Another job bites the dust...

I spent probably 2 weeks going over my materials for a job at the Food Trust, writing and rewriting my resume so it would be targeted properly, writing and editing my cover letter, making contacts, makign sure the job was still open (it was encouraging that they extended the hire to November 4), emailed my materials promptly...
and then when I followed up yesterday, they had decided over the weekend to put a freeze on any new hires. Sorry.
If I had life insurance, I'd jump in front of the El, and then Sam would have some money waiting for him.
But I don't have life insurance. I'm no more usefu alive or dead. Might as well keep living.

Letters from a Wingnut

This is pretty funny. I belong to a listserv called prefectunion. It's a small list: I think there may be 20 of us subscribed, and discourse can get rowdy. That's what happens when you get a bunch of smart liberals, libertarians, conservatives and other free-thinkers together. The list has been fun for a long time, but in the past nine months has gotten awfully quiet. I've attributed this to the listowner moving to Seattle and establishing himself. Hard work, as Dear Leader might say. These days, perfectunion posts are few and far between.

Yesterday, I opened my email to find this (unlike Daniel Okrent at the Times, I'm going to make an effort to excise email addresses)


From:
"Jim Matthews"
Date:
Sat, 23 Oct 2004 08:59:14 -0500
Subject:
[perfectunion] What the Democrats would like you to forget


"There is no doubt that . Saddam Hussein has reinvigorated his weapons programs. Reports indicate that biological, chemical and nuclear programs continue apace and may be back to pre-Gulf War status. In addition, Saddam continues to redefine delivery systems and is doubtless using the cover of a licit missile program to develop longer-range missiles that will threaten the United States and our allies." Letter to President Bush, Signed by Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL,) and others, Dec, 5, 2001.

"We begin with the common belief that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and a threat to the peace and stability of the region. He has ignored the mandate of the United Nations and is building weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivering them." Sen. Carl Levin (d, MI), Sept. 19, 2002.

"We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country." Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002.

"Iraq's search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power." Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002.

"We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seing and developing weapons of mass destruction." Sen. Ted Kennedy (D, MA), Sept. 27, 2002.

"The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October1998. We are confident that Saddam Hussein retains some stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, and that he has since embarked on a crash course to build up his chemical and biological warfare capabilities. Intelligence reports indicate that he is seeking nuclear weapons..." Sen. Robert Byrd (D, WV), Oct. 3, 2002.

"I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force — if necessary — to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security." Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Oct. 9, 2002. "There is unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working aggressively to develop nuclear weapons and will likely have nuclear weapons within the next five years . We also should remember we have alway s underestimated the progress Saddam has made in development of weapons of mass destruction." Sen. Jay Rockerfeller (D, WV), Oct 10, 2002,

"He has systematically violated, over the course of the past 11 years, every significant UN resolution that has demanded that he disarm and destroy his chemical and biological weapons, and any nuclear capacity. This he has refused to do." Rep. Henry Waxman (D, CA), Oct. 10, 2002.

"In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members. It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons." Sen. Hillary Clinton (D, NY), Oct 10, 2002

"We are in possession of what I think to be compelling evidence that Saddam Hussein has, and has had for a number of years, a developing capacity for the production and storage of weapons of mass destruction. "[W]ithout question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime ... He presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation. And now he has continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction ... So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real ... Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Jan. 23. 2003.


"I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force — if necessary — to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security." Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Oct. 9, 2002. (Member of Senate Intelligence Committee)

Perfectunion is nothing if not a place to challenge assumptions, so I sent along the following reply:


Date:
Sat, 23 Oct 2004 07:37:53 -0700 (PDT)
From:
"Brendan Skwire" Subject:
[perfectunion] What Republicans Don't Want You to Know

Ignorance (i.e., FOX) fuels Bush support.
See summary (pp. 3-4) of this report:
http://www.pipa.org/OnlineReports/Pres_Election_04/Report10_21_04.pdf
[This report, in case you haven't seen it or don't have time to slog through the executive summary, demonstrates that on a variety of topics, hardcore Bush supporters are incredibly misinformed.]

That got Jim's goat:


From:
"Jim Matthews"
Date:
Sat, 23 Oct 2004 11:57:25 -0500
Subject:
[perfectunion] RE: What Republicans Don't Want You to Know

The premise of this study, so generously provided by mr. Skwire from the University of Maryland, is that Bush supporters are stupid. This conclusion is reached because they think that because there was no 'smoking gun' in Hussain's hands, we are to hold him to the same standards as a criminal trial. When you are talking about WMD, no one can afford to take that chance.
Mr. Hussain bears much of the responsibility for this war. He was warned, and he knew we were gearing up for invasion. He could have come clean and shown the world that there was no WMD. Instead, he "gamed" the inspectors at every turn and stuck his finger in the eye of the world. (See Res. 1441).
Analogy:
I see gang members leaning over into cars and putting money in their pockets. I have no concrete evidence that would stand up in court that they are dealing drugs. However, in my heart of hearts, I realize the probablity of drug dealing is far greater than any other explanation.
Now imagine that my son is spending a lot of time with these gang members. I have no concrete evidence, so am I to simply throw up my hands and let events take their course? Is it any surprise that the Republicans, with an arguably better educated constiuancy overall, would still cling to the notion that this bad boy STILL probably had WMD? They were documented, he used them in war, he stiffs the inspectors and we just walk away?

