An email from my dad

Subject: Impeachment

I heard a radio ad about this. Check it out.

www.impeachteam.com

The Worst President in History?

Calamitous presidents, faced with enormous difficulties -- Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, Hoover and now Bush -- have divided the nation, governed erratically and left the nation worse off. In each case, different factors contributed to the failure: disastrous domestic policies, foreign-policy blunders and military setbacks, executive misconduct, crises of credibility and public trust. Bush, however, is one of the rarities in presidential history: He has not only stumbled badly in every one of these key areas, he has also displayed a weakness common among the greatest presidential failures -- an unswerving adherence to a simplistic ideology that abjures deviation from dogma as heresy, thus preventing any pragmatic adjustment to changing realities. Repeatedly, Bush has undone himself, a failing revealed in each major area of presidential performance.

An excerpt from "The Worst President in History?" by Sean Wilentz, 4 May 2006 issue of Rolling Stone. It's an interesting read, wherever you may stand.

How many times can a man turn his head?

Joining Illinois, California has become the second state in which a proposal to impeach President Bush has been introduced in the state legislature. And this one includes Cheney as well....
The resolution, in the words of [CA Assemblyman Paul] Koretz's press release, "bases the call for impeachment upon the Bush Administration intentionally misleading the Congress and the American people regarding the threat from Iraq in order to justify an unnecessary war that has cost billions of dollars and thousands of lives and casualties; exceeding constitutional authority to wage war by invading Iraq; exceeding constitutional authority by Federalizing the National Guard; conspiring to torture prisoners in violation of the 'Federal Torture Act' and indicating intent to continue such actions; spying on American citizens in violation of the 1978 Foreign Agency Surveillance Act; leaking and covering up the leak of the identity of Valerie Plame Wilson, and holding American citizens without charge or trial."

Looks like somebody in the House has been paying attention to the news lately and decided to start doing something about it. Way to go Illinois! Koretz had some choice words on the subject.

At both the state and national levels, we will be paying for the Bush Administration's illegal actions and terrible lack of judgment and competence for decades—not only in the billions of dollars wasted on the war and welfare for the rich, but in the worldwide loss of respect for America and Americans. Bush and Cheney must be impeached and removed from office before they undertake even deadlier misdeeds, such as the use of nuclear weapons. There are no bounds to their willingness to ignore the Constitution and world opinion—we can't afford to wait for the next disaster and hope that we can survive it.

For more info, here are the articles I found about this stuff. The second one contains the actual resolution.

• California Becomes Second State to Introduce Bush Impeachment


• Bush Impeachment - The Illinois State Legislature is Preparing to Drop a Bombshell


• Vermont lawmakers to call for Bush impeachment

It's high time we start seeing some checks and balances. It all comes back to that old Dylan song.

Coming soon to a school near you: "I am job"

The Bass came up for a visit this weekend. His dorm buddies came down as well. Good food, good friends, and good times.

I made my second trip up to the Bay Area this weekend for an interview at my uncle's school. I met with two other administrators and the current physics teacher for multiple interviews. The first lady really liked hearing about lesson planning using backward design. After talking with her for a while, I met with the physics teacher and we talked for a lot longer than we were supposed to, as my uncle was proctoring the test he was giving his AP kids at the time. It was pretty cool to get to throw ideas back and forth with somebody who's just a couple years ahead of me in the education game. I was told the last lady I met with would really grill me. She asked some good questions about grading and students not turning in their homework as well as cleverly disguised pedagogy stuff. I think she really liked hearing that I'm into this inquiry business. Now I've just got to figure out how to use it well.

But that's neither here nor there. My uncle called on my drive home today to tell me they wanted to offer me the job. Kick ass. I've got to call him back tomorrow and let him know my decision.

Looks like I'll be leaving the central coast for the city in the not too distant future.

Don't Stop Believin'

This weekend I went up to the Bay Area to visit my sister and aunt and uncle. It's a much easier visit, now that they're all living under the same roof. As it turns out, my uncle's school is currently looking for a physics teacher for next year. It's all quite handy, as I intend to be a physics teacher next year.

So next week, while the school at which I'm currently student teaching is on Spring Break, I'll be back up in the Bay Area for an interview and meeting of the faculty. I expect those of you reading while bored at work will shortly be dropping me a line offering your best wishes and good luck. Or not, but remember, I know who you are. I might just know more than you think.

Wow, two trips to the Bay in two weeks. I bet there's a Journey song about that.

Trapped in the Closet

Here's the aforementioned Scientology episode of South Park, brought to you by YouTube.


Under pressure from some "unknown" influence, the episode was been pulled from repeat rotation. The following day, this statement was issued in Variety.

So, Scientology, you may have won THIS battle, but the million-year war for earth has just begun! Temporarily anozinizing our episode will NOT stop us from keeping Thetans forever trapped in your pitiful man-bodies. Curses and drat! You have obstructed us for now, but your feeble bid to save humanity will fail! Hail Xenu!!!

-Trey Parker and Matt Stone, servants of the dark lord Xenu

Hail Xenu indeed.

Well I'll be a son of a thetan

I read an article in the March 9 issue of Rolling Stone this morning, an article about Scientology. It was an interesting read to say the least. From what now gather, Scientology claims our souls are immortal space aliens called "thetans" that were brought to Earth by "an evil galactic warlord named Xenu (who) controlled seventy-six planets in this corner of the galaxy." Of course they don't tell you about this until you've paid for years of "auditing" and been invited into the upper echelons of the church. All that stuff from the South Park episode appears to be true.

But all space aliens, e-meters, and brain washing aside, this church truly has something new to offer: Jedi powers. That's right, Jedi-friggin-powers.

(Operating Thetans) are Scientology's elite -- enlightened beings who are said to have total "control" over themselves and their environment. OTs can allegedly move inanimate objects with their minds, leave their bodies at will and telepathically communicate with, and control the behavior of, both animals and human beings. At the highest levels, they are allegedly liberated from the physical universe, to the point where they can psychically control what Scientologists call MEST: Matter, Energy, Space and Time.

Man, and all Catholicism offers us is eternal bliss -- and even that's not a sure thing. We've got to live with all the guilt while we're here on Earth with our immortal souls. All I want is the power to kill a yak from two hundred yards away... with mind bullets!

That's telekinesis, Kyle. How 'bout the power to move you.