Happy Holidays!
I’d like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy holiday! Wow, what happened to 2006? It seems like just a few months ago it was September, and a few months before that it was June. And now year-end is almost upon us. I don’t know how it was for you, but for me the last half of the year just flew by, probably because I was so involved in so many projects. I guess time really flies when you’re busy. Read more.

Mission Accomplished: Cheap Smack for Everyone!
It looks like there’s no more “War on Drugs” folks, now it’s apparently the “War for Drugs.” The latest word out of Afghanistan is that their opium crop this year has broken all previous records at a staggering 6,100 tons. Clearly Afghanistan’s farmers have enthusiastically embraced the idea of a free market economy, increasing the amount of land planted in poppies by a whopping 61% over last year. Yes, freedom truly is on the march and it’s coming to your neighborhood, with plenty of cheap smack in hand. Read more.

Mission Accomplished: Spreading … Freedom?
Ah freedom, how sweet it is. We enjoy many freedoms here in America and of course we want to share those same freedoms with others in the world, like Iraqis. Of all the liberties we enjoy one of the most cherished is the freedom for the government to control what we read, hear, and see. That’s exactly the kind of freedom that’s now taking root in Iraq, and I know I speak for millions of Americans when I say I couldn’t be more proud. Read more.

Pinch Me
It’s been several weeks since the 2006 mid-term elections and the results still don’t seem real to me. Did voters really turn against the Bush regime and give control of the Congress (both House and Senate) to Democrats? Is Rick Santorum really gone? Is Donald Rumsfeld really gone too? Or is this all just a pleasant dream that I’m certain to awake from at any minute only to realize that America is still in the clutches of ruthless imperialists who don’t care how badly they hurt the country in their attempts to realize their twisted vision? Read more.

November 2006

Election 2006: Hope for America
By now you’ve no doubt seen the results of the 2006 mid-term elections. Voters all across the country have rejected the lies, ignorance and incompetence of the current administration. In the process many Republican candidates, including high-profile ones like Rick Santorum, have lost their seats in the House and Senate. (I can’t say I’m sad to see him go.) There may be hope for America after all. Read more.

The High Price of Education
In the words of George W. Bush, “Is our children learning?” The question of learning seems to be at the heart of a recent spat of words between Bush and senator John Kerry. A more relevant question would be “Is our president learning?” Did he study and do his homework, or was he too busy riding his daddy’s coat-tales in a booze and cocaine-induced haze to learn the lessons of history? The test results are in and they can be seen on any news program or in any newspaper. Methinks someone has some makeup work to do. Read more.

October 2006

Bin Laden Killed by Spinach?
The Bill’s Brain team of cracked … er … I mean crack reporters (or maybe they’re just on crack?) is hot on the heels of a story that Osama bin Laden may be dead. (Editor’s note: I’m not sure how they do that, get “hot on the heels of a story” that is, because the last time I checked stories didn’t have heels. Or even feet. I guess that’s one of the things they teach you in journalism school. Oops, time for the editor’s coffee break …) Read more.

Stand-Up Comedy at the White House
It’s good to laugh every now and then, and sometimes humor comes from unexpected places. Our esteemed mis-leader and president recently provided me with a hearty round of side-splitting chuckles when I read his comments concerning the proposed rules for interrogation of terrorism suspects, currently being debated by Congress. You have to give him credit, Bush is certainly a master at making ridiculously absurd statements using a straight-faced faux-serious deadpan delivery. Back in his drinking years he and Foster Brooks would have made quite a team. Read more.

September 2006

9/11 + 5 = 0
It’s a sad equation, but apparently true. Five years after the horrific tragedy of 9/11, what has really changed to improve America’s safety and security? If the experts who deal with questions like this are to be believed, not much. When measured in terms of the safety of the American people, 9/11 + 5 years really does seem to equal zero. Read more.