Many prominent Democrats felt the same way as well and voted for this war. Kerry was on the intelligence committee and saw the same things as Daschle, Bush, Levin, etc. They, too, were on board until the political winds shifted and it was more to their political advantage to say otherwise. Even Kerry has stated that even if he had known that no large caches of
WMD would be found, he still would have voted for the war. How do you explain this apparent anomoly?
When I got near the end of this study, I was appalled that world opinion and in particular, Islamic world opinion was held out as some factor in the decision making process at all. Why would anyone care about this when making defense decisions?

However, and interesting study, just take it with a grain of salt unless you
worship Europe.

I'll point out that right away, Jim starts making assumptions about me. You'll notice that he uses a number of Bush's phrases like "He gamed the system". Anyway, a response was due:


Date:
Sat, 23 Oct 2004 10:41:19 -0700 (PDT)
From:
"Brendan Skwire"
Re: [perfectunion] RE: What Republicans Don't Want You to Know

The premise of this study, so generously provided by mr. Skwire from the University of Maryland, is that Bush supporters are stupid.

yes. that is my point exactly. And I stand by it.
especially since you think I'm writing from the
University of Maryland.

Then, feeling a bit puckish I escalated a bit:

Date:
Sat, 23 Oct 2004 10:56:51 -0700 (PDT)
From:
"Brendan Skwire"
Subject:
Re: [perfectunion] RE: What Republicans Don't Want You to Know

But hey, don't forget Poland!
"Of course I feel a certain discomfort that we were
misled about weapons of mass destruction." Polish
President Aleksander Kwasniewski

Jim replied:

From:
"Jim Matthews"
Subject:
RE: [perfectunion] RE: What Republicans Don't Want You to Know
Date:
Sat, 23 Oct 2004 14:27:58 -0500

Brendan,
If you wish to genuinely discuss the issues, we can. If you wish to point out that in my haste, I neglected to check my punctuation, that is another matter. Do you wish to "score points" or minutia, or do you wish to hear both side of the story?
The study was, indeed, from the U of Md.

I replied:

Date:
Sat, 23 Oct 2004 12:37:47 -0700 (PDT)
From:
"Brendan Skwire"
Subject:
RE: [perfectunion] RE: What Republicans Don't Want You to Know

#1 you said that I was writing from the University of
Maryland.
#2: I long ago lost interest in just about ANYTHING
republicans have to say. There's this tendency to
make things up out of whole cloth. So no, I'm not at
all interested in hearing "both sides of the story"
yet again. really what you want to do is tell me the
republican side of the story, as your initial
perfectunion email demonstrated.
I've already heard the republican side more times than
I needed to, and it has not proven to be
"reality-based."
If I want to visit the neighborhood of make believe,
I'll watch reruns of "Mr. Rogers".
Now stop bothering me.

Unfortunately, Jim had trouble grasping that concept, and sent me in essence the same email he'd sent me previously:

Jim Matthews wrote:
Brendan,
If you wish to genuinely discuss the issues, we can.
If you wish to point out that in my haste, I neglected to check my punctuation, that is another matter. The study was, indeed, from the U of Md.

It keeps going:

Date:
Sat, 23 Oct 2004 12:41:56 -0700 (PDT)
From:
"Brendan Skwire" Subject:
RE: [perfectunion] RE: What Republicans Don't Want You to Know

In your haste, you also missed point number 2 of my
reply, as well as the request I made in closing.

So now I've told him to leave me alone twice. And although I've deleted email addresses, by this time the emails weren't coming from perfectunion: they were coming directly to me from Jim.
And thus I received this one (I will try to recreate Jim's colored text):


From:
"Jim Matthews"
Subject:
RE: [perfectunion] RE: What Republicans Don't Want You to Know
Date:
Sat, 23 Oct 2004 14:41:00 -0500


Har..har...har !!!

