Sunday, July 31, 2005
Saturday, July 30, 2005
I can't believe this will stand in court. NLRB says employers can ban workers from fraternizing on their own time.
10 planets. I can't wait to hear the name.
I believe there are going to be a lot of Kuiper objects found, and eventually we'll have to stop calling them planets, including Pluto.
... UPDATE: They're talking about naming it Xena. Rock on. Though I doubt that will be accepted by the IAU unless Raimi got the name from an actual mythological figure, which I haven't heard of.
"We hope that it's fairly noncontroversial among those who believe Pluto is a planet," Brown said. "I would say get out your pens and start rewriting the textbooks today."
The planet is located about 9.7 billion miles from the sun and is about 1 1/2 times the size of Pluto, the researchers said.
The new planet orbits the sun once every 560 years and is now at its farthest point from Earth, he said. In about 280 years, the planet will be as close as Neptune, he said.
Like Pluto, the object's surface is believed to be predominantly methane, but its size -- about 1,700 miles in diameter -- qualifies it as a planet, Brown said. Earth is about 7,900 miles in diameter.
The new planet is believed to be part of the Kuiper Belt, a large ring of icy objects that orbit beyond Neptune and are believed to be remnants of the material that formed the solar system.
Brown said the new planet was detected in January by the Samuel Oschin Telescope at the Palomar Observatory near San Diego.
I believe there are going to be a lot of Kuiper objects found, and eventually we'll have to stop calling them planets, including Pluto.
... UPDATE: They're talking about naming it Xena. Rock on. Though I doubt that will be accepted by the IAU unless Raimi got the name from an actual mythological figure, which I haven't heard of.
Few American "christians" have any fucking clue what's actually in the Bible.
Yes, yes. We're all quite surprised.
Yes, yes. We're all quite surprised.
Friday, July 29, 2005
Holy crap. The republicans slipped into the energy bill a rider that loosens restrictions on the export of weapons-grade uranium?
EPA prevented from releasing fuel-efficiency reports until after the energy bill vote.
We certainly wouldn't want legislation to be informed by facts, eh?
We certainly wouldn't want legislation to be informed by facts, eh?
By the way, the flag/car burning incident was exactly what everyone assumed it was - delinquent children on a vandalism spree.
Tips for getting started in amateur astronomy.
One quibble - a lot of people look down on motorized "go to" telescope mounts because it makes it too easy.
One, the sign of an asshole in any field is one who purposefully tries to make life difficult for beginners.
Two, the "go to" function on the mount is such a huge pain in the ass to set up so precisely calibrated that it actually works to within the aperture margins takes so long that few people use it for instant sky tours.
Three, it's priceless for one reason alone... sidereal compensation. On a high-magnification scope, once you're fixed on a sight and step away from the scope so someone else can look, the Earth's rotation is rapidly moving it out of the aperture. A motorized telescope properly set up will follow the object through the sky, not only allowing a lot more people to take a look before you have to mess with it again, but also allowing long-exposure photography that will reveal far more than you'll ever see with the naked eye.
One quibble - a lot of people look down on motorized "go to" telescope mounts because it makes it too easy.
One, the sign of an asshole in any field is one who purposefully tries to make life difficult for beginners.
Two, the "go to" function on the mount is such a huge pain in the ass to set up so precisely calibrated that it actually works to within the aperture margins takes so long that few people use it for instant sky tours.
Three, it's priceless for one reason alone... sidereal compensation. On a high-magnification scope, once you're fixed on a sight and step away from the scope so someone else can look, the Earth's rotation is rapidly moving it out of the aperture. A motorized telescope properly set up will follow the object through the sky, not only allowing a lot more people to take a look before you have to mess with it again, but also allowing long-exposure photography that will reveal far more than you'll ever see with the naked eye.
Miami University still refuses to take responsibility for coddling rapists.
This was a scandal 15 years ago when I was there, and nothing has changed.
This was a scandal 15 years ago when I was there, and nothing has changed.
Another great science post by DarkSyde discussing ELO's favorite epoch.
Love is Like Oxygen:
You get too much, you get too high,
Not enough and you're gonna die.
Love gets you high.
Frist flip-flops on embryonic stem cell research, in order to position himself to the left for the 2008 presidential race. The move tells us a lot about what internal GOP polls say is the mood of the country.
Question sent to the Diane Rehm Show for today's panel:
(but listen to Brad live at www.waifstream.com and then listen to the DRShow at the wamu.org archives later)
Today Reuters is reporting that John Bolton lied to Congress when he denied that he had been required to testify to the grand jury about CIA agent Valerie Plame. At the same time, CNN is reporting this morning that Bolton will be rewarded by the Bush Administration with a recess appointment bypassing the Senate. Further, many pundits are speculating that John Bolton was Judith Miller's original source for the classified leaks.
Please ask the panel to discuss whether under these circumstances a recess appointment bypassing congressional investigation is ethical and legal.
(but listen to Brad live at www.waifstream.com and then listen to the DRShow at the wamu.org archives later)
Thursday, July 28, 2005
I'm going to embargo the issue of Jean's campaign manager's possible interesting little hypocrisy issue until after the election. Not because I've got any worry about a lawsuit... I know the law quite well on this issue. Rather, I don't want the election itself to become about this.
This election is about Hackett's policies, strength, integrity and service.
This election is about Hackett's policies, strength, integrity and service.
So how to they intend to come up with a limitation on the speech of radical clerics that exempts all their favorite christian cultists? Where does Fred Phelps lie in this?
More Hackett information on Kos.
If he doesn't win this race, I'm hoping in a few years we're addressing him as Senator Hackett.
If he doesn't win this race, I'm hoping in a few years we're addressing him as Senator Hackett.
Tune in tomorrow to 88.3 FM or at
http://www.waifstream.com 10 am-11am for The Openers
This Week on "The Openers"
Darin is on vacation again for two weeks. Listen as he
calls to explain his absence.
Ryan Singer and Brian Gillman join us live in the
studio.
Brad: Puppy Dog or Still a Chain Smoking Meanie?
Assorted Weirdness
Sneak Attack on Gillman (JOIN US FOR THIS ONE)
Ryan Singer almost loses his testicles
we take your calls at 513-749-1444
... and Doug Stanhope will be calling in at around 10:20.
More Bush buddies murdering American soldiers.
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf joined the Bush administration's war on terrorism and publicly turned against the Taliban immediately after the Sept. 11 attacks. But Afghan officials allege that Taliban and allied fighters who fled to Pakistan after the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001 are learning new, more lethal tactics from the Pakistani military at numerous training bases.
"Pakistan is lying," said Lt. Sayed Anwar, acting head of Afghanistan's counter-terrorism department. "We have very correct reports from their areas. We have our intelligence agents inside Pakistan's border as well.
"If Pakistan tells the truth, the problems will stop in Afghanistan. They say they are friends of Americans, and yet they order these people to kill Americans."
At least 38 U.S. troops have died from hostile fire in Afghanistan this year, higher than the annual combat death toll for any year since the invasion.
"Stars & Stripes" profiles Paul Hackett
Last week, I was talking with a very right-wing conservative about what Schmidt's campaign is trying to do with the "swift-boating" of Hackett. He pulled up his sleeve to show the "USMC" tattoo and said "you really want to know what I think of that bitch and her friends?"
From that Marine's reaction to Minamyer's slanders, I'd say Minamyer isn't just doing massive damage to Schmidt's campaign, he's jeopardizing his own health.
... and MSNBC profiles Hackett.
Last week, I was talking with a very right-wing conservative about what Schmidt's campaign is trying to do with the "swift-boating" of Hackett. He pulled up his sleeve to show the "USMC" tattoo and said "you really want to know what I think of that bitch and her friends?"
From that Marine's reaction to Minamyer's slanders, I'd say Minamyer isn't just doing massive damage to Schmidt's campaign, he's jeopardizing his own health.
... and MSNBC profiles Hackett.
Plantation Living: New Corporatist Paradigms.
Thank you, Bill Clinton. Thanks for getting behind NAFTA, which has cost more jobs than it created.
Actually, these NeoCon vampyres should thank you, especially Bush, because you showed them how to frame the debate for CAFTA, and the quasi democrats fell right in line; Feinstein, I'm looking at you...the dragon lady with no fucking heart.
So there you go...the American Worker gets fucked again, and now the Central American Workers, especially farmers, are going to get fucked bigger than they already do...
So, thanks...thanks alot...
Thank you, Bill Clinton. Thanks for getting behind NAFTA, which has cost more jobs than it created.
Actually, these NeoCon vampyres should thank you, especially Bush, because you showed them how to frame the debate for CAFTA, and the quasi democrats fell right in line; Feinstein, I'm looking at you...the dragon lady with no fucking heart.
So there you go...the American Worker gets fucked again, and now the Central American Workers, especially farmers, are going to get fucked bigger than they already do...
So, thanks...thanks alot...
The Madison Theater is closing.
Like that's a shock. It will reopen as a Clear Channel venue, I suspect, but we'll have to wait for the Man of Wealth and Taste to chime in for a professional's opinion.
Like that's a shock. It will reopen as a Clear Channel venue, I suspect, but we'll have to wait for the Man of Wealth and Taste to chime in for a professional's opinion.
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
It's like Tony Soprano is writing the legislation.
Which reminds me... when do the next DVDs come out?
Which reminds me... when do the next DVDs come out?
I normally appreciate Daniel Gross's perspective, but on the issue of payola he is so dead wrong I think his brains have been scooped out and replaced with vomit from Spinal Tap's latest drummer.
"Over There" starts tonight.
This fictional show is going to be how the average American interprets what's happening in Iraq, not the news.
This fictional show is going to be how the average American interprets what's happening in Iraq, not the news.
New Stones album.
One track earning some prerelease controversy is "Sweet Neo-Con," which apparently takes aim at the Bush administration and its strong-armed foreign policy.
Is It Me?!
Is it me or has the entire planet gotten more infantile in the last 20 years. Does anyone else remember heat waves when we were school kids? We lived through them, right? We didn't need CNN, FOX and all local channels reminding us every 10 minutes on the hour that it's hot outside. If you want to jog in 100 degree heat and you drop over, that's Darwinism at work. Natural selection.
Remember when disasters occurred without flashy names like, "Ice Storm '99," "Summer Twister" and "Decision 2004"? Now we've got Super Triple Nuclear Doppler 12000 breaking into my favorite game shows every time the sky clouds a bit. I've got to see where the storm is now, where it'll be at 8:05, 8:10 and 8:15. I'm expecting it to eventually sound something like this:
We've got a cold front moving through the area. It's bringing some high winds and some good sized hail. It should hit 312 Main street around 7 p.m.. Expect to see it hit 314 Main at 7:01:25, and Mr. Smith at 316 Main - you've left your fridge open and your cottage cheese is way past its sell by date.
It's too much and it's a waste of resources.
I need the simpler times. I yearn for the days of 90210. The days of yore, before we heard the words "The hot new reality series on NBC."
The world has gone dumb. What's worse? Bob Dylan has a CD coming out at Starbucks. Tell me that's not cracking the 7th seal. Will it feature the hit single, "Everybody Must Get Scones"?
Make it stop, please.
Remember when disasters occurred without flashy names like, "Ice Storm '99," "Summer Twister" and "Decision 2004"? Now we've got Super Triple Nuclear Doppler 12000 breaking into my favorite game shows every time the sky clouds a bit. I've got to see where the storm is now, where it'll be at 8:05, 8:10 and 8:15. I'm expecting it to eventually sound something like this:
We've got a cold front moving through the area. It's bringing some high winds and some good sized hail. It should hit 312 Main street around 7 p.m.. Expect to see it hit 314 Main at 7:01:25, and Mr. Smith at 316 Main - you've left your fridge open and your cottage cheese is way past its sell by date.
It's too much and it's a waste of resources.
I need the simpler times. I yearn for the days of 90210. The days of yore, before we heard the words "The hot new reality series on NBC."
The world has gone dumb. What's worse? Bob Dylan has a CD coming out at Starbucks. Tell me that's not cracking the 7th seal. Will it feature the hit single, "Everybody Must Get Scones"?
