HELL is a place where sinners really do burn in an everlasting fire, and not just a religious symbol designed to galvanise the faithful, Pope Benedict XVI has said.

Addressing a parish gathering in a northern suburb of Rome, the Pope said that in the modern world many people, including some believers, had forgotten that if they failed to "admit blame and promise to sin no more", they risked "eternal damnation - the inferno".

Well boys and girls, there ya go, The King of the pedophiles has spoken......according to Vatican officials, in "straightforward" language like a "parish priest". You know, the language of John Geoghan and Paul Shanley. Remember those two? They and so many others like them and share their distaste for both their celibacy vows and the laws of nature regarding having sex with children, are the reason that a number of Diocese's have had to file for bankruptcy to protect the Catholic Church's assets from being paid to the victims of their crimes.

In all seriousness, what language exactly does the Pope use when he communicates with the guy he's apparently seated at the left hand of?


Here is another take on it: In 1999, pope John Paul II said heaven was "neither an abstraction nor a physical place in the clouds, but that fullness of communion with God, which is the goal of human life".

Hell, by contrast, was "the ultimate consequence of sin itself. Rather than a place, hell indicates the state of those who freely and definitively separate themselves from God, the source of all life and joy".

This is one in which if the words Cosmos or Mankind were substituted for God, I would be a bit more in tune with, because I'm sure there is a spiritual consequence for the way we live our lives. When, where and for how long, is a bit vague to me, but the one thing I have in common with ALL of the religious folks, is that I have an expiration date, and when that time arrives, we'll all get the answer. In the meantime, I figure do right by others (animals included), be kind to the planet, and the rest will take care of itself. Of course if you subscribe to the Ratzenberger philosophy, there's always confession. If in the course of a juicy confession, you should hear a slorping, rhythmic sound coming from the other side of the wall, you're probably spilling the beans to a budding Geoghan or Shanley.

The quotes here are from down under, by the way........not there Lucifer, Australia, go http://www.news.com.au/stor... target='_blank'>here for the story. Alrighty almighty then, full speed ahead Friday - someone just dumped a load of pork tamales on the conference room table! BTW, I'm not looking for a bunch of comments here - just venting. I figure the "would you look at this - he's going to Hell" remarks will abound.

We had to make our own water....

A skunk still stinks. I am amazed at the blatant doublespeak coming from the mouth of John Dowd - attorney for Monica Goodling, one of the aides to Alberto "Tattoo" Gonzalez. He apparently thinks that rather than calling a spade a spade, and that by instead calling it a "God damned shovel", somehow it alters the fact that it is dirty. In a rather ridiculous attempt to explain his client's reason for taking the fifth, he claims that the Democratic led panel had laid what amounts to a "perjury trap" for his her. Perjury trap??? In other words, they have a question they'd like an honest answer to, under oath. He said and I quote:"the potential for legal jeopardy from even her MOST TRUTHFUL and ACCURATE testimony under these circumstances is very real"....... "Legal jeopardy"? No ****! Excuse me, but isn't that akin to saying "sorry, but if I tell the truth, it'll be MY tit in the wringer"? And to top that, Mr. Dowd had the audacity to offer in comparison:"one need look no further than the recent circumstances involving Lewis Libby", a reference to Cheney's former aide recently convicted in the CIA leak case. Fifth amendment, my ***. They should give her a fifth of Grey Goose and then put her on the stand........

To this point, I have been reasonably sure that a cruise on an cruise ship probably is not for me - for more reasons than one. "The Poseidon Adventure", and "Titanic", and a recent YouTube video clip of a cruise ship being tossed about in really heavy seas would stand out as the foremost reasons to me. The Norwalk Weight Loss Plan would appear to also take some of the appeal away for me, and seems to be in the news all too frequently, what with all the quarantined ships and sick passengers.

