BYTE BACK

2004-07-07T11:45:00.000-07:00

I've Moved

Just in case the post below did not make it clear enough (and the info was buried among the rest) I've moved to

http://www.thinkpeoplethink.com/blog

This means I am off Blogspot and Blogger by the way.

(HEY MAYBE MY COMMENTS WILL WORK BETTER FOR PEOPLE THERE - he he - and I can ban lukewarm, idiots)

Please - please adjust your address books accordingly. I will also try and contact you all seperately

This means you:

Ricky West - North Georgia Dogma (who himself has slightly adjusted his address to http://www.rjwest.com/blog

Dean Esmay - Dean's World

David Scott Anderson - In Search of Utopia

Vince Kern - The Vinman - The Orginal

Walter T. Fuck - WTF Is It Now?

David Neiwert - Ornicus

Dick Atrophy - Jesus' General

Mark XXXXX - Estimated Prophet

Joel Sax - Pax Nortona

Ara Rubyan - Rubyan

Tom Burka - Opinions You Should Have

Joel Thomas - Fantastic Planet

Tony Dowler - Tony Dowler - who already made the change, actually, bless him.

Tortoise B. Hare - Fables of the Reconstruction

Michael Demmons - Discountblogger

Dick FU. Cheney - Hell For Haliburton

Natalie Davis - All Facts and Opinions

I.B.A. Writer - Political Puzzle<

George W. Bush - Drunken Monkey Stylin'

Chad Johnson - Yin

Mannish - Damn Foreigner
Sti Kinnit To-Daman - League of Liberals

Peggy Appaloosa - A Moveable Beast

.. and you Mick Wall at Kerrang. Bob Guccionie Jr. What you upset, cause your dad gets more pussy than you?

Um and I hit Publish instead of Draft so this is only a partial list. I can't TAKE IT BACK. Well, I could if I deleted it, but ...

2004-07-04T04:44:00.000-07:00

Why?
Where?
Who?
When?
What?

I once had a question at the top of this blog that asked: What if we had a war and everybody came? It was right before and left there after March 19, 2003. And it seemed particularly relevant when Israel was accused of bombing Sudan and Iran last year. Or was it planning to bomb?

But that situation is here again. That war today is the blogos(phere).

In recent weeks, I've been throwing shit around the blogs - at other people's comments; nothing particularly abusive (not like my nuclear spit at Jay Caruso from last September that I found quite by accident the other day where I called him every name in the book. He deserves most of it, of course, for playing dumb 99 percent of the time, and for doing exactly what he suggests others not do (He does so in the lingua franca of the blogs - snarky). Nevertheless, I cringed at myself.

I've tried to get people to look behind the easy. Nevertheless, I've also had my share of good-natured and bad-natured barbs. I think I'm more witty than most when it comes to words, because I make my living with them (and research and conversation and sifting through information garbed as opinion and opinion garbed as information).

Often the barbs and the insults are the only way to get people to respond and wake up. But since spite and invective is so prevelant in the blogos today, it's also increasingly a good reason to get ignored. It's an easy way to get ignored because it represents unreasonableness. If someone is willing to go that far and so deep into attack mode,you can't expect a reasonable conversation from them.

Now, this type of unreasonableness is easier to take than someone who just keeps on believing, despite evidence to the contrary - not innuendo, not opinions, but hard evidence.

Facts are so easy to ignore once you've got your blood boiling. An unhealthy number of people, I believe, tour the blogs just to get their blood boiling. A part of this equation is also that, once reasonable discussion takes place it can be then put aside - and is easily forgotten, and therefore goes unrewarded.

As an aside, this nature goes to the nature of all media. As I've said before, good journalism, useful journsalism is rarely remembered as journalism - it's remembered as history.

Dean, who does not have a Web site to my knowledge, engaged me in a good - not spirited but good - discussion on whether FDR had misled the country in similar ways to GWB. It didn't center around Bush, it centered around history and FDR.

It took me some little time to research - and, as it turns out I was wrong because I'd missed the Land-Lease Act of 1939. (That exchange was here)

Dean's mistake was in not letting me know that he had replied to my questions. He had to do it at Ricky's site, because, apparently, he was not physically or technically able to comment at my site. He did so and showed the error of my ways on one particular point.

But I didn't remember that discussion, until today and I wondered if he replied and spent some time looking.I didn't think he would, but he did.

That's worth celebrating and acknowledging.

People usually blog (verb), leaving out many pertinent facts. And when presented with those facts, tend to get defensive or completely ignore them.

They lose credibility when they do so - just like everything and everyone else in life.

Anyway, I'm going to find a way to marginalize those sources / blogs who just refuse to get it. I'm going to have to remember those issues in which they are inflexible on.

But many of these bloggers remain useful sources of information and discussion on other subjects. There are certain bloggers that come to mind who get stuck in neutral (IE won't ever get anywhere else) on CERTAIN issues and can't hear anything to dissuade them. But on many others they are valuable, they are flexible.

The phrase "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for everything," has been corrupted. It has come tomean, principle in the face of evidence, inflexibility in the face of open-mindedness and attack in the face of those who disagree, and who become enemies by that simple disagreement.

This is human nature and it is frustrating. This frustrates me. I realize that my part in this is small, though could be greater if I was a full time opinion creator. I'm not, I'm a journalist, who facilities the formation of opinions and knowledge.

Information eventually reaches a much wider audience than opinion, which is why I decry those saying all journalists should admit their biases. No, editors shoud do a better job removing them.

On this Independence Day weekend, all I can continue to celebrate is Freedom and Independence of Thought. And hope for it's shared survival.

So, change your links accordingly. I'm moving permanently to ThinkPeopleThink.com. It's not ready, but,it won't be until I move there. My life is too full otherwise and I will continue to prioritize it right out of the stratos(phere).