August 2006

NEW! - Good Karma
By popular demand I've added a page with pictures of Karma, the newest member of the family. Karma is a Tibetan Terrier although when she gets her bursts of psycho puppy energy she's more like a Tibetan Terror. I'll be adding more pictures of her periodically so check the "Good Karma" link below for updates. To see her puppy pictures just visit Karma's Page.

Bush to Sick Americans: “Screw You”
Our chronic underachiever of a president, George W. Bush, has decided to stoop to new lows and treat terminally ill Americans even worse than he treats the rest of us. And he’s doing it while advancing his campaign to drag America backwards, retarding the advancement of science and technology. In this case it’s life-saving scientific research that Bush is working to prevent, and it won’t just be sick and suffering Americans who pay the price. Read more.

July 2006

George Bush Was Right, There's Peace in the Middle East!
Well I’ll be darned, George W. Bush was right after all. I remember when he and the neocons were hell-bent on invading Iraq and he stated that overthrowing Saddam Hussein would spread peace throughout the Middle East. At the time I thought he was crazy, I didn’t understand how starting another war would spread peace in a region with such a long history of conflict, but now I see the light! Read more.

Ohmygod Star Jones Has Left the View!!!
It’s all over the news and the media is in a frenzy, so it must be critically important. Is it a cure for cancer? An end to massive federal deficits? Peace in the Middle East? NO! Someone named Star Jones Reynolds has left something called “The View.” My mind is reeling ... oh the confusion … disorientation … I search desperately for meaning. How will I cope with this unexpected turn of events? What meaningless distraction will I now use to fill the seemingly endless emptiness of my days? Will I have to get a real life and deal with the real world instead of allowing myself to be force fed mindless garbage by the mass media, vicariously living a pitiful pseudo-life through inane television shows and childish obsessions with celebrities? And just how did this Star Jones Reynolds person get three names when other celebrities like Prince and Madonna only got one? Someone should look into that, it doesn’t seem fair. And most importantly, who the hell is Star Jones Reynolds, what is “The View,” and WHY DO I CARE??? Oh, that’s right, I don’t. Jumpin’ Jesus people, get a grip! There’s a war on out there. Dismissed.

June 2006

The Brain Takes a Break
As some readers have noted I haven’t posted much recently, but never fear, I’ve just been taking a bit of a break and working on other projects. There’s certainly been plenty to write about the past few weeks! The proliferation of ignorance continues unabated, the most egregious examples have been duly noted, and you can bet I’ll be sharing my scathing and (hopefully) entertaining commentary in the near future. Stay tuned!

May 2006

George Bush’s Best Moment
Sometimes truth really is stranger than fact. Or something like that. Sometimes the jokes just write themselves and this is one of those times. Our esteemed mis-leader George W. Bush was in fine form recently when an interviewer from the German newspaper “Bild am Sonntag” asked him what his best moment in office was. Can you guess what he said? Was it when he managed to use the “war on terror” to frighten and deceive most of the public into supporting the neocons’ long-planned invasion of Iraq? Was it when he managed to pass the No Child Left Behind legislation under the guise of improving education, when in reality the law will lead to the virtual elimination of Title I funding for public schools? Was it when he gave his buddies in the oil industry over $6 billion in tax breaks and subsidies at a time when they were making record profits and the American people were paying more than ever at the gas pump? I’m sure those were all great times for Bush, but they weren’t the best … Read more.

On Immigration
Unless you’re completely cut off from reality like, well, like our president I guess, you’re aware of all the pro-immigrant rallies and protests that have taken place around the country in recent weeks. I can’t help but notice how the press and the current administration downplayed and largely ignored the millions of people who attended anti-war protests prior to the US invasion of Iraq, but when a much smaller number of immigrants took to the streets suddenly immigration became an important issue. Personal side note: I still vividly remember attending the anti-war protest with over 200,000 people in San Francisco, only to come home, turn on the television, and hear CNN report that “the largest protest took place in Washington DC where 30,000 people gathered …” If that’s not a deliberate attempt to conceal the truth and manipulate the public then I don’t know what is. Ironically, there was a man marching in the San Francisco protest with a sign that said “Ignore This CNN.” And they did a damn fine job of it. But what I really wanted to talk about was immigration … Read more.

