Re: Sopranos...shut up

I'm growing weary of all this belly-aching about the Soprano's finale. before I saw the last episode I had low expectations, mostly due to David Chase's own arrogant comments. Basically, he said (I paraphrase) "don't expect tidy endings, b/c life isn't full of tidy endings". So, I expected a finale with NO answers to anything and Chase sitting smugly at his home feeling all full of himself. But my immediate reaction to his comments leading up to the finale are this: "hey Dave, it's a TV show. it's not "life" or "real"". So, I expected some answers and the one that I decided I needed was "who lives: Tony or Phil?"...I got that answer ...repeatedly thru a combo of gun shots and SUV tires.

The last scene in the finale is genius. You've seen Tony making peace with his life both family life and "work" life. His looking off into the distance while raking the leaves showed that contentment. As they sit at the diner later, the family is all together. AJ has his shit together (although the fact that he got "all better" after watching his car go up in flames was one of the most unreal and lame course corrections in the history of the show). Meadow, while a poor parker has her shit together and TOny understands why she wants to go into law ...and maybe even defend Daddy once she passes the bar.

Carmela is fine. She has made her peace with the life she leads. She's had her chances to leave, and surely she has enough reasons, but she likes the nice cars, espresso makers and expensive watches that this life affords, she's going nowhere.

The guy in the Member's Only jacket going to the bathroom bring fantastic tension for anyone who knows The Godfather movies. It's an obvious shout out and there to make you think what could happen.

So, as the screen goes black does Tony look up to see Meadow walk in? Does he see a gun held at him by the guy coming out of the bathroom? Do those kids who walked in right before Meadow create some issue. It's all there, I was literally (and I NEVER use that term incorrectly) on the edge of recliner.

At first, I felt a little ripped off, but after an hour or so, I realized the genius of the ending. It was nearly the exact opposite of how "Six Feet Under" ended with it's litany of what happened to everyone over the next few decades by describing how they died. Chase went exactly the other way.

Your left thinking what you want to believe. If Tony lives on, does Paulie become his number two? Paulie who seemed to be the person most likely to be killed next for about the past 3 years, with his dealings with New York, the tension b/t he and Chris and basically his going bat-shit over the past year. Is this what Tony is left with? How can he hold on to power with such a young crew and no one left but Paul from the old school.

If he is dead, what happens to AJ? Remember how he wanted to avenge his father's shooting by going after Uncle Jun? AJ would surely end up in the family business, if only to avenge his father's death, but AJ too likes the comforts that life brings (remember his complete and instantaneous 180 about caring too much for the pain in the world to loving the new BMW dad bought????).

So many other things to consider, so many what ifs. A brilliant end, to a brilliant series. And a fitting end. It did not cheat fans, it gave enough answers, not all, but enough. Kudos Mr. Chase.

Bushie admits most of this is true

My Bushie friend sent this to me under the sub: line "I'm afraid a lot of this is true"

http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/

I responded with:

I agree, especially b/c the Bush tactic of insulting, questioning the intelligence and patriotism of anyone who disagrees with them goes way back. Now that he’s insulting the GOP, you guys are noticing that this tactic is childish and offensive. Bush has NEVER debated or encouraged discussion of his positions. His position is you agree with me or you’re an idiot and unpatriotic. It’s been done by all the Bushies, but now that he’s doing it to you, Peggy and the other faithful are having an epiphany.

So much for being like the "Business World"

Republicans are always going on about how Government should be run like a business (Bush's INCREDIBLE deficits are ignored while they say this...SURPRISE)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18553053/

I can’t speak for your employers, but I’m pretty sure it’s the same way with regard to ethics. You can’t date a subordinate, and you sure as hell can’t bend the rules to get your significant other promotions out of cycle and raises beyond guidelines. That would get you fired at here in about 10 minutes. I’ve seen it happen twice.

Why shouldn’t the president of the World Bank be held to the same ethical standard as the majority of American businesspeople?

I know why, b/c the current administration is absent any sense of morality and ethics. Most of Washington is ethically challenged, but this WH is beyond compare especially since they ran on restoring integrity to the office.

