Housewarming Party

So, I have begun to beg. borrow and plead for contact information for people we have no idea how to contact. We should settle the housewarming date and time tonight, and send out email invitations soon. So, be prepared!

Festival
We are going to Festival this weekend with Carla and James. Yay!

Why not hate Republicans?

GOP weighs anti-gay plank for 2004
Christopher Curtis, Gay.com / PlanetOut.com Network

Ed Gillespie, chairman of the Republican National Committee, said in an interview published Tuesday that gay activists are guilty of bigotry, and he suggested the GOP will promote the traditional notion of marriage as a part of its 2004 platform.

Gillespie said this "bigotry" comes in the form of gay activists using the government to protect their lifestyle.

"I accept people for who they are -- and love them," Gillespie told the Washington Times newspaper. "That doesn't mean I have to agree or turn my back on the tenets of my faith when it comes to homosexuality. I think when people say, 'Well, no. That's not enough that you accept me for who I am, you have to agree with -- and condone -- my choice,' that, to me, is religious bigotry, and I believe that's intolerant. I think they are the ones that are crossing the line here."

Gillespie added that the Republican Party is considering a constitutional marriage amendment -- which has already been introduced in the House -- as a key part of the Republican platform for the upcoming election. The GOP leadership hopes that by forbidding states from recognizing gay marriages they can energize conservative voters.

Across the country Republicans are rallying against same-sex marriage. On Monday, California state Sen. Pete Knight sued to stop a wide-ranging domestic partner bill from becoming law. Knight claims the bill violates Proposition 22, the law he authored to define marriage as strictly between a man and a woman. A hearing on the injunction is scheduled for October.

But Gillespie said the deciding factor for the GOP plank may be a ruling from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, to determine whether the state's refusal to recognize same-sex marriages violates the 14th Amendment rights to equal protection.

In his Washington Times interview, Gillespie said a win for gay couples in Massachusetts could force other states to recognize gay marriage. "Does the 'full faith and credit' clause of the Constitution mean that if Massachusetts ordains gay marriages, then someone can go there (to marry), then move back to Virginia or some other state that does not recognize homosexual marriages and that state would be compelled to recognize such marriages?"

Gay political groups quickly responded to Gillespie's remarks on Tuesday.

"The last thing the GOP needs to do is to pattern the 2004 Republican Convention after the 1992 Houston Convention which started a culture war in America," said Patrick Guerriero, executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans. "Log Cabin exists today because of that debacle in Texas, led by Patrick J. Buchanan, which led to the defeat of President George H.W. Bush."

David Noble, the executive director of the National Stonewall Democrats, also criticized Gillespie: "Suggesting that someone is a bigot because they want the legal right to visit a dying partner in the hospital is wrong, and frankly, disgusting."

In order to add an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, a resolution must first be passed by two-thirds of each chamber of Congress. It must then be ratified by three-fourths of state legislatures, who have up to seven years to approve any such amendment.

News

So, if you have been following my Blog, you may be interested to know that we have fired the Idiot from the post of a few days ago. This means that it is unlikely that we will have a deck this year, but 'c'est la vie', as they say in Paris. The guy who is doing our lawn and sprinkler system and I have talked. He is coming out Monday to start the sprinkler system. Yay. This will at least allow us to have a home that doesn't look like it's in the wake of a nuclear war anymore! Grass! I have never been excited by it until now! Who would have thought.

House Warming

So, you may also be aware that we were holding off on having a housewarming party until we had a deck and lawn. Since waiting a year is out of the question... We will be having our housewarming party on October 11th at 5:00 p.m. It will be a pot luck! If you read this Blog, then you are invited. Please let me know if you are coming though. Patrick and I will also be sending out email invitations. We are trying to track down a few email addresses first though. So, be prepared to get a message from us! If you don't, you are still invited, it just means we didn't have your email address!

Wow...

How rich are you? >> I'm loaded. It's official. I'm the 54,316,565 richest person on earth!

The Idiot

So, we have hired an idiot. We did it a long time ago. We hired him to build our deck in August. He promised to have it done in early August, then in late August. Then he stated he would start the day after Labor Day. On Monday of last week, he applied for the permit from the township. He said it would be approved immediately, and he would begin work immediately. I told him that they told me that it would take over a week. He said that didn't apply to builders. That only applied to home-owner built decks. The township then told him it wouldn't be ready until this week. So, he wants us to pay for the permit and pick it up. No problem. I go there today to pick it up. He had the permit issued in such a way that only he may pick it up. When called, he said he would pick it up, and would start on Saturday. He claims that he can have it inspected as soon as he digs the holes. I doubt this. I think it will take several days to get an inspector there to view the holes. We shall see. I would like to fire this idiot, but fear another permit will take another week, and finding another builder might not happen quickly. Not to mention we have been holding off on having the lawn put in until the deck is in, so he doesn't end up driving equipment and materials over baby grass. So, the reason for this entry... We have been holding up having a house-warming party until we had a deck and grass. How long should we wait to have the party? Thoughts?