April 2006

Goodbye Tom DeLay! You Won’t be Missed
In a sign that maybe, just maybe, there is hope for America after all, Tom DeLay has announced that he won’t seek re-election to the US House of Representatives. Feel free to rejoice individually or in groups of your choosing. With DeLay’s announcement the Washington DC Corruption Index experienced its largest single-day drop since Nixon left the Whitehouse. True to form, while discussing his decision DeLay couldn’t resist the urge to engage in a little standup comedy, making hilarious statements like “I've never done anything while I've been in elective office for my personal gain.” Oh stop Tom! I’m laughing too hard! You’re killing me! Read more.

Bill’s Brain Book Club #1
What the heck, I figure if Oprah can do it so can I. I’d like to welcome you to the Bill’s Brain Book Club! Periodically I’ll be posting information on books that I’ve read along with my insightful and entertaining comments. And it’s easy to join the club! There’s no cost, all you have to do is go to your front door, or if you’re not at home, go to the front door of the building you’re in, open it and yell out as loudly as you can “I’m a member of the Bill’s Brain Book Club!” Did you do that? OK, then congratulations - you’re an official member of the Club! Feel free to knit (or if you prefer, embroider) yourself an official membership card, get a tattoo, or do whatever else suits your fancy to celebrate your membership. So what’s my first book recommendation? To find out you’ll have to … Read more.

March 2006

Tom DeLay Supporters: Help is Here! (Denice Shelburne This Means You)
“DeLay supporters have mixed emotions.” That’s the headline I saw in the newspaper recently. When I read it my first reaction was to wonder how anyone could possibly have mixed emotions about Tom DeLay. Are they having trouble deciding between strongly disliking him or outright despising him? What other choices are there? And just who are these people? Read more.

Help Make America Safer and More Secure
You can do your part to make America safer and more secure by helping to remove a dangerous regime from power. This cadre of criminals has launched unprovoked invasions, destabilized the Middle East, created new training grounds for terrorists, operated secret prisons around the world, engaged in widespread torture, spread violence across the globe, encouraged America’s enemies to arm themselves with nuclear weapons, created widespread hatred of America, repeatedly deceived the American people, stripped US citizens of their rights, manipulated elections, saddled the US economy with record debt, undermined the US Constitution, violated international and US law, and brought death and suffering to hundreds of thousands of people. The regime, of course, is that of George W. Bush. Do your part to defend America by asking your representatives to support House Resolution 635. This resolution calls for "a select committee to investigate the Administration's intent to go to war before Congressional authorization, manipulation of pre-war intelligence, encouraging and countenancing torture, retaliating against critics, and to make recommendations regarding grounds for possible impeachment." Click here to tell your representatives that you want them to co-sponsor this important measure.

This is Your Bush on Oil
After years of being a puppet of the oil industry and doing their bidding like a good little lackey, George W. Bush has suddenly done an apparent about-face and declared that America must break its addiction to oil. Kinda, sorta, maybe, well, not really. Specifically it was foreign oil that he said we must break our addiction to. Apparently domestic oil is so light, so sweet, so crude, so luscious, so tantalizing and so profitable for his sponsors that there’s nothing at all wrong with consuming as much of it as we want. I’m sure it was music to the ears of the “Drill America First” crowd. Read more.

