Bad idea on a bad day

This is very sad.. I do not believe in the death penalty.. even for brutal dictators.. he should be in jail like Pinochet and the others, not killed as some political move. It is even worse to do it in haste and on a holy day which will only increase resentment and retaliation.



"Arab pilgrims in Mecca expressed outrage on Saturday that Iraqi authorities had chosen to execute former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein on a major religious holiday, saying it was an insult to Muslims.

Sunni Arabs at the haj were shocked at Saddam's hanging which followed his conviction for crimes against humanity against Iraqi Shi'ites. "His execution on the day of Eid … is an insult to all Muslims," said Jordanian pilgrim Nidal Mohammad Salah. "What happened is not good because as a head of state, he should not be executed."

The Eid al-Adha, or Feast of the Sacrifice, marks biblical patriarch Abraham's willingness to kill his son for God. Muslim countries often pardon criminals to mark the feast, and prisoners are rarely executed at that time.

...But many felt Saddam's execution would only worsen sectarian violence in Iraq.

"This is unbelievable. Things will not improve in Iraq now that Saddam is dead," said a Syrian pilgrim, Abu Mostafa. "There will be more violence and more Arab anger toward the West."

Read it Here

Let's hope we don't see much of him next year!

Great! I lost the car keys to Hapa :(

I wasn't too worried until I read this.. they're somewhere on the beach I'm sure! at least I could walk home!!



update: A GREAT samaritan hung them on the fence at "the wall" :)

Hope the Presents get there soon!

Sorry Matt, the box didn't get there! We tried, I just hope it's not lost :(

Matt & Val, it's back to your cube.. I'll call a cube fabricator!

Christmas in Iraq

Here's his letter

Merry Christmas!!!

These people have too much time on their hands, but they have the xmas spirit

Here's the one from last year to the same song, "Wizards in Winter" by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

I'm all for exercising with dogs, but this is weird!

He believes but unfortunately it takes more than that!

In case you missed the Tsunami!

John should call it the Weekly Sub-Standard!

Those guys were a tool for the administration and help mislead people into this war, and this Kristol still uses the same "we haven't been attacked again" crap.. John mentions Spain and England and Bill changes the topic.. jerk

So this is how Repugs deal with leaders they don't like :(

And to think she will become the ranking Republican member of the House International Relations Committee when Congress reconvenes next month! I wonder what she wants to do with the remaining leaders of the "axis of evil"...



'Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has made a very serious accusation against the team who made the films,'' Cannell said Tuesday. ``You can't get more serious than that in terms of an accusation of gross professional wrongdoing.

''Her accusation is completely, totally false,'' he added. ``I'd like her to retract what she said and to apologize.''

Ros-Lehtinen, an ardent Castro opponent, declined to comment Tuesday on the unedited tape. Read here

Hope Bambu's acupunture helps :)

Bambu will never hunt again :(

Bambu was hit by a car tonight and may of lost permanent use of his front leg :( He is one sad kitty! He damaged his brachial plexus under his armpit and hopefully, it will heal enough to walk on it.. very sad! His hunting days are definetly over, but maybe he'll "catch" other things like the kitty below :)

Update: he's back to killing.. I guess his thirst for blood was too strong..



NEW YORK -- Willy, a 1-year-old cat is photographed with a display of several pairs of garden gloves that he took from unknown yards in his neighborhood in Pelham, N.Y. Willy has brought home nine pairs of gloves and five singles over several weeks laying them on his owners' front or back porches. (07/25/06 AP photo)

Here's more funny pics :)

YOU are TIME's Person of the Year

I'm all for celebrating the people that take the time to look up facts and post them on the internet... however, the people taking their poll had another selection that was not quite the answer TIME/CNN wanted :) So TIME tossed out the people's choice and went with something that might keep them quiet :( Here's what TIME said....

"Who are these people? Seriously, who actually sits down after a long day at work and says, I'm not going to watch Lost tonight. I'm going to turn on my computer and make a movie starring my pet iguana? I'm going to mash up 50 Cent's vocals with Queen's instrumentals? I'm going to blog about my state of mind or the state of the nation or the steak-frites at the new bistro down the street? Who has that time and that energy and that passion?

The answer is, you do. And for seizing the reins of the global media, for founding and framing the new digital democracy, for working for nothing and beating the pros at their own game, Time's Person of the Year for 2006 is you."

Read it here

but their poll of the public thought someone else should get it! Can you imagine what the wingnuts would say if he got it? Apparently giving the oil profits to the poor makes him a horrible man!

About Face! Soldiers Call for Iraq Withdrawal

It seems more soliders are speaking out against this war and are signing a petition for withdrawl.. too bad they didn't do it years ago!