Was the United Nations Security Council "misled" when they unanimously passed Res. 1441 which, among other things stated:"Recognizing the threat Iraq's non-compliance with Council resolutions and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and long-range missiles poses to international peace and security,..." http://www.un.int/usa/sres-iraq.htm
Who here could say with a straight face that China, Germany, France, Great Britian and the other 11 major powers that make up the Security Council were somehow "hoodwinked" by someone that the left believes doesn't have the I.Q. of a turnip? Does anyone here beliveve that the UN Security Council has no other resources and they just take our word for it? We are talking about the major Western powers here.
Even Senator Kerry is not trotting out the "Bush lied" tripe and here's why:

"We are in possession of what I think to be compelling evidence that Saddam Hussein has, and has had for a number of years, a developing capacity for the production and storage of weapons of mass destruction. "[W]ithout question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime ... He presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation. And now he has continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction ... So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real ... Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Jan. 23. 2003.
Correct me, please, if I'm wrong, but Senator Kerry was on the Senate Intelligence Committee at the time he made these statements. He was privvy to the same intelligence, both domestic and foreign, that the president sees.
Now we turn to David Kay, the head UN weapons inspector for guidence:
That weapons stockpiles have not yet been found in Iraq should not so clearly indicate that Bush knowingly lied about their existence as it should point out that he -- not to mention Great Britain, France, Russia, Germany, and the United Nations Security Council -- fell victim to the same inaccurate intelligence information as did Mr. Kay. In fact, last Monday (January 26) David Kay told Tom Brokaw, "I think if anyone was abused by the intelligence, it was the president of the United States rather than the other way around."
I realize these statments are not convenient when the radical left websites are feeding you soundbites for simpletons, but "facts is facts".

I am a sucker for colored text: it makes a person's positions that much stronger. I wanted Jim to know I appreciated that, but also needed to let him know that his story had grown tiresome

Date:
Sat, 23 Oct 2004 12:50:28 -0700 (PDT)
From:
"Brendan Skwire"
RE: [perfectunion] RE: What Republicans Don't Want You to Know

so now, even though I've asked you to stop bothering
me, you send me more stuff (in fancy red letters, I
quite like that, very impressive) and call me a
"simpleton." Is that what republicans call "civilized
debate"?
calling names give people who don't want to listen to
you an excuse not to.
More proof that republicans aren't very bright.
Stop bothering me. I'm not interested. Go away.

-sigh- It just keeps coming:


From:
"Jim Matthews"
RE: [perfectunion] RE: What Republicans Don't Want You to Know
Date:
Sat, 23 Oct 2004 15:00:42 -0500

I am posting to the mailing list and not to you. If you don't want to read what is sent to the list, I suggest you get off the list.

BTW, I didn't really expect a rebuttle.....what I wrote is irrefutable.
But thanks for playing!!

[At this point, has anyone else realized what a poor speller Jim is? "rebuttle"? "beliveve"?]
The listowner weighed in at some point:

----- Original Message -----

Subject: Re: [perfectunion] RE: What Republicans Don't Want You to Know

The premise of this study, so generously provided by mr. Skwire from the University of Maryland, is that Bush supporters are stupid.
yes. that is my point exactly. And I stand by it.
especially since you think I'm writing from the University of Maryland.

jim's a little touchy about bush supporters being called stupid? i seem to recall .....

"Is it any surprise that the Republicans, with an arguably better educated constiuancy overall, would still cling to the notion that this bad boy STILL probably had WMD?"

at least brendan had a study to present. jim is just using arguable digs.

Jim had a reply:

From:
"Jim Matthews"
Subject:
RE: [perfectunion] RE: What Republicans Don't Want You to Know
Date:
Sat, 23 Oct 2004 16:51:09 -0500

Hi, Eric,
I would have thought anyone with an exposure to simple statistics would understand that it is unreasonable to dismiss roughly half of the voters as simply 'stupid'. It is, at best, a weak and ill thought-out explanaion. Mr. Skwire is looking for simple partisan answers. If they rhyme, all the better. Ya' know like "Bush lied, people died". If it rhymes, it must be true, eh?

That is what you will find on Salon.com, democraticunderground.com, moveon.org and truthout.com. To be fair, the Conservatives have their share of ignorant websites. However, it is unwise to rely on these extremists of either persuasion for real news and facts.

Mr. Skywire would be wise to find his news somewhere else.......
Jim

Now I was tired of Jim. Also, I didn't like being called a simpleton. Furthermore, as much as I like arguing, debating with wingnuts is like trying to drive a sedan in the desert. Your tires spin and you get nowhere. Anyone who's listened for five minutes to RushO'ReillyIngrahamCoulter knows this is so. Also, my name is "Skwire" not "skywire" and that was just about the last straw. So I had to put a stop to Jim's emails:


Date:
Sat, 23 Oct 2004 15:59:32 -0700 (PDT)
From:
"Brendan Skwire"
Subject:
RE: [perfectunion] RE: What Republicans Don't Want You to Know

It is, at best, a weak and ill thought-out explanaion. Mr. Skwire is looking for simple partisan answers. If they rhyme, all the better. Ya' know like "Bush lied, people died". If it rhymes, it must be true, eh?

