybe...........

The morgue in Baghdad counted more than 1,800 bodies last month, which was a record high. Or a normal month in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. But this month, the morgue is on track to receive less than a quarter of that. Why? Because we've redeployed 8,000 U.S. soldiers and 3,000 Iraqi troops to Baghdad and sent them on house-to-house sweeps for militants and weapons caches. In other words, we've knocked Baghdad back from complete and total madness to borderline chaos.

Geez, it's almost like more soldiers works better. And it only took three years to figure this out.

Of course, the forces weren't added; they were moved from other parts of the country, which will now descend back into complete and total madness. Whack-a-mole, as they say.

posted by Dusty Dog at 8/30/2006 | 2 comment(s)

Photos of the Day

Two photos, to be exact. I'm trying to teach myself how to properly use my long lens, my Sigma 70-300mm tele macro lens. It's not easy, and I've taken a lot of really bad shots. Zuki is one of my more cooperative subjects.

This first shot was taken with the telephoto lens. I love that neck fur. Very wolf-like. But, those ears are pure German Shepherd.



This second image, also telephoto, was taken from across the yard. Zuki is nicely framed by the Yews that are planted on either side of the steps up to my porch. I think she plays a very important part in why my cottage doesn't get robbed when I'm at work. :-)



Maybe tomorrow I will successfully capture something macro to post here. Weather permitting.......

posted by Dusty Dog at 8/26/2006 | 3 comment(s)

Appauling Hypocrisy

There was an article in the NYTimes a few days ago, called Iran Exhibits Anti-Jewish Art. They say it's to point out the hypocrisy of the west in its portrayal of Muslims. Bullshit. The thing that this exhibit really portrays and solidifies is the hatred of Muslims against Jews. It perpectuates this kind of hatred. It perpetuates an institutional hatred of of one religion over another.

I was really rather appauled, not by the article, but the premise of the exhibit, of course. Can you imagine the Metropolitan Museum of Art, or the Modern Museum of Art displaying such a racist pile of hooey? What would happen if one of these New York museums displayed an anti-Muslim exhibit? Talk about hypocrisy. And, to make it all worse, it's a goddamm contest. It's a contest about who can contribute the most creative anti-semetic image. I think the Tehran Museum wins that prize.

The cartoons are among more than 200 on display in the Palestinian Contemporary Art Museum in central Tehran in a show that opened this month and is to run until the middle of September.

The exhibition is intended to expose what some here see as Western hypocrisy for invoking freedom of expression regarding the publication of cartoons that lampooned the Prophet Muhammad while condemning President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran for questioning the Holocaust.

The cartoons of Muhammad, first published in September 2005 in a Danish newspaper, were widely condemned by Muslims as blasphemous. They prompted riots in many countries, which left some people dead and several European embassies burned by demonstrators.

But, there's a BIG difference between this Iranian exhibit and the cartoon that sparked all the riots. One was a cartoon. Period. Given the right of free speech, so what? It was a fucking cartoon published by a newspaper. Period. However, Muslims seemed to take such umbrage over it that people died from the riots. Goddamm, how stupid is that.

On the other hand, this museum exhibit, with over two hundred cartoons and other images, will NOT illicit any kind of riots by Jews around the world. Why is that, do you suppose? Maybe it's because Jews around the world (I'm not talking about the Israeli military) are not prone to rioting every time someone insults us. Miggod, if we did, and given the anti-Semitic prevalence around the world, Jews would never stop rioting.