Gay Penguins

They're in love. They're gay. They're penguins... And they're not alone.
By Cristina Cardoze


Wendell and Cass, two penguins at the New York Aquarium in Coney Island, Brooklyn, live in a soap opera world of seduction and intrigue. Among the 22 male and 10 female African black-footed penguins in the aquarium's exhibit, tales of love, lust and betrayal are the norm. These birds mate for life. But given the disproportionate male-female ratio at the aquarium, some of the females flirt profusely and dump their partners for single males with better nests.

Wendell and Cass, however, take no part in these cunning schemes. They have been completely devoted to each other for the last eight years. In fact, neither one of them has ever been with anyone else, says their keeper, Stephanie Mitchell.

But the partnership of Wendell and Cass adds drama in another way. They're both male. That is to say, they're gay penguins.

This is not unusual. "There are a lot of animals that have same-sex relations, it's just that people don't know about it," Mitchell said. "I mean, Joe Schmoe on the street is not someone who's read all sorts of biology books."

One particular book is helpful in this case. Bruce Bagemihl's "Biological Exuberance," published in 1999, documents homosexual behavior in more than 450 animal species. The list includes grizzly bears, gorillas, flamingos, owls and even several species of salmon.

"The world is, indeed, teeming with homosexual, bisexual and transgendered creatures of every stripe and feather," Bagemihl writes in the first page of his book. "From the Southeastern Blueberry Bee of the United States to more than 130 different bird species worldwide, the 'birds and the bees,' literally, are queer."

In New York, it's the penguins.

At the Central Park Zoo, Silo and Roy, two male Chinstrap penguins, have been in an exclusive relationship for four years. Last mating season, they even fostered an egg together.

"They got all excited when we gave them the egg," said Rob Gramzay, senior keeper for polar birds at the zoo. He took the egg from a young, inexperienced couple that hatched an extra and gave it to Silo and Roy. "And they did a really great job of taking care of the chick and feeding it."

Of the 53 penguins in the Central Park Zoo, Silo and Roy are not the only ones that are gay. In 1997, the park had four pairs of homosexual penguins. In an effort to increase breeding, zookeepers tried to separate them by force. They failed, said Gramzay.

Only one of the eight bonded with a female. The rest went back to same-sex relationships, not necessarily with the same partner. Silo and Roy, long-time homosexuals, got together (or pair-bonded, in official penguin lingo) after that failed experiment.

At the New York Aquarium, no one suspected Wendell and Cass were gay when they first bonded. Penguins don't have external sex organs, so visually there's no surefire way to tell whether they are male or female. But over time, people began to wonder.

In all the years they had been together, neither Wendell nor Cass laid an egg. This was unusual because the keepers knew they copulated regularly. They had often seen Wendell submit to Cass, the more dominating of the two. But one day, a keeper saw Wendell on top.

When penguins have sex, the female lies on her belly and the male climbs on top with his feet and puts his rump around her rump. Then their cloacas (sexual organs) meet, and the sperm is transferred into the female. It's called the cloacal kiss.

Wendell and Cass were clearly kissing both ways. So in 1999, the aquarium did a blood test to determine their gender. It proved they were both male.

Today, they are one of the best couples at the aquarium. "Sometimes they lie on the rocks together," Mitchell said. "They're one of the few couples that like to hang out together outside their nest."

Wendell and Cass have a highly coveted nest. During mating season, several other penguins have tried to steal it. Cass, a fierce fighter, kept them at bay. (Wendell, on the other hand, is "afraid of his own shadow," said Mitchell.)

The appeal of their nest is the location: high up, close to the water and the feeding station. Rumors that they keep the neatest nest at the aquarium because they're gay are not true.

"These are penguins," said Mitchell. "They poop in their nest. Nobody's got a clean nest."

My AD&D Type

I Am A: Lawful Good Elf Bard Mage


Alignment:
Lawful Good characters are the epitome of all that is just and good. They believe in order and governments that work for the benefit of all, and generally do not mind doing direct work to further their beliefs.


Race:
Elves are the eldest of all races, although they are generally a bit smaller than humans. They are generally well-cultured, artistic, easy-going, and because of their long lives, unconcerned with day-to-day activities that other races frequently concern themselves with. Elves are, effectively, immortal, although they can be killed. After a thousand years or so, they simply pass on to the next plane of existance.


Primary Class:
Bards are the entertainers. They sing, dance, and play instruments to make other people happy, and, frequently, make money. They also tend to dabble in magic a bit.


Secondary Class:
Mages harness the magical energies for their own use. Spells, spell books, and long hours in the library are their loves. While often not physically strong, their mental talents can make up for this.


Deity:
Oghma is the Neutral Good god of knowledge and invention. He is also known as the Binder of What is Known, and is the Patron of Bards. His followers believe that knowledge reigns supreme, and is the basis for everything else that is done. They wear white shirts and pants, with a black and gold braided vest, and a small, box-like hat. All priests of Oghma are known as Loremasters. Oghma's symbol is a scroll.


Find out What D&D Character Are You?, courtesy ofNeppyMan (e-mail)




Funny, I was a neutral good Elf Bard Mage the last time. I guess Elf Bard Mage fits....

