Well, whoopdie doo, another Saturday. Not much sleep last night, sine the goddamn a/c appears not to be working here, and while it’s not 100 degrees here, it’s humid and never seems to get below about 75 degrees. Haven’t check to see if Israel launched its major invasion of Lebanon last night, but since there’s nothing to stop them (certainly not the US, compassion ,or common decency), I suppose they probably did. So, I guess it’s time for coffee, and then see what’s going on in the world. They’re copying the Edinburgh Fringe Festival here in DC this weekend, so maybe I’ll go to that (though I’d rather be at the NY State Blues Festival – already too late for the Empire Brew Fest).

Anyhow, enjoy your Saturday.

Ah, well, as we reach the end of another week, I’m starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel. Two weeks from tonight, I’ll be packing my shit. For now, though, I guess I’ll try and figure out how to kill another weekend. “Who Killed the Electric Car” opens here in DC tonight, so I reckon I’ll try and catch that. Otherwise, I guess I’ll lay low and try not to become another July DC murder stat.

I’m finally listening to the last Marc Maron shows – I’m up to the July 11th show, just at the end of the final Sveltlana segment. Not many left to go. I listened to the interview with Frank Schaeffer yesterday, about his “AWOL” book. It was interesting, because I’d caught an interview with him on CSPAN radio while driving around a week or two ago. Marc’s interview was a million times better. I hope he gets back on the “air” in one form or another soon.

Not much to say today. I haven’t even felt like checking the news yet. Interesing blog post by David Fickling at the Guardian, in response to this report by UNAMI that 100 Iraqis die evey day (give or take) – and nobody really notices anymore (if they really ever did). He puts it into perspective a bit by writing that:

More people are killed in a month in Iraq than in 30 years of conflict in Northern Ireland. In two months, more are killed than in the first world war’s Battle of Jutland, the biggest naval battle of all time.

More are killed in 10 weeks than were killed in the Halabja poison gas attack, Saddam Hussein’s single most brutal assault on his people. And in 12 weeks, more are killed than died in the Srebrenica massacre.

…a packed-out concert at the Wembley Arena holds 12,300, so it you’ve ever been to the venue you can tell yourself that it would take just five-and-a-half months of violence in Iraq to kill every person who was there with you.

Or you could try setting yourself an alarm to go off every 15 minutes, day and night, giving you a reminder of the average frequency of violent death in post-conflict Iraq.

[…]

What is without question is that the toll is rising. According to Iraq Body Count, the daily death toll has gone up from 20 in 2003, to 30 in 2004, 40 in 2005 and 50 this year. And according to the UN report, nearly a third of the 50,000 people killed since 2003 have died in the past six months alone.

So, a few Lebanese kids here, a bunch of Palestinians there, a handful of Israelis there – what’s the big deal anyway?

It’s not like they’re a bunch of frozen embryos.

Well, between the impending apocalpyse, and it being 100 degrees or so here (and damn near everywhere else in the East), it sure feels like this is hell we’re living in (imagine what things are like where it’s really hell on earth; it makes me feel ashamed to complain about my crappy little dorm room – not that it’ll stop me).  True to form, the Bush administration not only is has its head up its ass as far as the war in the Middle East, but they can’t even fucking evacuate US citizens from Lebanon.  Besides being way behind what every other country in the world is doing (as usual), they were making Americans pay by check or sign a promissory note in order to get on the boat (dead or alive) to get the hell out, until the press got hold of the story and shamed them into waiving the fee (or so they say; if you’re one of the evacuees, don’t be shocked when you get a bill).  You gotta kinda wonder how even 30% of the people can think this bunch is doing a helluva job.

It’s hump day.  Get  out and hump while you still can.

At the risk of sounding simplistic, this shit is bad.

I certainly hope the rest of the world can put an end to this, since the US seems both unwilling and powerless to do anything about it. I guess it’s up to “old” Europe and the grownups to do something. At this point, I think we can only hope that Bush, Condi, Cheney, Rummy, the worthless and cowardly Republicans & Democrats, and the rest of this pathetic government of ours stay the hell out of things, unless they’re willing to muster up a little courage and tell the Israelis to stand down.