I know it's tough to be hated. As a Jew, I know that lots of people hate me. They don't know me personally. They just hate me because I'm Jewish. That includes the white supremists, Muslims, Islamists, Christian evangelicals, and whoever else. Thing is, I don't hate people because of their religions. I really don't. I find that I hate people because they hate me first. That sounds kind of juvenile, but given the violent tendencies that those who hate me display, they scare me. It's a violent hatred, wherein, given the opportunity, I think they'd kill me just as soon as spit on me. I'm not talking about just a bit of racism. I'm talking about a systemic, institutional belief that Jews are vermin, or satanic, or Christ-killers. I reiterate... It's not about their religious beliefs. I could give a rat's ass how or what or who they worship. I hate them for hating Jews.
Does that mean I'm going to take up arms and start rioting in the streets, burning tires, smashing windows, killing people because Tehran Museum exhibits hate against me, as a Jew? Of course not. So, why do Muslims think it's OK to behave in such a manner when the Danes published a stupid cartoon? Goddamm, I don't get it. I never will. In fact, if they think the world is out to get them, then that kind of behavior does nothing but solidify animosity against them. Hello............ And, DOH!

posted by Dusty Dog at 8/26/2006 | 4 comment(s)

Photo of the Day

I was worried about the Itty Bitty Yofi getting snatched by good-intentioned passers-by who were looking to "save" a stray, or from getting hit by a car. So, I bought the brightest, most reflective break-away cat collar I could find at the pet store. It's bright. It's reflective. And, the red threads are fraying. Yofi now looks a bit ridiculous. But, he doesn't know that.

posted by Dusty Dog at 8/22/2006 | 0 comment(s)

Whatever Worked???

It worked for the Nazis. It worked for the Bushies in 2004. But, this evil strategy is starting to wane for them. People are finally seeing this rhetoric as nothing but fascist bushshit. On the war on terror, per ABC News:

Much of the Republicans' problems reflect President Bush's in general, and the Iraq War in particular. By a 15-point margin, Americans are less likely rather than more likely to vote for a candidate who supports Bush's policies in Iraq. That soars to a 44-point margin among liberals, underscoring Sen. Joseph Lieberman's trouble in his Democratic primary tomorrow. But it also reaches more broadly: Moderates are 27 points more likely to oppose a candidate who favors Bush's war policies; Independents, 25 points.

On the economy, per the Economist's View:

The Newsweek poll asked people which political party they trusted to address a series of issues. By 53 percent to 34 percent, respondents trusted Democrats more than Republicans to do a better job with the economy.

Even Fox News can't ignore the numbers:

NEW YORK — Less than four months before Election Day, the latest FOX News Poll finds that voters strongly favor the Democrats on key issues such as the economy and gas prices, and give the minority party a double-digit lead for control of Congress this fall. For most of President Bush’s second term in office, more Americans have said they disapprove than approve of his job performance and that is again the case in this new poll.

There is hope. Let's keep it alive.

posted by Dusty Dog at 8/22/2006 | 3 comment(s)

Speaking of voting.....

New Zogby Poll On Electronic Voting Attitudes
Monday, 21 August 2006, 11:00 pm
Article: Michael Collins
New Zogby Poll: It’s Nearly Unanimous

A recent Zogby poll documents ground breaking information on the attitudes of American voters toward electronic voting. They are quite clear in the belief that the outcome of an entire election can be changed due to flaws in computerized voting machines. At a stunning rate of 92%, Americans insist on the right to watch their votes being counted. And, at an overwhelming 80%, they strongly object to the use of secret computer software to tabulate votes without citizen access to that software.

.....snip............

Viewing vote counting will soon become a process of watching computers, somewhat akin to watching the radio, but without sound. Secret vote counting with computer software that citizens cannot review is now a fait accompli. Most contracts between boards of elections and voting equipment manufacturers bar both elections officials and members of the public from any access to the most important computer software; the source code that directs all the functions of the voting machines, including vote counting.

..............snip............

The supreme irony is that HAVA was sold to Congress as the solution to the problems of the Florida 2000 election. Of course, we now know that as many as 50,000 black Floridians were wrongly removed from the voting rolls through a highly suspect “felon purge” that missed felons but captured legitimate registered voters. And we know further that over 100,000 ballots in mostly black precincts were disqualified due to the old voter suppression standby, “spoiled ballots. ” Neither of those voting rights and civil rights problems is addressed by HAVA. It’s all about “the machines.”