Make it stop, please.
The Hackett-Schmidt race is becoming a clear example of the differences between the parties.
It was on the issue of Iraq, and what the United States should do next, that the candidates had the sharpest differences.
"I support the president in his mission to make sure the enemies of freedom stay on their shores and not on ours,"' Schmidt said. "We have to keep our eye on the ball or the ball will come back to harm us."
Schmidt said the Bush polices on Iraq are succeeding, saying, "The seeds of democracy have been planted. Democracy is on the march."
Hackett, who served seven months with a Marine civil affairs unit, said the reality on the ground is not what the Bush administration paints it to be.
"It's not pretty over there, it's not Hollywood, and we are not spreading democracy," Hackett said.
Candidate George W. Bush said in the 2000 presidential campaign that he would not engage America in nation-building, Hackett said.
"Guess what, folks?" he said. "We're nation-building."
When asked if they thought Congress should be involved in "what are perceived as religious issues," Schmidt said, "the better question is whether I am going to take my moral values to Washington, and the answer is, I will.
"People know I am opposed to abortion completely and I am the candidate who is against gay marriage,'' Schmidt said.
Hackett said it is his belief that the government should stay out of religious issues.
"Religion is the responsibility of families and churches, not the government," Hackett said.
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Richard Clarke is coming out with a novel in the fall.
The realistic geopolitical thriller is set five years in the future as oil-hungry forces in Washington are ready to reshape the map of the Middle East to further their own ends by launching a global nuclear war. The plot involves a fictional takeover of the House of Saud by extremists.
An asteroid that might have our name on it. Soonest collision window would be 2036.
It's named Apophis.
It's named Apophis.
More Damaged Beaver
"This is wanton destruction by thugs." Classic smalltown news abounds!
(Requires free registration)
"This is wanton destruction by thugs." Classic smalltown news abounds!
(Requires free registration)
Schmidt is trying to "Swift-Boat" Hackett.
Countdown until the slimy little closet-case college republican trolls in the Cincinnati blog comments start trash-talking him...
And countdown until they find out that Marines stand by their brothers in arms...
Read all the comments at the link, where Schmidt's "advisor" trashes our soldiers about 50 times. What a pathetic cunt Minamyer is.
via Atrios.
Countdown until the slimy little closet-case college republican trolls in the Cincinnati blog comments start trash-talking him...
And countdown until they find out that Marines stand by their brothers in arms...
Read all the comments at the link, where Schmidt's "advisor" trashes our soldiers about 50 times. What a pathetic cunt Minamyer is.
via Atrios.
Monday, July 25, 2005
This is the second time in 25 years that we've had a two term GOP president who has to be portrayed as dumb, distanced and out-of-it in order to cover for his staff running amuck. They're always out of the loop, aren't they? Never quite in charge when the bad shit happens, only the good. It's time for the Democrats to start tying this into a bigger narrative about national security. These tough guys, these people who are going to keep us safe, seem to continually elect presidents who are cluelss about what's going on around them. Or, at least, that's what they are always forced to use as an excuse when they fuck up.
No shit. And once we grok that, let's approach the issue of why Republican presidents always pick vice presidents scarier and more insane than themselves as assassination insurance.
Veterans for Common Sense (VCS), a nonpartisan veterans' organization with 12,000 members, called for a commission to investigate torture allegations today, in response to the Pentagon refusal to release photos and videos from Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay.
In an open letter, signed by more than 2,000 veterans and supporters (including 5 flag-rank officers and more than 200 commissioned officers), the veterans urged Congress and the President to "commit -- immediately and publicly -- to support the creation of an independent commission to investigate and report on the detention and interrogation practices of U.S. military and intelligence agencies deployed in the war on terror."
Charles Sheehan-Miles, a 1991 Gulf War veteran and the group's executive director, said, "Once again the administration is fighting to prevent any possible public accountability for its policies, instead choosing to blame it all on the troops. To court-martial privates while high ranking officials get promoted is damaging to the very principle of command responsibility and undermines the U.S. military."
Via Kos
Diane 'Banker Buttlicker' Feinstein: Secret GOP whore?
Is it just me, or is she completely on his dick...is there like a "casting couch" for SCOTUS nominees...
"'He clearly is, I think, a very unusual person, because you do get the direct feeling of humility and modesty, and yet he apparently is very precise in his writing, his judging, his ability to put cases together when he was an attorney,' said Feinstein, the only woman on the 18-member Senate Judiciary Committee that will hold hearings on the nomination."
Okay, to be fair;
"But Feinstein, who voted for Roberts for his appeals court seat two years ago, said she would have trouble supporting his elevation to the Supreme Court if she determines he would vote to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion [...]".
Well, as long as its not serious trouble, like remembering who your constituents are...
Is it just me, or is she completely on his dick...is there like a "casting couch" for SCOTUS nominees...
"'He clearly is, I think, a very unusual person, because you do get the direct feeling of humility and modesty, and yet he apparently is very precise in his writing, his judging, his ability to put cases together when he was an attorney,' said Feinstein, the only woman on the 18-member Senate Judiciary Committee that will hold hearings on the nomination."
Okay, to be fair;
"But Feinstein, who voted for Roberts for his appeals court seat two years ago, said she would have trouble supporting his elevation to the Supreme Court if she determines he would vote to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion [...]".
Well, as long as its not serious trouble, like remembering who your constituents are...
SOFIA, Bulgaria - Archaeologists have unearthed a 2,400-year old golden treasure in an ancient Thracian tomb in eastern Bulgaria, the director of the country's History Museum said Monday.
The gold-rich burial was discovered late on Saturday by a team of archaeologists, working on excavations near the village of Zlatinitsa, some 290 kilometers (180 miles) east of the capital, Sofia.
The most impressive finds included a golden ring and wreath, finely crafted silver rhytons, or horn-shaped drinking vessels, and many golden and silver pieces of armor and horse trappings, Prof. Bozhidar Dimitrov told the Associated Press in a telephone interview.
The "Police Man" meets the policemen
"Police found traces of cocaine and other drug paraphernalia when they searched his home at the Franciscan Mobile Home Park in Daly City......" Sad.
"Police found traces of cocaine and other drug paraphernalia when they searched his home at the Franciscan Mobile Home Park in Daly City......" Sad.
Ricky Martin, Ambassador for Understanding?
Ricky Martin has deemed himself worthy of the challenge of changing western perceptions of the Arab world. He's also added child porn and prostitution to his list of world fixes. Thank you, Ricky. We've been waiting for you!
Perhaps he can start his own music extravaganza, ala Live 8. Let's see, who would he pick? Pet Shop Boys, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Village People, Cher, Jim Brickman and Liza I'll bet.
Ricky Martin has deemed himself worthy of the challenge of changing western perceptions of the Arab world. He's also added child porn and prostitution to his list of world fixes. Thank you, Ricky. We've been waiting for you!
Perhaps he can start his own music extravaganza, ala Live 8. Let's see, who would he pick? Pet Shop Boys, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Village People, Cher, Jim Brickman and Liza I'll bet.
The gentle whirring of shredders... sounds like treason.
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Joining a cult is declared a perfectly legal way for a man to avoiding providing for his chronically ill child.
PORTLAND, Ore. — Single and unemployed, Stephanie Collopy asked a Portland judge this month to order her son's father to increase her child support and to add their chronically ill boy to his health insurance plan.
Sitting on the witness stand in a white button-down shirt, gray slacks and blue blazer with a small gold cross on the lapel, Arturo Uribe — the 12-year-old boy's father — had an unusual defense: He is a Roman Catholic priest.
Uribe, who was a seminarian when he fathered the boy during a consensual affair with Collopy, had taken a vow of poverty and therefore had no money to support his son, he told the court. Now pastor of the 4,000-family St. Mary of the Assumption Roman Catholic Church in Whittier, Uribe had never seen the boy, who was born in 1993.
And as for health insurance, Uribe said his plan — tailored for priests, nuns and brothers — didn't provide for children.
Uribe's legal argument worked.
Multnomah County Judge Keith Meisenheimer ruled that Uribe only had to continue his $323-a-month child support, paid by his religious order, the Redemptorists. And while the jurist instructed Uribe, 47, to formally ask his health plan carrier if an exception could be made for his son, the priest wasn't ordered to provide insurance.
Treasonous scum.
"Each time the political machine made up of prime-time patriots and partisan ninnies display their ignorance by deriding Valerie Plame as a mere paper pusher or belittling the varying degrees of cover used to protect our officers or continuing to play partisan politics with our national security, it's a disservice to this country."
[...]
"This is wrong. This should stop. And it could stop in a heartbeat if the president would simply put a stop to it -- he hasn't," Johnson said. "That speaks volumes."
Saturday, July 23, 2005
Innocent.
LONDON, July 23 - Scotland Yard admitted Saturday that a man police officers gunned down at point-blank range in front of horrified subway passengers on Friday had nothing to do with the investigation into the bombing attacks here.
The man was identified by police as Jean Charles de Menezes, a 27-year-old Brazilian, described by officers as an electrician on his way to work. "He was not connected to incidents in central London on 21st July, 2005, in which four explosive devices were partly detonated," a police statement said.
Friday, July 22, 2005
This is what it takes for a movie that isn't a foreign-language incest romp to get a good review from Stephanie Zacharek... the Bad News Bears.
Kidnapping foreign nationals for fun and profit.
Here's what the newspapers have reported about this particular version of la dolce vita. The CIA participants took rooms in Milan's five-star hotels, including the Principe di Savoia, one of the world's most luxuriously appointed hotels, where they rang up $42,000 in expenses. The total cost of their stays: $144,984. The gourmet spies preferred to eat in the fanciest restaurants in Milan and elsewhere.
After the successful kidnapping and the cleric dispatched to sunny Egypt, several of the Americans left for a vacation in Venice, while four others headed for the Mediterranean coast north of Tuscany, all on the taxpayers' dime. They charged up to $500 a day apiece, the Washington Post reported, to Diners Club accounts under their false names, and made sure they got frequent flier miles.
A few more ways Santorum is a scumbag. How can a man making $162,000 a year still keep begging handouts from his elderly, retired parents, then be the scourge of minimum-wage single mothers?
Beeve Thieves Terrorize Ohio Town
I think it says something about the state of news media when we see stories like this. The Dayton Daily news, owned by Cox, has these pressing items to report today.
$500 Reward For Return of Beaver
2nd Beaver Stolen
$500 Reward For Return of Beaver
2nd Beaver Stolen
DarkSyde on Ancestral Magnitudes.
And from the comments there... less than half of Americans believe in science.
And from the comments there... less than half of Americans believe in science.
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Some of the Abu Ghraib torturers such as Granger struck me as the kind of people who would microwave a cat.
Well, next year they'll literally be microwaving human beings.
Well, next year they'll literally be microwaving human beings.
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Roberts involved in Iran-Contra?
I don't even know if this is the same John Roberts... I thought he was assistant Solicitor General, not "political aide."
I don't even know if this is the same John Roberts... I thought he was assistant Solicitor General, not "political aide."
Cass Sunstein on Roberts, on Fresh Air.
He finds Roberts's ruling against the Endangered Species act to be the best evidence of where he'll go as a Supreme Court justice.
He also discusses "original intent" arguments. We hear a lot of ignorati using these code words with no understanding of what it means, and frankly, it's too tiresome to bother explaining constitutional jurisprudence to a dittohead. It's about as useful as trying to explain cosmological inflation theory to a goldfish.
He finds Roberts's ruling against the Endangered Species act to be the best evidence of where he'll go as a Supreme Court justice.
He also discusses "original intent" arguments. We hear a lot of ignorati using these code words with no understanding of what it means, and frankly, it's too tiresome to bother explaining constitutional jurisprudence to a dittohead. It's about as useful as trying to explain cosmological inflation theory to a goldfish.
From Brad...
As many of you know I put together a show this
Saturday July 23rd for Free The West Memphis Three
Awareness Day. Shows are taking place all over the US
and its something I am very proud of doing.