As others here have remarked, the ususal suspects, Kos, Atrios, DU, etc., seem to be remakably silent on the subject. Kos had a post about how he “grew up in a war zone” (he was born in Chicago in 1971, but was raised in El Salvador until he was nine or so, when the family came back to the US in 1980), and learned that until “both sides” decide to stop killing each other it will never end. As true as that may be, I’m not sure what that’s got to do with killing innocent Lebanese men, women, and children, and targeting Lebanon’s civilian infrastructure; whether or not you agree that Israel is entitled to go after Hezbollah, the attacks on Lebanon seem far from justified. But then, I’m not as worldly as he is. Kos also links to a post from Kevin Drum, who discusses why he doesn’t write about an active war in the Middle East (something about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict being 50 years old and very complex (presumably we’re all too stupid to understand it, and he doesn’t have the patience to ‘splain it to us), and besides it makes for a whole bunch of meanie comments.

The one exception seems to be Juan Cole, who, typically, continues to be unafraid to write intelligently about what’s going on, and how pathetic our government continues to be. And of course there are the alternative news sites, like Counterpunch, Truthout, Democray Now! and others (I won’t list them all – if you’re reading this, I’m sure you know who there are, and if not, I’m sure there will be lots of copying and pasting of articles from those sources and others).

I just find it kind of sad that our well known “liberal” bloggers seem to be afraid or unwilling to discuss the issue. To be sure, it would take a certain amount of guts, as there are certain elements who will brand anyone who disagrees with what the Israeli government is doing as “anti-semitic” – just as some will brand anyone who criticizes the Bush administration as “anti-American” (even treasonous). And of course there are plenty of people who would excuse anything that Hezbollah might do, too. Personally, I think it’s time to stop rationalizing terrorist behavior, no matter who the perpetrators are. Right’s right, and wrong’s wrong, whether it’s in Baghdad, Darfur, South Dakota, Beirut, Gaza, or Haifa.

One thing’s for certain, if things continue to escalate, this will only turn out very badly, and $4/gallon gas will be the least of our worries. And even if disaster is somehow averted this time around, unless the entire world insists on some form of justice that all sides can agree to and live with (and I have to think that a big part of that would getting the US the hell out of the region), the fire will only continue to smolder until the next crisis.

Then maybe we can get back to ignoring all of the other unspeakable (but not quite as dangerous on a global scale) horrors that exist in the world, and wait for global warming or that killer asteroid to hit the reset button on the human race, and see if evolution can’t do a better job next time.

Well, here comes another week.  Let’s hope the world survives until Friday.  It would be nice if we had a preznit who would strongly condemn Israel’s actions and actual work for a way to end this shit, but of course we don’t have one of those.  It’s hard to tell whether dubya’s hands-off approach to things – the Middle East, North Korea, New Orleans, among others – is better or worse than when he actually sticks his dick into something – like Iraq and Condi Rice.  Either way, we’ll be awfully lucky to make it to November – let alone 2008 – with this bunch in charge.  And now we have to do it without Marc and Jim to at least give us an hour and a quarter’s worth of the funny every day.  I don’t think I even wanna look at the news this morning, but I suppose I’d better see if the world got blown up overnight, so I can go back to bed.  Have a good Monday.  Well, do the best you can.

I’m still pretty beat from Friday night, but let’s see what the Sunday news programs have in store for us today.

On Press the Meat, The potatoheaded one has Newt Gingrich (why?) and Senator MBNA, Joe Biden. Then its Count Novakula, who will desperately try to pretend he’s still relevant. Fortunately Timmy has his back.

Over at Faze the Nation, bush buddy Bobby Schieffer has Condi “the Lizard Queen” Rice on to tell us how great things have been going during her rein as Secretary of State and presidential concubine (I understand she’s been trying to get dubya to start smoking cigars). Then it’s Richard Haas (unfortunately not the Richard Haas who’s president of Steelworkers local 9443-1, but wingnut Dick Haas of the Council on Foreign Relations). Hey, how’re them foreign relations goin’, Dick? And, just to make the show fair and balanced, it’s DINO Jane Harman.

