Ass is a bad word!

I mean WHOA!

Some people just make you feel inadequate...

Sad but true!

Stu Bykofsky | To save America, we need another 9/11
ONE MONTH from The Anniversary, I'm thinking another 9/11 would help America.

What kind of a sick bastard would write such a thing?

A bastard so sick of how splintered we are politically - thanks mainly to our ineptitude in Iraq - that we have forgotten who the enemy is.

It is not Bush and it is not Hillary and it is not Daily Kos or Bill O'Reilly or Giuliani or Barack. It is global terrorists who use Islam to justify their hideous sins, including blowing up women and children.

Iraq has fractured the U.S. into jigsaw pieces of competing interests that encourage our enemies. We are deeply divided and division is weakness.

Most Americans today believe Iraq was a mistake. Why?

Not because Americans are "anti-war."

Americans have turned their backs because the war has dragged on too long and we don't have the patience for a long slog. We've been in Iraq for four years, but to some it seems like a century. In contrast, Britain just pulled its soldiers out of Northern Ireland where they had been, often being shot at, almost 40 years.

That's not the American way.

In Iraq, we don't believe our military is being beaten on the battleground. It's more that there is no formal "battleground." There is the drip of daily casualties and victory is not around the corner. Americans are impatient. We like fast food and fast war.

Americans loved the 1991 Gulf War. It raged for just 100 hours when George H.W. Bush ended it with a declaration of victory. He sent a half-million troops into harm's way and we suffered fewer than 300 deaths.

America likes wars shorter than the World Series.

Bush I did everything right, Bush II did everything wrong - but he did it with the backing of Congress.

Because the war has been a botch so far, Democrats and Republicans are attacking one another, when they aren't attacking themselves. The dialog of discord echoes across America.

Turn back to 9/11.

Remember the community of outrage and national resolve? America had not been so united since the first Day of Infamy - 12/7/41.

We knew who the enemy was then.

We knew who the enemy was shortly after 9/11.

Because we have mislaid 9/11, we have endless sideshow squabbles about whether the surge is working, if we are "safer" now, whether the FBI should listen in on foreign phone calls, whether cops should detain odd-acting "flying imams," whether those plotting alleged attacks on Fort Dix or Kennedy airport are serious threats or amateur bumblers. We bicker over the trees while the forest is ablaze.

America's fabric is pulling apart like a cheap sweater.

What would sew us back together?

Another 9/11 attack.

The Golden Gate Bridge. Mount Rushmore. Chicago's Wrigley Field. The Philadelphia subway system. The U.S. is a target-rich environment for al Qaeda.

Is there any doubt they are planning to hit us again?

If it is to be, then let it be. It will take another attack on the homeland to quell the chattering of chipmunks and to restore America's righteous rage and singular purpose to prevail.

The unity brought by such an attack sadly won't last forever.

The first 9/11 proved that. *

E-mail stubyko@phillynews.com or call 215-854-5977. For recent columns:

http://go.philly.com/byko.

The Vacation President

Aug. 9, 2007, 9:01PM
Bush on track to become the vacation president

By JULIE MASON
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau

President Bush tries to set an example for Americans whenever he can, in terms of physical fitness, faith, optimism and a certain overall moral rectitude. He also sets an excellent example on taking vacation.

On Thursday, Bush left for a weekend in Kennebunkport, Maine, and his family's summer compound, Walker's Point. On Monday, he heads to his Crawford retreat, where he has spent all or part of 418 days of his presidency, according to Mark Knoller, a CBS News White House correspondent and meticulous record-keeper.

Never a fan of Washington's more cosmopolitan pleasures, Bush will be in Central Texas for about two weeks, with an overnight trip to Ottawa to meet with the leaders of Canada and Mexico.

At a White House press conference Thursday, Bush appeared to be already inhabiting his vacation mode, shedding the businesslike, sometimes grim demeanor he's had of late to slouch against the podium and be avuncular.

He gamely joked and mugged with reporters, at one point raising two fists in a boxing stance to illustrate what not to do in a photo op with the president of Iran.

"You don't want the picture to be kind of, you know, duking it out, you know?" Bush said " 'OK, put up your dukes.' That's an old boxing expression."

Bush's August sojourn will be his 65th trip to Crawford, according to Knoller.

The 1,600-acre ranch has proved a durable haven for Bush, who often disappears into its varied landscapes for days or weeks at a time without public appearances. He has an attractive stone house, shaded swimming pool, miles of rugged bike trails and law enforcement at every entry point keeping people out.

"I fell in love with it the minute I saw it," Bush said of his ranch in 2001. "I like being out here. I like spending a lot of time outside."

The presidential vacation-time record holder is the late Ronald Reagan, who tallied 436 days in his two terms. At 418 days, and with 17 months to go in his presidency, Bush is going to beat that easily.

Even so, this year's August vacation for Bush is a contrast to previous years such as 2005, when he dragged out vacation in Texas to five weeks. That was also the year Bush remained on vacation immediately after Hurricane Katrina hit.