LGBT Climate Survey at U of M

So, the University is conducting a survey of the feelings of LGBT Students, Staff and Faculty at U of M. I decided to participate, as a staff member. The following is the 'anonymous' (all of the emails are supposedly anonymous) note I sent. Here's hoping it makes a difference in the long-term.

------------------------------------------------------------
I believe that the general climate is one of required acceptance. I don't believe it is one of desired acceptance. I feel as though LGBT people are accepted only because departments and managers are told to be accepting and inclusive. Most Diversity Committees (For example the Business and Finance Diversity Committee) do not include LGBT issues in their diversity training. They only train on minority (read African-American) issues and the only event they put on that I know about is the MLK Day Convocation. I believe the training they do is necessary, but it needs to be expanded to include LGBT issues. Also, the required sexual harassment policy training included nothing on LGBT specific issues of harassment. (i.e. jokes about orientation, etc.)

While the University offers same sex domestic partners benefits, my partner and I are unable to make use of them, as the government taxes the benefits as additional income to that I 'earn'. If the University truly wanted to make this an equal benefit, they would "true-up" the benefit to cover the additional tax burdens using them places on individuals and families.

The University continues to make attempts to become more inclusive, but my experiences tell me that it still has a long way to go.
------------------------------------------------------------

Voting in the Democratic Caucus for Presidential Candidates

So, I did some research last week, and the following is what I found out:

HOW YOU CAN HELP PICK THE 2004 DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT
by Mark Brewer, Executive Chair

Michigan Democratic Party

Michigan Democrats will have the historic opportunity to play a key role in determining who the Democratic Candidate for President will be in 2004 by voting in the earliest, most accessible Michigan Democratic Presidential Caucus ever on February 7, 2004.

This factsheet explains how you can help pick the 2004 Democratic Candidate for President.


1. Q: When and where will the Democrats nominate a Presidential Candidate?

A: Democrats will nominate their candidates for President and Vice-President and adopt a platform at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. The Convention will be held in Boston, Massachusetts on July 26-29, 2004.

2. Q: Who will represent Michigan at the National Convention?

A: Michigan will be represented by a delegation of 153 Delegates, 22 Alternates, 18 Convention Committee members and 4 Pages.

3. Q: How will that delegation be selected?

A: The delegation will be selected in 3 steps.

First, on Saturday, February 7, 2004, people can attend a Presidential Caucus in the county where they live to vote for their preferred candidate for President. Delegates to the National Convention will be apportioned based on the total vote for each presidential candidate from caucus sites, by mail and over the Internet.

Then, on April 3, 2004, 83 delegates and 15 alternates will be elected at 15 Congressional District Conventions based on the results of the February 7, 2004 Caucuses.

Finally, on May 15, 2004, based on the results of the February 7, 2004 Caucuses, 47 delegates, 7 alternates, 18 Convention Committee members and 4 pages will be elected at a meeting of the Democratic State Central Committee in the Metro Detroit area.

All of these elected delegates, alternates, committee members, and pages, together with 23 super-delegates - Michigan's Governor, 8 Federal lawmakers and 14 Democratic National Committee Members - will make up Michigan's delegation to the National Convention.

4. Q: How will the February 7, 2004 caucuses work?

A: The caucuses will be open on Saturday, February 7, 2004 between 10 A.M. and 4 P.M. EST. You can vote anytime during those hours and people in line at 4 P.M. EST will be permitted to vote. Ballots will be available in Spanish and Arabic as well as English. All voters must provide proof of residence and complete a ballot, including a public declaration that they are a Democrat and are or will be a registered voter before the November election. After the caucuses close at 4 P.M. EST, the votes will be counted and the results reported back to the Michigan Democratic Party (MDP) that day where they will be added to the vote by mail and Internet vote totals.

5. Q: How many caucus sites will there be?

A: There will be over 400 caucus sites statewide, with at least one caucus site in every county. The sites are apportioned based on population and voting performance. Each site will serve a specific caucus zone. The people in the zone vote at the site for that zone. Any building may be used as a caucus site, except a private home. All of the sites must be accessible to people with disabilities.

6. Q: Who is in charge of the caucus sites?

A: The county and congressional district Democratic parties are in charge of locating, staffing and running the sites on February 7, 2004.

7. Q: How can I find out at which caucus site I vote?

A: You can vote only at the caucus site in the caucus zone where you live. Once the sites and zones are established in late September, 2003 the list will be given to the press, local party organizations and local clerks, published in the Michigan Democratic Party newsletter, posted on our website at www.mi-democrats.com and made available in other ways.

8. Q: Do I have to be a member of the Michigan Democratic Party in order to vote at a caucus site?

A: No. However, at the Caucus sites, on the mail ballot and on the Internet ballot, everyone must publicly declare him or herself as a Democrat for purposes of voting in the Presidential Caucus.

9. Q: Can there be campaigning at caucus sites?

A: Yes, campaigning, collection of petition signatures and similar activity will be allowed under rules to be set out by the Michigan Democratic Party.

10. Q: Can I vote by mail?

A: Yes, you can vote by mail if you qualify. On and after January 1, 2004 a person may apply for a mail ballot (for themselves only) by visiting our website - www.mi-democrats.com or by mail, fax, or e-mail. Unlike traditional absentee voting in Michigan you do not need a reason such as age or disability to vote by mail. Applications must be returned by January 31, 2004 at 6 P.M.