Shameful

More shameful behavior (AND THE MEDIA IGNORES IT)

The behavior of a 2 bit dictator from the third world, not the President of the United States .

Just more of Bush bringing shame upon the Office. Just who is Dick Cheney meeting with? Will we find out the Abrahmoff has been there dozens of times?

It’s like they think we serve him, but he serves America …and you Bushies know damn well if this was a Democrat you’d be losing your shit right now.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/06/01/cheney.secrecy.ap/index.html

Why is Bush hosting Stalinist Despots at his house?

Well...at Daddy's house...




http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18939032/

Dark Age Candidates

Kansas Sen. Brownback, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo raised their hands when moderator Chris Matthews asked who did not believe in evolution.

Was the follow up: “do you believe in Gravity?”

I would think any member of the Republican party who has an inkling of scientific knowledge (or who was educated beyond the 6th grade) and has moved beyond a world ruled by superstition and witchcraft would cringe at this.

I suppose that belief in biblical rationales for human existence would also preclude one from accepting a heliocentric universe as well, no? The bible is full of some of fantastic explanations, I’d like to know how these guys pick which ones are “true” and which ones are not?

Bush Doctrine failure #346

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18399660/

In its annual global survey of terrorism to be released later Monday, the
department says about 14,000 attacks took place in 2006, mainly in Iraq and
Afghanistan , claiming more than 20,000 lives. That is 3,000 more attacks
than in 2005 and 5,800 more deaths, it says.

Iraq and Afghanistan the top terrorist targets... kinda makes it hard to say
the Bush is protecting their citizens when his foreign policy has caused more of
their deaths. But I already know that the Bushie will say he doesn’t care about
Iraqis…that is until he likes to point out that Saddam is gone and that Iraqi’s
are better off even if they are dying by the thousands every month and then he
says it doesn’t matter. That’s the tragically circular dance.

The data proves (again) what a miserable failure Bush is. Corruption, immorality and a less safe world….the Bush Legacy.

Bushie immorality...you can't make this stuff up

Another week, another shameful revelation. If this was a book, no one would buy it b/c there is NO WAY one Administration could be this corrupt and amoral.

Another Bushie engaging in "immoral" (by their own standards), illegal and ridiculous behavior. Unbelievable how corrupt and amoral this group is.

it's a good thing they ran on restoring integrity to the WH. Can you imagine how bad it would be if they ran on something other than morality and integrity?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18359307/

Honestly, the amout of corruption, immorality and illegal behavior is astounding. It's behavior I wouldn't expect in anyone, but these people are supposed to be the best and brightest that the GOP has to offer. I guess that's what happens when you reward blind loyalty instead of actuallly choosing people based on merit and integrity.

I can't wait to hear howthe bushies approve of this or at least blames it on gay, immigrants, the poor, liberals, the media or people who actually have read a book in their lifetime.

Business as usual for the Bushies

From CATO:

The Federal Emergency Management Agency on Monday defended how it awarded contracts to maintain trailers for hurricane victims, but Democratic
lawmakers said they'd press for further investigations," the Jackson
Clarion-Ledger reports. "In a report that will be made public later this week,
the inspector general found that FEMA gave many of the contracts to politically
connected firms -- including Shaw Inc. of BatonRouge. Shaw hired former FEMA
Director Joe Allbaugh, one of PresidentBush's friends, as its lobbyist."

Just another example of the Bushies turning other people's misery into financial windfall for themselves and friends. I would say "making lemonade out of lemons", but for this group a more appropriate saying would be "when life gives you lemons, the Bush WH will take your lemons(without a search warrant) and make lemonade under a no-bid contract and sell it back to the government at a 600% mark up."

Restoring integrity every single day since January 2001

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/04/24/tillman.hearing/index.html

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18295584/from/RS.2/

Response to a Bushie's email

My Bushie friend called me and someone out as a wimpy liberal and somehow those of us who oppose the Iraq war and more accurately it's horrifying mismanagement by this administration were responsible for Iran getting nukes:

My response:
The fact that you are 100% wrong (as usual) is becoming scary. If someone like you, with an advanced degree is so woefully uniformed about the world, how the hell can America compete let alone defend itself.