Vice President Dick Cheney generally takes August off, often heading to Wyoming or coastal Maryland. Congress left last weekend and is gone until Sept. 4. The Iraqi parliament is taking August off, too.

Still, all this governmental time off is more than most Americans are taking. A recent survey by Yahoo Hot Jobs found nearly half of American workers did not take all of their vacation days last year.

Bush, on his 10th visit to Kennebunkport as president (according to Knoller), is scheduled for lunch Saturday with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Indeed, on the issue of vacation, at least, Bush is much like a pleasure-seeking Frenchman. According to Expedia.com, French workers get about 39 days off a year and generally take all but one.

Our true size...

SIMPLY FASCINATING!








AT THIS SCALE JUPITER IS ABOUT 1 PIXEL, WHILE EARTH IS NOT EVEN VISIBLE.


ANTARES IS THE 15TH BRIGHTEST STAR IN THE SKY. IT IS MORE THAN 1000 LIGHT YEARS AWAY. AT THIS SCALE THE SUN IS ABOUT 1 PIXEL, WHILE JUPITER IS NOT VISIBLE.


THIS IS A HUBBLE TELESCOPE ULTRA DEEP FIELD INFRARED VIEW OF COUNTLESS "ENTIRE" GALAXIES BILLIONS OF LIGHT-YEARS AWAY.


THIS IS A CLOSE UP OF ONE OF THE DARKEST REGIONS OF THE PHOTO ABOVE.

I Can't Believe It's Not Butter...

when i was a fat loser in high school, this was my favorite show. now if i could just ditch the loser part...

Asian Chicken Salad...

Margaret = Love

The Landlord...

No but, yeah but, no but, yeah but, no but...

Part I

may i introduce you to the joy that is... vicki pollard. those damn brits! so cheeky!

You are well outta line...

Part II

Crew...

this pic is from the 2000 head of the hooch regatta in gainesville, my second year rowing crew at cincinnati, in the mens varsity 8 boat. at this point i had lost about 50 lbs from the two-a-day, 6 day a week practices. im the one in the red hat. if youre ever in need of an amazing full body workout, make friends with your nearest erg machine. i sometimes miss it, then i throw up and come to my senses.

Fuck yeah!

In repair...

Too many shadows in my room
Too many hours in this midnight
Too many corners in my mind
So much to do to set my heart right
Oh it's taking so long I could be wrong, I could be ready
Oh but if I take my heart's advice
I should assume it's still unsteady
I am in repair, I am in repair

Stood on the corner for a while
To wait for the wind to blow down on me
Hoping it takes with it my old ways
And brings some brand new look upon me
Oh it's taking so long I could be wrong, I could be ready
Oh but if i take my heart's advice
I should assume it's still unsteady
I am in repair, I am in repair

And now I'm walking in the park
All of the birds they dance below me
Maybe when things turn green again
It will be good to say you know me

Oh it's taking so long I could be wrong, I could be ready
Oh but if I take my heart's advice
I should assume it's still unready
Oh I'm never really ready, I'm never really ready
I'm in repair, I'm not together but I'm getting there

doggie dentures...

did you know dogs loose there baby teeth just like we do? did you know dogs even HAD baby teeth?!?!

jason and i were cleaning up the kitchen and i stepped on something. then jason stepped on something. almost simultaneously we realized what those somethings were... TEETH! and then, as we began to look... "OH MY GOD!" we found teeth littered about the loft like confetti following a ticker tape parade. instantly, googling was done. whew. dogs do in fact have baby teeth to lose. so all that plastic, metal, rawhide, wood, fabric, etc. that the little rag-a-muffin has been chomping on? teething. fun times. scared parents. but all's well that ends well. with just a little blood and a few BABY teeth to show for it.

My favorite quote...

"All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, a light from the shadows shall spring; renewed shall be the blade that was broken, the crownless again shall be king."

-J.R.R. Tolkein
The Lord of the Rings
The Fellowship of the Ring

from that i gleened... "Not all who wander are lost." its my mantra. my theme. it totally encompasses all that i think and know i am.

The Genesis...

so i was sitting in the bathtub, searching for an outfit for my mom to wear to my best friend jessica's upcoming wedding. the water had cooled and i was geting bored, so i did a self google search. dont lie, you know you've done it. i came across this site offering to make myself more easily found on the internet (ya know, so old friends can track me down), so i signed up. it asked for a blogger account. i didnt have one. i used to have a blog, but technical difficulties and a lot of wasted time later, it was no longer active. so i created this one. tah dah. thats the big news. thats the story. thats the birth of my ramblings... again. and believe it or not, im still in the gaul dern bathtub. my feet look like two baby sharpei's. they're cute. ill resist the temptation to name them. and now, jason just woke from his slumber and shuffled into the bathroom to pee, one eye half open whining that "water is bad for your skin." so, three hours later, i guess ill get out. and so it begins... joshua holcombe, from the bathtub!