Okay, so maybe it's not something that will work in the swing states, but it should help motivate like minded to get off the sofa, put on their shoes, both shoes, clean shirt, grab some food, and vote.

This shouldn't be a fringe issue, and it's a shame the issue of pain and suffering, namely medical marijuana, doesn't rank a little higher with Americans. To be fair, Guns and Ammo Magazine and Right-Wing Christian Nutjob Monthly are rumored to endorse BC'04 any day now ;-)

link via wonkette

For those still undecided voters, I think I speak for most when I say -- What's your major malfunction? I assume these undecideds are registered to vote, which shows some commitment in that they understand their responsibility in a democracy, but what else do they need to see?

Can you imagine grocery shopping with one of these people? Be sure to wear comfortable shoes. Oy veh.

If you caught the debates you might have heard VP Dick "The Dick" Cheney's slip-up recommending the name of a website (factcheck.com) owned by George Soros. The same billionaire, philanthropist George Soros dedicated to preventing another disastrous Bush presidency. In honour of Dick's slip I've compiled a little list of web URLs that he might find interesting.

Warning, open these addresses at your own risk as they may not be suitable for children, the blind, and undisclosed location dwelling fear mongerers.

A new video project set up to gather and distribute 30 second video messages from people around the world on how they view America. If anything irks me it's when I read or hear on TV how the world should stay out of American politics and go play in our own backyard. Of course this can only happen when American politics seriously concider citizens of the world and stop stomping the flowers in everyone elses yard. link via fray storyblog.

Last night I was one of a hundred or so lucky people to be the first to see Fahrenheit 9/11 in Japan. It was a private screening set up at Toho Cinema in Roppongi Hills for members of a group called Democrats Abroad Japan and the press. I'm neither a Democrat (I'm Canadian) nor a member of the press, so how did I get a ticket? A nice lady from the DAJ by the name of Lauren Shannon happen to check my site and asked me to take pictures during the evening. Felt cool being asked "Who you with?" while checking in at the press table. "The Times", or "The Post" I wanted to say.

The film was exactly what I expected it to be, excellent. No big surprises or changes of heart for me as my despise of the Bush administration and the war in Iraq was well established already. Some photos I took during the evening can be found here. Unfortunately I could not attend the post screening party as the last train forced me to run out of the theater while the credits were rolling. Sticking around and taking more photos would have been great but killing time in a coffee shop till the trains start running at 5 am is not my idea of fun.

You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train is a new documentary film from Deb Ellis and Denis Mueller on historian, teacher, activist and author of A People's History of the United States Howard Zinn, which is currently on my growing reading list. Due out July 23 in limited release it should work as a good one two punch following Fahrenheit 9/11.

The Boston Phoenex's Matt Ashare had this to say; Update: Here's the official site plus a trailer featuring a song by non other than Pearl Jam (Down from Lost Dogs).

Tomorrow's NYT will feature a full page ad taken out by Adbusters Magazine, which raised the $60,000, and will feature the Corporate Flag plus a message they hope acts as a catalyst from now until the November elections.

Update: here's the ad

My letter to the editor of the Japan Times. This is the first time I have submitted a letter to the editor, but is not to say I never felt the urge to before.

=================

In the April 26 article, 'Quagmire' label doesn't apply to Iraq ROBYN LIM provided a very misleading statement about the war in Iraq.

She wrote,

“This war is part of the continuing war against terrorism, heralded by the surprise attack on America in September 2001 that killed 3,000 civilians.”

There is not a shred of evidence to support this claim. The unilateral/preemptive invasion by the US and its so-called “Coalition of the Willing” on Iraq was made with faulty, outdated and just plain hyped intelligence. She implies that Iraq had ties to 9/11, a crackpot theory that has been debunked long ago.

Not a single Iraqi was aboard those planes that killed 3,000 on September 11, 2001 and no connection has ever been found, but yet the Neocons still want cling to the fabled Iraq-al Qaida link to push there ideological fantasies.

The fact is that 16 of the 19 highjackers were Saudis but you never hear about the 9/11-Saudi Arabia link.

It’s this kind of misinformation that makes most Americans believe, 57% according to recent polls, there is an Iraq-al Qaida link despite absolutely no evidence to support it.