Jim says this about me, but in none of our exchange do i resort to "simple partisan answers". And anyone who knows me, as you do Eric, knows that I'm not interested in "simple partisan answers". Like Mr. Bush's myriad mischaracterizations of Mr. Kerry as "flip-flopper" then "the most consistently liberal senator", Jim is throwing mud at me and hoping some of it sticks.

Jim and I have never, to my knowledge, met (though I am bad with names and better with faces). Jim is angry with me for having the gall to respond to his inital post in a manner that he did not agree with. Then he began writing to me directly, although he claims each post was through perfectunion, which is a lie. When you reply to a perfectunion post it gets sent to the entire list, not just the poster, and the past few emails I came specifically from Jim, not the
listserv. I know because I've saved them, and I will happily forward them to the list.

In these emails, Jim keeps asking me if I want to hear the other side of the story and I keep telling him A) "no I'm not interested" and B) stop bothering me. I have asked him to stop bothering me THREE TIMES.

Let me point out, that while the results of the UMaryland study pointing to a higher level of stupidity in republicans may be arguable, a man who doesn't know what "leave me alone" means is CLEARLY a stupid person. Instead of leaving me alone, as I asked him to THREE TIMES, Jim has sent me more pro-republican stuff that I am not interested in, saying "I realize these statments are not convenient when the radical left websites are feeding you soundbites for simpletons." You all didn't see that comment previously because, contrary to Jim's assertions, he sent that to me directly, and not the list. Any simpleton can look at the headers to realize that.

Jim has no idea who I am or where my politics lie, but claims that I get my news from "radical left websites". Not only that, these radical lefties are "feeding me" this information, as if I'm in a
straitjacket with my eyes held open a la "Clockwork Orange." this implies that Jim believes that I am too stupid to consider opposing arguments and draw my own conclusions.

For the record, when it comes to Iraq, I have heard many sides. From the email Jim sent out this morning, I got a pretty good idea what his side was, and i rejected that side a long time ago. I don't need to talk about it anymore. I certainly don't need people like Jim yapping in my ear like a chihuahua on crystal meth.

Jim, you don't know me. You don't know ANYTHING about me. But i know something about you: you're a liar, you're a bully, and you are so fucking stupid, you probably wipe your ass with your hand and then eat Triscuits.

Pardon me for sinking to your level, but for the last time, you ignorant stupid dishonest right-wing republican bully: leave me alone. I'm not interested in talking to you and I'm not interested in your opinion about ANYTHING.

3 words, 4 syllables: Leave. Me. Alone. Is that too hard a concept to grasp?

And at long last, the emails stopped.
The End.

More SEPTA

Subject:
feeling bad for septa
To:
geringd@phillynews.com

dan,
As someone who LOVES public transportation but DESPISES SEPTA, I think I can explain why there has been no outcry.

First of all, we go through this every year it seems. SEPTA runs a deficit, threatens to shut down services, Harrisburg balks, and life goes on as usual. It starts to sound like crying wolf.

Second of all, SEPTA's treatment of its riders hardl inspires loyalty. Buses and trolleys that show up when they feel like it; tunnels that seem to ALWAYS be closed for repairs (man, I moved here 5 years ago and you're STILL testing the signal system?); cashiers that don't give change; emergency callboxes that don't work; stations that smell like bowel movements... you name it. With friends like SEPTA, who can blame riders for not wanting to help out?

Third, City Council has done little to improve the situation and does little to support either SEPTA or its riders. SEPTA spent millions of dollars to refurbish those gorgeous Streamline Moderne cars for the Girard line, which indirectly helped push up East Girard's property values as the neighborhood seemed to be improving, and then the 59th Street neghborhood threw a wrench in the works, refusing to let SEPTA use the street as a turnaround. Instead of working with everyone, Michael Nutter and Jannie Blackwell put the kibosh on a project that would have really helped our city.

Personally, I hope SEPTA DOES have to shut down this winter. I say this knowing how badly I'll be hurt if they do: I don't own a car and rely on SEPTA to get to work from December through March (when spring hits, I'm back on my bicycle). However, if the buses, trains, and trolleys
disappeared you'd see a big ding in the local and regional economy, especially on weekends; angry commuters stuck in traffic; angry people from the suburbs (ie people with money) unable to get to work or into the city for a weekend's entertainment; angry college kids at Penn, Drexel, and Temple; malls and shopping center with decreasing revenues. If SEPTA really wanted to stick it to the legislature, they'd shut down the trains and buses going to the Sports Complex: Ouch. It would be extremely ugly and might be just the drastic measure to force Harrisburg to pony up the dedicated funding.