A ballot will be mailed to those who apply and are registered to vote. All vote by mail ballots must be returned to the designated location in Lansing by February 7, 2004 at 10 A.M. Mail ballots will not be accepted at the caucus sites and anyone who votes by mail cannot vote again at their caucus site on February 7, 2004. Safeguards will be in place to prevent multiple voting.

If you are ineligible to vote by mail, you will be notified and still have the option to vote at a caucus site.

11. Q: How can I get a vote by mail application?

A: Applications will be accepted beginning January 1, 2004 and no sooner. Any application received before January 1, 2004 will not be processed. On January 1, 2004 vote by mail applications will be available on the MDP website at www.mi-democrats.com and from local party organizations or by contacting the Michigan Democratic Party by e-mail MIDEMPARTY@MI-DEMOCRATS.COM, phone (517) 371-5410 or mail 606 Townsend, Lansing, MI 48933. Applications must be returned by January 31, 2004 at 6 P.M.

12. Q: Can I vote over the Internet?

A: Yes, you can vote over the Internet if you qualify. Follow the same application procedures as voting by mail. Your vote by mail ballot will contain instructions on voting over the Internet. You can only vote once - at a caucus site, by mail or over the Internet. Safeguards will be in place to prevent multiple voting.

13. Q: How can I run for delegate or alternate to the National Convention?

A: To qualify as a candidate for delegate or alternate, an individual must file a "declaration of candidacy" form with the MDP. The forms will be available from the MDP on January 1, 2004.

To run as a district level delegate or alternate, the declaration must be filed no later than 5:00 P.M. on March 4, 2004. To run as a state level delegate or alternate, the declaration must be filed by 5:00 P.M. on May 3, 2004. There are no exceptions to the deadlines. Presidential candidates have the right to approve all candidates for delegate or alternate pledged to them.

After a person timely files and is approved by a presidential candidate, they must campaign for election as a delegate or alternate at the congressional district or state level.

14. Q: Who is eligible to vote for delegates and alternates at the April 3, 2004 Congressional District Conventions?

A: Precinct delegates elected in August, 2002, certain nominees for county and legislative office and members of the Michigan Democratic Party who join the Party on or before March 4, 2004 are eligible to vote. No proxy votes are permitted. Party membership does not require a financial contribution.

15. Q: How can I join the Michigan Democratic Party?

A: You can join at our website: www.mi-democrats.com. You can also get a membership form by calling (517) 371-5410, faxing (517) 371-2056, e-mailing MIDEMPARTY@MI-DEMOCRATS.COM, or by writing 606 Townsend, Lansing, MI 48933. Forms should be returned to the MDP at 606 Townsend, Lansing, MI 48933.

16. Q: Who is eligible to vote for delegates and alternates at the May 15, 2004 State Central meeting?

A: State Central Delegates, Alternates, Michigan DNC Members, and MDP Officers and Officers-at-Large are eligible to vote. There is no proxy voting.

17. Q: Who is in charge of this whole process?

A: MDP Executive Chair Mark Brewer supervises the entire delegate selection process.

18. Q: How can I get more details on the whole process?

This document is simply a summary of some key issues and the Delegate Selection Plan is the official governing document. You can get a copy by visiting our website at www.mi-democrats.com, calling the MDP at (517) 371-5410, faxing (517) 371-2056, or writing 606 Townsend, Lansing, MI 48933.

Interesting Read

The following was taken in it's entirety from this livejournal found on the web. It is long, but most definitely worth the read.

WHY DON'T WE HAVE ANSWERS TO THESE 9/11 QUESTIONS?
By WILLIAM BUNCH
bunchw@phillynews.com

NO EVENT IN recent history has been written about, talked about, or
watched and rewatched as much as the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001
- two years ago today.

Not only was it the deadliest terrorist strike inside America, but the
hijackings and attacks on New York City's World Trade Center and the
Pentagon in Washington were also a seminal event for an
information-soaked media age of Internet access and 24- hour news.

So, why after 730 days do we know so little about what really happened
that day?

No one knows where the alleged mastermind of the attack is, and none of
his accomplices has been convicted of any crime. We're not even sure if
the 19 people identified by the U.S. government as the suicide hijackers
are really the right guys.

Who put deadly anthrax in the mail? Where were the jet fighters that
were supposed to protect America's skies that morning? And what was the
role of our supposed allies Saudi Arabia and Pakistan?

There are dozens of unanswered questions about the 2001 attacks, but
we've narrowed them down to 20 - or 9 plus 11.

1. What did National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice tell President
Bush about al Qaeda threats against the United States in a still-secret
briefing on Aug. 6, 2001?

Rice has suggested in vague terms that the president's brief - prepared
daily by the CIA - included information that morning about Osama bin
Laden's methods of operation - including hijacking. But when the
congressional committee probing Sept. 11 asked to see the report, Bush
claimed executive privilege and refused to release it.