Anyway, on top of seeing some really great bands and
comics, I will be having a raffle for some pretty kick
ass prizes. Raffle tickets will be 2 bucks or 2 for 3
bucks. There will be a drawing and you have a chance
to win the following:
A copy of Damien Echols (one of the WM3) harrowing and
wonderful book "Almost Home: My Life Story Volume One"
I have 3 copies of this book that will be a prize.
2 pairs of tickets to any show at The Funny Bone
Newport on the Levee
Or the grand prize:
A sit in co hosting spot on The Openers and a pair of
tickets to see Rich Vos at the Funny Bone in
September.
so come out, support a great cause...We will see you
there
http://www.wm3.org
http://www.southgatehouse.com
brad
Heh. Good fucking luck.
On that subject, I don't see any comments from Ralph Nader yet, on the fact that a corporate whore who believes there are no justifications for regulating business is now going to spend 4 decades on the Supreme Court.
The Democrats should have one priority going into the Supreme Court nominations process: party discipline.
On that subject, I don't see any comments from Ralph Nader yet, on the fact that a corporate whore who believes there are no justifications for regulating business is now going to spend 4 decades on the Supreme Court.
Prince Bandar resigns.
He worked hard at maintaining strong ties between the United States and the conservative oil-rich monarchy. Since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, however, the Saudis have come under pressure to counter terrorists more aggressively and to block any financial support going to militant groups from within Saudi Arabia.
Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudis. That, and reports that some of his and his wife's charitable contributions may have ended up in the hands of two Saudis believed to have close ties to the hijackers, contributed to tensions with Washington.
``This is a war and we are in it together,'' Bandar said in an interview with The New York Times in November 2002. His wife, Princess Haifa al-Faisal, said she was outraged by any suggestions of a connection to terrorists. ``All I wanted to do was to give some help to someone in need,'' she told the Times.
Bandar's resignation coincides with uncertainty about the country's ruling hierarchy. King Fahd is seriously ill, and Prince Sultan could move up in any reshuffling of authority. Bandar himself has been rumored to be in line for a top security post in Riyadh.
James Doohan died.
James Montgomery Doohan was born March 3, 1920, in Vancouver, B.C., youngest of four children of William Doohan, a pharmacist, veterinarian and dentist, and his wife Sarah. As he wrote in his autobiography, "Beam Me Up, Scotty," his father was a drunk who made life miserable for his wife and children.
At 19, James escaped the turmoil at home by joining the Canadian army, becoming a lieutenant in artillery. He was among the Canadian forces that landed on Juno Beach on D-Day. "The sea was rough," he recalled. "We were more afraid of drowning than the Germans."
The Canadians crossed a minefield laid for tanks; the soldiers weren't heavy enough to detonate the bombs. At 11:30 that night, he was machine-gunned, taking six hits: one that took off his middle right finger (he managed to hide the missing finger on the screen), four in his leg and one in the chest. Fortunately the chest bullet was stopped by his silver cigarette case.
Special Trains...Middle of the Night...You get the picture...
Is Jon Kyl's named pronounce Keil (like Heil) or Kill (like Pill)...
After all... with the Lone Star State's favorite curmudgeon and co-sponser of this "compassionate" piece of legislation, John Cornyn... the Cornyn is pronounced "Cornin", not "Cornine"...
The second pronunciation becomes a fairly bizarre notion in this matter:
The Kyl Cornyn Bill.
Or is all of this too "asynyn(e)"?
Is Jon Kyl's named pronounce Keil (like Heil) or Kill (like Pill)...
After all... with the Lone Star State's favorite curmudgeon and co-sponser of this "compassionate" piece of legislation, John Cornyn... the Cornyn is pronounced "Cornin", not "Cornine"...
The second pronunciation becomes a fairly bizarre notion in this matter:
The Kyl Cornyn Bill.
Or is all of this too "asynyn(e)"?
CIA officers call out GOP on Plame.
CIA Agents Letter to US Senate and House
18 July 2005
AN OPEN STATEMENT TO THE LEADERS OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND THE SENATE.
The Honorable Dennis Hastert, Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader, U.S. House of Representatives
The Honorable Dr. William Frist, Majority Leader of the Senate
The Honorable Harry Reid, Minority Leader of the Senate
We, the undersigned former U.S. intelligence officers are concerned with the tone and substance of the public debate over the ongoing Department of Justice investigation into who leaked the name of Valerie Plame, wife of former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson IV, to syndicated columnist Robert Novak and other members of the media, which exposed her status as an undercover CIA officer. The disclosure of Ms. Plame's name was a shameful event in American history and, in our professional judgment, may have damaged U.S. national security and poses a threat to the ability of U.S. intelligence gathering using human sources. Any breach of the code of confidentiality and cover weakens the overall fabric of intelligence, and, directly or indirectly, jeopardizes the work and safety of intelligence workers and their sources.
The Republican National Committee has circulated talking points to supporters to use as part of a coordinated strategy to discredit Ambassador Joseph Wilson and his wife. As part of this campaign a common theme is the idea that Ambassador Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame was not undercover and deserved no protection. The following are four recent examples of this "talking point":
Michael Medved stated on Larry King Live on July 12, 2005, "And let's be honest about this. Mrs. Plame, Mrs. Wilson, had a desk job at Langley. She went back and forth every single day."
Victoria Toensing stated on a Fox News program with John Gibson on July 12, 2005 that, "Well, they weren't taking affirmative measures to protect that identity. They gave her a desk job in Langley. You don't really have somebody deep undercover going back and forth to Langley, where people can see them."
Ed Rodgers, Washington Lobbyist and former Republican official, said on July 13, 2005 on the Newshour with Jim Lehrer, "And also I think it is now a matter of established fact that Mrs. Plame was not a protected covert agent, and I don't think there's any meaningful investigation about that."
House majority whip Roy Blunt (R, Mo), on Face the Nation, July 17, 2005, "It certainly wouldn't be the first time that the CIA might have been overzealous in sort of maintaining the kind of top-secret definition on things longer than they needed to. You know, this was a job that the ambassador's wife had that she went to every day. It was a desk job. I think many people in Washington understood that her employment was at the CIA, and she went to that office every day."
These comments reveal an astonishing ignorance of the intelligence community and the role of cover. The fact is that there are thousands of U.S. intelligence officers who "work at a desk" in the Washington, D.C. area every day who are undercover. Some have official cover, and some have non-official cover. Both classes of cover must and should be protected.
While we are pleased that the U.S. Department of Justice is conducting an investigation and that the U.S. Attorney General has recused himself, we believe that the partisan attacks against Valerie Plame are sending a deeply discouraging message to the men and women who have agreed to work undercover for their nation's security.
We are not lawyers and are not qualified to determine whether the leakers technically violated the 1982 Intelligence Identities Protection Act. However, we are confident that Valerie Plame was working in a cover status and that our nation's leaders, regardless of political party, have a duty to protect all intelligence officers. We believe it is appropriate for the President to move proactively to dismiss from office or administratively punish any official who participated in any way in revealing Valerie Plame's status. Such an act by the President would send an unambiguous message that leaks of this nature will not be tolerated and would be consistent with his duties as the Commander-in-Chief.
We also believe it is important that Congress speak with one non-partisan voice on this issue. Intelligence officers should not be used as political footballs. In the case of Valerie Plame, she still works for the CIA and is not in a position to publicly defend her reputation and honor. We stand in her stead and ask that Republicans and Democrats honor her service to her country and stop the campaign of disparagement and innuendo aimed at discrediting Mrs. Wilson and her husband.
Our friends and colleagues have difficult jobs gathering the intelligence, which helps, for example, to prevent terrorist attacks against Americans at home and abroad. They sometimes face great personal risk and must spend long hours away from family and friends. They serve because they love this country and are committed to protecting it from threats from abroad and to defending the principles of liberty and freedom. They do not expect public acknowledgement for their work, but they do expect and deserve their government's protection of their covert status.
For the good of our country, we ask you to please stand up for every man and woman who works for the U.S. intelligence community and help protect their ability to live their cover.
Sincerely yours,
Larry C. Johnson, former Analyst, CIA
JOINED BY:
Mr. Brent Cavan, former Analyst, CIA
Mr. Vince Cannistraro, former Case Officer, CIA
Mr. Michael Grimaldi, former Analyst, CIA
Mr. Mel Goodman, former senior Analyst, CIA
Col. W. Patrick Lang (US Army retired), former Director, Defense Humint Services, DIA
Mr. David MacMichael, former senior estimates officer, National Intelligence Council, CIA
Mr. James Marcinkowski, former Case Officer, CIA
Mr. Ray McGovern, former senior Analyst and PDB Briefer, CIA
Mr. Jim Smith, former Case Officer, CIA
Mr. William C. Wagner, former Case Officer, CIA
Rove lied to the FBI.
White House deputy chief of staff Karl Rove did not disclose that he had ever discussed CIA officer Valerie Plame with Time magazine reporter Matthew Cooper during Rove’s first interview with the FBI, according to legal sources with firsthand knowledge of the matter.
Backslapping...
* Abortion: As a lawyer in the administration of President Bush's father, he helped write a Supreme Court brief that said, ``We continue to believe that Roe (v. Wade) was wrongly decided and should be overruled.''
* Religion: Roberts unsuccessfully urged the Supreme Court to rule that public schools could sponsor prayer at graduation ceremonies. ``We do not believe ... that graduation ceremonies pose a risk of coercion,'' said the brief Roberts helped to write on behalf of the first Bush administration.
* Environment: As a judge, he was sympathetic to arguments that wildlife regulations were unconstitutional as applied to a California construction project. The government feared the project would hurt arroyo toads.
* Criminal matters: His votes on the bench have been mixed. He ruled in favor of a man who challenged his sentence for fraud, then said police did not violate the constitutional rights of a 12-year-old girl who was arrested, handcuffed and detained for eating a single french fry inside a train station in Washington.
* Police searches: Joined an appeals court ruling in 2004 that upheld police trunk searches, even if officers do not say they are looking for evidence of a crime.
* Military tribunals: Roberts was part of a unanimous decision last week that allowed the Pentagon to proceed with plans to use military tribunals to try terrorism suspects held at Guantanamo Bay.
Let's take a peak at another perspective on this Roberts nomination...
Okay, well, here's my favorite bit of hubris:
"It's amazing the country is 213 years old and we've only had 108 Supreme Court Justices. That tells us a lot about our founding fathers and the constitution they wrote." That's right: 108 activist judges.
* Abortion: As a lawyer in the administration of President Bush's father, he helped write a Supreme Court brief that said, ``We continue to believe that Roe (v. Wade) was wrongly decided and should be overruled.''
* Religion: Roberts unsuccessfully urged the Supreme Court to rule that public schools could sponsor prayer at graduation ceremonies. ``We do not believe ... that graduation ceremonies pose a risk of coercion,'' said the brief Roberts helped to write on behalf of the first Bush administration.
* Environment: As a judge, he was sympathetic to arguments that wildlife regulations were unconstitutional as applied to a California construction project. The government feared the project would hurt arroyo toads.
* Criminal matters: His votes on the bench have been mixed. He ruled in favor of a man who challenged his sentence for fraud, then said police did not violate the constitutional rights of a 12-year-old girl who was arrested, handcuffed and detained for eating a single french fry inside a train station in Washington.
* Police searches: Joined an appeals court ruling in 2004 that upheld police trunk searches, even if officers do not say they are looking for evidence of a crime.
* Military tribunals: Roberts was part of a unanimous decision last week that allowed the Pentagon to proceed with plans to use military tribunals to try terrorism suspects held at Guantanamo Bay.
Let's take a peak at another perspective on this Roberts nomination...
Okay, well, here's my favorite bit of hubris:
"It's amazing the country is 213 years old and we've only had 108 Supreme Court Justices. That tells us a lot about our founding fathers and the constitution they wrote." That's right: 108 activist judges.
These people are idiots.
Update: Are you sitting down? Operation Rescue supports Roberts! Oh joy!
Roberts
Roberts may indeed turn out to be a wise, thoughtful, and appealing justice. Tonight when Bush announced his nomination, Roberts talked about feeling humbled, which won him points on TV. But an opinion that the 50-year-old judge joined just last week in the case Hamdan v. Rumsfeld should be seriously troubling to anyone who values civil liberties. As a member of a three-judge panel on the D.C. federal court of appeals, Roberts signed on to a blank-check grant of power to the Bush administration to try suspected terrorists without basic due-process protections.