Something to seriously think about as we move towards November. If the repugs, via Diebold and the likes of Blackwell are responsible for the vote counting, it's a fairly safe bet that the repugs will maintain control of the house. They are already proven liars, thieves and scoundrels. If the dems are in charge, which is highly unlikely given that they are the minority party, then I hope like hell that they don't fall for the tactics that the Floridians and the Ohians resorted to in 2000 and 2004, respectively. All I really want to see is an honest, fair and open election process. Isn't that something we, as Americans, so highly tout around the world? And, after the day is done, I sure as shit hope the repugs are given the boot.

posted by Dusty Dog at 8/22/2006 | 0 comment(s)

Midterm Elections Quickly Approaching

I was driving home from work this evening, listening to NPR's All Things Considered. There was a segment about how badly dubya is doin' in the polls, which is now at a 61% disapproval rating for his Iraq debaucle. Then, there's a recording of him saying (and I'm paraphrasing) that "he cares what people think about the job he's doing, he really does, and he understands that people are feeling somewhat discouraged about the situation in Iraq." Discouraged? DISCOURAGED???!!! I'm not discouraged. Most, if not all of the 61% are not discouraged. We're disgusted. Completely and totally disgusted. And outraged. And I, for one, was completely disgusted and outraged from the very beginning, before the march to war.

I'm just waiting for the Dems to take Congress in '04, so the impeachment proceedings can begin. The dumbass cockroach and his dick and all the others lied like rugs to get the Iraq invasion "approved" by Congress. They aren't even admitting that they used 9/11 as a pretext for the war. Dubya is saying "we never said Iraq was responsible for 9/11." Excuse me, but he did. His dick did. They lied, and our soldiers are dying by the thousands. Iraqis are dying by the thousands.

And, in order to maintain this gigundo fiasco, they have had to sidestep the Constitution over and over. They've lied and they've broken laws, which qualify as high crimes and misdemeanors. I suggest you read Old American Century's 14 Points of Fascism, and compare what's happening in this country to what happened in Germany in the run-up to WWII.

Yeah, this is all old rants, old news, old issues. But, we're quickly moving forward to the November elections. And, that's a big deal. I think that this may prove to be one of the most important midterm elections in modern American history. And, I think the repugs know it. What I fear is another series of voter roles being purged by a repug-loving company; a bunch of easily manipulatable electronic voting machines; conflicts of interest between election commissions and their chairpeople who are prone to stealing elections. I suspect that an awful lot of corruption comperable to the stealing of the 2000 and 2004 elections will resurface.
Be afraid. Be very afraid.

posted by Dusty Dog at 8/21/2006 | 1 comment(s)

Photo of the Day

It's hard to think about politics when I'm having so much fun with my new camera.

A Snowy Egret and a juvenile Black Crowned Night Heron were doing battle to maintain this prime feeding ground. The bait fish were jumping out of the water like crazy. It's not a tack sharp image, but I GOT THE SHOT! Click to enlarge

posted by Dusty Dog at 8/19/2006 | 3 comment(s)

Photo of the Day

Click on image to enlarge

posted by Dusty Dog at 8/16/2006 | 4 comment(s)

Two Photos

..... from yesterday's walk with my dusty dog.

posted by Dusty Dog at 8/06/2006 | 2 comment(s)

The Blind Leading The Blind.........

As I wrote my last article, one thing that has become astoundingly clear is that I really know nothing about Hezbollah. I call them "street thugs" because I've heard that term used about them in the past. I "hate" them because they are committed to the destruction of the State of Israel, which is what I had previously read and heard.

One thing that has become astonishingly clear (for lack of a better word) is that we, as a presumably educated society, can no longer, if ever, take what we read and hear on face value. Things are not always what they seem. My attempts to maintain my ambivalence about this whole Israel/Hezbollah crisis has taught me that Israel is not always the good guys; not always the fair player. Have they ever been? I'm not so sure about anything, anymore.

I am trying to understand. I'm really trying.