Read the article here

"Lisa"--20 years old, E-4, USAF, Stationed at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii:

"I joined up two weeks after I turned 17 because I wanted to save American lives. I wanted to be a hero like any American child.

I supported the war when I joined because I thought it was justified. Only after my own research and the truth coming out did I learn how wrong I was, how--for lack of a better word--how brainwashed I was.

Now I know the war is illegal, unjustified and that our troops have no reason for being there.

When I saw an article about the Appeal in the Air Force Times I went online right away and signed it and have encouraged others to do the same."

If we fed the world with the money we spend on bombs...

Bush, the "decider", won't do anything till next year... but he says hears the voices!

Let's hope no one is injured or killed in Iraq while he parties.. nice to know he can sleep at night, after 2937 Americans have died in his war of choice...

"People's interviewer also mentioned that readers had asked if he takes sleep aids. Bush said generally not, but he does occasionally when he travels.

“I must tell you, I'm sleeping a lot better than people would assume,” he said."

Despite all the facts, I don't think people will change :(

But these guys seem determined...

Vegetarians ARE more intelligent!

I'm not surprise to find out that studies have shown what I've known all along! If anyone really THOUGHT about it, they wouldn't eat meat if they didn't have too :(

Smarter kids become vegetarians..

Read it Here

and adult vegetarians have higher IQs

Read it Here

And they are sexier ;)



and talented :D



and have a great sense of humor!



They also have great taste in music :)



And most importantly, they are also more compassionate :)

Well, good riddance to the lazy bums!

Good luck getting the job, Val!

you can always be a santaland elf :)



Here's the full piece done by an elf himself

He'll decide what to do AFTER his vacation...

Obama makes an announcement :)

He's a funny guy..

Bush doesn't like any type of study group :)

Out of the mouths of babes..

Of course, she has a good point.. especially after ANOTHER preacher in Colorado resigns for being gay.. Here's the story

That was a great concert!!!

One of the great bands came back to Hawaii last night! I saw them when they were last here in 1983 and the crowd was a lot smaller so I could get up close to the stage :) The bigger crowd added a lot more energy to the show! Here's a video from The Advertiser







I guess they like to let fans come up and play :)

It's been an odd day.. glad the semester is almost over!

Hey Matt, you can make me something!

I'm sure while you're watching the kids you can knit me a sweater.. jus try!

Bye Bye Bolton!!!

and of course he has a problem when the UN criticises the US!



and watch his jaw drop when the reporter mentions the PNAC. Read about it here

Maybe things will get better :)

"...And finally there was our Senior Senator, Patrick Leahy. For those who've heard Senator Leahy speak, you know that his delivery can vary quite a bit. It can be easy to tell when he's tired, physically or mentally - so Leahy on the stump doesn't necessarily mean the same thing twice. But Leahy of late has had a fire in his belly, the likes of which we haven't seen in a while. His sadness at the loss of comity and the discarding of basic Constitutional values under the Bush GOP has turned into outrage, and he has been consistently riveting in front of a crowd in recent months.

But since the election, that outrage has turned into inspiration, and it's an inspiration he passed on to the crowd tonight. Like the speakers before him, Leahy was funny, thankful, exuberant... but there was an edge that was very serious. He related a conversation where he was recently asked if President Bush should be "worried" that he was now to be Chair of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee. The crowd started cheering.

"No, no" he said, calming the crowd, as if to be prepared for a softening of his rhetoric.

"No, he shouldn't be worried. He should be terrified."

And the room exploded.

Leahy went on to assure the crowd that, unlike "some in the administration," he'd "actually read the Constitution," and went on to promise that no judges nominated to the federal bench who would ignore that Constitution would ever get past his committee."

And here's more :)

Meth is everywhere :(

So an upcale New York apartment using a lava lamp and under the hood of car at a repair shop? How did they explain the strong cat pee smell?

Gotta read to believe!

obviously those guys didn't need much room to make it!



this is creepy...

I haven't tried this energy drink :D

How long does it take to make $1000?

If you do not learn from your mistakes, you're bound to repeat them!

And of course, she still refuses to learn from the past.. until she writes a book!

SECRETARY RICE: "…As to whether the United States has made mistakes, of course, I’m sure, we have. You can’t be involved in something as big as the liberation of a country like Iraq and all that has happened since, and I’m sure there are things that we could have done differently; but frankly, we are looking ahead. And when I’m back at Stanford University, I can look back and write books about what we might have done differently."

This is why we are not winning in Iraq :(

Today is world AIDS day..

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I don't want to go to the dentist!!!

Call it what it is...

Merriam-Webster: civil war
Function: noun
: a war between opposing groups of citizens of the same country

if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then ...

Weird news of the week :D

This would be funny, if it wasn't so sad :(

Val, have fun going to your mom's :)