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Bush nominates John Roberts.
Abortion rights groups allege that Roberts is hostile to women's reproductive freedom and cite a brief he co-wrote in 1990 that suggested the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 high court decision that legalized abortion.
"The court's conclusion in Roe that there is a fundamental right to an abortion ... finds no support in the text, structure or history of the Constitution," the brief said.
In his defense, Roberts told senators during his 2003 confirmation hearing that he would be guided by legal precedent. "Roe v. Wade is the settled law of the land. ... There is nothing in my personal views that would prevent me from fully and faithfully applying that precedent."
NkyLib first mentioned this in the comments, then just sent the link:
I'm always encouraged when we get these discoveries via Keck or radioscopes... the impending period when we have no Hubble until the next gen space telescope is online is going to suck.
First Planet Under Three Suns Is Discovered
PASADENA, Calif. -- An extrasolar planet under three suns has been discovered in the constellation Cygnus by a planetary scientist at the California Institute of Technology using the 10-meter Keck I telescope in Hawaii. The planet is slightly larger than Jupiter and, given that it has to contend with the gravitational pull of three bodies, promises to seriously challenge our current understanding of how planets are formed.
I'm always encouraged when we get these discoveries via Keck or radioscopes... the impending period when we have no Hubble until the next gen space telescope is online is going to suck.
Executed Man May Be Cleared in New Inquiry
Anybody wanna still talk about capital punishment? One innocent man-murdered. Justify as you might, one innocent man...dead, for nothing. Miscarriage of Justice? Fuck yes!
"Sorry seems to be the hardest word" the song goes. Especially when its too late...
Anybody wanna still talk about capital punishment? One innocent man-murdered. Justify as you might, one innocent man...dead, for nothing. Miscarriage of Justice? Fuck yes!
"Sorry seems to be the hardest word" the song goes. Especially when its too late...
Kentucky Among Nation's Sickest States
Hmmm... last night a group of chainsmokers headed to Dairy Queen after an evening of heavy drinking (including car-bomb races) and fried food. Could that be part of the issue? At least I skipped the Dairy Queen.
Hmmm... last night a group of chainsmokers headed to Dairy Queen after an evening of heavy drinking (including car-bomb races) and fried food. Could that be part of the issue? At least I skipped the Dairy Queen.
The Chewbacca Defense
Several of the blogs have been pointing out that the defense of Rove et al. resembles the infamous South Park skewering of Johnnie Cochran...
Samantha Bee's excellent piece on the Plame Affair.
via Crooks and Liars
Several of the blogs have been pointing out that the defense of Rove et al. resembles the infamous South Park skewering of Johnnie Cochran...
Samantha Bee's excellent piece on the Plame Affair.
via Crooks and Liars
Justifying Murder
Interesting intersection between mainstream Pro Lifers and Eric Rudolph.
Repeat as often as necessary.
via Balloon Juice.
Interesting intersection between mainstream Pro Lifers and Eric Rudolph.
Repeat as often as necessary.
via Balloon Juice.
So...It's kind of a post high school Channel One?
"'first national network created by, for and with an 18-to-34-year-old audience' Current will launch in 20 million homes with programming designed to show younger audiences what's going on in their lives. It will do so in short bursts called 'pods' which will vary in length from 15 seconds to five minutes."
Just what we need...more superficial reporting...
"'first national network created by, for and with an 18-to-34-year-old audience' Current will launch in 20 million homes with programming designed to show younger audiences what's going on in their lives. It will do so in short bursts called 'pods' which will vary in length from 15 seconds to five minutes."
Just what we need...more superficial reporting...
Place Your Bets!
"President George W. Bush has decided on his nominee to succeed retiring U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and will announce his choice in a 9 p.m. televised White House speech, spokesman Scott McClellan said."
Whose it gonna be?
"President George W. Bush has decided on his nominee to succeed retiring U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and will announce his choice in a 9 p.m. televised White House speech, spokesman Scott McClellan said."
Whose it gonna be?
Also via Kos, a grassroots commercial based on the "What a Difference a Day Makes" post.
From those communists at the Wall Street Journal, via Kos:
Memo Underscored
Issue of Shielding
Plame's Identity
By ANNE MARIE SQUEO and JOHN D. MCKINNON
Staff Reporters of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
July 19, 2005; Page A3
A classified State Department memo that may be pivotal to the CIA leak case made clear that information identifying an agent and her role in her husband's intelligence-gathering mission was sensitive and shouldn't be shared, according to a person familiar with the document.
A special prosecutor is investigating whether Bush administration officials broke the law by intentionally outing a covert intelligence operative. Investigators are trying to determine if the memo, dated June 10, 2003, was how White House officials learned that Valerie Wilson was an agent for the Central Intelligence Agency.
News that the memo was marked for its sensitivity emerged as President Bush yesterday appeared to backtrack from his 2004 pledge to fire any member of his staff involved in the leaking of the CIA agent's name. In a news conference yesterday that followed disclosures that his top strategist, Karl Rove, had discussed Ms. Wilson's CIA employment with two reporters, Mr. Bush adopted a different formulation, specifying criminality as the standard for firing.
How Judith Miller is faring in jail.
"I've pretty much cornered the market on smokes since I've been in. I trade with the other inmates. They give me their cigarette rations and I supply them shivs I make from aluminum tubes that I found in the machine shop that were supposed to be used for rocket systems. They're so popular that everytime you hear about one the girls getting shanked, they call it "Miller time"."
"Cool", she said as blew a smoke ring followed by a steady stream of smoke that pierced the middle of it.
I was so wet.
"So", I stammered, "Whattya in for Ann?"
She looked cooly away, "Oh, I threatened to blow up the New York Times building and all the reporters in it."
My nipples got hard.
"So...what are you in for Judy?"
"Um...protecting a source"
She snorted and smirked. "That's it?"
Thinking quickly I added, "Oh yeah, and I fucked the whole country into going to war over nothing."
Ann's breathing grew shallow and her eyes grew heavy with lust.
"Take off your clothes. I must have you..."
"Deprogramming" Gays.
All the Gloria Gaynor in the world isn't going to change your taste from surf to turf. What kind of pathetic rubes are these people?
Reparative therapy focuses on getting gays and lesbians to stop talking or walking "gay." One "ex-gay" program in Memphis, Tenn., Refuge, bars men from wearing jewelry, donning Calvin Klein clothes and listening to secular music.
All the Gloria Gaynor in the world isn't going to change your taste from surf to turf. What kind of pathetic rubes are these people?
Monday, July 18, 2005
As the Bush treason scandal unravels, it's complicated to keep all the pieces in mind.
Don't forget this one.
Don't forget this one.
3/4ths of Americans think Rove should be fired if he blew Plame's cover.
The other 1/4th hates America and loves Limbaugh.
The other 1/4th hates America and loves Limbaugh.
Colin Powell decides he's spent quite enough time bent over on his knees for the neocons in the Bush administration.
Ari Fleischer had the memo.
Ari Fleischer had the memo.
Pretend you're surprised.
A former senior intelligence official told me, “The election clock was running down, and people were panicking. The polls showed that the Shiites were going to run off with the store. The Administration had to do something. How?”
By then, the men in charge of the C.I.A. were “dying to help out, and make sure the election went the right way,” the recently retired C.I.A. official recalled. It was known inside the intelligence community, he added, that the Iranians and others were providing under-the-table assistance to various factions. The concern, he said, was that “the bad guys would win.”
Under federal law, a finding must be submitted to the House and Senate intelligence committees or, in exceptional cases, only to the intelligence committee chairs and ranking members and the Republican and Democratic leaders of Congress. At least one Democrat, Nancy Pelosi, the House Minority Leader, strongly protested any interference in the Iraqi election. (An account of the dispute was published in Time last October.) The recently retired C.I.A. official recounted angrily, “She threatened to blow the whole thing up in the press by going public. The White House folded to Pelosi.” And, for a time, “she brought it to a halt.” Pelosi would not confirm or deny this account, except, in an e-mail from her spokesman, to “vigorously” deny that she had threatened to go public. She added, “I have never threatened to make any classified information public. That’s against the law.” (The White House did not respond to requests for comment.)
The essence of Pelosi’s objection, the recently retired high-level C.I.A. official said, was: “Did we have eleven hundred Americans die”—the number of U.S. combat deaths as of last September—“so they could have a rigged election?”
Sometime after last November’s Presidential election, I was told by past and present intelligence and military officials, the Bush Administration decided to override Pelosi’s objections and covertly intervene in the Iraqi election. A former national-security official told me that he had learned of the effort from “people who worked the beat”—those involved in the operation. It was necessary, he added, “because they couldn’t afford to have a disaster.”
The Knucklehead from Colorado Has the Floor.....
"A Colorado congressman told a radio show host that the U.S. could "take out" Islamic holy sites if Muslim fundamentalist terrorists attacked the country with nuclear weapons.
Rep. Tom Tancredo made his remarks Friday on WFLA-AM in Orlando, Fla. His spokesman stressed he was only speaking hypothetically."
What better way to rile up religious extremists than to threaten their shrines? If any Muslim threatened the Vatican you can bet Bush would be rolling with the full might of the military. Hey, Tom, why not try "I dare suicide bombers to come into the U.S." as your next trick?
Full Story
Rep. Tom Tancredo made his remarks Friday on WFLA-AM in Orlando, Fla. His spokesman stressed he was only speaking hypothetically."
What better way to rile up religious extremists than to threaten their shrines? If any Muslim threatened the Vatican you can bet Bush would be rolling with the full might of the military. Hey, Tom, why not try "I dare suicide bombers to come into the U.S." as your next trick?
Full Story
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Extremists on Both Sides
The UK Observer's John Berger makes a stong case that Western capitalists are equally as dangerous as Muslim Fundamentalists. Read On
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Wingnuts freaking out over War of the Worlds.
Frankly, I always find it interesting to ask conservatives if they've seen the movie Red Dawn.
The meme on the right is that it's unpatriotic to comprehend your enemy's motivation. People who think that are too dumb to bother arguing with... they've been a millstone around America's neck for a long time, and they're not going anywhere. They're the "useful idiots" right wing strategists count on to follow the hypnotoads on talk radio where ever they lead. They're brain dead, and if they are allowed to guide the fate of the country America will doom itself.
Those who save the world, time and again, are those who work to know exactly what their enemies are thinking, exactly why they fight. Churchhill wrote volumes and volumes on the rise of the Nazis, detailed biographies of the major figures.
The times we live in are far too dangerous to allow the cowardice of belligerent ignorance, of any subject.
Frankly, I always find it interesting to ask conservatives if they've seen the movie Red Dawn.
The meme on the right is that it's unpatriotic to comprehend your enemy's motivation. People who think that are too dumb to bother arguing with... they've been a millstone around America's neck for a long time, and they're not going anywhere. They're the "useful idiots" right wing strategists count on to follow the hypnotoads on talk radio where ever they lead. They're brain dead, and if they are allowed to guide the fate of the country America will doom itself.
Those who save the world, time and again, are those who work to know exactly what their enemies are thinking, exactly why they fight. Churchhill wrote volumes and volumes on the rise of the Nazis, detailed biographies of the major figures.
The times we live in are far too dangerous to allow the cowardice of belligerent ignorance, of any subject.
"If the radiance of a thousand suns"
"were to burst into the sky"
"that would be like the splendor of the Mighty one"
"I am become Death,"
"The shatterer of Worlds."
Today is the 60th anniversary of the first human detonation of an atomic bomb.
Thought-provoking idea. There are a lot more ways to slice up representation than geography. Some of my neighbors make far less money than I do, and some of them make 30 times what I make. The guy putting $5 million in additions on the house down the block isn't concerned with the same issues as the section-8 recipients a few blocks the other way.
And who really represents the homeless vets living in squatter camps on the riverbank a hundred yards away?
And who really represents the homeless vets living in squatter camps on the riverbank a hundred yards away?
Friday, July 15, 2005
Can you come up with a suitable punishment for this "coach"? I hope his cellmate can.
