Author: m

Boot Bush!

~ m ~ Leave a comment

Why do I feel so strongly about this election? Aren’t all politicians the same anyway? Let me sum up my dire concern with this quote from Garrison Keillor:

The concentration of wealth and power in the hands of the few is the death knell of democracy. No republic in the history of humanity has survived this. The election of 2004 will say something about what happens to ours. The omens are not good.


I love this country too much to idly watch it self-destruct. If you have watched us go from creation of a surplus under Clinton to projected record deficit in one short reckless term and don’t see the writing on the wall, well… enjoy your perks while you can…

Things You Can Do Right Now

  • Get informed! A few things to consider are below…
  • Make sure you’re registered to vote.
  • Get everyone else you can to register. Here’s $200,000 worth of incentive.
  • I’m considering sending in an absentee ballot, for two reasons: 1) We have an overseas adoption pending and I don’t want ANY chance of missing my chance to vote; 2) Earlier votes have a better chance of being counted in race predictions (which may cause people to give up)
  • This link will take you to a page I set up where you can donate to the DNC:


    Boot Bush! Donate to the DNC today


    Points Of View To Consider

    The Conservative Case Against George W. Bush
    Garrison Keillor, the world’s most famous Lutheran, goes OFF
    johnkerryisadouchebagbutimvotingforhimanyway
    PBS covers the Budget Deficit Issue from both sides of the fence
    Kerry’s Official Stance On ISSUES
    “Our Plan For America” by John Kerry and John Edwards
    Some high-ranking military officials and others including members of his own staff condemning Bush’s mismanagement of Iraq
    A couple inside peeks into just how screwed up things are in Iraq
    Better ways to spend the $144 BILLION we’ve spent on the war already
    Damning statistics from Graydon Carter’s “What We’ve Lost”
    The National Council of Churches outlines true Christian principles in an election year
    including follow-up commentary
    (Does this make Bush the Anti-Christ, or just another Pharisee?)
    Michael Moore Attempts To Televise Farenheit 9/11 (with lively slashdot discussion)
    Unprecedented Corruption:
    A guide to conflict of interest
    in the U.S. government
    Bush in 30 seconds
    Kerry lays down the bass!

    UPDATE September 20th, 10pm: The Bush and Kerry campaigns reportedly agree to three presidential debates, on Sept. 30, Oct. 8 and Oct. 13. The Bush campaign denies a deal, but a source familiar with the negotiations says the agreement also calls for one vice presidential debate Oct. 5

    • Two Camps

    ~ m ~ Leave a comment

    Got an email from a friend today about Greenpeace dumping some “bycatch” on the doorsteps of some politicians…

    “Environmentalists, protesting over fishing, catch 11,000 fish, pile them near a major tourist attraction and put up signs saying, ‘Don’t waste
    life’… Brilliant!”

    In my experience there are two “camps” of environmentalist/eco-freak/animal-rights-activist/whatever. The first camp is the ducks unlimited hunter / catch-and-release fisherman / eco steward that likes to think they “keep it real”, usually by combining conservation with some form of consumption. They think they see the big picture and that’s what counts. A lot of park rangers, environmental agency officials, many biologists, etc. in that camp, perhaps even the more open-minded land developers or foresters. The second camp is Peta / lab-rescue commandos / vegans who see all sentient beings as individually having “rights” that no one else has the right to trample on. Members of the first camp would usually rather be damned to hell before being associated with the second camp. I’m a card-carrying member of the second :P but I’ve also been a member of the first, doing environmental surveys to set aside 20% of a gopher tortoise population’s land so the developer can bulldoze over the other 80%. Not by choice, but better than nothing. Working with governmental agencies and developers to find “common ground” and compromises.