It makes me so sad to look at historic maps of Philadelphia's trolley lines: every street had a trolley or a street car, even rural areas. Today we see tracks and power wires on streets like 11th and 12th just gathering dust. What a jewel we used to have here. It's like a diamond that's turned into a lump of coal.
What a sad sad joke.
Brendan Skwire

"Geringer, Dan" [geringd@phillynews.com] wrote:
Wow --- elegantly and accurately stated. Can I quote some of your thoughts in future SEPTA pieces?

Dan G.

Philadelphia

Lately, I've been down on Philadelphia. It doesn't take much for me to announce my utter loathing of The City of Brotherly Love. I hate Philadelphia, I simply hate it here. I realize this may be projection as much as anything (a way of dealing with my family woes, employment woes, etc.).
So before I begin what is going to be "a litany of complaints" as Dear Leader puts it, I will point out what I like about Philadelphia:

It's about the only city I know where you can afford to buy a decent house without sending yourself to debtor's prison.
It's very convenient to New York.
There is a lot of history here.

It's a walking city.

There are some very cool people here. Some.

BUT

Our public transit is a bad joke. The underground is frequently closed, the trains (and in particular the R7) never run on time, most lines shut down at 12:30, and we have some of the highest fares in the country. Oh, they're probably going to go up again too.

The Historical Commission is more dedicated to knocking down buildings than protecting them.

The city is filthy: the people don't care about it and neither does the muicipal government. Hell, two weeks ago I was stuck behind a garbage truck and I saw the driver throw an empty bottle out of the window.

People are rude in general.

The city lies about how much lead is in the water, and tries to cover it up as well. (Money quote in case the link dies: "Some cities, including Philadelphia and Boston, have thrown out tests that show high readings or have avoided testing homes most likely to have lead, records show.") Maybe that's why I believe my statement so much:

This city is filled with incredibly stupid people. After 5 years of living here I believe that I personally have become more stupid.

The rivers are polluted.

Our city council and our mayor are chronically mired in corruption, patronage deals, and pay-to-play (and the Mayor's Republican challenger was no prize either).

Speaking of government, the state legislature treats Philadelphia as if it wasn't part of the state.

The wage tax sucks.

The whole city stinks. Whether it's subway and alleys that reek of urine and feces, the water treatment plant near Bridesburg, the Rohm and Haas fumes that according to one friend turned the air in Fishtown purple a few years ago, or the aroma of petroleum distilling at the Sunoco plant, this city has a stank to offend each and every nose in the world.

The blue laws surrounding alcohol are more idiotic than Connecticuts (though thankfully nowhere near as bad as Utah's).

The public school system here is as bad a joke as SEPTA, if not worse.

People liek to point to our "thriving" music scene. I agree there are a lot of good bands here, but do they get any airplay at all in this city? We have one free form college staion, WKDU. WXPN, UPenn's station, plays nothing you can't hear on a classic rock station, as well as that awful "singer songwriter folk music." There is nothing like WMBR here. There is nothing like WFMU. The press, including the weekly alternative media, shout hosannas for every new band out there, but once the novelty wears off they fail to offer sustained support. There is nothing at all like the Boston Noise. The rock scene here has NOTHING, NOTHING, NOTHING on Boston's music scene.

This summer, a developer tried to build luxury Mcmansions in Valley Forge National Park. This in and of itself isn't surprising, since real estate developers are notorious for being craven bastards who would sell their own children into prostitution if the profit margin looked good. No what's surprising is this plan actually almost went forward. But then, what can you expect from a city that once moved to raze Independence Hall to build luxury condos?

Our natural gas company, PGW, has proposed hitting paying customers with an $80 surcharge to cover all the deadbeats whodon't pay. PGW's service, by the way, is typically rotten.

Our senior senator is Arlen Specter, who believes in magic bullets, defended murderer Ira Einhorn, harassed Anita Hill, campaigns as a moderate except when he campaigns as a right-wing extremist, and is known as one of the meanest senators in Congress. He also voted against extending the assault weapons ban, always helpful in a city with a murder rate as high as Philadelphia's.

And our junior senator, Richard Santorum? Dumbest member of Congress since 1998. A man who not only believes that homosexuals shouldn't have the right to sex in their own home, but believes that NOBODY has the right to sex in the privacy of their home (I have a letter from him to prove it). A man who so fervently believes a fetus is a person, that when his wife miscarried they actually brought the fetal remains home so their kids could cuddle it before they buried it. (gotta scroll down).

Our state imports more garbage from its neighbors than any other state in the union.

Some letters...

Joe Loconte from the [right-wing] Heritage Foundation wrote this article on Bush and faith.

You can go read it yourself. It's totally full of shit.

Anyway, I wrote Joe a letter:

To: Loconte, JoeSubject: who was your article addressed to?

As a member of the "reality-based community" I was wondering who your article was addressed to. I was also wondering if you're a member of the reality-based community, or if you're one of the people mentioned in Suskind's article who believe that you make a different reality every day.