2004-07-02T22:44:00.000-07:00

Boo Frickin Hoo

Former GOP Candidate Jack Ryan Slams Focus on Sex Life

Bites you in the ass doesn't it boy? Thank your GOPcolleagues.

By the way, I suppose I'm not the first to notice that Jeri Ryan's role in Boston Public - a lawyer turned teacher - is not dissimilar to her real-life husband's, investment banker turned teacher story.

2004-07-02T21:31:00.000-07:00

Aye Sure Ain't No Cowboy

Wonder why peepol call me that? Could it be the hat and the studied Clint Eastwood squint?

No sirree.

And on this Reister To Vote page of GOPTeam leader.com, check out the tagline: As the 2002 election demonstrated, every vote counts!

Whew, seems a more topical reference (presidential year ???) would have been 2000. But that won't do.We can't have that reminder that Bush was elected by the Supreme Court, out there now can we?

No sirree.

2004-07-01T21:02:00.000-07:00

Best Fake Anchor on the Daily Show?

DailyKos opens up a thread.

Honestly,when Kerry gets elected its going to be the right-wingers favorite show. They attack anyone - and they'll get Kerry for everything.

Fortunatelyit won't be as criminal as BushCo.

2004-07-01T17:17:00.000-07:00

You Know, Shit Happens III, IV, V, VI

Insurgents July 1.

Reserves who just left the army called up, announced Tuesday.

Schwarzenegger doesn't get his budget in on time. Neither does Republican Bush and Congress

2004-07-01T16:55:00.000-07:00

You Know, Because Shit Happens II

Turns out, just like initial false reports of Chemical Ali's death (he was "killed" twice and then turned up alive), the Al-Qaeda militant thought killed in Saudi Arabia? Not him.

Link - at the Washington Times, though it's an AP, not UPI story.

2004-07-01T16:53:00.000-07:00

You Know, Because Shit Happens I

Former head of GOP consulting group pleads guilty to jamming Democratic phone lines
By Associated Press, 7/1/2004 08:43

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) The former head of a Republican consulting group has pleaded guilty to jamming Democratic telephone lines in several New Hampshire cities during the 2002 general election.

Allen Raymond, former president of the Alexandria, Va.-based GOP Marketplace LLC, waived indictment and pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Concord on Wednesday. Judge Joseph A. DiClerico Jr. released Raymond on his own recognizance pending sentencing in November.

Meanwhile, the Justice Department, which prosecuted the case, said an investigation into the telephone jamming continues.

According to court papers, Raymond plotted with unidentified co-conspirators to jam Democratic Party telephone lines established so voters could call for rides to the polls in Manchester, Nashua, Rochester and Claremont. Manchester firefighters' union phone lines also were affected.

The jamming involved more than 800 calls and lasted for about 11?2 hours on Nov. 5, 2002, the day New Hampshire voters decided many state and federal races, including the U.S. Senate race between outgoing Gov. Jeanne Shaheen and then-Congressman John Sununu. Sununu, a Republican, won the race.

The complaint said Raymond paid a ''vendor co-conspirator'' $2,500 to make the actual calls.

State Democratic Chairwoman Kathy Sullivan had noted that some of the local races were close and that phone-jamming could have affected the outcome, but there was no way to know.

Democrats had pushed for an investigation for two years.

''There is, short of murder, not much that is more horrific in America than purposely trying to stop people from voting,'' said Raymond Buckley, vice chairman of the state Democratic Party. He said the jamming was obviously an organized effort, taking place across the state.

He expects to see more charges.

''Somebody hired them, somebody paid them to do this crime,'' Buckley said. ''I do not believe this investigation should stop until every single person who had knowledge of this and paid for this is prosecuted.''

In early 2003, state Republicans acknowledged they hired GOP Marketplace for telemarketing services in the 2002 election. But Republican Party Chairman Jayne Millerick has maintained the company was paid $15,600 for telemarketing services to encourage people to vote Republican, not to jam lines.

Chuck McGee, who was executive director of the state Republican Party at the time, resigned his post after news broke of the matter.

''The New Hampshire Republican State Committee was pleased to cooperate fully with the Department of Justice investigation,'' Millerick said in a statement released Wednesday. ''These allegations have been extremely troubling and we are happy that it appears they are coming to a just conclusion.''

2004-07-01T10:20:00.000-07:00

Forget Petersen, Saddam's On Trial

Forget Petersen, Kobe Bryant or Michael Jackson - really, who cares? Petersen is guilty, and his arrest and conviction effects exactly one family. Killing your good-looking pregnant wife is bad. We know that. It shouldn't have to be reinforced with 1,000s of hours of air time and 1,000s of gallons of ink.

Kobe is stupid, but innocent.
Jackson is a child, but innocent.
Bush is a child and ... dangerous.

Saddam is the important trial. It's already not like any other trial. It's a trial trying to have legal legitimacy. It's a trial on which legal legitimacy will be forced upon it.

There's no one around who has enough power to truly question it.

There's your sovereignty.

Saddam has not formally been acccused or indicted of anything. Talking about Saddam in the cold hard language of a trial is strange. He's an ugly-minded motherfucker who should just have a quick trial and be executed. But if you're going to bother to go through a trial there should be a legitimate court system in place.

And it's not there, yet. Close, but not there.

2004-07-01T09:50:00.000-07:00

The Nader Plant, Green And Lots Of Dirt

What I want him to do is say (having talked it over with Kerry) is that he would gladly accept the job as chief of the FDA. Principle only does you any good - at this level and in politics - if it gets you some power to do something.

Nader has no power.

