So what bothers me more than the domestic spying scandal? More than the wanton flouting of the law? More than the use of private telecommunications infrastructure to conduct warrantless surveillance? More than the ethnic and religous profiling? More than the use of surveilance technologies very similar to those whose use has already been determined by the Supreme Court to constitute an illegal search? More than the accusation that the press is traitorous when the New York Times, et.al. seem to have bent over backwards to protect the adminitration's criminal secrets? What bothers me more than those? The apologists.

Norman Mailer says that humanity naturally moves toward facism.
Maybe that explains the reactions of those who remain sanguine in the face of what may be the most real and most serious threat to our way of life.

During the course of my work day, I noticed a stain on the leg of my pants and I couldn't imagine how it had gotten there. I didn't give it any more thought at the time since there wasn't really anything I could do about it anyway. A little later I caught a glimpse of the stain in the light and saw that it was red. I rolled up my pants leg. I had a cut below my kneecap and the blood had soaked through my pants.
Now, I'm not nature's most graceful beast, but nevertheless, I don't think a man of my intellect should be subjected to such hazards when so little is at stake.

So, for those of you who may, from time to time, find yourselves on the business end of my employer's stick, know that I have, on numerous occasions, shed my blood for you. And know also, that those in my charge have endeavored far more fervently, in fact, than I to accomplish the sometimes impossible tasks set before them.

Oh, I almost forgot. You owe Andrei Codrescu money.

What will you get yourself as a holiday gift this year?

I like to put on the radio to sleep. Usually, I'll listen to the BBC radio feed through iTunes, but if I'm too tired or lazy to go to the computer, I'll put on 24 hour sports talk because I prefer sleeping to talk or news rather than music.

Well, there's this infomercial style radio program that comes on every Saturday morning. It's deceptive in sleep because it sounds like benign football talk at first, but then every two minutes someone is imploring you to "Call my 800 number for guaranteed winners this weekend!" It's the second most annoying thing of all time to hear through one's sleep. Second only to NPR's "Car Talk." God, I hate them.

But on the plus side, when since got home from work at 12:45 am and I had to get up at 8am to go back to work, being annoyed into waking is the only way to get me out of bed.

Bah humbug, motherfuckers!

My Best List of 2005 with a couple from 2004:

1. Common
   Be


2. The New Pornographers
   Twin Cinema


3. The White Stripes
   Get Behind Me Satan


4. Patton Oswalt
   Feelin' Kinda Patton


5. Low
   The Great Destroyer


6. The Postal Service
   Give Up


7. Alison Krauss & Union Station
   Lonely Runs Both Ways


8. Amos Lee
   Amos Lee


9. Wilco
   A Ghost Is Born


10. The Decembrists
    Picaresque