Conservatives used to belong to the reality-based community: during the Clinton years there was always aconservative ready to stand up and say "Yes, BUT.."and bring everyone back to reality. I always thought it was the left that lived in Fantasyland. Where did you all go? Am I the only one who hasn't moved from the reality based community to the neighborhood of make-believe?

Brendan Skwire

Joe wrote back:

Mr. Skwire,

Thanks for your note. My op-ed was, in fact, addressed to the reality based community. But if you agree that the President of the UNited States "is just like" the Islamic radicals, then it's fair to ask what realities are guiding your political views. The Christian realist, Reinhold Niebuhr, called it "sheer moral perversity" to equate the failings of liberal democracies with fascist tyrannies. Worth mulling as we consider the rhetorical abuse heaped on Bush and the United States these days.

Sincerely, Joe Loconte

Well that was just lame, so I wrote back again:

But if you agree that the President of the UNited States "is just like" the Islamic radicals

Um, where in my email do I say that? Don't put words in my mouth. I'm not Bruce Bartlett. You have a problem with him saying that, go tell him, not me.

ask what realities are guiding your political views.

Since you're asking, here are some realities guiding my political views. This may take awhile.

One reality is that in 2003 I got laid off and lost my health care; that the job I finally found after nearly a year of looking pays $12K less than my last position and offers no benefits (the job is a position writing descriptions of pornography films available online. Who knew "gobbling" was such a popular gerund in the pornography industry?). I've gone from being a professional writer with 6 years of solid experience under my belt, $32K a year... to a smut peddler making $19K after taxes. Did I mention I have a baby? Mr. Bush says, in the face of a number of critics from theleft and the right, that his tax cuts are growing the economy. I'm not seeing it. This political reality is shaping my views.

Another reality is that I'm a pretty conservative guy,and I don't see any need to mess with the constitution unless absolutely necessary: denying marriage rights to a whole group of people ain't absolutely necessary especially when it's due to the objections of a major religious group. I thought in a liberal democracy, no one religion gets preference over another. You say in your article that "Bush often reaches for a principled compromise - and is hesitant to act unless he sees a strong consensus to do so." I'm looking at the amendment, which even many republicans like Dennis Hastert and Tom DeLay admitted was just a tool to embarrass democrats and had no chance of passing, and I'm not seeing any of this "compromise" stuff you're talking about. This is one of the most divisive presidents in history. That's a political reality shaping my views.

Another reality is that despite the "neighborhood of make believe" talk about painting schools and healthcare for all Iraqis (while we have lines next door inNJ because we're rationing flu shots because we don't have a health care system here), I read (in a number of sources from the left, right, and center) that things aren't going very well. When you have to keep coming back to Congress and ask for even MORE moneyfor a war that was supposed to be over very quickly, the neighborhood of make believe talk is pretty well undermined. Mr. Bush keeps saying things are going well and there's lots of progress in Iraq. Meanwhile,Poland (a country I will never forget) is pulling out and saying they're upset that they were "taken for a ride" on the WMD claims. That's a reality that's shaping my political views.

And then there are issues of taxes, which I pay close attention to (I'm a homeowner, and this talk of eliminating the mortgage payment deduction is not sitting well with me at all).

The Christian realist, Reinhold Niebuhr, called it"sheer moral perversity" to equate the failings of liberal democracies with fascist tyrannies.

Again, I never equated the failings etc. But you seem to be suggesting that I am. I will suggest that taking out a fascist tyranny for the sake of it wasn't such a hot idea. There were no wmds or robot drones; the intelligence was not only bad, it was cherrypicked according to pretty much just about everyone; and Saddam Hussein, whatever his faults, hated radical islamists as much as we do and slaughtered them wholesale, while we give up control of Fallujah to radical Islamic insurgents. Now, I know that in the white house, a new reality is invented every day for people like you to write about (their words, not mine), but Joe as I read your article over again, no offense, there are so many flawed examples within it that, like Dick Cheney debating John Edwards, I don't know where to start.

I am VERY thankful to my father for teaching me early to question everything.

Brendan Skwire

Well, I waited a couple of days, but no response from Joe, so I wrote him a second letter.

I'm disappointed. I figured a smart fella like you would have some explanation for all these realities I described to you.

It's OK though: it's very difficult to reconcile the cognitive dissonance when theory hits reality. I hope you remain employed at Heritage for a longtime. It's ugly out here in the reality-based community.

Here are 2 letters merged into one regarding the Philadelphia Inquirer's complaint that John Kerry had the sheer audacity to point out what everyone already knows: that Mary Cheney is a lesbian. The letter was forwarded with further comments to Jill Porter, normally a rational voice at the Philadelphia Daily News (commentary for Jill will be boldfaced):

I sent this letter to the editor at your sister publication yesterday, knowing that it wouldn't be printed (not because of the content, but because I write a lot of letters and was printed recently). I am copying it to you. [for the record, I agree withyour comments about McGreevey 100%: he's an utter disgrace.]

