G.O.Pizza

G.O.Pizza

how cool is this thing? all. about. pizza.

perfect.

The hope of a skinny kid with a funny name...

no, not me. barack obama.

holy hell, i heard a good speech last night. did you? you should've. it's not nearly the same, but i'm putting the full text and a link below. because obama was electifying enough for us to be able to persuade the bartender to cut the jukebox and turn on the volume for his keynote address to the convention, and the bar burst into applause at the end. he's got more gravitas and charisma in one finger than bush would know what to do with.

July 27, 2004
Barack Obama's Remarks to the Democratic National Convention

The following is the text of Barack Obama’s keynote address to the Democratic National Convention, as recorded by The New York Times.

BARACK OBAMA. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Dick Durbin. You make us all proud.

On behalf of the great state of Illinois, crossroads of a nation, Land of Lincoln, let me express my deepest gratitude for the privilege of addressing this convention.

Tonight is a particular honor for me because — let’s face it — my presence on this stage is pretty unlikely. My father was a foreign student, born and raised in a small village in Kenya. He grew up herding goats, went to school in a tin-roof shack. His father — my grandfather — was a cook, a domestic servant to the British.

But my grandfather had larger dreams for his son. Through hard work and perseverance my father got a scholarship to study in a magical place, America, that shone as a beacon of freedom and opportunity to so many who had come before.

While studying here, my father met my mother. She was born in a town on the other side of the world, in Kansas. Her father worked on oil rigs and farms through most of the Depression. The day after Pearl Harbor my grandfather signed up for duty; joined Patton’s army, marched across Europe. Back home, my grandmother raised their baby and went to work on a bomber assembly line. After the war, they studied on the G.I. Bill, bought a house through F.H.A., and later moved west all the way to Hawaii in search of opportunity.

And they, too, had big dreams for their daughter. A common dream, born of two continents.

My parents shared not only an improbable love, they shared an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation. They would give me an African name, Barack, or ”blessed,” believing that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success. They imagined me going to the best schools in the land, even though they weren’t rich, because in a generous America you don’t have to be rich to achieve your potential.

They are both passed away now. And yet, I know that, on this night, they look down on me with great pride.

I stand here today, grateful for the diversity of my heritage, aware that my parents’ dreams live on in my two precious daughters. I stand here knowing that my story is part of the larger American story, that I owe a debt to all of those who came before me, and that, in no other country on earth, is my story even possible.

Tonight, we gather to affirm the greatness of our nation — not because of the height of our skyscrapers, or the power of our military, or the size of our economy. Our pride is based on a very simple premise, summed up in a declaration made over two hundred years ago: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. That they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.’

That is the true genius of America — a faith in simple dreams,, an insistence on small miracles. That we can tuck in our children at night and know that they are fed and clothed and safe from harm. That we can say what we think, write what we think, without hearing a sudden knock on the door. That we can have an idea and start our own business without paying a bribe. That we can participate in the political process without fear of retribution, and that our votes will be counted at least, most of the time.

This year, in this election, we are called to reaffirm our values and our commitments, to hold them against a hard reality and see how we are measuring up, to the legacy of our forbearers, and the promise of future generations.

And fellow Americans, Democrats, Republicans, Independents — I say to you tonight: we have more work to do. More work to do for the workers I met in Galesburg, Ill., who are losing their union jobs at the Maytag plant that’s moving to Mexico, and now are having to compete with their own children for jobs that pay seven bucks an hour. More to do for the father that I met who was losing his job and choking back the tears, wondering how he would pay $4,500 a month for the drugs his son needs without the health benefits that he counted on. More to do for the young woman in East St. Louis, and thousands more like her, who has the grades, has the drive, has the will, but doesn’t have the money to go to college.

Now don’t get me wrong. The people I meet — in small towns and big cities, in diners and office parks — they don’t expect government to solve all their problems. They know they have to work hard to get ahead — and they want to.

Go into the collar counties around Chicago, and people will tell you they don’t want their tax money wasted, by a welfare agency or by the Pentagon.

Go into any inner city neighborhood, and folks will tell you that government alone can’t teach our kids to learn — they know that parents have to teach, that children can’t achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn off the television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white. They know those things.

People don’t expect government to solve all their problems. But they sense, deep in their bones, that with just a slight change in priorities, we can make sure that every child in America has a decent shot at life, and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all.

They know we can do better. And they want that choice.

In this election, we offer that choice. Our Party has chosen a man to lead us who embodies the best this country has to offer. And that man is John Kerry. John Kerry understands the ideals of community, faith, and service because they’ve defined his life. From his heroic service to Vietnam, to his years as a prosecutor and lieutenant governor, through two decades in the United States Senate, he has devoted himself to this country. Again and again, we’ve seen him make tough choices when easier ones were available.