His own former Green Party won't support him (which would have guaranteed him space on 22 states). No one can name his running mate. He used to have a fully-functioning brain but now he clearly doesn't.

He is a hypocrite from way back ie a union buster (which would make him attractive to Republicans, I understand)

But so long as there are groups like these - TheNaderFactor.com - wasting time, then Nader will think he can have it all and get given some more. But he won't. (Actually that Web site is not a complete waste of time, but the whole effort does seem over the top)

2004-07-01T09:24:00.000-07:00

Fuhrer More Years

Sorry, that's absolutely stupid, but I love a good pun - even better when I think of them (though I'm sure someone else wrote this first in all sincerity, unlike me).

It'd be a good slogan for the freeway blogger though.

2004-07-01T08:35:00.000-07:00

Get The Overseas American Vote

I'd say it's a pretty good bet that not as many military personnel and their families are Republican this year.

They might need a little encouragement.

www.tellanamericantovote.com

and www.electoral-vote.com

2004-06-28T09:29:00.000-07:00

I have to be somewhere

But quickly - Just wanted to say - Iraq takes over its own affairs - good good news. It is - and a good idea to move it up. It all seems somewhat tawdry, however, under the cover of darkness.

.... But better that than on an aircraft carrier.

A positive move - and it could be big.

Still not worth all the lies.

Speaking of lies - The Supreme cOurt today restored some of my faith in the judicial system, smacking down the illegal continued detainment of "enemy combatants." Both at home and "abroad."

This is yet another area where the left has been right.

2004-06-27T20:42:00.000-07:00

Kerry SAves Lives. Bush?

Rather than looking like a stuck Guinea pig on Sept. 11 in a FLorida classroom, Bush coul dhave taken charge and

This is sometihng Kerry seems overqualifed to do. Surrounded by Republicans, who's the one who steps up and saves a man's life?:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
February 06, 2004

Former GOP Sen. Hecht owes life to Democratic candidate Kerry

By Kirsten Searer LAS VEGAS SUN

Former U.S. Sen. Chic Hecht of Nevada is a staunch Republican, but he thanks his lucky stars for Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts.

On July 12, 1988, Hecht was attending a weekly Republican luncheon when a piece of apple lodged firmly in his throat.

Hecht stumbled out of the room, thinking he might vomit but not wanting to do it in front of his colleagues. Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., thumped his back, but Hecht quickly passed out in the hallway.

Just then, Kerry stepped off an elevator, rushed to Hecht's side and gave him the Heimlich maneuver -- four times.

The lifesaving incident made international news, and Dr. Henry Heimlich, who invented the maneuver in 1974, called Hecht to say that had Kerry intervened just 30 seconds later Hecht might have been in a vegetative state for life.

"This man gave me my life," the 75-year-old Hecht said Thursday.

Hecht said he was amazed that Kerry acted so quickly -- some people were assuming that he was having a heart attack.

"He knew exactly what to do," he said. "But a lot of people know what to do. They just don't size up the situation immediately."

The story has a twist of irony: Hecht was up for re-election that year, and Kerry, who was serving as the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, had pegged Hecht as one of the most vulnerable Republican seats.

Indeed, the Democratic nominee for Hecht's seat, then-Gov. Richard Bryan, beat Hecht, who served just one term in office.

"Only in America can this happen, where he's working against me to get me defeated and then saves my life," Hecht said.

Hecht, who prides himself on having one of the most conservative records on the books during his six years in the Senate, said he and his wife, Gail, see politics as "a secondary issue" when it comes to Kerry.

"We've had a wonderful life, and it would have all been down the tubes," said Hecht, who is about to celebrate his 45th wedding anniversary with his wife.

Every year the Hechts call Kerry's longtime personal secretary, who tracks down Kerry wherever he is.

Then they recount some of their experiences in the last year. Hecht and his wife thank Kerry for thinking so quickly in the Senate halls that day. And Kerry tells them that their phone call is one of his favorites of the year.

"He's so nice and appreciative," Hecht said.

This year Kerry was taking a day's vacation from campaigning, and he told them that he thought his campaign was finally gaining momentum.

Some of the Hechts hope so. Both of Hecht's daughters have attended Kerry events, and Gail Hecht hopes to travel to California the next time Kerry is there to voice her support, Hecht said.

Still, Hecht points out that he and Gail have given the maximum possible contribution to President Bush's campaign ($2,000 each). Hecht, a longtime businessman and banker, served as President George H.W. Bush's ambassador to the Bahamas.

Soon after the Iowa caucuses, a former Los Angeles county deputy sheriff and Republican Jim Rassmann stood with Kerry at an event to tell the story of when Kerry saved his life in the jungles of Vietnam.

Rassmann, a Green Beret, was ambushed along Bay Hap river, but Kerry, who also had been injured in the attack, grabbed Rassmann's arm and pulled him to safety, according to Kerry's website [ed note: you know for those who think Kerry did nothing in Vietam but forget this incident]

On Wednesday, Roll Call wrote a story about Hecht's incident. So far, Kerry hasn't asked Hecht to appear at a campaign event, but Hecht said he would if he were asked.

Hecht won't, however, say who he would vote for in November if Kerry wins the Democratic nomination.

"Only the Good Lord and myself will know how I'm going to vote," he said.

Emphases mine.

2004-06-26T20:36:00.000-07:00

Donald D. Thompson, Not Even An OK Judge

What kind of balls - okay, tiny - does it take for you to sit in a court, whip out your penis and start stroking yourself?

What if you're the presiding judge in an Oklahoma County Court doing that?

What then if not satisfied with dry-humping your whizened wang, you whip out the baby oil?