Of Illness and New Perspectives
I’ve got a chest cold. Bummer. For the past several weeks various people around me have been sick with this cough and congestion but not me. I thought I was going to avoid it. Guess not. Oh well, at least I can sit and write while I’m recovering. And catch up on my reading. I get so many magazines that it’s been impossible to keep up with them all. Which brings me to the new perspectives part. I’ve been reading the Rolling Stone issue dedicated to Hunter S. Thompson, the one with all of the stories by the people who knew him. (Like I said, I’m a bit behind on my magazine reading.) I’ve always been aware of Hunter, it would be hard not to be, but I haven’t read much of his material until now. I must say it’s eye-opening. His intensity and creativity are certainly impressive. Sometimes when something makes me especially angry and I’m writing about it in a particularly forceful way I wonder if perhaps I’m going too far, but reading Hunter’s writing is making me realize that as long as you’re being honest with yourself and writing what you feel there’s no such thing as “too far.” Creativity doesn’t have limits, it’s all about pushing boundaries and venturing into uncharted territory, and if you see a spade you should call it a spade. To do anything less is not a matter of being civilized or polite or politically correct, it’s being untrue to yourself and dishonest with your readers. I’ll have none of that here! Reading about Hunter’s life and his writing has given me a new perspective, one that I’m sure will influence my writing from now on. If you notice me becoming more irreverent and contemptuous, you’ll know who to blame. Gonzo indeed.

February 2006

If a Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
How much is a cartoon worth? Is it worth killing dozens of people? Is it worth damaging or destroying hundreds of buildings? I don’t think so. I’m referring, of course, to the violent riots protesting cartoons of the Islamic prophet Mohammed. Let me say that I in no way intend to offend or disrespect anyone’s religious beliefs. As far as I’m concerned everyone can believe in whatever they want to and worship in whatever way they want, as long as it doesn’t harm others. Note that the “doesn’t harm others” part is important. Rioting, burning cars and buildings, and killing people do not constitute valid religious expression. Read more.

Shoot First, Evade Questions Later
Well, at least they’re consistent. Once again Dick Cheney has gone off half-cocked and used lethal force against a sovereign entity based on flawed intelligence. At least this time the collateral damage was limited to one of Cheney’s associates and the effect on the US Treasury should be minimal. And unlike his last misadventure, Cheney will probably have an exit strategy for this one. But what does all this have to do with 9-11, George Bush’s bad behavior, and Bill’s theory of fractal behavior? Read more.

January 2006

Spying Scandal Reveals More of Bush’s True Character
Throughout his political career George W. Bush has done a fairly good job (with lots of help from Karl Rove) of presenting a public image that portrays him in one way while behind the scenes he has behaved in ways that contradict his public performances. He has counted on the majority of people simply accepting his soundbites without paying much attention to what he actually does, and this strategy has certainly been successful. The recent “Spygate” scandal and Bush’s reaction to it, however, have shattered some of his carefully crafted charade. Major goals of the Bush/neocon agenda, such as subverting the US Constitution’s system of governmental checks and balances and creating an all-powerful, above-the-law “Imperial Presidency” have now been exposed for all but the most blind, brainwashed, and/or willfully ignorant to see. Read more.

Bush Caught Spying, Lying, Defying
George W. Bush has taken his “King George” fantasy/delusion to a new level by establishing his own secret domestic spying program and operating it without the oversight of Congress or the courts. Sadly, I’m not surprised at all. It’s just more of the same from a power-hungry regime that has no respect for the law. And when Bush was caught did he apologize for breaking the law and violating the Constitution? NO! Of course not, don’t be silly. He reacted defiantly, insisting that what he did was legal. Sadly, that also doesn’t surprise me. In Bush’s mind anything he does is legal, just because he says so. Technically I suppose secretly spying on your own citizens is legal in certain places, but thankfully the United States of America is not one of those places. Read more.

2006 is Here: Happy New Year!
Well it’s finally 2006. 2005 was a heck of a year, wasn’t it? It was the year when many Americans began waking up and realizing that their government was not acting in their best interest. Many people even decided to do something about it by speaking out and protesting. Many Americans finally figured out that the Iraq “war” was not at all what they were led to believe it was, and Bush’s approval ratings sunk to new lows. In that regard 2005 gave us reason for hope, hope that the trend will continue and that in 2006 we will see the majority of Americans take action to put America back on track toward being a law-abiding nation of truth, justice, liberty, equality and righteousness. Read more.

To 2005 Blog Summaries.