"The budget is busted; American soldiers need more armor; they're running out of supplies. Yet the Department of Energy is spending an astonishing $6.5 billion on nuclear weapons this year, and President Bush is requesting $6.8 billion more for next year and a total of $30 billion over the following four years." -slate

"Two days before her daughter was freed Thursday night by her captors in Iraq, 65-year-old Kyoko Takato was apologizing to the public, using words more befitting of the parent of a criminal." -Japan Times

What might young Japanese activists be thinking right now? Stick up for what you believe in, try to make a difference, and expose the reality war and in return be spit on and heavily criticized by the media and government. I for one think they did the right thing, and congratulate them on acting and not sitting back and letting the government tell them were they can or can not travel to.

"We can't force people to stop" traveling to whatever country they choose, Koizumi said. "But we'd like them to consider how much trouble (their actions) might cause a large number of people." link

Mr. Koizumi, remember their actions were to help in humanitarian projects, not to cause trouble. How about this, if Japan didn't violate its constitution and send troops to support the American occupation of Iraq, would they have still been held captive? Somehow I think not. So tell us again Mr. Koizumi, who exactly is "causing trouble" in Iraq?

Take a stroll down US military intervention lane; 1801-2004

Michael Moore's upcomming film Fahrenheit 911 has been selected by the Cannes Film Festival to premiere there in competition next month. see announcement

I've never been a big fan of these awards shows, you know all that "my art is better than your art" crap, but for Mikey's next film I'll make an exception.

this looks like a great magazine. If only I wasn't in the land of incredibly expensive delivery costs. $35.97 for one year subscription PLUS $59 postage!

QUESTION: Mr. President, why are you and the vice president insisting on appearing together before the 9-11 commission? And, Mr. President, who will we be handing the Iraqi government over to on June 30th?

BUSH: We'll find that out soon. That's what Mr. Brahimi is doing. He's figuring out the nature of the entity we'll be handing sovereignty over.

And, secondly, because the 9-11 commission wants to ask us questions, that's why we're meeting. And I look forward to meeting with them and answering their questions.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) I was asking why you're appearing together, rather than separately, which was their request.

BUSH: Because it's a good chance for both of us to answer questions that the 9-11 commission is looking forward to asking us. And I'm looking forward to answering them.

...Yeah, it was about here that I through my TV set out the window.

Last night Larry King had on past G "dubya" Bush adviser Karen Hughes. I tuned in half way to hear a female caller say, First: terrorist dictator? okay Saddam was no Saint but have we not already seen that there was NO ties between his government and terrorist organizations, namely Al Qaeda. This late in the game and these morons just don't get it.

Second: Who screens these calls? do they just let any trailerpark twit call in? cause we know King doesn't challenge his guests when they lie or just spread their ignorance, never mind the callers.

And Last: That Annoying Weapons of Mass Destruction Sound... Yeah, that is was annoying isn't wasn't it.

Day after day, the entire bush administration, not to mention the puppets on the other side of the atlantic going on and on about these Weapons of Mass Destruction, Weapons of Mass Destruction, Weapons of Mass Destruction... We got so fucking tired of saying the entire four words that the acronym ("Dubya"MD) became the norm.

Now that we know this was all a BIG HUGE FAT LIE to the world I'm starting to enjoy hearing that Weapons of Mass Destruction Sound Over and Over again. We should NEVER forget why this illegitimate president and corrupt administration sent 643, and counting, US service men and women to their death not to mention the Thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians.

these would go well with my greenpeace nuclear non-proliferation deck. get yours today!

Yeah, I know this is nothing new. but still.

Salon.com's Gary Kamiya writes,

a company called Tom Bihn is selling laptop and messenger bags with apologies in French on the tags. They read "We are sorry that our President is an idiot. We didn't vote for him." priceless.

link via boingboing.net

Deanna Laney: "God Told Me to Stone My Children to Death". Sentenced to a mental hospital for stoning her 2 boys to death and inflicting major brain damage on her youngest son.

George W. Bush: "God told me to strike at al Qaida and I struck them, and then he instructed me to strike at Saddam, which I did" For the crime of lying and deceiving to the world and as a direct result killing thousands of innocent civilians and US service men and women is sentenced to... nothing. make him pay.

world peace now 3.20 @ hibiya park. starts at 1pm

to find march 20 events in your area check united for peace

a great collage of images from last year's internatonal day of action can be seen in a system of a down's music video for "boom" in which they teamed up with director michael moore.

kerry vs. the chicken hawks, but what's a chicken hawk you say?

chickenhawk n. a person enthusiastic about war, provided someone else fights it; particularly when that enthusiasm is undimmed by personal experience with war; most emphatically when that lack of experience came in spite of ample opportunity in that person’s youth.

high profile warmongering chickenhawks would include:
George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Newt Gingrich and so on. check the chickenhawk database for a complete listing.

recruit the chickenhawks today!