Now, with increasing frequency, comes the "man overboard" (in the most recent case - woman too)syndrome. Now mind you, the cruise line industry will point out the statistics as to how many people DON"T go overboard, but the very few that do, make for much more interesting stories - don't you think? The last week has seen two such instances. I don't recall many details of the first, but I would suspect that demon rum likely had a hand in the guy's case where he fell six stories into the drink and survived 8 hours in the 70 degree Gulf water until he was rescued. Just a guess here, but I'd think that that sort of fall, in conjunction with smacking the water in an unorthodox, waaay low on all the judges cards manner, would tend to have an instant sobering effect..... As for the Cozumel bound pair who took the plunge this weekend, I can't wait for the rest of the titilating details on this one. The Chronicle piece on it this morning, only left me wanting to hear the Paul Harvey -"Rest of the Story" version. The basic details are, that the couple who went over the 4ft tall rail were not married and didn't board the ship together. He at least, was naked when plucked from the drink. Keep it tuned right here.......this one can only get better. I'm sure there is a logical explanation for this one - a "heat of the meat/motion of the ocean" if you will, angle. Please don't think I am ragging on the cruise ship industry. I get the impression it is geared to folks with who are either looking for a slow moving floating hotel/disco bar that has wimmin' and gambling, or for those to whom moseying or amblin' is an acceptable pace. I personally, when bound for Cozumel or tropical destinations, prefer to arrive on the sand no more than about two hours after the Katy Freeway fades from view out my window. In this particular instance though, I just want to hear the whole story. I gotta know how hanky panky can compel one to hike her up on a handrail to try the horizontal bop without regard for the fact that if she zigs when he thought she'd zag, and nary a net below, the resulting slip would likely send them both to their death. I have always found it good to great, but not to die for.....

Well, here I sit in the new place.......I s'pose, or at least hope, I'm home to stay, but after all these years, and all of these changes, I really hesitate to resign myself to believing that I won't be uprooted and transplanted another time or two. Better happen soon though. I just got a glimpse at the odometer, and the miles are starting to pile up.
Katy.........for real, this time. Not just a mailing address, and not Houston with a Katy phone exchange. I actually heard a train whistle the other night, for the first time in years, as I fell asleep in my hammock. I'm sure eventually, I'll hear another siren, and with any luck, it won't be coming to gather up my mortal remains. All said, I did not move to the farm - which is probably best, as after the roommate and I had cut, edged and cleaned up the new surroundings, per "yard Nazi" guidelines this morning, half a day was down the dumper. If I'd gotten the two acres I was whining about six months ago, I'd probably still be out there............But...... I'm good with this move.

As today fades, I just finished watching a Coldplay repeat performance on Austin City Limits.....(have I mentioned how AUSTIN STILL ROCKS lately?)Houses come, houses go......at least some things are constant.

What would you say if you walked into the store and saw this? How about this? See? You might soon in stores. What a simple yet effective invention. Ever forget a banana for a weekend in the briefcase or backpack? I have. Ever try to clean banana paste off of a jump drive or a day minder? Me too! Go to BananaBunker for a look at the product.......

I am referring to the waste of the life of the young game warden from El Campo at the hands of a defective, mean, soulless bastard. There are a lot of things about this that I want to comment on, due to the fact that it intersects a lot of facets of my own life and raises questions about things that are very much controversial - namely the death penalty. In my opinion, if there is to be a death penalty, this son of a b**** is a prime candidate. As a matter of fact, based on what I've read about him and his promise to "take someone with him", he's really more of a candidate for frontier justice than even taking the trouble to dick around with a trial. Just find a tree and string his *** up.

I allude to myself as a pirate of sorts. Though I still look the part, that probably was more applicable in my younger years, as I took chances and on occasion, got caught. First night I ever spent in jail was for poaching a deer outside of Bloomington. Did I run? Damn right. When the game warden was on my tail with lights flashing, did I stop? You bet your *** I did. Because he caught me - fair and square. Buddy, Spud, and I never even gave a thought of picking up the twelve gauge loaded with number four buckshot as a means of getting away. That was 1967. We spent a night in the old Victoria County Jail and paid a $242.00 (each) fine for that doe, a pretty hefty fine for that day and age. It was the last animal I have killed. There's another guy I know - Billy Don.......a legendary local, known for his prolific hunting and gathering skills, not always of above board means. He too has had his share of "little setbacks" with the authorities, paid his fines, done his time or whatever, but with no violence toward the authorities when caught fair and square. There are scoundrels and scofflaws to be found all around. Some are colorful, some are just no count and most do get popped on occasion. Then there are just plain damn mean skinhead bastards like this guy Freeman, for whom the death penalty was written as law. Okay, if it sounds better, we'll just call his purging an abortion.....at 1352 weeks.