The Lizard Queen slithers on over to Fux News Sunday, and, speaking of creepy slithering things, so does VA Senator George Allen. Chris “twinkieass” Wallace also adds CT Senator Chris Dodd, and Philippe Cousteau (note to Fox – that’s with three p’s – but not all in a row – geniuses), president of Earth Echo International, and son of the late Philippe Cousteau, who was the son of the late Jacques-Yves Cousteau, who was the son of another dead Cousteau.

Over on This Weak with George Snufalufagus, it’s yet another talking lizard performance, as Condi discusses the “brewing tensions” in the Middle East (note to ABC; you can take the pot off the burner, ‘cuz this shit aint just brewed, it’s burned), and then Madeline “Vincent Gardenia in Drag” Albright will be on to tell us what she thinks of the the job the current Sec State has been doing. At the roundtable, it’s Sam “worst toupee in the business” Donaldson, Cokie “scag” Roberts, Fareed “Token” Zakaria, and George :jerk: Will. Plus, former olympic gymnast Kerri Strug will tell us how she’s been bending over backwards to fight crime at the DOJ.

On CNN’s Late Emission with the Wolfman, it’s White House mouthpiece Dan Bartlett, and then Shimon Peres will explain to us why killing Lebanese civilians and attacking Lebanese infrastructure isn’t terrorism (I mean, it’s not like they didn’t clear it with dubya first). Next up is token redneck, Trent Lott, and token DINO, Dianne Feinstein. Then, Syrian Ambassador to the US, Dr. Imad Moustapha, Iraqi National Security Advisor, Dr. Mowaffak al-Rubaie (my security advice? stay the hell out of Iraq), Pakistan’s foreign minister, Khursid Mahmood Kasuri, and Professor of Middle East Studies Fouad Ajami will all tell us how great it is that the US had brought “Western Style” Democracy to the region. And finally, the astronauts aboard the space shuttle will be on to tell us that, on second thought, they’d just as soon stay in fucking orbit.

Later, on 60 Minutes, as if you aren’t getting enough facism from your government, Morley Safer tells you how you might just get an extra dose of facism from your emplyer, too. Then Scott Pelley rolls out a report about two orphans and the Holocaust, and Bob Simon does a story about how Bode Miller is the best skier in the US, even though he choked in the Olympics (because, um, this is a story we’ve all been clamoring for).

An all new episode of Deadwood is on HBO, plus new shows of the 4400 and the Dead Zone (at least, I think they’re new; I have to confess I didn’t bother to check). Enjoy your Sunday, and rest up. You’ll need your strength to face that Maronless Monday coming up tomorrow.

Ok, well, I hate to be a drag, but I have to admit I’m pretty sad this morning, now that the Marc Maron Show is no longer here to keep me company (as if things weren’t lonely enough in this hot nasty town).  Anyhow, I’ll try and carry on.

Down in Dupont Circle from 1 – 3 this afternoon there will be “participatory puppet theater and radical public education” as part of the International Day of Action against Climate Change and the G8.  Seeing as it’s right there on the red line, and, surprisingly, my calendar happens to open at that time tomorrow, I reckon I’ll head down there. The notice says to bring music, drums, creativity, or just yourself.  I’m sorely lacking in the first three (unless you count my mp3 player), so I’ll bring myslef and my camera, as we…

…join unsuspecting DC pedestrians, picniccers, and passersby at a surprise visit by the Group of 8 (G8) leaders here in DC! Some may meet, greet and shake the limp hands of the G8 dignitaries, while others will just mock and boo them ….. but all who listen to Prezident Butch speechify along with his fellow G8 G-Men will be shocked, awe-struck and most of all dumbfounded by their ingenious (or insane?) plan to prevent Planetary Climate Change, Chaos and Catastrophe through the help of resurgent super-powers KING COAL, BIGGER OIL, and NO-CLUE-U-R ENERGY ….”