2. Why did Attorney General John Ashcroft and some Pentagon officials
cancel commercial-airline trips before Sept. 11?

On July 26, 2001 - 47 days before the Sept. 11 attacks - CBS News
reported that Ashcroft was flying expensive charters rather than
commercial flights because of a "threat assessment" by the FBI. CBS
said, "Ashcroft has been advised to travel only by private jet for the
remainder of his term." Newsweek later reported that on Sept. 10, 2001,
"a group of top Pentagon officials suddenly canceled travel plans for
the next morning, apparently because of security concerns."

Did either Ashcroft or the Pentagon have advance information about a
9/11-style attack and, if so, why wasn't this shared with the American
public?

3. Who made a small fortune "shorting" airline and insurance stocks
before Sept. 11?

On Sept. 10, 2001, the trading ratio on United Airlines was 25 times
greater than normal at the Pacific Exchange, where traders could buy
"puts," high-risk bets that the price of a company's stock will fall
sharply. The next day, two hijacked United jetliners crashed, causing
the company's shares to plummet and ultimately leading the airline into
bankruptcy. CBS News later reported that at intelligence agencies,
"alarm bells were sounding over unusual trading in the U.S. stock
options market" on the day before the attacks.

The unusual stock trading suggests that someone with a sophisticated
knowledge of finance also had advance information about the impending
attack. But two years later, no one has been charged in this matter, and
officials have not indicated even if the probe is still open.

4. Are all 19 people identified by the government as participants in
the Sept. 11 attacks really the hijackers?

Probably not. Just 10 days after the attacks, a report by the British
Broadcasting Corp. said that some of the supposed hijackers identified
by the FBI appeared to be alive and well. The BBC story said Abdelaziz
al-Omari, named as the pilot who crashed the jet into the World Trade
Center's North Tower, was reported by Saudi authorities to be working as
an electrical engineer. He reported his passport had been stolen in
Denver in 1995. Saudi officials said it was possible that another three
people whose names appear on the FBI list also are alive.

The article, which can be read at Unanswered Questions, makes a
persuasive case that another man was posing as Ziad Jarrah, the alleged
pilot of hijacked Flight 93, which crashed in Shanksville, Pa. So why
did this story line vanish into thin air?

5. Did any of the hijackers smuggle guns on board as reported in calls
from both Flight 11 and Flight 93?

Quite possibly. An internal Federal Aviation Administration memo
written at 5:30 p.m. on the day of the attacks said that a passenger
aboard American Airlines Flight 11 - Israeli-American Daniel Lewin - had
been shot to death by a single bullet before the jet slammed into the
North Tower of the World Trade Center. The FAA insists the memo was a
mistaken "first draft," even though the

alleged shooting is described in great detail.

Aboard Flight 93, passenger Thomas Burnett told his wife, Deena, in a
9:27 a.m. cell-phone call: "The hijackers have already knifed a guy, one
of them has a gun, and they are telling us there is a bomb on board."

Why has this angle of Sept. 11 not been investigated in more detail?

6. Why did the NORAD air defense network fail to intercept the four
hijacked jets?

During the depths of the Cold War, Americans went to bed with the
somewhat reassuring belief that jet fighters would intercept anyone
launching a first strike against the United States. That myth was
shattered on 9/11, when four
hijacked-jetliners-turned-into-deadly-missiles cruised the American
skies with impunity for nearly two hours.

Why did the North American Aerospace Defense Command seem unaware of
literally dozens of warnings that hijacked jetliners could be used as
weapons? Why does NORAD claim it did not learn that Flight 11 - the
first jet to strike the World Trade Center about 8:45 a.m. - had been
hijacked until 8:40 a.m., some 25 minutes after the transponder was shut
off and an astounding 15 minutes after flight controllers heard a
hijacker say, "We have some planes..."?

Why didn't the fighters that were finally scrambled at Otis Air Force
Base in Massachusetts and Langley Air Force Base in Virginia fly at top,
supersonic speeds? Why didn't fighters immediately take off from Andrews
Air Force Base, just

outside Washington, D.C.? Why was nothing done to intercept American
Airlines Flight 77, which struck the Pentagon, when officials knew it
had been had been hijacked some 47 minutes earlier?

And why has no one been disciplined for the worst breakdown in national
defense since Pearl Harbor?

7. Why did President Bush continue reading a story to Florida
grade-schoolers for nearly a half-hour during the worst attack on
America in its history?

In arguably the greatest understatement in U.S. history, Bush told a
questioner at a California town-hall meeting in January 2002 that 9/11
"was an interesting day." Interesting, indeed. In the two years since
the attacks, questions have only grown about the president's bizarre
behavior that morning, when he was informed in a Sarasota classroom that
America was under attack.

"I couldn't stop watching the president sitting there, listening to
second-graders, while my husband was burning in a building," World Trade
Center widow Lorie van Auken, a leader of relatives of Sept. 11 victims
who have raised questions about the attacks, told Gail Sheehy in the New
York Observer.

Why did Bush read a children's story about a pet goat and stay in the
classroom for more than a half-hour after the first plane struck the
World Trade Center and roughly 15 minutes after Chief of Staff Andrew
Card told him that it had been a deliberate attack? Why didn't he take
more decisive action, and why wasn't he hustled to a secure area while
the attacks were clearly still under way?