What THEN if you've done that so many times, you're just not aroused anymore - and oh, BTW, you're an old (well, 57 isn't that old) stick, that you think it's a wise and noble decision to use a penis pump. Not just once but 15-20 times, in full view of your court clerk. Said pump is then heeard by other people in the court, including police witnesses for the cases before you.

Not the kind of wise, informed mind you want deciding your case, is he? Unless your in on a sexual deviency matter.

And yes it did occur to me too, why did the clerk need 15 or 20 views before she called in the police?

The last page of the document that got him booted out of office is a section called Prayer For Relief. I[m sure he did that a time or two.

HERE COMES THE JUDGE
Shorty Long (I swear)

Hear ye, hear ye
The court's in session
The court's in session, now
Here comes the judge
Here comes the judge
Here comes the judge
Here comes the judge
Here comes the judge

Stop eatin' that fudge
Cause here comes the judge
Don't nobody buzz
Cause here comes the judge
Judge Shorty is presidin' today
And he don't take no stuff from nobody
No kind of way

Hey boy, take off that hat
Where do you think you're at
I know where you gon' be
If you don't heed my plea
I'm here to tell you
Court's in session
Order in the court now
Court's in session
Can't nobody stroke now
Here comes the judge
Here comes the judge
Here comes the judge
Here comes the judge

Here come the judge,
Here comes the judge
Y'all here comes the judge
Order, order
What's the first case on the docket
Judge I got a boy here who can't dance
Can't dance? Ah
Ninety days, thirty days for boogaloo
Thirty days to learn how to shing-a-ling
And thirty more for the Afro twist
Can't dance, what is this
Court's in session everybody quiet now
Court's in session, here comes the judge
Here comes the judge
Is that the man?

No, your honor
Does he look like the man?
No, your Honor
Well, I'm sorry you got to go now
Ah ha you can't recognize the man
You got to stand guilty
Here comes the judge
Here comes the judge
Here comes the judge
Ah yes, here comes the judge
They caught him stompin' down the aisle
Yes here comes the judge
I'd rather be lost in the jungle of Brazil
Than to face the judge
This morning the way he feels
Here comes the judge
Here comes the judge boy

2004-06-26T14:51:00.000-07:00

Not ~~Even~~ Just Entertainment

I've heard the chant for so long that Rush is just Rush, he's bluster, he's fun he's a fun-loving guy, no need to take him seriously, hes just talking, he's ENTERTAINMENT.

I have argued that he - and his ilk - are much more than that. They are poison to the golden apple of reasoned discourse. Too many don't invest any time or resources into questioning what these guys say. Those who do are labeled liberal whackos.

Michelle "Idiot" Malkin paints a happy face on Republican right-wing activism, in response to PJ Rourke's column about talk radio: "I Agree With Me":

So O'Rourke opines that "the number and popularity of conservative talk shows have grown apace since the Reagan Administration. The effect, as best I can measure it, is nil." Perhaps he should ask the soldiers abroad who voted overwhelmingly to put Rush on their airwaves what the impact of his show is. Or maybe he should head to Sean Hannity's Freedom Concert on July 8, which raises millions of dollars for military families. Or maybe he should meet Hugh Hewitt. Or maybe O'Rourke should use some of his frequent flyer miles and do some traveling to major metropolitan U.S. cities, where conservative talk radio offers rare relief from liberal orthodoxy--and where talk show hosts have spearheaded effective activism. KSFO in San Francisco led the Gray Davis recall brigade. KVI in Seattle was instrumental in launching the successful fight against Hillarycare and in support of an initiative abolishing government racial preferences.

Note, clearly Malkin is not an idiot and I will now stop calling her that because I'm tired of it (after the second time). Let's just say, she's not very convincing in her arguments.

2004-06-25T22:08:00.000-07:00

OrwellCorp.US

Today is George Orwell's 101st birthday, 20 year's on from 1984.

The Web site - OrwellCorp.us - will be a collection of what he tried to warn us against. I'm in no way a socialst, but we are all afraid of too much intrusion in our lives. Some of us are not afraid enough.

OrwellCorp.us.

I'm a big brother fighting Big Brother.

2004-06-25T14:33:00.000-07:00

Funniest P.O.W.

No, not the guy who shit and puked on himself at the same time after being "un-tortured."

No, the best Post of the Week, goes to this little inside voyeur job on Cheney's Texas Hold 'Em, Read 'Em and Weep poker game.

Hands down (sorry), the funniest POW.

2004-06-24T18:20:00.000-07:00

Elisabeth Rohm leaves Law and Order

It's the curse of the USA Weekend magazine (she was on their recently talking about low-carb foods).

The show will be darker without her. But I'm glad its an amicable departure.

I like the shows, though I'm a little leery of the "Trial By Jury" spinoff. I don';t like LO: SVU - the characters there too "I'm right and you have no brain, and furthermore you're scum and I'll treat you like that even when I find out I've been a dick and you're innocent" for me.

2004-06-24T16:57:00.000-07:00

Pumping Fist - V-i-c-t-o-r-y

Court throws out FCC’s media deregulation package
By SETH SUTEL | AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal appeals court on Thursday largely reversed a controversial deregulation package that the Federal Communications Commission passed last year, handing a victory to public interest groups that had opposed the sweeping changes to media ownership rules.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, which is based in Philadelphia, also left in place an order blocking the FCC from putting the rules into effect.

The ruling was a setback to the FCC’s efforts to loosen rules governing media ownership. The deregulation package, which was announced in June 2003, triggered widespread debate in Washington and in the public over the concentration of media ownership by large corporations.

An array of group of public interest groups challenged the FCC’s ruling, saying the rule changes would further limit the diversity of voices on the airwaves and other forms of media.

