Kimo Hussey strums, talks about the uke and PMF

This past August, Kimo Hussey was a guest on KPFK radio's "Ukulele Spotlight," where he talked about his lifelong love for the ukulele and Hawaiian music, and about his work with Pacific Music Foundation. He also strums a few numbers, giving listeners a feel for his smooth and classy playing. If you haven't heard him before, you're in for a treat. He has a really graceful and flowing style that's small on ego, big on music, that's featured on his solo album "Eminent Ukulele" and on the upcoming Ho'omalie debut, "Only You."

As he says about playing, "I think that if you do nothing more than get out of the way of the music, it fends for itself very well."

When you hear him play, I think you'll agree.

Please take a listen.

Over the hurdle at last

To all friends and interested parties, I just received notice that I passed the Hawai'i bar exam. I have a swearing-in ceremony on Nov. 6th and then receive a license to practice law in Hawai'i. I am SOOOOOOOOOOOO relieved. It's been a long slog and now I'm almost at my destination.

I just thought I'd share.

Frist says war in Afghanistan cannot be won militarily, Taliban must join government

There was general agreement in this country that it was necessary to invade Afghanistan to remove the Taliban, who were openly supporting al Qaida and Bin Laden. So we invade, make progress, almost get Bin Laden, have the Taliban on the run...and then divert our forces and energy toward Iraq, which did not support al Qaida or Bin Laden.

A few short years later, the mission in Afghanistan is failing, the Taliban are resurgent and widely supported, Bin Laden is nowhere to be found.

Bill Frist and Mel Martinez go over there, realize the fight can no longer be won militarily, and decide the only solution is to get the Taliban involved in the Afghan government. All the justifications, tortured logic, and bending-over-backward done by the right wing blogger fans over the years has possibly reached its limit. How are they gonna make excuses this time when Republican leadership is talking about making nice with the folks who were good neighbors to al Qaida?

As The Daily Kos documents, the line may have finally been crossed.

Well, they're welcome to cross party lines. Plenty of room in the big tent.

Rational explanations for mystic experiences

The more we learn about the human brain, the more we realize how unhelpful and misguided spiritual explanations are. They lead to a retreat from understanding, and from reality. The feelings and indescribable "extrasensory" experiences that, among other things, reinforce religious conviction and supernatural beliefs, it seems, are merely the result of brain events, not epiphanies. Mystical conclusions may be interesting from a human psychological and sociological standpoint, but are no more than contexts imposed upon natural processes. They lack objective truth.

Here's yet another article providing evidence to support that conclusion.

A fine idea: throw Denny Hastert out

Abramoff knew of coming Iraq war in March 2002

The Daily Kos has posted an article looking at events of March 2002. Included are exerpts from the Downing Street Memos, a Bush speech, and an email from Jack Abramoff in which he refers to "the upcoming war on Iraq." Though this should come as no surprise to anyone who has paid attention to events leading to and stemming from the Iraq war, it does provide one more bit of evidence that the war in Iraq was a done deal long before Congress authorized the use of force, even as Bush was denying publicly any decision to invade. It also illustrates how much of a White House insider Abramoff was, chatting about top-secret policies with Karl Rove.

The stench of corruption from the GOP is staggering, and moderate, ethical Republicans need to carve out the rot and reclaim the party. Cleaning House (and Senate) in November would be a good start.

Incredibly sophomoric, but funny

Here's a video I saw posted at The Sinner's Guide to the Evangelical Right that's really funny in a 10-year old kinda way. Robert Tilton, TV evangelist, has a little problem...

Waterboarding, for those who are curious about what Congress has authorized the President to do

Congress has given Bush the right to determine what techniques are and are not torture (save for certain techniques causing great bodily harm and death). Waterboarding, for example, considered torture by civilized nations everywhere, considered torture by this country until this administration, is now ok if Bush says it is. That's right, it's up to him to make that call.

So what is waterboarding? What is this method, which was used so extensively by the Khmer Rouge, among other tyrannical regimes, to elicit confessions? What does it entail? Congress has lowered our nation to a Pol Pot standard, so shouldn't we, the citizens, know what it is all about?

Take a look at this article.

Regardless of whether the people we use this against are the terrible criminals we assume them to be, and many will not be, we must not become like them in achieving justice. The issue is as much about who we are as it is about who they are. It's also about moral leadership in the world, and how Congress and the president have knowingly, willfully squandered it, much to our shame. Your good name may be the most valuable thing you have, and when you destroy it recklessly, it is exceedingly difficult to regain.

To blow your mind: turtle porn on Japanese TV

I just saw this new post on TV in Japan and thought I ought to share it with the world: Turtles gettin' it on. Complete with authentic turtle grunts and a pop shot. And the biggest turtle Johnson you'd ever care to see. Makes you wonder where the little guy hides it throughout the day.

The death of democratic values

Congress is very close to handing the president tyrannical powers. As this New York Times editorial neatly summarizes it,

"Last week, the White House and three Republican senators announced a terrible deal on this legislation that gave Mr. Bush most of what he wanted, including a blanket waiver for crimes Americans may have committed in the service of his antiterrorism policies. Then Vice President Dick Cheney and his willing lawmakers rewrote the rest of the measure so that it would give Mr. Bush the power to jail pretty much anyone he wants for as long as he wants without charging them, to unilaterally reinterpret the Geneva Conventions, to authorize what normal people consider torture, and to deny justice to hundreds of men captured in error."

Unfortunately, it seems most of the voting public is either poorly or not-at-all informed about the matter and/or entirely disinterested in learning about it. Fundamental human rights principles and cherished American values are being gutted, and the people just sit back and stuff their faces with McDonalds.

I sure hope things change in November.

Olbermann examines Bush's first 8 months in the White House

This is a story of the utmost importance. The Bush/Cheney/GOP crew is trying to duck or rewrite history, blaming 9/11 on Clinton and accepting no responsibility. For example, in response to Clinton's recent smack down on Fox News of the non-journalist Chris Wallace, Condi made the claim that the Clinton administration (including counter-terrorism czar Richard Clarke) didn't hand them any comprehensive strategy to fight terrorism. The facts show otherwise, as Olbermann documents.

(Thanks to Crooks and Liars)

Japanese Toilet Prank

For those of you who haven't seen it yet, here's a bit from a Japanese TV show where they did a couple of pranks involving portable toilets. The results are hilarious but mortifying. Completely shocking and embarrassing. But funny. Hope this never happens to you. This could never happen in the U.S. without incurring massive, sure-thing lawsuits. But in Japan, it's just another comic segment on a TV show...which I now share with you. (You may want to grab your chin so your jaw doesn't hit the floor.)