Conspiracy advocates have cited these strange lapses as evidence that
Bush knew about the attacks ahead of time, but why would anyone with
advance knowledge appear so clueless?

For a fascinating read on the subject, go to:
www.unansweredquestions.org /timeline/main/essayaninteresting
day.html.

8. How did Flight 93 crash in western Pennsylvania?

The most popular version - that heroic passengers who fought with the
hijackers successfully stormed the cockpit - has become so widely
accepted that people were jarred last month when an Associated Press
report seemed to contradict it. The AP story took one line out of a
congressional report and wrote that the FBI now believes the hijackers
crashed the plane on purpose.

Many were dismayed that the FBI would change its story, but the
government had never put out an official story. Some unidentified
government officials had first floated the
hijackers-crashed-the-plane-on-purpose theory in late 2001.

Based solely on circumstantial evidence from several cell-phone calls
made by passengers, most of the public and the mainstream media have
come to believe that the plane crashed because of a struggle between the
passengers and the hijackers.

Meanwhile, the FBI reportedly has enough hard information about what
really happened on Flight 93 to have worked up a flight-simulation
video. But that video, the cockpit audio recording and the hard data
from the other "black box," the flight data recorder, is still top
secret.

The issue symbolizes the government's continuing refusal to release
information about what really happened on Sept. 11. Even some relatives
of Flight 93 victims are growing unhappy that more information has not
been publicized.

9. Was Zacarias Moussaoui really "the 20th hijacker"?

Almost certainly not, even though the allegation has been repeated
hundreds of times in the media. The Moroccan native, who has been in
custody since his August 2001 arrest on immigration charges after he
attended a flight-training school in Minneapolis, has admitted that he
is a member of al Qaeda and wanted to commit terrorist acts in America.
But he arrived here much later than the Sept. 11 hijackers and
reportedly had no contacts with them.

The issue is important because some family members of Sept. 11 victims
who are seeking information about what happened that day have been
turned down because of the ongoing Moussaoui case.

10. Where are the planes' "black boxes"?

Nothing is more critical to learning about air disasters than the
so-called "black boxes." They are the 30-minute audio recordings of
cockpit chatter and the fight-data inputs which show the speed,
direction and operational condition of the plane, and which are encased
in material designed to withstand a high-speed crash. Yet the government
has continued to keep a lid of secrecy on the black boxes from Flight
77, which crashed into the Pentagon, and from Flight 93.

FBI Director Robert Mueller has said Flight 77's data recorder provided
altitude, speed, headings and other information, but the voice recorder
contained nothing useful. Why not? Why not release the information to
the public? Why has a docile mainstream media not demanded this
information?

And how come none of the four "indestructible" black boxes was
recovered from the World Trade Center, even as investigators said that a
passport belonging to one of the hijackers had been found in the rubble,
undamaged, a week after the towers's collapse?

11. Why were Donald Rumsfeld and other U.S. officials so quick to link
Saddam Hussein to the attacks?

CBS News reported that the defense secretary was making notes about
invading Iraq even before the fires from Flight 77 had been extinguished
on the other side of the Pentagon. Rumsfeld wrote that he wanted "best
info fast. Judge whether good enough [to] hit S.H." - Saddam Hussein -
"at the same time. Not only UBL" - Osama bin Laden. He added: "Go
massive. Sweep it all up. Things related and not."

Rumsfeld and a number of other Bush administration officials have ties
to a once-obscure policy group called the Project for a New American
Century. In a 2000 white paper, PNAC - which had long urged an American
invasion of Iraq - said that for the United States to assert itself
properly as the world's lone superpower, "some catastrophic and
catalyzing event - like a new Pearl Harbor" - would be required.

That new Pearl Harbor came - two years ago today.

12.Why did 7 World Trade Center collapse?

7 World Trade Center, a 47-story building, was not struck by an
aircraft on Sept. 11, yet the building mysteriously collapsed at 5:20
p.m. that afternoon. Apparently debris from the jetliner attacks on the
adjacent twin towers started a fire at No. 7. But as the New York Times
noted: "No building like it, a modern, steel-reinforced high-rise, had
ever collapsed because of an uncontrolled fire." Investigators have
speculated that excess diesel

fuel for emergency generators fanned the flames, but the full story may
never be known.

Some questions also have lingered about why the two 110-story towers
collapsed. But investigators think the burning jet fuel - compounded by
paper-and-electronics-laden cubicles and possibly insulation matter -
burned long enough, at temperatures exceeding 1,000 degrees, to weaken
the structural steel.

13. Why did the Bush administration lie about dangerously high levels
of toxins and hazardous particles after the WTC collapse?

Because apparently some White House officials felt that the health of
the American economy and Wall Street was more important than the health
of New York City residents who lived nearby. For example, on Sept. 16,
2001, a draft press release from the Environmental Protection Agency
said: "Recent samples of dust gathered by OSHA on Water Street showed
higher levels of asbestos in EPA tests." That was deleted and replaced
with this: "The new samples confirm previous reports that ambient air
quality meets OSHA standards and consequently is not a cause for public
concern."

A key figure in the changes was the head of the White House Council on
Environmental Quality, who - you can't make this stuff up - is a lawyer
who formerly represented the asbestos industry.