In their 2-to-1 decision, the judges threw out FCC rules that would have allowed greater ownership of television and radio stations in the same market. However, the judges did say the FCC was within its rights to repeal a blanket prohibition on companies owning both a newspaper and a television station in the same city. [ed. I can think of at least two markets where this already takes place].

Frankly, in the big scheme of things this is more important than Bush's impending loss at the polls. This issue of media ownership, collapsing down to just a few owners, needs to be fought visciously, passionately and with due diligence to what such a limitation can do and has already done to the diversity of voices and reporting that exists today (though weekly newspapers often get overlooked, even many of them are now being "assimilated").

Pumping a fist and giving a finger with the other hand. Nice.

2004-06-24T15:17:00.000-07:00

'No One Steals From God,' He Thundered

Priest beats up would-be collection-box robber.

Don't mess with the Chicago mob, sorry clergy :)

2004-06-23T09:43:00.000-07:00

Idiot

I usually don't go around calling beautiful women (or any) idiots, but Michelle Malkin has a column up about the lack of patriotism in Hollywood (that's orginal).

She says that in World War II, Hollywood rallied around the war effort. here's two very obvious reasons for this. World War II was a much bigger war. At the time, there WERE a lot of Jews in Hollywood as heads of studios. That's not bad or good (well, OK, it's good), it's just a fact.

But she's generally talking about the actors and the films being made. Malkin has a blog and she opened up comments to ask about favorite scenes or films.

Ms. Malkin is smart enough not to mention John Wayne (though one of her commentators calls him "the biggest patriot of them all"). But more than half her commentators cite either Schindler's List or Saving Private Ryan as their favorite war film. Kill me with a shovel, but I consider that "the modern era."

Just one example from a Donna:

I agree with your summation of Pitt,Affleck, and the "metrosexuals" of our time. Swayze is faggy, and Keanu is WHATEVER. I have always loved the old Clint Eastwood, Steve McQueen, even James Coburn movies. I really love the movies from the 30's and 40's, when men looked like men and acted like men.
The Manchurian Candidate was a good one. There are lot's of great old movies I just cannot pick THE one.
The all time moving movie for me, though, is SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. I fell in love with all the character and cried my eye's out each time I saw it. I think it is one of the all time best movies from top to bottom that I have seen. It, as well as thousands of others, made a great impact on me.

Also Milkin's parents let her watch a film (Back to Bataan) where there was a hanging, when she was eight.

Tom Selleck, I still watch anythng he does. I liked "Ike" a lot. They are roles ladies and gentleman - and there's talent. If you can't appreciate the performance and ignore the rest, well, you're lacking an imagination. Michael Moore's films are different because they're so overtyl political and because you';ve got to look at him throughout his films. Give me a Hitchcock cameo any day of the week.

I wasn't going to write up anything about this because Pandagon already did But Jesse didn't mention the presence of her blog and all the fun ("when was the last time Nazi groups ever tried to get WMDs?") therein. Most of the comments there are just simply stating favorite films, scenes, actors, however. One even points to a scene in the West Wing (TV). Only one mentioned "Black Hawk Down."

Another says: The best documentary made on the war and the 40's was made in 1998 by PBS entitled America in the 40's hosted by Charles Durning (He is a war hero.)

PBS.

Which is all to say, her commentators say they agree with her - and then they don't.

2004-06-23T09:23:00.000-07:00

Bad Judgement Leads to Bad Judge

One of Bush's judge appointees to the Ninth Circuit court of Appeals is the one who signed off on the redefinition of "torture."

An Aug. 1, 2002, Justice Department memo argues that torture - and even deliberate killing - of prisoners in the terror war could be justified as necessary to protect the United States. The memo from then-assistant attorney general Jay Bybee also offers a restricted definition of torture, saying only actions that cause severe pain akin to organ failure would be torture.

Bybee is now a justice on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Fuck, I really hate this administration. Really.

2004-06-22T14:19:00.000-07:00

Arnuld: Eraser

Arnuld has done a fairly good job - much better than his predecessor. That Schwarzenegger shouldn't, legally, be there is now beyond the point.

And I've been tuning out California as best I can, except for its fires. But really, we should all pay attention to the $900B, 36-million people state. It's important.

I'm not going to, but I will pot you to Calpundit, who says Arnold caved big time in gathering gambling revenues from the CA tribes. Not $1 billion per year as he planned, but 60 million over 18 years. And he's "mortgaged" the total billion for the 2004-2005 budget.

2004-06-22T14:06:00.000-07:00

Al Barger - Bloggeris candidatus

Well, I was going to say nice things about him and link to him, since I've seen his name around the blogosphere. He's a recently announced Libertarian candidate for the Senate from Indiana.

Except, now I'll just link to him because three out of his last three posts don't agree with me.

1. Copyright law as a corporate welfare: here.

2. My strange love for John Ashcroft: here.

3. Reagan was OK: here.

Um, then I just noticed that he links to Ayn Rand and Ann Coulter, twice each.

And he doesn't allow/have comments. Where's the free discourse?

2004-06-22T13:45:00.000-07:00

Dirty Pictures

Ideology blinded Cheney

I believe Dick Cheney. I believe the vice president when he claims that there was a link of some sort between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda - and by intended implication with the events of 9/11. I believe, that is, that he is not necessarily lying, not making things up. I believe, in other words, that Cheney's - and President Bush's - insistence on this association is just more evidence that the two of them are blinkered by ideology and seeing precisely what they want.

I'll tell you a story. There was a man who went to see a psychiatrist. First, the shrink showed him a picture of crossed sticks and then one of hundreds of little dots. "What's that?" the shrink asked. The man said snakes and ants having sex. The shrink told the man he was obsessed with sex. "What do you expect," the patient replied, "when you keep showing me dirty pictures?"