    Seems like Greenpeace is trying to firmly throw their hat in the ring of the first camp… distance themselves from animal-rights activists, to whom Peta has really given a bad name with all their sensationalism. An example… isn’t it cute to bite the head off a fish…

    But it does sound like they’re opening themselves up to criticism, at least the way the yahoo story was spun… here’s more details, which clear it up a little bit anyway… sounds like they just took what the fishers had already pulled out of the water…

    Still, to a vegan, all the answers are easy. :) All this compromise stuff is nonsense. It’s just not that hard to “have it all”, eating low on the food chain, thereby helping the individual beings AND the big environmental picture, every day. Simple and pure.

    Homeschooling, Olympics style

    ~ m ~ Leave a comment

    We’re getting into the Olympics, it’s the home-schooling subject of the month. Time to extract learning in math, social studies, geography, physical education, science, etc. from this great global event. Fun fun!! In other PE news, soccer season is picking up for Reiley again. Mia Hamm is the perfect (re-)introduction! Rock on Mia…

    Oh brother Dan, where art thou?

    ~ m ~ Leave a comment

    Had a great time last weekend with my brother – my brother, my suffering brother, come out to the Volga! We got in our road trip, jam session, all-night-gaming, high-stakes-casino-play, lan party, studio recording time, night out on the town (fort lauderdale in this instance) non-stop party all in a measly sixty or so hours. What a ride.

    The Millers are planning on a trip up here around Thanksgiving, can’t wait, see ya soon! :P

    Beach day!

    ~ m ~ Leave a comment

    Yesterday we went with the Gillespe’s to Wrightsville Beach on the coast of NC. It’s about 2 hours from our door. It was fantastic! The waves took me back to the Jersey shore of my youth. Both the girls body-surfed with us! They did great – Wrenny jumped right in, jumping waves with me and surfing all over on her boogie board. And once Reiley donned her goggles there was no stopping her – she was jumping over 6-foot waves. By the end of the day, we were all baked. Whoop! The only sad part was… it was the first time I had ever been to the NC beach!

    9.5 Heroes Incorporated

    ~ m ~ Leave a comment

    Wow! We had 5 hours of fun on Father’s Day with my gift of Heroes Incorporated! The game is fantastic – it’s got a solid foundation – chase down crime in city streets and roll the dice to beat it – bent by lots of juicy exceptions. There are superhero special powers, various gadgets, and “bonus cards” that you’re not always sure are worth using. Should you go all out crime fighting or try to stop the competition by throwing a super villian in their path? Everything you do has a cost, and it’s not often an easy choice – the sign of a great game. And while that’s all going on, you get to watch your superhero achieve greatness, gaining fighting power and gathering powerful gadgets. Fun cubed!

    “Let me explain. No, there is too much. Lemme sum up…”

    ~ m ~ Leave a comment

    Must… blog… more… often…

  • Reiley turns 8 – now quit growing up so fast!
  • Andrea turns 36 – I mean 29! Happy birthday, boo!
  • Reiley has sleepover – all-night-craziness ensues…
  • Wren and Reiley perform in a dance recital at Raleigh’s Opera House, 2 1/2 hours of cuteness and beauty, from kids 4 to 18… all themed around Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons… Wrenny did some great dancing, skipping around stage with an umbrella, and Reiley did jazz AND tap…
  • VBS, 2 1/2 hours for Wrenny in the a.m., 2 1/2 hours for Reiley in the p.m., just about kills us!
  • Our final paperwork from CIS has arrived! We’re now approved by the U.S. for our adoption of Rodica, now we just have to get Romania on board…

    • Friends Making Games!

    ~ m ~ Leave a comment

    Sam Clifford’s got his Heroes Incorporated boardgame onto store shelves! You can order a copy online from GameFest – if you look quickly you can see it still on the top of the newly released games list!

    And in similar but unrelated news, for Reiley’s eighth (!) birthday, the day before yesterday, my folks sent her the boardgame version of Boxum!, the game for which John Carpenter made the PC version! It’s so great to hear that Boxum! is going strong, too – I don’t think my parents had any idea it was the game John did! I hope you’re getting something out of it, John. :P

    Reiley also picked up Bohnanza, a really nice looking Rio Grande game with a decent amount of complexity. Andrea and I can’t wait to steal it and play!

    Board gaming is everywhere! Whooo!