NORTH UNION TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- A tee-ball coach seeking to keep a player with a mental disability off the field allegedly asked another player to hurt the boy, state police said Friday.
The alleged incident happened June 27 at R.W. Clark Little League Field in North Union Township, Fayette County, police said.
During pre-game warmups, Mark Reed Downs Jr. offered one of his players $25 to hit the 8-year-old boy in the head with a baseball, according to a police news release.
"Various interviews revealed that Downs did not want the victim to play due to his physical limitations," the release said.
After speaking with Downs, the second player hit the victim near his left ear and in the groin area, leaving him unable to play in that night's game, state police said.
Gotta Love Christian Irony
On a recent drive through southern Indiana, I spied the following message on a church billboard:
"Sin brings tears. Prayer enlarges the heart."
The way I see it, tears are a good thing. They're nature's way of cleansing/refreshing your eyes. They can be shed for joy or catharsis. Either way, you always feel great after. You can even buy artificial tears at your local drug outlet.
An enlarged heart is a serious medical condition that leads to death. What can we glean from this, my children? It's simple. Sin your asses off and stay the hell away from he Lord. He'll kill you. Great message, Reverend!
Don't you love it when the Christians look silly? I sure do.
"Sin brings tears. Prayer enlarges the heart."
The way I see it, tears are a good thing. They're nature's way of cleansing/refreshing your eyes. They can be shed for joy or catharsis. Either way, you always feel great after. You can even buy artificial tears at your local drug outlet.
An enlarged heart is a serious medical condition that leads to death. What can we glean from this, my children? It's simple. Sin your asses off and stay the hell away from he Lord. He'll kill you. Great message, Reverend!
Don't you love it when the Christians look silly? I sure do.
A response from the cultist booted from the Navy Chaplain Corps:
Responding to this.
Actually this is untrue. While chaplains agree to "facilitate" for the needs of other faiths (i.e. by appointing lay-leaders who can teach those faiths), every chaplain’s first moral and legal obligation remains obedience to their civilian endorsing bishop, as Congress has clearly authorized in Title 10, Section 6031, Chaplains: "An officer in the chaplain corps may conduct public worship according to the manner and forms of the church of which he is a member." Chaplains should never be asked to pray to a different God, or preach a watered-down message, or change how they worship, just because they put on a uniform. Military chaplains and all our troops must be guaranteed the same religious freedoms they sacrifice to give others.
Responding to this.
The Navy wants to impose its religion on me," he said. "Religious pluralism is a religion. It's a theology all by itself."
Thursday, July 14, 2005
A stunning collection of screencaps from the news coverage of the Rove Treason Scandal.
The Openers Every Friday Morning 10am-11am EST on 88.3
FM or listen streaming LIVE online at
http://www.waifstream.com
This week on The Openers:
Darin Overholser is gone on vacation from the show for
a few weeks. We throw a party, smoke cigarettes in the
house, and some valuables get broken.
Chris Wagel, Brian Gillman, and The David Waite
Project are live in the studio.
WIN A DATE WITH DAVE WAITE CONTEST WINNER IS ANNOUNCED
Eddie Money's New Career Endevor
R. Kelly "Trapped in a Closet Part 5" The Final
Chapter?
We Take Your Phone Calls at 513-748-1444
Will A Famous Comic Call In?
Also, don't forget to come next Saturday to see a lot
the cast of The Openers LIVE. Click the flyer I sent
for more details. This is also the glorious return of
THE Matt Foxx (Layne Staley Fonzerellie) and his kick
ass band The Slow Break.
brad
(He's talking about the July 23rd Free the West Memphis Three benefit at the Southgate House... I can't find a flyer for it, so I'll post it when I get another.)
The Chair of the RNC is going in front of the NAACP to apologize for the "Southern Strategy."
... and Limbaugh sure knows which side of the sheet his listeners are on.
... and Limbaugh sure knows which side of the sheet his listeners are on.
From Mike Detmer:
I just wanted to let you know that tomorrow we're going to do an in-studio at the beloved woxy.com (http://www.woxy.com) at 4:00 pm. The only way to
catch this is to tune in on the 'net. We'll be doing songs from the 'I love
you' EP as well as a couple from the new album which will be called 'The
Spectacular Fantastic Goes Underground'.
Also, we have a local gig at the Northside Tavern
(http://www.northside-tavern.com) on Saturday night with our friends The
Pine Club (Louisville, Ky) and Paper Airplane (Columbus, Oh). We're going
to be playing first right around 10 pm. The Northside Tavern is always free
and 21 & up.
Other shows of note include:
7/23 - 7 pm - The Melody Inn - Indianapolis, IN
as part of the Midwest Music Summit (http://www.midwestmusicsummit.com)
7/30 - 3 pm - Cherokee park - Louisville, Ky
as part of the Forecastle Festival. Lots of great bands going all day long
in a pleasant outdoor setting celebrating art and activism. We'll also be
playing the after party somewhere downtown later in the night.
(http://www.forecastlefestival.com)
You Don't Count the Dead When God's on Your Side....
From the Islamist website claiming credit for the London attacks:
In the name of God, the merciful, the compassionate, may peace be upon the cheerful one and undaunted fighter, Prophet Muhammad, God's peace be upon him.
Nation of Islam and Arab nation: Rejoice for it is time to take revenge against the British Zionist Crusader government in retaliation for the massacres Britain is committing in Iraq and Afghanistan. The heroic mujahideen have carried out a blessed raid in London. Britain is now burning with fear, terror and panic in its northern, southern, eastern, and western quarters.
We have repeatedly warned the British Government and people. We have fulfilled our promise and carried out our blessed military raid in Britain after our mujahideen exerted strenuous efforts over a long period of time to ensure the success of the raid.
We continue to warn the governments of Denmark and Italy and all the Crusader governments that they will be punished in the same way if they do not withdraw their troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. He who warns is excused.
God says: "You who believe: If ye will aid (the cause of) Allah, He will aid you, and plant your feet firmly."
Isn't it funny how everyone can play the God card and feel justified?! Our government is extinguishing "extremists" in the name of Jesus Christ and the Muslims are fighting the "extremists" in the name of Allah. Where's the disconnect? It's RELIGION folks.
Though the Western world has done their best to discredit tem for centuries, Eastern religions remain the truest to the original idea of holiness. "God" is within. "Godliness" is a state of mind NOW. It's about living life to it's fullest potential and being present in every moment. It's not some journey to a candyland in the sky, where you get a harp, wings and sing camp songs with Elvis to the end of time.
The Gospel of Mary Magdelane supports this ideal, but we all see how that ended up on the cutting room floor, because it didn't fit with the overall plan.
Religious practices and doctrines are merely a finger pointing to the moon. What happens is that people spend all their time staring at the finger and forget about the moon. It's like looking at a map, but never getting in the car to take the vacation.
What's the cure? I don't know. All I can say is that fundamentalism, in any form, is dangerous. I don't care if you're a Muslim, Catholic, Jehova's Witness or, in my case, a Jewish Zen Master. If you believe your doctrine without asking any questions, you're headed down a dangerous road.
As Bob Dylan said in 1963, You Don't Count the Dead When God's on Your Side
In the name of God, the merciful, the compassionate, may peace be upon the cheerful one and undaunted fighter, Prophet Muhammad, God's peace be upon him.
Nation of Islam and Arab nation: Rejoice for it is time to take revenge against the British Zionist Crusader government in retaliation for the massacres Britain is committing in Iraq and Afghanistan. The heroic mujahideen have carried out a blessed raid in London. Britain is now burning with fear, terror and panic in its northern, southern, eastern, and western quarters.
We have repeatedly warned the British Government and people. We have fulfilled our promise and carried out our blessed military raid in Britain after our mujahideen exerted strenuous efforts over a long period of time to ensure the success of the raid.
We continue to warn the governments of Denmark and Italy and all the Crusader governments that they will be punished in the same way if they do not withdraw their troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. He who warns is excused.
God says: "You who believe: If ye will aid (the cause of) Allah, He will aid you, and plant your feet firmly."
Isn't it funny how everyone can play the God card and feel justified?! Our government is extinguishing "extremists" in the name of Jesus Christ and the Muslims are fighting the "extremists" in the name of Allah. Where's the disconnect? It's RELIGION folks.
Though the Western world has done their best to discredit tem for centuries, Eastern religions remain the truest to the original idea of holiness. "God" is within. "Godliness" is a state of mind NOW. It's about living life to it's fullest potential and being present in every moment. It's not some journey to a candyland in the sky, where you get a harp, wings and sing camp songs with Elvis to the end of time.
The Gospel of Mary Magdelane supports this ideal, but we all see how that ended up on the cutting room floor, because it didn't fit with the overall plan.
Religious practices and doctrines are merely a finger pointing to the moon. What happens is that people spend all their time staring at the finger and forget about the moon. It's like looking at a map, but never getting in the car to take the vacation.
What's the cure? I don't know. All I can say is that fundamentalism, in any form, is dangerous. I don't care if you're a Muslim, Catholic, Jehova's Witness or, in my case, a Jewish Zen Master. If you believe your doctrine without asking any questions, you're headed down a dangerous road.
As Bob Dylan said in 1963, You Don't Count the Dead When God's on Your Side
Cooter Hates the new Dukes
Ben Jones, the actor who played Crazy Cooter on the Dukes of Hazzard TV series has spoken out on the new film version, urging fans not to see it. He cites "repeated sexual innuendo" as one of the reasons.
Okay, Mr. Jones, your character's name is a slang term for a vagina and the only female on the show, aside from Lulu Hogg, has shorts that cut so high up her touche they left marks on her liver.
If you were making a case not to see the flick, I'd start with the fact that it's riddled with the worst actors in the biz today, but that won't stop people from coming out. Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks and Keaneu Reeves are prime examples of the fact that people would pay money to see someone chop wood for 3 hours if a critic said it was "evocative."
Sooo.......Thanks from playin', Ben, but I recommend you shut your yapper. Continue your fade into obscurity, collect the royalty checks and stop hanging out with Steve Allen.
Full story: Full story
Okay, Mr. Jones, your character's name is a slang term for a vagina and the only female on the show, aside from Lulu Hogg, has shorts that cut so high up her touche they left marks on her liver.
If you were making a case not to see the flick, I'd start with the fact that it's riddled with the worst actors in the biz today, but that won't stop people from coming out. Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks and Keaneu Reeves are prime examples of the fact that people would pay money to see someone chop wood for 3 hours if a critic said it was "evocative."
Sooo.......Thanks from playin', Ben, but I recommend you shut your yapper. Continue your fade into obscurity, collect the royalty checks and stop hanging out with Steve Allen.
Full story: Full story
Couldn't have happened to nicer guys.
The self-importance of college republicans is inflated beyond any simile I can come up with... any takers? Certainly more than the stock or real estate bubbles. Blimps are nothing on their bloated egos.
The Hindenberg is tempting, but really doesn't even come close.
... and another example here. Could we really be forced to consult Alan Guth for an example of inflation big enough to compare to college republican egos?
The self-importance of college republicans is inflated beyond any simile I can come up with... any takers? Certainly more than the stock or real estate bubbles. Blimps are nothing on their bloated egos.
The Hindenberg is tempting, but really doesn't even come close.
... and another example here. Could we really be forced to consult Alan Guth for an example of inflation big enough to compare to college republican egos?
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
“I’m looking at the security-camera monitors,” remembers one witness. “In one is the cops, another the gangsters, the third the screaming girl, the fourth the Secret Service guy rubbing his eyes. That’s when I thought I’d take a vacation from this place.”
It's time for some introspection when I just can't stop thinking how much this guy reminds me of a scoundrel of a friend from law school.
Holy leaping squidfucks.
That R. Kelly "Trapped in a Closet" song that Brad and Darin have been making fun of on their radio show... is number 1 on that charts.
That R. Kelly "Trapped in a Closet" song that Brad and Darin have been making fun of on their radio show... is number 1 on that charts.
Cultists in uniform.