To the editor:

Give it a rest already.

The last time I looked, Mary Cheney was not only a lesbian, she had been out for years, acting as Bush/Cheney's campaign liaison to the gay community in 2000, and before that acting as Coors Brewing's liaison to the gay community. How then is it wrong for John Kerry to point out what everyone already knows? Why shouldn't conservative Christians be reminded of the foundation of hypocrisy upon which their champions stand?

The truly shocking moments from the evening's debates were Bush's outright lie that he had never said he was unconcerned about Osama bin Laden's whereabouts, and Bush's shameless suggestion that Americans go without a flu shot this year so we could ration supplies for the young and elderly (this after saying that it was Kerry's health care plan that would cause rationing). You should be talking about the lines for vaccines in New Jersey.

I believe it was Lenin who spoke of "useful idiots". Whether the editorial staff at the Inquirer knows it or not, that is EXACTLY the role you are playing. You can do better than this.

Brendan Skwire

I will add Jill, that John Kerry's comments were very positive about the Cheneys' love for their daughter. When John Edwards said the same thing the week before, Cheney very graciously said "thank you."I will also add that Mary Cheney has been publicly OUT for years. if it's so embarrassing that she's gay, why was she BC2000's liaison to the gay community?

It's interesting to hear Lynne so protective yet embarrased of her daughter, as if being gay is a secret shame like alcoholism or something. Where were Lynne and Dick when Bush was pushing that awful marriage amendment? Where were they 2 years ago whenTrent Lott compared gay people to kleptomaniacs? Hell, where was their outrage 2 weeks ago when AlanKeyes (whose daughter is gay) said that Mary Cheney is a "selfish hedonistic person", as are all gay people. Keyes named Mary Cheney specifically: there was not a peep out of the Cheneys, or from any of the other members of the Peanut Gallery.

I can't quite figure it out Jill: John Kerry remarks positively upon the Cheney's relationship with their openly gay daughter, noting that it transcends politics, and it's like he's committed a heinous crime. Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell come on TV the day after some a**hole flies a plane into the World Trade Center, and say it's the fault of homosexuals (and feminists, liberals, democrats) and Dick Cheney and his lovely wife say nothing.

If you haven't seen Jon Stewart's takedown of Tucker Carlson on "Crossfire", you really ought to. Because by jumping on John Kerry for this innocuous statement, you are committing the same type of media bandwagon hackery. I read your column regularly and I think you are a smarter person than that. Your columns on McGreevey have been right on. The baby-sleeping columns have actually changed my habits when it comes to letting my infant into the bed with me. It is disheartening and embarrassing to see someone who really DOES have common sense wallow into the pigsty.

What a shame.

Brendan Skwire

No response from Jill either.

The Philadelphia daily News DID however publish my most recent letter to the editor:

It's great to know that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney and Arlen Specter and Rick Santorum and John Kerry and John Edwards and Chaka Fattah and Joe Hoeffel and everyone else in Congress gets free flu shots, while the rest of us stand in line.

Who pays for this?

How is it fair that I go without a flu shot, when I'm poor and have no health insurance or paid sick time, but my representatives in government, all of whom are well-to-do, get flu shots free of charge?

"All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others."

Brendan Skwire

You know, when someone asks me, "how's it going", I never realized how hard it is to say "fine" when really what i mean is "I feel like jumping out of a 10th story window with a few cinderblocks tied to me."

Sometimes you get into this spiral where life is one bitchslap after another.

I've been on the receiving end now for about a year. I'm tired of it.

I feel like the guy at the end of "Sister Carrie". His life just keeps getting worse and worse. In "Sister Carrie" it's because he abandoned his boring life for the illusion that was Carrie. Me... jesus, I don't know what the hell I did. All I know is my temp job is over in a few weeks, i don't know when my girlfriend and kid are moving in, and I'm tired of playing music at second- and third-tier clubs. Wasn't I just playing for 2000 kids a night a few weeks ago? Wasn't I on tour in Europe 2 years ago? On tour nationally the years before that?
What happened?

So here we are, October 12. My son is 9 months old today, but I'm not there to celebrate because UPenn not only can't manage to send the right visa to my girlfriend to get her into the US, they can't be bothered to return phone calls until we get lawyers involved. Hey, they don't call you Ivy League for playing nice, right? Amy Guttman, you fucking bitch, I'm talking to you.

So hey, I used to make $32,000 a year, now I have a temp job that pays $12/ hour and is over in 2 weeks. So hey, I'm praying that the job describing gay and straight porno for $10/hour comes through. isn't that great? I'm happy to take a nearly $6,000 pay cut to get an entry level job looking at fucky-flicks! Isn't that fucking awesome? (Don't get me wrong: I want, and NEED this job. But I can't tell my girlfriend's parents what I do for a living. i can't tell my grandmother what i do for a living.)