In my efforts to understand, I came across this article, called Hizballah: A Primer. It seems to be very well written, and certainly gives what appears to be a fair approach to analyzing Hezbollah's history and mission. But, it also accuses Israel of very severe atrocities and violations of the Geneva Conventions. Did Israel really commit thse barbaric acts of rape and pillage? Did Israel really plant 300,000 land mines throughout southern Lebanon? I've never seen these reports before, and certainly I'd like to see verification of this. I guess I struggle with accepting Arab accounts of events, though generally have taken Israeli accounts on face value. I continue to be miserably confused. Is this borne of the fact that I am Jewish, and generally cannot support any group/government/movement that calls for the destruction of the State of Israel and of Jews. I certainly do not call for the destruction of Lebanon, the Palestinians, or Arabs, in general. I just want them to recognize Jews and Israel. Is that too much to ask of them? Apparently so.

But, this report refutes this claim of what I believed the Hezbollah to be. In fact, it dismisses the "Open Letter" to be old history and no longer relevant. Is this true? I dunno. I'm just trying to be fair and understand.

Of particular note in this report are these statements:

While it has many political opponents in Lebanon, Hizballah is very much of Lebanon -- a fact that Israel’s military campaign is highlighting.

A third element in the US insistence on labeling Hizballah a terrorist group is related to the notion that Hizballah’s raison d’etre is the destruction of Israel, or “occupied Palestine,” as per the party’s rhetoric. This perspective is supported by the 1985 Open Letter, which includes statements such as, “Israel’s final departure from Lebanon is a prelude to its final obliteration from existence and the liberation of venerable Jerusalem from the talons of occupation.”

“While Hizballah’s enmity for Israel is not to be dismissed, the simple fact is that it has been tacitly negotiating with Israel for years.” Hizballah’s indirect talks with Israel in 1996 and 2004 and their stated willingness to arrange a prisoner exchange today all indicate realism on the part of party leadership.

Since 2000, Lebanon has also been awaiting the delivery from Israel of the map for the locations of over 300,000 landmines the Israeli army planted in south Lebanon.

Israel’s initially stated goal of securing the release of the two captured soldiers has faded from Israeli discourse and given way to two additional stated goals: the disarmament or at least “degrading” of Hizballah’s militia, as well as its removal from south Lebanon. According to an article in the July 21 San Francisco Chronicle, “a senior Israeli army officer” had presented plans for an offensive with these goals to US and other diplomats over a year before Hizballah’s capture of the two soldiers. Though Israel is not in compliance with several UN resolutions, the Israeli army appears to be attempting singlehandedly -- though with US approval -- to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1559.

It is unclear how the aerial bombardment of infrastructure and the killing of Lebanese civilians can lead to any of these goals, especially as support for Hizballah and the Islamic Resistance appears to be increasing. Outrage at Israel’s actions trumps ideological disagreement with Hizballah for many Lebanese at this point, and as such, it is likely that support for the party will continue to grow.

This last statement is really the crux of why I believe Israel is blowing it here. What are they thinking? Why are they thinking this? What are they hoping to achieve? Or, is a real mission so muddied by the conflict now, that Israel is mired in a quagmire? I can't help but think that if Israel follows the path of the American neocons who support them, then they'll blindly follow them over the cliff into an abyss from which extrication is all but impossible. Does the Iraq quagmire ring any bells? It all saddens me so much.

posted by Dusty Dog at 8/05/2006 | 2 comment(s)

Ambivilence and Peace

Joe Conason wrote an article for the New York Observer, called Dysfuction Rules In The Middle East. It truly resonates with me. He seems to somehow solidify my feelings about the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict. As many of my readers have already figured out, my feelings are very ambivilent.

According to Conason,

The government of Israel appears to suffer from the same mental and moral dysfunctions that afflict the Bush administration: an urge to wage war without any plausible objectives, any viable plan for disengagement, or any rational assessment of costs and benefits. Israel’s second invasion of Lebanon, only weeks old and with considerably more justification, is already beginning to resemble the American invasion of Iraq.

My friend, mike b., made that rather disturbing comparison last week in a comment/response to my July 23rd article, They Both Make Me Sick. Mike b. said,

To destroy so much of Lebanon's infrastructure in the hope it will turn people against Hezbollah isn't very bright, but then is Israel really employing collective punishment against Lebanon? Or is this like attacking Iraq because of September 11?