Because of him, a grieving widow and a four month baby are left behind with a terrible hole in their lives. Because of him, some of the sparkle and purity of life on this beautiful coast of Texas has been stained. Get me a rope.....it's time for a hangin'.

Buddy and Spud are no longer with me. Buddy passed away some time back, as did Spud, who was murdered on the side of the road, because he chose to pull over and rest rather than drive sleepy. Seems I remember reading a while back, that his killer finally had his date up in Huntsville as well.

When I see the death penalty opponents, and I start to question whether the punishment is right or should be abolished, something like this happens, and to me, drives home the point that there is a place for it and it should be swiftly applied and prioritized in the court systems, rather than have someone like this hanging on the public tit for fifteen years appealing and lining the pockets of lawyers with my tax money, right up to the inevitable end.

My apologies for the lack the of any meaningful posts of late. I am in the waning phase of a major change of residence - what normally is considered "moving". I beg to differ on that term. It is much more than that. It is almost always a lifestyle change, and if children are involved, a traumatic event for them as well, about which I will go into greater detail in another post. Suffice to say, it has been an ordeal, to put it mildly. I am not one who endures change without a fair amount of pissing and moaning. Mind you, I will concede that change is inevitable. Otherwise, I would long ago, have moved to Austwell and begun a life of living "off the land", the day I was told to put away my T-square, lettering guide, mechanical pencils, and drafting table, rather than accept the little "TV Screen" and the two inch thick typewriter keyboard, that was to be my new way of professional life.
That said, I am finally settling into my new digs.........actually, my own "office/retreat".....Old music lovers - read and weep....... where I can re-create my tales of mischief, and rant, b**** and pontificate at will. My first order of business will be a piece on SXSW, and my own Austin experience. I will, in coming posts, venture into territory which may require some explanation to my own children, and may well push the limits of what is acceptable here. If I cross the line, I trust that those who read, will tell me so, and I will look for another forum to discuss such things. No complaints, and I will continue to "test the limits".
Thanks,
M.A.

Can someone give me some background on this little effeminate midget lackey of our dickless president, named Gonzalez, who is assuming responsibility for axing a shitload of seated federal attorneys, who are not particularly in tune with the commander-in-chimp's agenda? I know I sorta swore off of Bush bashing some time ago, but I can't for the life of me, sit idly by and watch the **** ant frat boy prez go down and yank off our southern neighbors as third world servants while having his pawns hanging behind and doing his dirty work in his absence. No next line here - just read the title again.......
And for some insight into this little fraternity and how they opera-ate, you will find some interesting and very official Federal Government Documents http://judiciary.house.gov/... target='_blank'>here

March 6, 1836

On that fateful day, Davy Crockett woke up and walked from his bunk on the floor of the Alamo up to the observation post on the west wall. William B. Travis and Jim Bowie were up there already. The three gazed at the hordes of Mexicans moving steadily towards them.



Davy turned to Bowie with a puzzled look on his face. He said, "Jim, are we pouring concrete today?"

Just a brief explanation for my absence of late. I am moving! It is really eating into what little free time I had too. Please bare with me...... About another week of this and I should be resettled, about ten miles farther from Houston, and OUT of Harris County. It appears I am slowly working my way back into the old Austin Colony. I will be back - take that as a promise (or a threat). Meanwhile, here is a nature photo for you.......I call it "because he can"

I noticed my last post to another Advocate blog, went in at 5:54AM, when in fact it was 6:45AM by mine and Bill Gates' clocks.......looks like y'all in Victoria are in a new time zone - roughly an hour & nine minutes from Katy Standard Time. Maybe the webmaster is taking this daylight savings time wrinkle a bit too seriously (as did we all with the WHY2QUE thing). My god, some people got rich and retired on bul**** schemes related to "protecting" us from the impending disaster that was to be Y2K, didn't they? Wish I'd been one of them........ Anyway, for those who are having trouble with bookmarks to the blogs, just path in through the main Advocate site, then re-paster the URL from the blogs you visit back over whatever is in there now and it should work fine.