In fact, the EPA told workers and residents that it was safe to return
to lower Manhattan at a time when some test results had not been
analyzed and other key tests had not even been performed. The outcome?
Key medical professionals say thousands of New Yorkers have developed
respiratory illnesses associated with exposure to the dust. Symptoms
include periodic gasping for air, a choking sensation and unusual
sensitivity to airborne irritants, apparently from a type of
"occupational asthma" called Reactive Airways Disease Syndrome.

14. Where is Dick Cheney's undisclosed location?

We'll never know, but a widely reported rumor was that it was right
here in the Keystone State. The speculation is the vice president spent
the days after the attack at Site R, a secretive Cold War-era site, also
known as Alternate Joint Communications Center, deep inside Raven Rock
Mountain. The mountain is in western Pennsylvania, near Waynesboro.

15. What happened to the more than $1 billion that Americans donated
after the attack?

The largest recipient, the American Red Cross, says it already has used
$741 million from its Liberty Fund to help more than 55,000 families
cope with the death of loved ones, serious injuries, physical and mental
health concerns, financial loss, homelessness and other effects of the
attacks.

Of that, $596 million was in the form of direct financial assistance to
families of those killed or seriously injured, as well as to displaced
workers, residents and emergency personnel who were seriously affected.
Depending on individual needs, this financial assistance included up to
a full year's living expenses, estate and special-circumstances cash
grants, and more.

16. What was the role of Pakistan's spy agency in the Sept. 11 attacks
and the subsequent murder of U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl?

The idea that Pakistan is considered a leading American ally in the war
on terror is both ironic and a bit disturbing when one considers that
there are proven links between Pakistan's intelligence agency, the
notorious ISI, and the Taliban, as well as likely ties to al Qaeda and
bin Laden.

In October 2001, the Wall Street Journal and many reputable news
organizations in South Asia reported that the head of the ISI, Lt. Gen.
Mahmoud Ahmad, was fired after being linked to a $100,000 payment that
had been wired to al Qaeda hijacker Mohamed Atta in America to pay for
the Sept. 11 attacks. The New York Times said the intelligence service
even used al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan to train covert operatives for
use in a war of terror against India.

In recent weeks, two troubling reports have emerged. The highly
regarded French journalist Bernard-Henri Levy has written that Wall
Street Journal reporter Pearl had been murdered by elements of the ISI
because he'd learned that al Qaeda "is largely controlled by the
Pakistani secret service" and that Islamic extremists control the
nation's nuclear weapons. And investigative reporter Gerald Posner
writes that bin Laden lieutenant Abu Zubaydah not only revealed a link
to top Saudis but also to high-ranking Pakistani air force officer
Mushaf Ali Mir. Mir, who is said to have cut protection deals in secret
meetings with bin Laden, died earlier this year in a plane crash that
also killed his wife and closest confidants.

17. Who killed five Americans with anthrax?

Actually, it's not clear whether this question should even be on this
list. Two years later, it's not known whether the anthrax-laden letters
that killed five Americans from Connecticut to Florida, and targeted
some leading Democratic pols and TV news anchors, had anything to do
with the Sept. 11 attacks. Indeed, the list of potential suspects - al
Qaeda terrorists, Saddam, crackpot U.S. scientists - hasn't been
narrowed down. Our government's utter cluelessness about a reign of
terror that rattled the nation and dominated the headlines in fall 2001
is an investigative failure of epic proportions.

One man, a former Army biomedical researcher named Steven J. Hatfill,
has been labeled "a person of interest" by the FBI, but nothing
definitive has linked Hatfill to the crime. Just this summer, federal
investigators drained a Frederick, Md., pond where they speculated the
anthrax letters might have been assembled, but tests of soil samples
taken after the draining yielded no evidence of biological weapons. And
now Hatfill has sued the government for invading his privacy - in a case
that may never be solved.

18. What happened to the probe into C-4 explosives found in a
Philadelphia bus terminal in fall 2001?

Do you remember this front-page headline from Oct. 20, 2001: "In Phila.
locker, a lethal find; Explosive 'would probably have leveled' bus
depot." You can be forgiven if you don't. There's been no mention in
local media since late 2001 of the alarming discovery of one-third of a
pound of lethal C-4 and 1,000 feet of military detonation cord in a
locker at the Greyhound bus terminal in Center City, even though it's
possibly the most direct link between Philadelphia and domestic
terrorism.

Investigators conceded a couple of months into their probe that the
trail had gone stone-cold. They speculated that the material had been
stolen from an Army base and that the culprit, who rented the locker on
Sept. 29, 2001, decided that the material was too hot to handle after
the Sept. 11 attacks. The truth may never be known.

19. What is in the 28 blacked-out pages of the congressional Sept. 11
report?

It's not a total mystery. Everyone has acknowledged that the pages
contain highly embarrassing information about links between the Sept. 11
hijackers and the government of Saudi Arabia, America's supposed ally in
the Middle East and home to the world's largest oil reserves. One of
those officials is said to be Saudi ambassador Prince Bandar, whose
wife, Princess Haifa, indirectly funded at least two of the Sept. 11
terrorists during their time in San Diego. The prince is so close to the
Bush family that he's known, incredibly, as "Bandar Bush." This week,
Time reports that just after the Sept. 11 attacks, when U.S. commercial
airspace was still closed to our citizens, Bush allowed a jet to stop at
10 U.S. cities to pick up and fly home 140 prominent Saudis, including
relatives of bin Laden.