And, therein lies my ambivilence. But, back to Joe Conason's article.......

Just as American policymakers badly miscalculated what would be required to occupy and stabilize Iraq after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, so Israel appears to have underestimated what kind of resistance its forces would encounter in driving Hezbollah from southern Lebanon. The Americans failed to anticipate the ruinous effects of the war and occupation on our international reputation and national interest. The Israelis somehow failed to recall the terrible stain on their national image left by their last incursion.

There is no American strategy for the Middle East. There is only crisis management, performed incompetently, and slogans about “democracy” and “evil” and “terrorism.” From somewhere inside this intellectual vacuum, the voice of President George W. Bush assures us that things are getting better in Iraq.

I really do hate that the Hezbollah, whom I consider to be dirtbags of the worst kind, are firing rockets, initially without provocation, into Israel. They began this lastest bloody conflict. At the very least, they should be held accountable for that. But, Israel's response was, and still is, so over the top, as to solidify a world against its otherwise "high ground" on this particular event. Now, it's a quagmire they've created with their indiscriminate raining of bombs and bloodshed into Lebanese neighborhoods.

Don't get me wrong. Hezbollah's only strategy ever is to fire rockets indiscriminately into Israeli neighborhoods. That is how they operate. Their mission is to destroy the Zionist "vermin" using whatever terrorist tactics their deranged minds can conjure up. But, I sure would have liked to see Israel take a more measured approach to the situation than raining bombs over Lebanon. The price they are paying for this knee-jerk reaction is too high. The price that the Lebanese are paying is immeasurable. In fact, all the Israelis are accomplishing is solidifying a commitment by the Lebanese and other Arabs to the Hezbollah mission. Smacks of what the Americans are accomplishing in Iraq, doesn't it?

We've all heard the expression, "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind." Now, we are watching it play out in a horrific way in the Mideast. Do I know what the solutions are? Hell no. It's beyond my understanding of Mideast politics and peoples. But, I am quite certain that whoever is running this fiasco has no better grasp of the situation than I do. Olmert is just Sharon reincarnate. (Forgive me for speaking this way of a man still alive. But, functionally it's the same difference.) I certainly was never a fan of Ariel Sharon when he was "functioning", and always felt that peace was unachievable until both Arafat and Sharon left the stage. Well, I was wrong. Things are as bad, if not worse than before. And, I haven't even raised the dubya dummies' intervention. That's another shameful exercise in futility. After all, how can they discuss peace between Israel and Lebanon while they're busily immersed in their own Iraqi fiasco. That would seem rather hypocritical, wouldn't it?

Israel had a chance to negotiate with Lebanon and possibly the Hezbollah, though I have very little hope that negotiating with the party of god would have resulted in any successful outcome. Therefore, Lebanon was the primary hope for negotiations. Israel even had the UN Resolutions on their side, by insisting that Lebanon exercise its authority, with the help of the UN possibly, to dismantle Hezbollah, and maybe get the soldiers back, thereby ending the standoff. But no..... they had to flex their military muscle. Now, hope is but a glimmer in the distance, so far away that it is all but gone, if something isn't done soon. What is that something?

STOP THE FUCKING BOMBINGS. Goddamm, give peace a chance.

Art by Sergey Shutov

posted by Dusty Dog at 8/04/2006 | 3 comment(s)

My New Camera

My new camera was finally delivered yesterday. I'm so happy with my new Nikon D50, that when asked if plunging into the bay with my Panasonic FZ30 was worth it, I now sheepishly say "yes." At the time, I was way too depressed about losing that camera. Yet another bump in the road of life, and I landed on my feet. So, here are a few of my first shots. They're not great, but I'm in learning mode. I haven't used an SLR since I switched over to digital with my Olympus C2100 a few years ago. Basics still apply, but with some digital issues to figure out. I'm having fun.

Click on these to enlarge them.....

Zuki, my 110 lb couch puppy


A bee on the purple flower


Itty Bitty Yofi on my doggie furry rug

posted by Dusty Dog at 8/03/2006 | 2 comment(s)