The power steering on my car diedvlast month, and cost $400 to fix. The brakes need to be fixed too: when the car gets up to 65 miles an hour the front wheels rattle so badly i get scared that the entire front end is going to fall off. The thermostat needs to be replaced. My amplifier repair is going to cost about $200, maybe more. A full tank of oil for the house is going to cost almost $600.

So hey, I went to a food truck today and waited a half-hour for my food, and they made the wrong thing. So hey, when I left and got a cheesesteak instead, a cab decided that right turn on red takes precedence over pedestrians and bikers crossing the street and practically knocked me off my bike. my food went everywhere!

So hey, i played at WXPN last week for free! they promised me lots of media people and industry types who weren't there! Oh and they didn't give us any beer. Oh and food wasn't free either! isn't music a great career? bands line up to get treated like shit. Oh and WXPN wants me to come back and perform again this week! Do you think I'll say "yes"? Hey, maybe I'll use my repaired amplifier and I'll get to say "hey you cheap fucking bitches! I paid $200 to get this amp fixed so you can hear my godlike tube tone! isn't it rich? Don't the bass tones come out as hard as a fist, as smooth and mellow as crushed velvet? And hey, it's your lucky day, because I'm giving it away! Think of me when I'm not drinking a beer because you bitches are too cheap to give up even a bottle of fucking lager."

Hey the guy working behind the bar at WXPN last week said he couldn't give us free beer because "there's a law that says I can't." So I laughed in his face and said "I've been playing in this town for 5 years now, and if there is such a law, you're the only person who obeys it." I've told everyone i know about their "no-beer/ no-pay" policy... I'll continue to tell everyone about the no-beer/no-pay policy.

So hey, i have a gig tonight. At the local ethiopian restaurant. With a band called "Clueless" that plays "acoustic folk funk" with "middle eastern and celtic influences."
That sound you hear is me vomiting my gastrointestinal tract. Without even hearing this band, i hate them. I hate them and every band like them. You're not an "acoustic folk funk" band. You're a rock band with an acoustic guitar that desperately wnats to be something other than what it is. Putting goofball fusion labels on your band doesn't make you better: it makes you sound intellectually pretentious. Oh and hey, wiseass, don't even say "what about Unclefucker" because at least Unclefucker was funny. Mixing Middle Eastern and Celtic influences may be a good recipe for a holy war, but as a punchline, it ain't happenin'.

Every year, we play a number of festivals in West Philadelphia's Clark Park. This year, I believe we did every festival except one. And while everyone knows I am hypercritical of my band, almost to the point of quitting, we stand head and shoulders above almost every band we've shared a stage with at the Clark Park festivals, with the exception of Stinking Lizaveta. Lord and Thundering Christ, I am appalled by the garbage shitfuck sounds people call "music". White guys playign bloodless blues. Black guys emulating white guys' bloodless blues. Shitfuck bands like the flat possum boys that try to be all things to all people. I hate everyone and everything. Fuck it. get the fuck out of my room.

Sometimes I wish I'd never looked at a guitar or bass. Sometimes I wish I'd been born completely deaf instead of half-deaf. Mission of Burma had it wrong when they reached for their revolver: they should have reached for their Street Sweeper automatic shotgun.

So hey, when do i get to bitchslap life?

I turned into someone I'm not today. I feel sick.

I got a bulk email from some right-wing cause: it was some dumb ass jihad against Dan Rather. I suppose you've heard the news, that Dan respected-news-journalist Rather got duped on some documents about george "it's hard work" bush's failure to show up for national guard duty in the 1970s. Never mind that there's already evidence that Dan was duped by GOP Hatchet guy Roger Stone. Let's just consider that george Bush himself has admitted his Iraq evidence was a bit... faulty. But hey.. that's just me,a nd the guy is allowed to have whatever opion he wants.

For some reason, I felt like a dick today and I sent him back an utterly rude email for no reason other than to be a dick. You know, fuck him, he's some dick head republican, fuck him. And then he wrote back and it escalated. Andf then I wrote back and it escalated. and so on. I visited his blog, and made a totally unnecessary rude comment about his family on his message board. And then it escalated some more, until i left work today.

For the rest of my day, it weighed on me. I just felt, and still feel, dirty. Not for getting in an argument with some right-wing fuckhead who sent me unsolicited e-dosghit, but because I crossed a line: there was no need for me to have said the what I said, and all in the name of partisanship.

I write this fully aware that the right wing never got to where it is today by apologizing for being offensive, but I can't help feeling like a turd for getting caught up in the 2-minute hate myself.
I'm disgusted by the level that things have come to in this country. It's foul.