In life as in jokes, you see what you want. Cheney and Bush always saw a link between Saddam and Al Qaeda. That link was tenuous at best, but it was supported by this or that meeting or sighting. Aficionados of the Mafia will recognize the telltale signs.

The rest here.

2004-06-22T09:47:00.000-07:00

Wal-Mart's Prices - Another Reason They Exist

They circumvent building codes. They hire many illegals. They have lousy health coverage for those employees they give health care to (High deductibles, kicks in after six months).

Wal-Mart has also received more than $1 billion in local government subsidies, which while partly understandable, alos partly is not if you look at the study (PDF).

And don't think the lawsuits only flow toward Wal-Mart. (Link.)

Now, there's this:

Judge Certifies Suit Accusing Wal-Mart of Sex Discrimination
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | Published: June 22, 2004

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- A federal judge on Tuesday approved class-action status for a sex-discrimination lawsuit against Wal-Mart Stores Inc. that has become the largest private civil rights case in U.S. history.

It could represent as many as 1.6 million current and former female employees of the retailing giant.

The suit alleges Wal-Mart created a system that frequently pays its female workers less than their male counterparts for comparable jobs and bypasses women for key promotions.

...
U.S. District Judge Martin Jenkins took nine months to decide whether to expand the lawsuit to include virtually all women who work or have worked at Wal-Mart's 3,500 stories nationwide since 1998. His ruling makes the lawsuit the nation's largest class action.

In morning trading on the New York Stock Exchange, Wal-Mart shares were down 97 cents, or 1.8 percent, at $53.96.

The ruling is pivotal because it gives lawyers for the women tremendous leverage as they pursue punitive damages, back pay and other compensation.

...
Betty Dukes, one of the women spearheading the suit, said she was paid just $8.44 per hour during her first nine years working at a variety of positions at Wal-Mart's store in Pittsburg, Calif., while several men holding similar jobs but less seniority earned $9 per hour.

In a hearing last September, company attorneys urged Jenkins to allow so-called mini-class action lawsuits targeting each outlet. Wal-Mart contends its stores operate with so much autonomy that they are like independent businesses with different management styles that affect the way women are paid and promoted.

Plaintiffs' lawyer Brad Seligman responded that Wal-Mart stores are ``virtually identical in structure and job duties'' and that the case would only take a few months to litigate.

``There is a high emphasis on a common culture, which is the glue that holds the company together,'' he said.

...
Jenkins decided that the ``plaintiffs present largely uncontested descriptive statistics which show that women working at Wal-Mart stores are paid less than men in every region, that pay disparities exist in most job categories, that the salary gap widens over time, that women take longer to enter management positions, and that the higher one looks in the organization the lower the percentage of women.''

Wal-Mart contends the suit ignores the thousands of women who earn more than their male counterparts and doesn't consider factors that may make one job worth more pay than another.

...
The Wal-Mart spokeswoman said the company is evaluating its employment practices.

``Earlier this month Wal-Mart announced a new job classification and pay structure for hourly associates,'' Williams said. ``This new pay plan was developed with the assistance of third-party consultants and is designed to ensure internal equity and external competitiveness.''

A company should not be absolved after the fact for illegal practices. You can bet there's more to this than Betty Duke, who'se postion we don't know. She's probably, at $8.44, vice president of business operations for the southwest region.

2004-06-22T09:38:00.000-07:00

White Supremicists, Ashcroft Friends, Get A Pass

Strangely, though, the attorney general didn't call a press conference to announce the discovery of the weapons cache, or the arrest of William Krar, its owner. He didn't even issue a press release. This was, to say the least, out of character. Jose Padilla, the accused "dirty bomber," didn't have any bomb-making material or even a plausible way to acquire such material, yet Mr. Ashcroft put him on front pages around the world. Mr. Krar was caught with an actual chemical bomb, yet Mr. Ashcroft acted as if nothing had happened.

...
In this case, it sounds over the top to accuse Mr. Ashcroft of trying to bury news about terrorists who don't fit his preferred story line. Yet it's hard to believe that William Krar wouldn't have become a household name if he had been a Muslim, or even a leftist. Was Mr. Ashcroft, who once gave an interview with Southern Partisan magazine in which he praised "Southern patriots" like Jefferson Davis, reluctant to publicize the case of a terrorist who happened to be a white supremacist?

...
Even in the fight against foreign terrorists, Mr. Ashcroft's political leanings have distorted policy. Mr. Ashcroft is very close to the gun lobby — and these ties evidently trump public protection. After 9/11, he ordered that all government lists — including voter registration, immigration and driver's license lists — be checked for links to terrorists. All government lists, that is, except one: he specifically prohibited the F.B.I. from examining background checks on gun purchasers.

Mr. Ashcroft told Congress that the law prohibits the use of those background checks for other purposes — but he didn't tell Congress that his own staff had concluded that no such prohibition exists. Mr. Ashcroft issued a directive, later put into law, requiring that records of background checks on gun buyers be destroyed after only one business day.

It's Krugman, so feel free to ignore. Or, better, yet, start paying attention.

2004-06-22T08:51:00.000-07:00

No Need For Gephardt In VP Slot

Democrats need Gephardt on the ticket like they need a hole in the head.

And the hole would be less painful.

One word comes to mind thinking of Gephardt as a possible VP - UNINSPIRED.

If that were to occur, another phrase comes to mind - BUSH, FOUR MORE YEARS.

Gephardt is, indeed backwards looking. Kerry doesn't need someone just like him, to cuss like him; who just don't give a fuck like him, who dress like him; walk, talk and act like him.

Excitement is both underrated and overrated. Excitement doesn't get the job done (Bush 41 won the presidency), but in a close election you have to give people, not only a reson to vote against the other guy (voters usually come up with that themselves) but more reasons to vote FOR you. For people who aren't paying attention right off, a clip of some rousing speech can help.