Should be fun.  Whatever you all do today, I hope you have a good one.

Well, here we are, saying goodbye once again. As I recall, The Marc Maron Show hit the air on Tuesday night, February 28, 2006 (or, here on the East Coast, in the wee hours of March 1st). It had to start on a Tuesday because there was a fucking Clippers game that Monday – a problem that would continue to plague the show (along with UCLA basketball, arena football and the WNBA) for many weeks to come.

It wasn’t exactly easy to catch the show, but we all found a way to do it – either by staying up late, paying for AAR premium to show our support for Marc, recording the stream, or waiting for some kind soul to post a torrent. We rejoiced at the news that Danny fucking Goldberg had been given the boot (a golden boot, to be sure – we should all be so lucky), and while I think we all agreed a “live” show (even if few of us could actually listen live) was preferable to a recorded one, when they began taping the show, we eagerly awaited its “imminent” syndication to a radio statio near us (or at least one with a reliable Internet stream that ran the show at a reasonable hour).

Unfortunately, syndication turned out to be about as imminent as the threat Saddam Hussein posed to the United States. Air America apparently finally came to realize what a mistake it had been to kill Morning Sedition but, unfortunately, that realization and whatever attempt they made to rectify the situation turned out to be too little, too late (why they didn’t even try to syndicate the show remains a mystery).

And so, sadly, it’s time once again to say goodbye to our friends. As sad as the end of Morning Sedition was back in December, this feels worse to me, because it seems more permanent. There was hope for a new Maron Show, back then – and in fact it was only ten weeks or so before we had a show on the air (though it seemed much longer, and was hastened, I think, by a phone, e-mail, and snail-mail campaign launched by some irate and impatient Seditionists) – but now, I don’t know.

Marc may indeed be on his way to bigger and better things, and Jim is a talented writer, whose work I’m sure we’ll be hearing (though it may not be him performing it), but right now it doesn’t feel as though we’ll have the luxury of hearing these guys five nights a week. We won’t be able to listen to Marc’s interviews, we won’t laugh at Marc and Jim bickering, and when someone in the news dies, we can only think, “wow, that would’ve made a great Weekly Remembrance.” And those are all things (among many others) I’m really gonna miss.

So, here’s to one last Marc Maron Show. I know it’ll be a great one. Back in February, I stayed up to listen to that first show, and I’ll be doing my damndest to stay up an listen tonight, too. To Marc and Jim, thanks for all of your hard work, and for putting up with all the shit that AAR threw at you, while somehow managing to produce the best goddamn radio show on the air. Don’t forget to drop us a line now and again, and let us know how you’re doing. We’ll leave a light on for ya….

Damn. Somebody choppin’ onions?

So, I’m starting to wonder if this isn’t the beginning of the end, here. You know, Armageddon and all that stuff. I guess the bible never said the antichrist wasn’t going to be an intellectully incurious and immature weasel. And according to this, if you convert George Bush to Hebrew characters and add up their numerical values, it adds up to 666. Or something (interesting to note that the same website says “I would challenge anyone to find another powerful world leader, either now or in the past, whose name adds up to 666 in Hebrew.” I’m no expert (though I’m certain there’s somebody out there who thinks they are), but dummy’s old man comes to mind real quick like. Anyhow, antichrist or no antichrist, between what the US and Israel are up to, the Middle East is certainly ready explode (or explode more), and I don’t see much chance for anything good coming out of all this.

It would just be nice to know if this is it our not. I mean, I’d just as soon not watch the apocalypse from a dorm room in DC. Not by myself, anyway. And if it’s all up in 2012 (whether you believe in the Orion Prophecy, Saint Malechy’s Prohecy of the Popes, the Doctor Who Dalek episode, or the X-Files), well, there’s really no point in my farting around with all this nonsense, either. I mean, let me know for sure, and I’ll just start maxing out the old credit cards, you know? Just don’t screw me over when the time comes and let me live.

Anyhow, until I hear different, I reckon I better set about getting my shit together to go face another 90 degree day. Enjoy. And be careful out there – it is Thursday the 13th.