You're always talking about results (that is until we point out that Bush has produced zero results in nearly 7 years and we provide the data to prove it and then you start with the race baiting or name calling).

BUSH RESULT #1: The facts are...whatever problems you had with Clinton's plan, NorthKorea STOPPED making nukes. Then under Bush's watch NK made many ofthem, and launched a few missiles into the Sea of Japan. Finally, Bush did what you said he would never do and that was give NK some gasolinefor them to stop making nukes. His pissing contest not only didn't work, but it made the world less safe.

BUSH RESULT#2: Bush's folly into Iraq based on lies of WMD has "emboldened" Iran to the point that they not only make nukes at will, but are taking our allies sailors prisoner without concern. Bush has showed his hand and proven to the world that he is incompetent and impotent...so much so that a common thug like the President of Iran has NO concern that Bush can or will do anything while he makes nukes.

BUSH RESULT #3: Remember when Bush looked into Putin's eyes and saw his soul? Too bad he didn't realize the Putin is every bit a despot that Stalin was. Sure he's not killing millions, but Putin's pushing the line with stifling freedoms and basically rolling back every gain made by Gorbachov.

BUSH RESULT #4 The Taliban controls 95% of Afghanistan. Hezbollah and Hamas arerunning major parts of the middle east. Genocide in Sudan, terrorism upglobally, etc. You want to call people "mush heads"...you should look at your hero.

Worst president ever.

GOP Syndrome...lie about EVERYTHING

Sorry, hunting twice in sixty years does not make you a "hunter". I would imagine the people he's pandering to would clearly agree with myassessment.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/04/05/romney.hunting.ap/index.html

I used to fish when I was a kid...doesn't make me a fisherman. I'vealso played Lazer Tag 3 times, it doesn't make me a Laser Tager Guy. Oh yeah, I've raced go-carts on a track a few times, that doesn't make me Michael Schumacher.

The WH hates this...

Diplomacy again...

I can't wait to hear the Bushies talk about why Syria talking withIsrael about peace is a bad thing.

After all, Bush's little invasion of Iraq that was going to cause Democracy to flower in theMiddle East has worked out so damn well, why wouldn't invading Syria. This has got to kill the Bushies. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070404/ts_nm/syria_usa_pelosi_dc_10

It just keeps getting better

Terror Watch: A fired U.S. attorney strikes back

The Justice Department called David Iglesias, the U.S. attorney in
NewMexico, an 'absentee landlord'-a key reason listed for his firing
lastDecember. Just one problem: Iglesias, a captain in the Navy Reserve, was off
teaching classes as part of the war on terror. Now Iglesias is striking back,
arguing he was improperly dismissed.

WEB EXCLUSIVE By Michael Isikoff and Mark HosenballNewsweekUpdated: 12:26
p.m. MT

April 4, 2007April 4, 2007 - When he wasn't doing his day job as U.S.
attorney in NewMexico, David Iglesias was a captain in the Navy Reserve,
teachingforeign military officers about international terrorism.But Iglesias's
military service in support of what the Pentagon likes tocall the Global War on
Terror (GWOT) apparently didn't go down well withhis superiors at the Justice
Department. Recently released documentsshow that one reason aides to Attorney
General Alberto Gonzales cited injustifying the decision to fire Iglesias as U.S
attorney late last yearwas that he was an "absentee landlord" who was spending
too much timeaway from the office.That explanation may create new legal problems
for Gonzales and Justice.Iglesias confirmed to NEWSWEEK that he was recently
questioned bylawyers for the Office of Special Counsel, an independent
federalwatchdog agency, to determine if his dismissal was a violation of
theUniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), afederal
law that prohibits job discrimination against members of theU.S. military.At the
encouragement of Office of Special Counsel director Scott Blochand his deputies,
Iglesias said he is this week filing a formal legalcomplaint with OSC against
the Justice Department over his dismissal onthis and other grounds. (While the
Justice Department normallyprosecutes USERRA violations, the OSC, an independent
federal agencythat protects the rights of whistle-blowers, takes the case when
thepotential violator is the federal government itself.) "I want to makesure
they didn't fire me because of my military duty," Iglesias said."When I was away
from the office, it wasn't like I was going on vacationin Europe." (A Justice
Department spokesman did not respond for arequest for comment on whether
Iglesias's firing might have been aviolation of the law.)