In the Navy some evangelical chaplains say they are the ones discriminated against. Chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt, of the Evangelical Episcopal Church, says he was warned by commanders that his approach to the ministry was not inclusive enough. When a Catholic sailor on his ship died, Lieutenant Klingenschmitt said he preached at a memorial service and emphasized that for those who did not accept Jesus, "God's wrath remains upon him."
After that and several other incidents, Lieutenant Klingenschmitt's commanding officer recommended that the Navy not renew his chaplain contract.
The lieutenant is fighting to remain in the military. "The Navy wants to impose its religion on me," he said. "Religious pluralism is a religion. It's a theology all by itself."
Please, New York Times, don't take Maureen Dowd back. Sarah Vowell has already shown that she's twice the writer Dowd ever dreamed of being.
The only possible presidential speech fantasy in my wildest of daydreams, my oratorical castle in the air, is that one day, for just one measly speech, the president - the man of "mission accomplished," the man who was once asked at a press conference to discuss one of his mistakes and couldn't think of any, the man who is surely the sunniest looker-on-the-bright-side east of Drew Barrymore - would sit behind his Oval Office desk, stare into a TV camera and say: "My fellow Americans, good evening. As if that's possible."
He continues, "We are a divided people, but let us celebrate what we have in common. We don't all worship the same god. Some of us do not believe in a god at all. But the good news is that, thanks to me, we all now believe in the Apocalypse. You're welcome."
[...]
Those frank words, coming out of a presidential mouth, are shocking. It will be difficult, but think back and try to remember an America dependent on foreign oil, an America with high gasoline prices, an America consumed with crises in the Middle East. And imagine you feel there is nothing you, the average American, can do. Then your president goes on TV and instead of saying you can do something vague like "stay the course," he tells you that there is something small and practical you can do. You can carpool!
These days, there's just something refreshing about reading through Carter's clear-eyed political suicide. Daydreamer though I am, I have never expected a president to solve our chaos. It's just nice to know that once, one of them acknowledged it.
For the last few days, all of Salon.com has been plastered with ads for Tucker Carlson's new show. Do they really think these ads are going to help? I really can't imagine anyone forced to look at a half-screen size photo of that dapper little mince with his punch-me smirk is going to say to himself, hey, I want to see more of little lord Goebbels so I'll be sure to tune into his show.
Looks like the mystery is solved... Novak isn't in jail because he turned over his sources immediately.
Pope Ratzinger thinks Harry Potter is evil.
"It's just not realistic," the pope exclaimed. "Not enough assfucking! If that were a catholic boarding school we all know what wand practice would be all about. Now don't tell anyone about this or baby jesus will cut your throat."
"It's just not realistic," the pope exclaimed. "Not enough assfucking! If that were a catholic boarding school we all know what wand practice would be all about. Now don't tell anyone about this or baby jesus will cut your throat."
Nice to see that Israel is still one of the destinations of choice for wealthy criminals fleeing prosecution in the US. I would have chosen Belize.
Two former associates of Jack Abramoff, the embattled lobbyist, left the country Monday night en route to a new life in Israel. The relocation comes as a Justice Department taskforce presses forward with an investigation into potential criminal wrongdoing stemming from Abramoff’s business dealings.
Sam Hook and his wife Shana Tesler both worked with Abramoff at the law firm, Greenberg Traurig. Hook served as the registered agent for Grassroots Interactive, a lobbying venture tied to Abramoff that has reportedly been subpoenaed by the Justice Department taskforce.
Tesler, a lawyer, worked with Abramoff at Greenberg Traurig and then followed him to the lobbying firm, Cassidy & Associates, after he was ousted from Greenberg following news reports of his questionable dealings with Indian gaming tribes.
Abramoff and public affairs consultant Michael Scanlon are the target of the Justice Department probe and two Senate investigations into allegations that they bilked tribes out of more than $60 million. A federal grand jury has been convened to consider possible criminal charges in the matter.
Anyone who equates normal, adult, consensual sex with the rape of children... is someone who thinks the rape of children is the same as normal, adult, consensual sex.
Don't ever leave Santorum alone in a room with kids.
Don't ever leave Santorum alone in a room with kids.
No, Hillary isn't going to run in 2008. She'll keep flirting with the idea because face time in the news is power in the Senate. But she knows better than anyone that once the Heathers in the national media create a narrative template about a national figure, they never give it up.
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
The GOP talking points.
What fucking assholes. This whole thing started because Wilson called them out on their lies about Iraq and they tried to destroy him by blowing his wife's CIA cover.
Now their defense... is to once again ramp up a campaign to try to destroy him.
They used forged documents to deceive the country into a disasterous war that distracted the country and stole resources needed to fight terrorism. We're about to find out if the media is going to continue to aid treason by our highest officials.
What fucking assholes. This whole thing started because Wilson called them out on their lies about Iraq and they tried to destroy him by blowing his wife's CIA cover.
Now their defense... is to once again ramp up a campaign to try to destroy him.
They used forged documents to deceive the country into a disasterous war that distracted the country and stole resources needed to fight terrorism. We're about to find out if the media is going to continue to aid treason by our highest officials.
Fantasies of prominent wanna-be nazi republicans.
... who sound like they wanted to be at this meeting.
... who sound like they wanted to be at this meeting.
Yet another argument for licensing human breeders.
A mother driving from Alabama to Loudoun County forced two of her daughters, ages 8 and 10, to take turns riding in the trunk because the four-door sedan was cramped with three other passengers and a dog, authorities said yesterday.
Cheryl Ann Schoonmaker, 38, has been charged with abuse and cruelty to children for allegedly rotating the two girls in and out of the trunk of the Nissan Sentra during the July 1 trip, which took more than eight hours.
Via Mark, Cincinnati man arrested for exposing his breasts.
Huh... I'd always pictured Trotsky's doom as more of a stiletto-shaped ice-pick, instead of an ice-axe.
Stephanie links to the video of Scotty trying to stonewall reporters regarding Rove's treason.
Monday, July 11, 2005
Babelogue
"I haven't fucked much with the past, but I've fucked plenty with the future. Over the skin of silk are scars from the splinters of stations and walls I've caressed. A stage is like each bolt of wood, like a log of Helen, is my pleasure. I would measure the success of a night by the way by the way by the amount of piss and seed I could exude over the columns that nestled the P.A. Some nights I'd surprise everybody by skipping off with a skirt of green net sewed over with flat metallic circles which dazzled and flashed. The lights were violet and white. I had an ornamental veil, but I couldn't bear to use it. When my hair was cropped, I craved covering, but now my hair itself is a veil, and the scalp inside is a scalp of a crazy and sleepy Comanche lies beneath this netting of the skin. I wake up. I am lying peacefully I am lying peacefully and my knees are open to the sun. I desire him, and he is absolutely ready to seize me. In heart I am a Moslem; in heart I am an American; in heart I am Moslem, in heart I'm an American artist, and I have no guilt. I seek pleasure. I seek the nerves under your skin. The narrow archway; the layers; the scroll of ancient lettuce. We worship the flaw, the belly, the belly, the mole on the belly of an exquisite whore. He spared the child and spoiled the rod. I have not sold myself to God."
Congratulations, Patti.
"donc le poete est vraiment voleur de fou".
"I haven't fucked much with the past, but I've fucked plenty with the future. Over the skin of silk are scars from the splinters of stations and walls I've caressed. A stage is like each bolt of wood, like a log of Helen, is my pleasure. I would measure the success of a night by the way by the way by the amount of piss and seed I could exude over the columns that nestled the P.A. Some nights I'd surprise everybody by skipping off with a skirt of green net sewed over with flat metallic circles which dazzled and flashed. The lights were violet and white. I had an ornamental veil, but I couldn't bear to use it. When my hair was cropped, I craved covering, but now my hair itself is a veil, and the scalp inside is a scalp of a crazy and sleepy Comanche lies beneath this netting of the skin. I wake up. I am lying peacefully I am lying peacefully and my knees are open to the sun. I desire him, and he is absolutely ready to seize me. In heart I am a Moslem; in heart I am an American; in heart I am Moslem, in heart I'm an American artist, and I have no guilt. I seek pleasure. I seek the nerves under your skin. The narrow archway; the layers; the scroll of ancient lettuce. We worship the flaw, the belly, the belly, the mole on the belly of an exquisite whore. He spared the child and spoiled the rod. I have not sold myself to God."
Congratulations, Patti.
"donc le poete est vraiment voleur de fou".
Regarding Henry:
Jane. I don't know if I could be called a conservative seeing how I will get up extra early to tell anyone in front of me THAT BUSH IS A COWARD AND A LIAR AND THOSE WHO VOTED FOR HIM ARE PART OF A VERY BAD PROBLEM. THAT THE FOX NEWS CHANNEL IS A BUNCH OF SISSIES WHO CAN'T TAKE A PUNCH....If Bush's idiotic television monitors are making reference to my 70 second appearance on Fox News talking about the USO, I did that because the USO asked me to and since I do a lot of work on their behalf because I support our troops, I did.
No wonder Zell Miller wants to challenge everybody to a duel...They might ask about the entertainment "expenses".
Cultist cops.
A couple driving along are pulled over for no apparent reason (the driver is subsequently found to have an invalid license). The couple are asked questions about their bumper stickers, which, as it turns out, are probably the actual reason they were stopped—they are bumper stickers promoting paganism. The police stop turns into an attempt to convert them to Christianity.
One of the officers was in the reserves and was explicitly along for the ride to witness to offenders. The reserve officer, Tony Stewart, even followed up with a proselytizing letter to the couple's home.
Sunday, July 10, 2005
At the risk of reporting the obvious: Rove leaked it.
Why do I have the feeling that none of this will matter in the end. But ever the optimist, I believe that the fat son of a bitch should hang by his tiny balls for this.
Update: Tom Tomorrow's "Vouching for Karl"
via Crooks and Liar
Why do I have the feeling that none of this will matter in the end. But ever the optimist, I believe that the fat son of a bitch should hang by his tiny balls for this.
Update: Tom Tomorrow's "Vouching for Karl"
via Crooks and Liar
No shit. Of course there's no end to terrorism.
Ethanol and other biofuels once sounded promising, but the fact is that they are a pork-barrel subsidy to the corporate megafarms. They consume far more energy than they produce, and this doesn't even begin to get into the insane waste of water:
In terms of energy output compared with energy input for ethanol production, the study found that:
* corn requires 29 percent more fossil energy than the fuel produced;
* switch grass requires 45 percent more fossil energy than the fuel produced; and
* wood biomass requires 57 percent more fossil energy than the fuel produced.
In terms of energy output compared with the energy input for biodiesel production, the study found that:
* soybean plants requires 27 percent more fossil energy than the fuel produced, and
* sunflower plants requires 118 percent more fossil energy than the fuel produced.
In assessing inputs, the researchers considered such factors as the energy used in producing the crop (including production of pesticides and fertilizer, running farm machinery and irrigating, grinding and transporting the crop) and in fermenting/distilling the ethanol from the water mix. Although additional costs are incurred, such as federal and state subsidies that are passed on to consumers and the costs associated with environmental pollution or degradation, these figures were not included in the analysis.
"The United State desperately needs a liquid fuel replacement for oil in the near future," says Pimentel, "but producing ethanol or biodiesel from plant biomass is going down the wrong road, because you use more energy to produce these fuels than you get out from the combustion of these products."
Saturday, July 09, 2005
Agonizing, horrible Death...brought to you by Merck, Squibb, Anheiser-Busch, Phillip Morris...
You can bet that if any of these corporations could find a way to corner the market on Marijuana, their tune would change, and so would the legislation...
But until then...Rush Limbaugh's Signature Series OxyContin! Or Meth-hey, you get more done...
"The report comes soon after the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy restated its stance that marijuana remains the nation's most substantial drug problem. Federal estimates show there are 15 million marijuana users compared with the 1 million that may use meth".
You can bet that if any of these corporations could find a way to corner the market on Marijuana, their tune would change, and so would the legislation...
But until then...Rush Limbaugh's Signature Series OxyContin! Or Meth-hey, you get more done...
"The report comes soon after the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy restated its stance that marijuana remains the nation's most substantial drug problem. Federal estimates show there are 15 million marijuana users compared with the 1 million that may use meth".