Gephardt is the anti-rouse.

I think Kerry, though vain like all politicians, is really looking for someone to be able to work with, collaborate and come up with solutions - and of course someone who will deliver a state or two.

Edwards? Looking back. Some excitement - way to easy to paint the ticket as liberal northeast elite. (I know, Carolina, but still). He smarter than he looks but, Democratic voters looked at him and didn't like what they saw.

Graham? Apparently, a great mind. Enough said - he won't get the ticket. No really, he's too old, not inspiring, a bit of a kook in the personality department.

Bill Richardson (Gov-NM) - has said he'll stick around.

Janet Napalitano (Gov.AZ) - A hard fought battle to become AZ governor. It might be tempting, but at this point in her life, I don't think shge's ready to subject herself to that.

Hillary Clinton - You know what I'd love to see. Kerry stands up there at the announced press conference, Hillary Clinton is just behind him in shot, beaming, as he builds to his announcement. - and then he chooses someone else. Alternatively it would be a fun REAL choice because you'd see Republicans everwhere drop dead of heart attacks and right-wing radio hosts would not figuratively, but actually explode.

Evan Bayh. Bah. Well, actually, from Indiana, he would seem a reasonable choice. But no one knows him. That would add a small measure of excitement as the media gets to tell others what they already have well researched since his name came up early.

Vilsack was the other one, reportedly on the short list. ???????????????. I'm not looking him up , right now.

The real answer is John McCain. Naaah, just kidding. I believe it, but it's not going to happen unless Bush comes out onde day and says, "Prisoners of War? Highly overrated experience. Generally they're pussies."

Gary Locke. Won't deliver a state that's not already Kerry's. But it will be a brave and bold (heh) decision. He's Asian-american, for those not paying attention. If, as the plot goes, Kerry's already lost the south, then picking an Asian-American won't hurt the ticket (and yes, I'm accurately stereotyping here). That will draw a lot of interest - and a lot of media attention. Nice story line of Kerry fighting orientals, but now the Dem. party being able to overcome those divides. I'm under no illusion that the American people will differentiate, in their minds, between Vietnam and China. Though Gary Locke was born in America.

This picking a VP because of geopgraphical and vote-getting implications is gettign tiresome. Bush and Quayle perhaps was the last time (and that turned out so well - yes they were elected but Quayle didn't deliver anything), Clinton-Gore, both southerners. Bush-Cheney. Cheney "couldn't find" anyone else suitable for the slot, so offered himself. Pretty deliberately "incompetent" from the start, wouln't you say?

2004-06-21T10:58:00.000-07:00

Great Title

"Cooking With Grease" by Donna Brazile

Great, great title. Deadly accurate as far as the business of campaigning goes.

2004-06-20T21:50:00.000-07:00

One of American's True Heroes

If it happens, she should get a statue. It will be the single most brave act to go down in history.

What? Someone needs to give Bush and Cheney blowjobs so they can be impeached.

Talk about enduring torture and working under duress. They might produce a late-night showtime movie.

Good point says the voice in my head - no reason it HAS to be a she.

2004-06-20T21:33:00.000-07:00

It's Started - Right LIKES The 911 Commission

After the first public hearings roughly abut 95 percent of all right-wing punits started decrying the 9-11 Commission as a farce, a lynching and a coimplete waste fo tuime and money.

Now they seem to like it.

I’d say this 9-11 commission may be worth something, after all, right righties?

2004-06-19T20:44:00.000-07:00

FDR Into War NOT Same As Bush

A response to Dean's assertions in NG Dogma's comments (you'll have to scroll down) that FDR broke the neutrality laws of the 1930s and thus got about 200 soldiers killed and got ships deployed and more in violating them.

FDR Had Laws On His Side

Dean, in the interest of backing up my high-horse screed I will take up that challenge. Also, you’ve stayed on the level.

1stly, as you, yourself point out: there were other voices, other countries involved in World War Two, before 1940. By that time countries had been invaded and overtaken.

Therefore, with regard to FDR, we were at that time in the role of Tony Blair in 2002-2003 (in this respect alone). And with the US in 2003 it was us against most of the rest of the world in wanting to attack Iraq OR in seeing justification for it. Here I include the Spanish and British public who were in large majorities against such an invasion and against their governments for doing so. I do not know enough about the Polish citizenry.

You will notice that FDR made the argument for war for about five or six years, forthrightly and often, and by the time he did and as he did so there had been numerous invasions by aggressors Japan, Italy and Germany all.

That’s much more than Bush had to go on. It’s much more than he still has to go on — and Bush’s invasion liberation has grown the war on terror, not decreased it.

That is also one important difference in the two scenarios. Your citations of ship deployment and escort are not acts of war, though they are participation. I understand that could be considered close to the level of parsing you’d have to be party to to support Bush’s assertions at this point. The same so-called discernment you’d have to have to separate “lies” from “deliberate deception,” but I digress.

To FDR’s actions – There was a Neutrality Act in place. What did it say?

Well before going into that, you might want to look into the Land-Lease Act of March 1941. Ring any bells? Do you think it might have any relevancy in this discussion? Maybe ALL the relevancy?

Neutrality
The Neutrality Acts from 1935 to 1939 all apply to non-government business operations, which is why what you said made no sense. And none of them, in any case, has bearing on the acts of the Bush administration and whether they mislead the American public.