His values — and his record — affirm what is best in us. John Kerry believes in an America where hard work is rewarded; so instead of offering tax breaks to companies shipping jobs overseas, he offers them to companies creating jobs here at home.

John Kerry believes in an America where all Americans can afford the same health coverage our politicians in Washington have for themselves.

John Kerry believes in energy independence, so we aren’t held hostage to the profits of oil companies, or the sabotage of foreign oil fields.

John Kerry believes in the Constitutional freedoms that have made our country the envy of the world, and he will never sacrifice our basic liberties, nor use faith as a wedge to divide us.

And John Kerry believes that in a dangerous world war must be an option sometimes, but it should never be the first option.

You know, a while back, I met a young man named Shamus [Seamus?] in a V.F.W. Hall in East Moline, Ill.. He was a good-looking kid, six two, six three, clear eyed, with an easy smile. He told me he’d joined the Marines, and was heading to Iraq the following week. And as I listened to him explain why he’d enlisted, the absolute faith he had in our country and its leaders, his devotion to duty and service, I thought this young man was all that any of us might hope for in a child. But then I asked myself: Are we serving Shamus as well as he is serving us?

I thought of the 900 men and women — sons and daughters, husbands and wives, friends and neighbors, who won’t be returning to their own hometowns. I thought of the families I’ve met who were struggling to get by without a loved one’s full income, or whose loved ones had returned with a limb missing or nerves shattered, but who still lacked long-term health benefits because they were Reservists.

When we send our young men and women into harm’s way, we have a solemn obligation not to fudge the numbers or shade the truth about why they’re going, to care for their families while they’re gone, to tend to the soldiers upon their return, and to never ever go to war without enough troops to win the war, secure the peace, and earn the respect of the world.

Now let me be clear. Let me be clear. We have real enemies in the world. These enemies must be found. They must be pursued — and they must be defeated. John Kerry knows this.

And just as Lieutenant Kerry did not hesitate to risk his life to protect the men who served with him in Vietnam, President Kerry will not hesitate one moment to use our military might to keep America safe and secure.

John Kerry believes in America. And he knows that it’s not enough for just some of us to prosper. For alongside our famous individualism, there’s another ingredient in the American saga. A belief that we’re all connected as one people.

If there is a child on the south side of Chicago who can’t read, that matters to me, even if it’s not my child. If there’s a senior citizen somewhere who can’t pay for their prescription drugs, and has to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it’s not my grandparent. If there’s an Arab American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties.

It is that fundamental belief, it is that fundamental belief, I am my brother’s keeper, I am my sister’s keeper that makes this country work. It’s what allows us to pursue our individual dreams and yet still come together as one American family.

E pluribus unum. Out of many, one.

Now even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters, the negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to them tonight, there is not a liberal America and a conservative America — there is the United States of America. There is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America — there’s the United States of America.

The pundits, the pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I’ve got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don’t like federal agents poking around in our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and yes, we’ve got some gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and there are patriots who supported the war in Iraq.

We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America. In the end, that’s what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or do we participate in a politics of hope?

John Kerry calls on us to hope. John Edwards calls on us to hope.

I’m not talking about blind optimism here - the almost willful ignorance that thinks unemployment will go away if we just don’t think about it, or the health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it. That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about something more substantial. It’s the hope of slaves sitting around a fire singing freedom songs. The hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores. The hope of a young naval lieutenant bravely patrolling the Mekong Delta. The hope of a millworker’s son who dares to defy the odds. The hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too.

Hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity of hope! In the end, that is God’s greatest gift to us, the bedrock of this nation. A belief in things not seen. A belief that there are better days ahead.

I believe that we can give our middle class relief and provide working families with a road to opportunity. I believe we can provide jobs to the jobless, homes to the homeless, and reclaim young people in cities across America from violence and despair. I believe that we have a righteous wind at our backs and that as we stand on the crossroads of history, we can make the right choices, and meet the challenges that face us.

America! Tonight, if you feel the same energy that I do, if you feel the same urgency that I do, if you feel the same passion I do, if you feel the same hopefulness that I do — if we do what we must do, then I have no doubts that all across the country, from Florida to Oregon, from Washington to Maine, the people will rise up in November, and John Kerry will be sworn in as president, and John Edwards will be sworn in as vice president, and this country will reclaim its promise, and out of this long political darkness a brighter day will come.

Thank you very much everybody. God bless you. Thank you.




linke to full text, too.

monday monday monday

mail merges are both the most helpful and infuriating things ever devised. it's enough to make one want to be a full time dog walker. at least then you know whose mess you're cleaning up.

Get your ice cold crappy beer here!!