Friday, July 08, 2005
Yes, there are rampant rumors, started by Novakula, that Rehnquist is going to announce his retirement. Whether or not it is announced today, 1) it won't be effective until after September, so that he can claim to have led the longest continuous Court lineup, and 2) it will be timed by GOP strategists according to their estimates of the political effect of naming two new justices, along with the upcoming 2006 elections.
Med Mal. I've worked for insurance companies, and I've worked for a plaintiff med mal firm. No one familiar with the facts supports the republican war on injured victims of medical malpractice except those who profit from it, such as medical malpractice insurers, and murderously reckless doctors.
Medical malpractice insurers in recent years have reaped a windfall in premiums that have far outstripped their claim payouts, a report issued by consumer groups said Thursday.
The report, written by former Missouri Insurance Commissioner Jay Angoff, contends that the amount of premiums collected by 15 major medical malpractice insurers has more than doubled over the past five years. At the same time, the report found that the companies' claim payouts have remained essentially flat [...]
The report said malpractice insurers as a group raised their net premiums between 2000 and 2004 by 120.2 percent, to about $4.2 billion, even though their net claim payments rose by only 5.7 percent, to about $1.4 billion.
As a result, the amount of claim payments made as a percentage of premiums dropped from 69.9 percent in 2000 to 33.6 percent in 2004.
Conservative commentators argue that Iraq is a "fly trap" for Muslim terrorists. It makes much more sense to think of it as bin Laden's fly trap for Western troops. There, jihadis can kill them (making the point that they are not invulnerable), and can provoke reprisals against Iraqi civilians that defame the West in the Muslim world. After Abu Ghraib and Fallujah, many Muslims felt that Bin Laden's dire warnings to them that the United States wanted to occupy their countries, rape their women, humiliate their men, and steal their assets had been vindicated.
These claims were not credited by most of the world's Muslims before the Iraq war. Opinion polls show that most of the world's Muslims have great admiration for democracy and many other Western values. They object to the U.S. and the U.K. because of their policies, not their values. Before Bush, for instance, the vast majority of Indonesians felt favorably toward the United States. Even after a recent bounce from U.S. help with tsunami relief, only about a third now do.
The global anti-insurgency battle against al-Qaida must be fought smarter if the West is to win. To criminal investigations and surveillance must be added a wiser set of foreign policies. Long-term Western military occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq is simply not going to be acceptable to many in the Muslim world. U.S. actions at Abu Ghraib and Fallujah created powerful new symbols of Muslim humiliation that the jihadis who sympathize with al-Qaida can use to recruit a new generation of terrorists. The U.S. must act as an honest broker in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And Bush and Blair must urgently find a credible exit strategy from Iraq that can extricate the West from bin Laden's fly trap.
Chicago political scientist Robert Pape argues in his new book, "Dying to Win," that the vast majority of suicide bombers are protesting foreign military occupation undertaken by democratic societies where public opinion matters. He points out that there is no recorded instance of a suicide attack in Iraq in all of history until the Anglo-American conquest of that country in 2003. He might have added that neither had any bombings been undertaken elsewhere in the name of Iraq.
George Bush is sure to try to use the London bombings to rally the American people to support his policies. If Americans look closer, however, they will realize that Bush's incompetent crusade has made the world more dangerous, not less.
London's tragedy could have been far worse, except for their excellent emergency services. As we've ignored and underfunded ours, we should take notice.
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Fox News comments on the London Bombings... applauding them for taking attention away from global warming and African famine.
KILMEADE: And he [British Prime Minister Tony Blair] made the statement, clearly shaken, but clearly determined. This is his second address in the last hour. First to the people of London, and now at the G8 summit, where their topic Number 1 --believe it or not-- was global warming, the second was African aid. And that was the first time since 9-11 when they should know, and they do know now, that terrorism should be Number 1. But it's important for them all to be together. I think that works to our advantage, in the Western world's advantage, for people to experience something like this together, just 500 miles from where the attacks have happened.
VARNEY: It puts the Number 1 issue right back on the front burner right at the point where all these world leaders are meeting. It takes global warming off the front burner. It takes African aid off the front burner. It sticks terrorism and the fight on the war on terror, right up front all over again.
KILMEADE: Yeah.
From Brad...
Friday on The Openers
War of The Worlds
Darin says goodbye and leaves Brad for 3 weeks
Yucko The Clown calls in to promote his new MTV Show
"Trapped in a Closet Part III"
Jesse, producer of the "Loserfest" concerts calls in
Will we have a special in-studio guests?
News
We also take your calls
going to be a great show this week, make sure to check
out Yucko The Clown's new show "Stankervision" on MTV
2 every Friday 9pm
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
DarkSyd's experience at Redstate.org
Here's his post about cosmology, astronomy, and creationism over at redstate, with the enlightening comments. Interesting that they are positive at first, then turn to "hey, why y'all post sciencey stuff... must be a commie!" when the moderators show up.
Here's his post about cosmology, astronomy, and creationism over at redstate, with the enlightening comments. Interesting that they are positive at first, then turn to "hey, why y'all post sciencey stuff... must be a commie!" when the moderators show up.
Oak Island is for sale!
Wikipedia entry, for those of you who are too young to have been a fan of "In Search Of".
Wikipedia entry, for those of you who are too young to have been a fan of "In Search Of".
So how many cults are going to flip out a year from today?
Former U.S. president Ronald Wilson Reagan had six letters in his first, middle, and last name. He also lived in Bel-Air California, in house number 666 on his block, until wife Nancy Reagan had it changed to 668. Some Rastafarians and others believed he was the Beast. Other Christian groups led by Herb Peters and Constance E. Cumbey point the finger at Javier Solana.
In ancient Dacia, 666 was the number of those who returned to the right faith.
The first Apple Computer, the Apple I was sold for $666.66.
Stanley Kubrick (director of 2001: A Space Odyssey) died 666 days before January 1, 2001.
0.666 is approximately two-thirds of one whole, one short of all three thirds. Because three is the number of the trinity, it may be that the number is meant to represent being in communion with God only in the mind and spirit (but not the body). The Catholic church believes that Satan generally attacks the body; a theme recurring throughout the latter chapters of Revelation.
A widespread conspiracy theory concerns the EAN or UPC bar codes, instituted in 1974, and found on most consumer products. The "control codes" in the left, middle, and right of the code appear on initial inspection to represent the number "6". Because of this, all EAN/UPC codes (so the theory goes) contain the number 666. One interpretation of the Book of Revelation indicates that the Number of the Beast is required for all business transactions — a role that the EAN/UPC code certainly fits. Also the inventor of the UPC code, George J. Laurer, has six letters in his first, middle, and last name [5], and, as of 2004, exactly 666 prefixes (out of possible 1000) are assigned in the EAN-13 namespace [6]. (Unfortunately, the control codes only appear to represent the number six if one is unaware that both the black bars and the spaces in between them are used to encode information.)
The anti-impotence drug Viagra has a molecular weight of 666.7 g/mol.
All Garda (police) station phone numbers in Dublin, Ireland start with 666. Although this sounds like an urban myth, it can easily be confirmed by looking at their web site. [7]
A main road from Manchester to Bolton in Lancashire in England is called the A666. In the 1980's that prompted CB radio users to codename it "The Devil's Highway".
Murderer, rapist, kidnapper and pedophile warned of his impending rampage on his blog?
There are a lot of issues to think about with this. When someone threatens suicide on their blog, do you call the police? When they threaten murder? How about when trolls in the comments threaten murder? What about all the "we have to kill every muslim in the world" comments we were getting here a while back? What about when the same guy stops talking about general ethnic cleansing and gets more specific about hunting humans in Over the Rhine?
How do you know a joke from the truth? How do we know what is just children trying to sound shocking?
Some friends are having a ball faking a stalking on an online-dating site, having created all the characters involved. Comments left by the readers have gotten increasingly threatening toward the "stalker", but then I think they're creating those characters too. It's a blurry line.
There are a lot of issues to think about with this. When someone threatens suicide on their blog, do you call the police? When they threaten murder? How about when trolls in the comments threaten murder? What about all the "we have to kill every muslim in the world" comments we were getting here a while back? What about when the same guy stops talking about general ethnic cleansing and gets more specific about hunting humans in Over the Rhine?
How do you know a joke from the truth? How do we know what is just children trying to sound shocking?
Some friends are having a ball faking a stalking on an online-dating site, having created all the characters involved. Comments left by the readers have gotten increasingly threatening toward the "stalker", but then I think they're creating those characters too. It's a blurry line.
An idiot discusses Sun Tzu.
It's sort of neat... like watching a dog eat peanut butter and imagining it's talking.
It's sort of neat... like watching a dog eat peanut butter and imagining it's talking.
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Monday, July 04, 2005
How republicans celebrate Independence Day... by censoring troops critical of Bush.
Sunday, July 03, 2005
Wow. Toyota builds a plant in Canada despite massive subsidies offered by the US, because the US workforce in the confederate south is too illiterate to train.
Several U.S. states were reportedly prepared to offer more than double that amount of subsidy. But Fedchun said much of that extra money would have been eaten away by higher training costs than are necessary for the Woodstock project.
He said Nissan and Honda have encountered difficulties getting new plants up to full production in recent years in Mississippi and Alabama due to an untrained - and often illiterate - workforce. In Alabama, trainers had to use "pictorials" to teach some illiterate workers how to use high-tech plant equipment.
"The educational level and the skill level of the people down there is so much lower than it is in Ontario," Fedchun said.
In addition to lower training costs, Canadian workers are also $4 to $5 cheaper to employ partly thanks to the taxpayer-funded health-care system in Canada, said federal Industry Minister David Emmerson.
Saturday, July 02, 2005
Punk on IFC
Fire up the Tivo, kids...Sunday night at 10:00 pm on IFC, Julian Temple's The Filth and the Fury, an excellent documentary on the Sex Pistols, the penultimate conceptual art and ersatz Punk band. A tragic tale of real street kids molded into a fashion statement that spawned a movement. Answer one of the pivotal questions of youth: Why the hell would anyone want Sid Vicious as a hero? Why is this wanker an idol? Is Malcolm McLaren the son of a bitch you might imagine? Plus, John Lydon (Johnny Rotten) cries...
A moving fillm about a four yobboes playing music who get molded into a "band" thats purpose was to self destruct. Good stuff.
Also of note; July 9th 11:00 pm, the debut of the video for Green Day's Jesus of Suburbia, a long video from their excellent American Idiot.
Fire up the Tivo, kids...Sunday night at 10:00 pm on IFC, Julian Temple's The Filth and the Fury, an excellent documentary on the Sex Pistols, the penultimate conceptual art and ersatz Punk band. A tragic tale of real street kids molded into a fashion statement that spawned a movement. Answer one of the pivotal questions of youth: Why the hell would anyone want Sid Vicious as a hero? Why is this wanker an idol? Is Malcolm McLaren the son of a bitch you might imagine? Plus, John Lydon (Johnny Rotten) cries...
A moving fillm about a four yobboes playing music who get molded into a "band" thats purpose was to self destruct. Good stuff.
Also of note; July 9th 11:00 pm, the debut of the video for Green Day's Jesus of Suburbia, a long video from their excellent American Idiot.
Friday, July 01, 2005
CAFTA Passes Senate
Gee, I wonder why the working man feels alienated from the political process. Clinton fucks labor, Bush fucks labor.
Hey, as long as the .01 gets richer, right?
Gee, I wonder why the working man feels alienated from the political process. Clinton fucks labor, Bush fucks labor.
Hey, as long as the .01 gets richer, right?
Via Kos, Bush 41's presidential physician comes out against torture.
The military prides itself, as do physicians, on being professional in every sense of the word. It fosters leadership and discipline. When I served as White House physician, my entire professional staff was drawn from the military, and they were among the best and most competent people I have met, without qualification.
The military ethics that I know absolutely prohibit anything resembling torture. There are several good reasons for this. Prisoners should be treated as we would expect our prisoners to be treated. Discipline and order in the military ranks depend to a large extent on compliance with the prohibition of torture -- indeed, weak or damaged psyches inclined toward torture or abuse have generally been weeded out of the military, or at the very least given less responsibility. In addition, military leaders have long been aware that torture inflicts lasting damage on both the victim and the torturer. The systematic infliction of torture engenders deep hatred and hostility that transcends generations. And it perverts the role of medical personnel from healers to instruments of abuse.