Why the lies if they did nothing wrong?

Attorney’s do serve at the pleasure of the president…no argument there. But if there was nothing nefarious going on why did they lie about it?

1- “The attorney’s were fired for performance”. (Many had stellar reviews and Gonzales’s chief of staff has admitted that he NEVER saw performance evaluations of at least one of the attorney’s fired for “Performance” issues)
2- Gonzales said he didn’t know about the firings (In fact, he approved them)

If there is no story here, why all the lying? That is why they are in trouble with America. The lying. If the Attorney General is a liar with the full support of the President it makes it even clearer to Americans that the White House if full of liars.

Making them hate Democracy...good job

Here is some more data on the impacts of Bush's policy.

He's making them Hate Democracy: (well done GW)

A 43% plurality say democracy would be the best political system for Iraq, a marked decline in 16 months. In an ABC News survey beforeelections in 2005, 57% chose democracy.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2007-03-19-iraq-poll-day2_N.htm?csp=34

and more data:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2007-03-18-poll-cover_N.htm?csp=34

Face-to-face interviews with 2,212 Iraqis - a survey sponsored jointlyby USA TODAY, ABC News, the British Broadcasting Corp. and ARD, a GermanTV network - find a nation that in large measure has fragmented intofear. Six in 10 Iraqis say their lives are going badly.

Only one-third expect things to improve in the next year...Even some of those whose sect suffered under Saddam recall that time fondly. "I miss those good old days," said Jasim Mahmood Rajab, 60, aShiite businessman. "I had my work and my social life, and now -nothing. I'm ready to pay everything I have to sit at Abo Nowas Streetand eat fish at night."Before the war, Abo Nowas Street, which runs along the Tigris River, was lined with outdoor cafes. They are shuttered now>"

"I always talk to other girls in the bank remembering our old days when we were going shopping, or even walking in the streets," Solaf MohamedAli said. "Now we speak about all those things like a nice dream that is hard to get."And the next generation? Shiites are the most optimistic that their children will have a betterlife than they have had; two-thirds express optimism about that. So do half of the Kurds polled. But seven of 10 Sunnis predict that their children's lives will be worse.The pessimism was universal among the Sunnis who live in Baghdad: 100%of those surveyed said their children would have a worse life than theyhave had.

Lies Lies and more lies

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17702224/"

Sure, they'll talk but we need them to lie so we won't let them speakunder oath.

Disgusting.

The problem with their use of "executive privilege" is that they trot it out every time they do something illegal or immoral. Like, say the King of England would have in 1638, or some South American despot 50 years ago. The President is not above the law, he answers to the people and Congress when he's asked to. He should read the Constitution, or at least have someone read it too him. For all his spouting off about Democracy and ridding the world of dictators he spends a hell of lot of time acting like a dictator with a true disdain for the People's Checks on his power.

Under the Bus

It looks like they might be preparing for just that (under the bus). Alberto has been with the President a VERY long time, I don't think he does much with out talking to him (or at least Cheney), so to talk of this growing divide between them is hard to believe. More likely that he's just taking the blame.

Hey, remember when George Bush forget completely that he and Ken Lay were really good friends? "Ken Lay? Rings a bell, but not sure I know him". Or Jack Abramoff "He came to the WH once for a Hanukah party"So there is a pattern.

Don't you feel safer?

http://www.cnn.com/2007/LAW/03/14/med.marijuana.ap/index.html

Our ports are unprotected, and yet our government wants to prosecute thedying for smoking weed. The puritanical drive behind this effort would make the Taliban proud. Thank god, the government is there to protect this dying woman from hurting herself.

The problem with torture

The problem with torture is that people don't necessarily tell the truth, they say what you want to hear so the torture will stop (Interrogation 101).

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/14/guantanamo.mohammed/index.html

In addition to confessing to every terrorist plot of the past 15 years. Mohammed also confessed to the Kennedy Assassination, being the Zodiac killer and kidnapping the Lindbergh baby. He also confessed to being tangentially involved in the Lincoln Assassination by providing horses to Booth and others.