Crime and Punishment

There is no doubt in my mind, and I suspect that there is a pretty general, though not widely stated opinion in America that Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld are totally legitimate, world class war criminals.

But what about our servicemen? There has been a general consensus that our overseas fighting men and women are engaged in a futile, but noble exercise in the service of the United States of America. I think it is time to challenge that cliche perception. Let's face it, these Guardsmen and Marines are nothing else than hired thugs in the service of the above cited war criminals.

I have heard some excusing for their criminal behavior against both private Iraqi citizens and/or prisoners as being a natural result of the pressure they are under while serving in an hostile environment. Well who is to blame for thier presence in Iraq? Not the Iraqis. And who can blame the Iraqis for wanting to kill and remove their invaders? Not me.

It is time for any moral member of our armed forces to pull out. Mutiny. Go AWOL. Lay down your weapons.

Either get the fuck out of Iraq or take your own medicine and stop whining while sucking at the teat of the Great American War Machine.

TransAmerica

This is a curious, humorous and emotionally touching road picture about a couple of sexual outcasts who think they know what they want out of life, and other people. But on their journey, they discover what they need, more than want, and maybe discover their own selves in the process.

This is not a new or unique premise for a movie, but the performance by Felicity Huffman really is sui generis. Her characterization of the transgender wannabee is the equal to Philip Seymour Hoffman's Capote and it may be that, because the Academy voted him a Best Actor Oscar, they felt they had to go another way with the Best Actress.

After watching the movie on DVD, I checked out the conversation extra with Huffman and the writer-director, and was not disappointed by their comments.

The Big Week begins.

Joe turns 44 on Wednesday
Garance hits 12 on Friday.
Julie returns to 39 on June 1.
And three days before that, we mark our 45th year of wedded…of being wed.

Hallmark loves us this week.

Internet Road Maps

By which I mean road travel maps on the Internet, not surf maps of the Internet.

My new favorite is Yahoo Maps, beta version. Aside from some useful peripheral features, the best is the ability to list a multiple sequence of stops in planning a travel route.

And while this is a valuable asset, lacking in the other free web-based map programs, in planning an extensive trip, I find it more frequently useful in routing my errands in the L.A. area. It helps me achieve more efficiency in time and fuel to plan a route that might run to 40 or 50 miles in buying booze, electronics, wholesale coffee, ribs-to-go, meeting for lunch, Krispy Kremes and espresso.

It serves a good purpose, and it is sorta fun to experiment with alternate routings.

When the www is good, it is very very good. When it is bad it is a damnable stain of perdition.

Another Gore Bore

I am getting really bugged at this constant praising of Al Gore and knocking of Ralph Nader. Of course no thinking American would have voted for Nader in 2000 if we had even a glimpse of the deviltry waiting to burst from George Bush. But just because Gore would not have led into Iraq doesn't mean he wouldn't have led us into some other moral and economic disaster.

Gore was pathetic in his presidential campaign. Not once did he refer to the Clinton administration and state how he would advance the goals and projects of that administration. And what is he doing now that David Remnick is so enamored with? Is Gore advancing policies that might get America out of Iraq? Or dealing with runaway gas prices and our major economic problems? Not that I have noticed.

Yes, care for our planet's health is important. But what about the health care for Americans? What does Gore promote to resolve that issue.

So Gore is a decent man. So what? Ralph Nader is more than just a decent man. He is a deeply complex and motivated man. Al Gore is the man in the empty suit.

This is 2006, Remnick. Quit berating Nader for the 2000 election that Gore capitulated, even though he won. How pathetic can he, and you be?

Housing Hunting

When we moved into our condo, Julie and I did it knowing that its Mexican pyramid of townhome multiple steps would entertain us for only a few years.

We started looking for a single-level condo last year, but Peter suggested we look for a single family house instead and offered to be a major purchase participant to help dispose of some of his accumulating wealth in a good property investment.

After months of searching and a few stutter steps of negotiations, we now have an accepted offer on a very attractive property in Westchester, down the street from Loyola Marymount University.

And now the real work of buying, selling and moving begins.

Anyone interested in a lovely townhome condominium in Mar Vista?