Today, however, it seems as though our government and the military have slipped into Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness." The widespread reports of torture and ill-treatment -- frequently based on military and government documents -- defy the claim that this abusive behavior is limited to a few noncommissioned officers at Abu Ghraib or isolated incidents at Guantanamo Bay. When it comes to torture, the military's traditional leadership and discipline have been severely compromised up and down the chain of command. Why? I fear it is because the military has bowed to errant civilian leadership.
Our medical code of ethics requires us to oppose torture wherever it is inflicted, for any reason. Guided by this ethic, I served as a volunteer with the international group MEDICO in 1963, taking care of people who had been tortured by the French during Algeria's civil war. I remain deeply affected by that experience today -- by the people I tried to help and could not, and by their families, which suffered the most terrible grief. I heard the victims' stories, examined their permanently broken bodies and looked into faces that could not see me because of the irreparable damage done not only to their senses but also to their brains. As I have studied reports of torture throughout our troubled world since then, I have always found comfort in knowing that at least it did not occur here, not among Americans.
Now that comfort is shattered. Reports of torture by U.S. forces have been accompanied by evidence that military medical personnel have played a role in this abuse and by new military ethical guidelines that in effect authorize complicity by health professionals in ill-treatment of detainees. These new guidelines distort traditional ethical rules beyond recognition to serve the interests of interrogators, not doctors and detainees.
I urge my fellow health professionals to join me and many others in reaffirming our ethical commitment to prevent torture; to clearly state that systematic torture, sanctioned by the government and aided and abetted by our own profession, is not acceptable. As health professionals, we should support the growing calls for an independent, bipartisan commission to investigate torture in Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere, and demand restoration of ethical standards that protect physicians, nurses, medics and psychologists from becoming facilitators of abuse.
America cannot continue down this road. Torture demonstrates weakness, not strength. It does not show understanding, power or magnanimity. It is not leadership. It is a reaction of government officials overwhelmed by fear who succumb to conduct unworthy of them and of the citizens of the United States.
The writer is a former physician to the president to George H.W. Bush and a board member of Physicians for Human Rights.
America Held Hostage
By PAUL KRUGMAN
Published: July 1, 2005
A majority of Americans now realize that President Bush deliberately misled the nation to promote a war in Iraq. But Mr. Bush's speech on Tuesday contained a chilling message: America has been taken hostage by his martial dreams. According to Mr. Bush, the nation now has no choice except to keep fighting the war he wanted to fight.
Never mind that Iraq posed no threat before we invaded. Now it's a "central front in the war on terror," Mr. Bush says, quoting Osama bin Laden as an authority. And since a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq would, Mr. Bush claims, be a victory for Al Qaeda, Americans have to support this war - and that means supporting him. After all, you wage war with the president you have, not the president you want.
But America doesn't have to let itself be taken hostage. The country missed the chance to say no before this war started, but it can still say no to Mr. Bush's open-ended commitment, and demand a timetable for getting out.
I know that this argument will be hard to sell. Despite everything that has happened, many Americans still want to believe that this war can and should be seen through to victory. But it's time to face up to three realities. First, the war is helping, not hurting, the terrorists. Second, the kind of clear victory the hawks promised is no longer possible, if it ever was. Third, a time limit on our commitment will do more good than harm.
Before the war, opponents warned that it would strengthen, not weaken, terrorism. And so it has: a recent C.I.A. report warns that since the U.S. invasion, Iraq has become what Afghanistan was under the Soviet occupation, only more so: a magnet and training ground for Islamic extremists, who will eventually threaten other countries.
And the situation in Iraq isn't improving. "The White House is completely disconnected from reality," said Senator Chuck Hagel, referring to upbeat assessments of progress. "It's like they're just making it up as they go along. The reality is that we're losing in Iraq."
[...]
Remember, Iraq wasn't a breeding ground for terrorists before we went there. All indications are that the foreign terrorists now infesting Iraq are there on the sufferance of a homegrown insurgency that finds them useful for the moment but that, brutal as it is, isn't interested in an apocalyptic confrontation with the Western world. Once we're no longer targets, the foreign terrorists won't be welcome.
The point is that the presence of American forces in Iraq is making our country less safe. So it's time to start winding down the war.
Brooke Shields responds to Tom Cruise.
In a strange way, it was comforting to me when my obstetrician told me that my feelings of extreme despair and my suicidal thoughts were directly tied to a biochemical shift in my body. Once we admit that postpartum is a serious medical condition, then the treatment becomes more available and socially acceptable. With a doctor's care, I have since tapered off the medication, but without it, I wouldn't have become the loving parent I am today.
"Lincoln Memorial Video under attack by Christian Conservatives
'The National Park Service sought out footage of `conservative - right-wing demonstrations' to revise the video shown to visitors at the Lincoln Memorial after being pressured by conservatives who complained the display implied Abraham Lincoln supported abortion, homosexuality and liberal causes. Park Service documents released under the Freedom of Information Act show officials purchased video of President Bush, pro-gun advocates and pro-Iraq war rallies and also considered removing images of Democratic former President Clinton at the memorial."
Click here for a news clip about the story: Video
Click here for the full eight minute version of the: Video
'The video gave the impression that Lincoln would have supported abortion and homosexuality,' said the Web site of Rev. Louis Sheldon's Traditional Values Coalition.' read on"
via Crooks and Liars.
'The National Park Service sought out footage of `conservative - right-wing demonstrations' to revise the video shown to visitors at the Lincoln Memorial after being pressured by conservatives who complained the display implied Abraham Lincoln supported abortion, homosexuality and liberal causes. Park Service documents released under the Freedom of Information Act show officials purchased video of President Bush, pro-gun advocates and pro-Iraq war rallies and also considered removing images of Democratic former President Clinton at the memorial."
Click here for a news clip about the story: Video
Click here for the full eight minute version of the: Video
'The video gave the impression that Lincoln would have supported abortion and homosexuality,' said the Web site of Rev. Louis Sheldon's Traditional Values Coalition.' read on"
via Crooks and Liars.
Ditty of First Desire
In the green morning
I wanted to be a heart.
A heart.
And in the ripe evening
I wanted to be a nightingale.
A nightingale.
(Soul,
turn orange-colored.
Soul,
turn the color of love.)
In the vivid morning
I wanted to be myself.
A heart.
And at the evening's end
I wanted to be my voice.
A nightingale.
Soul,
turn orange-colored.
Soul,
turn the color of love.
Franco, of course, terrorized and oppressed homosexuals during his regime. The earliest casualty of this was Federico Garcia Lorca, genius poet, killed for being a gay intellectual by Franco's cronies. This, I hope, is a vindication of sorts, for what we lost to bigotry, and a warning to the United States about this kind of right wing extremism...
I post this as a tribute, a toast, to Garci Lorca, not vanquished by fascism, but vindicated by love. Take a listen as well to the Pogues song Lorca Novena for a far more moving tribute.
In the green morning
I wanted to be a heart.
A heart.
And in the ripe evening
I wanted to be a nightingale.
A nightingale.
(Soul,
turn orange-colored.
Soul,
turn the color of love.)
In the vivid morning
I wanted to be myself.
A heart.
And at the evening's end
I wanted to be my voice.
A nightingale.
Soul,
turn orange-colored.
Soul,
turn the color of love.
Franco, of course, terrorized and oppressed homosexuals during his regime. The earliest casualty of this was Federico Garcia Lorca, genius poet, killed for being a gay intellectual by Franco's cronies. This, I hope, is a vindication of sorts, for what we lost to bigotry, and a warning to the United States about this kind of right wing extremism...
I post this as a tribute, a toast, to Garci Lorca, not vanquished by fascism, but vindicated by love. Take a listen as well to the Pogues song Lorca Novena for a far more moving tribute.
Contributors
Links
- The Man of Wealth and Taste
- The Wizard
- Blogger Status
- Stephanie Schulte
- Alienpuppy
- Nathan Singer
- A Prayer for Dawn
- Kyle S. Doan
- The Rambler
- Brad Thacker
- Free the Music
- Crazyhorse Lives
- Elisabeth's Mom
- Disabled Children's Advocacy in Cincinnati
- Radio Free Newport
- Pseudojournalist
- Darin Overholser
- A Walk in the Brain
- DarkSyde at Kos
- Wirecan
- Mr. TvHead
- Mango Stand
- Pharyngula
- Cincinnati Blog
- A Voyage to Arcturus
- Google News
- Smith & Wesson
- Sig Sauer
- Lasermax
- Cursor
- Slashdot
- Eschaton
- Counterspin
- Drudge
- Salon
- The Onion
- This Modern World
- Science Blog
- Snopes
- Secrecy news
- Calpundit
- Bluegrassroots
- Foresight Institute
- View from Luna
- World 'o Crap
- Bartlet for America
- Wonkette
- WVXU
- Orcinus
- Space Weather
- WAMU
- loom
- Air America
- The Hegemo
- Talk Design
- Clooney for Congress
- Tbogg
- Air America
- Daily Kos
- Current News Graph
- Neil Gaiman
- Grave Addiction
- Media Matters
- The Daily Outrage
- Geek Porn
- Is that legal?
- Nick Spencer
- The Apostate
- Making Light
- Jerry Springer for Ohio
- The Thorn Papers
- First-Draft
- Unscrewing the Inscrutable
- David Corn
- Steve Earle
- Unfutz
- Winning Argument
- Democratic Majority
- NKY Challenger
- AltWeeklies
- Coalition Casualties in Iraq
- Memeorandum
- Worldchanging
- American Research Group
- Liftport Space Elevator
- Dispassionate Liberal
- George Soros
- The American Street
- Schneier on Security
- Writegirl
- Bob Harris
- About Politics
- MIT Tech Review Blog
- Half-mad Spinster
- Spacetropic
- Perceval Press
- Singularity Institute
- Left2Right
- Lisa Rein's Radar
- Cincinnati Semester
- Romenesko
- Huffington Celebrity blog
- Frontpages
- The Daily Show
- The Colbert Report
- Crooks and Liars
- LOST blog
- TruthDig - Robert Scheer
- Tavern Wench
Previous Posts
- 6,000th post. It's absurd, but I like round numbe...
- I paid my dues/Time after Time... I am, I have ...
- 'Gospel of Judas' Surfaces After 1,700 Years The ...
- The war on science. Scientists doing climate rese...
- Interview with Sam Harris, author of The End of Fa...
- Darin is experimenting with selling an original ar...
- More on the efficiency of universal health care fo...
- What else could have been done with the $Trillion ...
- Scooter Libby is now claiming that he was personal...
- "Special Asshole Rights" and the term "politically...
Archives
- 12/01/2003 - 01/01/2004
- 01/01/2004 - 02/01/2004
- 02/01/2004 - 03/01/2004
- 03/01/2004 - 04/01/2004
- 04/01/2004 - 05/01/2004
- 05/01/2004 - 06/01/2004
- 06/01/2004 - 07/01/2004
- 07/01/2004 - 08/01/2004
- 08/01/2004 - 09/01/2004
- 09/01/2004 - 10/01/2004
- 10/01/2004 - 11/01/2004
- 11/01/2004 - 12/01/2004
- 12/01/2004 - 01/01/2005
- 01/01/2005 - 02/01/2005
- 02/01/2005 - 03/01/2005
- 03/01/2005 - 04/01/2005
- 04/01/2005 - 05/01/2005
- 05/01/2005 - 06/01/2005
- 06/01/2005 - 07/01/2005
- 07/01/2005 - 08/01/2005
- 08/01/2005 - 09/01/2005
- 09/01/2005 - 10/01/2005
- 10/01/2005 - 11/01/2005
- 11/01/2005 - 12/01/2005
- 12/01/2005 - 01/01/2006
- 01/01/2006 - 02/01/2006
- 02/01/2006 - 03/01/2006
- 03/01/2006 - 04/01/2006
- 04/01/2006 - 05/01/2006