A new must-read book by investigative reporter Posner - "Why America
Slept" - takes the conspiracy to the highest of levels of the Saudi
government. He says a top bin Laden lieutenant, Abu Zubaydah, who was
captured in March 2002, stunned investigators when - allegedly given the
"truth serum" sodium pentothal - fingered three top Saudis. They were
Prince Ahmed bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz, the Westernized owner of 2002
Kentucky Derby winner War Emblem; Prince Turki al-Faisal bin Abdul Aziz,
the kingdom's longtime intelligence chief, and Prince Fahd bin Turki bin
Saud al-Kabir.

The most incredible part of the story is what happened next. In an
eight-day period in late July 2002, Prince Ahmed died at age 43 from a
heart attack, Prince Turki died in a car crash and Prince Fahd "died of
thirst." Coincidence? What do you think?

20. Where is Osama bin Laden?

Remember how President Bush vowed on Sept. 17, 2001, that he was
determined to catch bin Laden "dead or alive"? Well, the good news is
that if he wants bin Laden "alive," there's still a chance that could
happen. Intelligence experts now agree that bin Laden successfully
escaped his Tora Bora hideout in Afghanistan back in December 2001 -
when the U.S. failed to commit ample manpower to the chase - and that
the al Qaeda leader is alive and well, and plotting new attacks.

"We don't know where he is," Army Col. Rodney Davis, spokesman for
America's forces in Afghanistan, said recently. But Newsweek seems to
know where to find bin Laden: in the remote, mountainous - and lawless -
Kunar province of Afghanistan. The magazine chillingly reported that
just five short months ago, bin Laden convened the biggest terror summit
since Sept. 11 at a mountain stronghold there. The participants
reportedly included three top-ranking representatives from the Taliban,
several senior al Qaeda operatives and leaders from radical Islamic
groups in Chechnya and Uzbekistan. The topic was carrying out attacks
against U.S. interests inside Iraq.

The most chilling aspect of the Newsweek report is that bin Laden has
access to biological weapons and is determined to find a way to use them
against the United States. A source from the Taliban told the magazine:
"Osama's next step will be unbelievable."

But this week, ABC News reported that the hunt for bin Laden has been
narrowed to a different area - a 40-square-mile section of the
Waziristan region of Pakistan. The report said that local residents
suspected of trying to inform Americans about bin Laden's whereabouts
were executed in broad daylight.

Happy Day

Today officially marks five years that Patrick and I have been dating. It is hard to believe, because honestly, it doesn't seem that long. I guess they have just been really good years. So, in honor of the very special day, I am with Canada in deciding to avoid the news at all costs. It made our anniversary miserable 2 years ago, and not much better last year. So, I have determined that while I feel bad about the tragedy, I will NOT let it affect me this wonderful day! Love you Pookie!

He He He

You're France!

Most people think you're snobby, but it's really just that you're better than everyone else.  At least you're more loyal to the real language, the fine arts, and the fine wines than anyone else.  You aren't worth beans in a fight, unless you're really short, but you're so good at other things that it usually doesn't matter.  Some of your finest works were intended to be short-term projects.
Take the Country Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid

Work

Ever have those weeks when nothing is happening? I mean, you go in to work, answer your 2 voicemails and 3 emails, and go through your in-bin and then realize it is 9:00 a.m. and you have nothing more that needs doing. I have been having that week. It doesn't sound too bad, but in all honestly, I really would prefer to be busy. Sitting on my ass all day and twiddling my thumbs gets boring. Supposedly sometime before December we will have a re-org, and it is rumored that I will get a lot more work. I hope so. They have been talking about the re-org for months now, and given the normal time frame of things at the U, it should take just a few more months to make a decision. Then the logistics get figured out in a matter of days. Scary huh? Anyway, once that happens, things should be better.

*sigh* here's hoping.

Quiz:

My inner child is 16. I forgot to copy the results.

I should be dating Prince Benedict!


Which Nine Princes of Amber Prince Should You Date?
brought to you by Quizilla

Note to self

Next year, I want to go and see the little cabin found in the woods behind our cabin and see the claw footed tub.

Home

We are home from vacation. It was tres cool. Very fun. We all (I think) had a good time. If it hadn't rained for 3 of 4 days, it would have been better, but even so, it was nice to get away, and I think everyone got along okay. Patrick and I are both glad to be home though. I think we needed a little quiet time after the long weekend. You know, we need a vacation after our vacation.

One day we actually climbed the mountain. That was cool, but exhausting. I wasn't sure I would make it at one point. I am not the most in shape at this point of my life, and found myself wheezing half-way up the hill. I did eventually make it though, and got ot behold the 'stone village' that was described for me last year. Jack described it after a little solo adventuring up on the 'hill'. Several people consequently went to see it last year, but I had stayed behind and read a little. So, I have seen it, and it is very cool.