The New York Times > Business > Coors and Molson Announce Plans to Merge

yuck.

wrought iron

i have underutilized my fire escape for far too long. to dangle off the side of a brick building watching elevated subways, planes in to laguardia, and a candy factory full of people is much more preferable to a sweltering night indoors. hands down.

what can I say / but this, this

i read this on the subway on the way to coney island this weekend, and if it doesn't just scream eerily contemporary i don't know what does.

it's both heartening that the language is so pitch perfect and eloquent and depressing to realize it could've been written yesterday.

robert hayden - in the mourning time

As the gook woman howls
for her boy in the smouldering,
as the expendable Clean-Cut Boys
From Decent American Homes
are slashing off enemy ears for keepsakes;

as the victories are tallied up
with flag-draped coffins, plastic bodybags,
what can I say
but this, this:

We must not be frightened nor cajoled
into accepting evil as deliverance from evil.
We must go on struggling to be human,
though monsters of abstraction
police and threaten us.

Reclaim now, now renew the vision of
a human world where godliness
is possible and man
is neither gook nigger honkey wop nor kike

but man

permitted to be man.

triple?!

no, the senate did not throw that stupid bill back where it came from three times -- i just don't know how to properly post.

they should have, though.

these are very frightening cartoons

horses should not do several things:

a/ talk
b/ be pink
c/ be made into talking pink cartoon drawings

it's that simple, really.

Senate smacks down gay marriage ban -- duh.

a bill full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

except that even putting this to the floor was a hateful, divisive waste of time.

good riddance.

Hooray For Pandas

oh boy this is fun. you will enjoy it, unless you don't like pandas or are an art snob

CNN.com - NAACP exhorts voters to oust Bush - Jul 12, 2004

like i said.

smart, george. real smart.

CNN.com - Bush�declines NAACP invitation - Jul 8, 2004

some people just look better in handcuffs

The New York Times > Business > Former Enron Chairman Surrenders to F.B.I.

the horror! the horror!

i am now obsessed. look at all this stuff.

corgis are agile

corgis like america AND sports

corgi soap

frightening gallery of rotating corgis

eva gardner liked the beasts

as do many japanese

my eyes are burning, and i didn't even find pictures that show the dog ass, which is the scariest part of a corgi, as any sensible person will tell you.

Corgi (UK) Diecast Model Cars, Toys & Collectibles

Corgi (UK) Diecast Model Cars, Toys & Collectibles

this is nearly as horrifying as the actual animals! i had no idea such a company existed. questions immediately arise:

who are these people?
why did they pick THAT dog as their mascot/logo?
could i, by acquiring a t-shirt with said logo, somehow come to grips with the paralyzing fear i have for these animals?
does anyone else care?

not an otter

so, it's kerry / edwards. half asleep this morning, i heard kerry announce to thunderous applause, and i got chills. i think he could've said anyone's name and that would happen, but edwards is a good choice. can't wait to see a trial lawyer smack cheney around in the debates.

kaboom!!

there are times that remind you that you live in the best city in the universe -- this is a transferable reminder, that can occur to people who live places other than new york.

last night was one of those times. because there are fireworks, and then there are fireworks watched from the shore of the east river in brooklyn, with the bridge itself silhouetted in the distance while you drink from a ballentine pounder can.

those fireworks are much better.

The New Yorker: Shouts and Murmurs

this is one of the funniest humor pieces i've read in awhile.

A PRAYER
by PAUL SIMMS
New Yorker Issue of 2004-07-05


Lord? Please don't let me die in a funny way.

Like being beaten to death with a shoe. Especially not my own shoe. And, if it absolutely has to be my own shoe, I'd rather not be wearing it at the time.


read the rest here

rattling the tin cup

:: John Kerry for President ::

would that i had a legion of people reading this - is 5 a legion? i don't know - but i suppose some people might stumble by.

i learned last night that the john kerry fundraiser my friend's bar hosted raised $3,500. before this election, the last person i gave money to was bill bradley, and clearly i didn't give enough. but such is the state of affairs today that i would write a check to an otter if that was all we had to run against bush.

i won't get into weighing the merits of a kerry / otter ticket, but hope you'll at least think twice about writing one yourself.

on a trifle

on a trifle

friggin' sidebar links went away! you try to give people a more enjoyable experience and all it does is kick you in the head. and i know you're all just dying for that new york social diary link. repairs soon.

strange new look, same odd taste

so i saw that there are some other ways to format one's blog, and that there are nice people -- this guy's named doug, i think -- who out of the goodness of their hearts come up with new template things. how nice.

so i thought i'd go for something different, partly because looking at my old one kind of gave the feeling of a marines recruitment blog, and i'm not getting recruited for anything these days beyond a road trip or tWO. so i settled on this one, only to realize, as i'm sure your smart self did, that it's more or less the exact same color scheme.

maybe i'm a closet hawk. GO WOLFOWITZ! GO RUMSFELD!! GO MAKE OUT ALREADY!