That assertion is backed up by 1) reading the act and, more simply, 2) providing you with the section titles of the Neutrality Act if 1937 (Link to Act):

--- Export of Arms, Ammunition, and Implements of War
--- Export of Other Articles and Materials
--- Financial Transactions
--- Exceptions - American Republics
--- National Munitions Control Board
--- American Vessels Prohibited from Carrying Arms to Belligerent States
--- Use of American Ports as Base of Supply
--- Submarines and Armed Merchant Vessels
--- Travel on Vessels of Belligerent States
--- Arming of American Merchant Vessels Prohibited

The last paragraph of this 1937 act says this:
Regulations: Section 11. The President may, from time to time, promulgate such rules and regulations, not inconsistent with law, as may be necessary and proper to carry out any of the provisions of this Act; and he may exercise any power or authority conferred on him by this Act through such officer or officers, or agency or agencies, as he shall direct....

This 1937 act was the so-called “permanent neutrality act.” A surface history of other such neutrality acts, starting in 1935 (when Italy invaded Ethiopia) are here

The 1935 Act, upon which the 1937 act built (here)

Two lines of that, reaffirmed in 1937 say:

The President, by proclamation, shall definitely enumerate the arms, ammunition, or implements of war, the export of which is prohibited by this Act.

The President may, from time to time, by proclamation, extend such embargo upon the export of arms, ammunition, or implements of war to other states as and when they may become involved in such war.

Note also:

August 1940s executive order to: “trade destroyers for bases - also allowed British pilots to train in U.S., British ships to be repaired in U.S. ports, Flight Ferry Command, Eagle Squadron.”

Also: June 6 - FDR seized 80 foreign merchant ships in U.S. ports under new law of Congress.

These examples would seem to cover many of your concerns and was signed before your “undelivered speech (the quoting of which does not make much sense in the historical record of what actually happened).

Whatever you’ve been told or learned – look into what I’m saying. It’s simple.

On your third point:

>>--FDR put American forces in harm's way, resulting in American casualties, then lied about it to the American people.

11 killed, 22 injured on USS Kearney in Oct. 1941 (again notice timeline as illustrated above). More here at a USS Kearney dedication site. The ship was not sunk but later deployed.

USS Reuben – Oct. 31, 1941. 115 killed (again notice timeline as illustrated above)

Yes, I did also found your similar comments here in Feb. 2004.

2004-06-19T16:07:00.001-07:00

Fox News Likes Moore's Film

Fahrenheit 9-11. Absurd, right. Exactly, most people there don't even like the idea of it - but a Robert Freidman who works there, does.

(Except apparently Fox ripped it off its news site between now and yesterday, because I can only find a Google Cache, which I'll file here.).

... But once "F9/11" gets to audiences beyond screenings, it won't be dependent on celebrities for approbation. It turns out to be a really brilliant piece of work, and a film that members of all political parties should see without fail.

As much as some might try to marginalize this film as a screed against President George Bush, "F9/11" — as we saw last night — is a tribute to patriotism, to the American sense of duty — and at the same time a indictment of stupidity and avarice.

Readers of this column may recall that I had a lot of problems with Moore's "Bowling for Columbine," particularly where I thought he took gratuitous shots at helpless targets such as Charlton Heston. "Columbine" too easily succeeded by shooting fish in a barrel, as they used to say. ...

2004-06-19T15:04:00.000-07:00

Did You Know?

16 people violently died in Afghanistan this week?

2004-06-19T11:15:00.000-07:00

Jesus John, This Is Just Pathetic

I don't know who Jesus John is, but good name.

John Cole at Balloon Juice continues his unhealthy obsession with Pandagon (not seemingly paying attenton to the fact that he's got a dual obsession Jesse and Ezra)- a target he chose as not to small and not too big.

He tries to pull contridictions out of statements made many months apart - as if he never looked at all in between to see the evolving changing of the mind.

Does Cole really think no one should ever change his or her mind, based on evidence? He'll never make a jury - hopefully.

I guess I'm amazed because I first tuned into the dude when he made a quite reasoned call that he could understand why those who disagreed with Reagan for a long time, shouldn't have to strain credibility and their own beliefs just to say nice things about him now.

He seems a little schizo. Reasonable about half the time and falling off into la-la land the other half.

Also, follow this thought process, if you can (I'll highlight the "huhs"?

As it is, we launched a war based on ideology and vendetta and disengenuous keyboard hawks like you attempt to justify it based on nothing at all. (quoting somoene else)

Ahh, the chickenhawk meme again.

A.) See that milbloggers link off to the left. I did my ten years.

B.) If the military needs an overweight comm teacher, tell em where they can find me. I would gladly drop everything and go again.

C.) I will chat with you in 2014, after you have completed your ten years of military service. That way you and I will both have the military experience necessary to debate issues.

So, point C seems to make the point that the person he quoted made. No? yes.

SEE other Pandagon pummeling (mostly misses) here, here, here and here

Oh and here, her, he, h ....

2004-06-18T12:16:00.000-07:00

Gay Marriage's effect on Limbaugh.

A quote, er, quoted at AndrewSullivan.com:

"It's been 29 days since the institution of marriage has supposedly been rocked and torn apart here in Massachusetts by gay people marrying and I'm happy and relieved to report that my wife and I are still married with no plans to divorce. Unfortunately, it appears that "they" got to Rush Limbaugh." - Greg Roach, looking to see if the sky is falling in Massachusetts.

i am actually quite interested in why Limbaugh's divorce happened now. He's slimmer, he's given up drugs (right????). She knew what he did when she met him. Why now. I think the key is the drugs.

L-O-S-E-R. Again.

2004-06-18T11:14:00.000-07:00

Wrong: ACLU on LA Seal

The cross on the seal of LA is history. That's sad to say because it is a part of history.

But that's all different than if someone tried to put a tiny cross on a flag today. And the "why" of that is an interesting question to pursue.

I've got no problem with it there and neither should anyone else.

It's only LA irony that the cross sits above the Hollywood Bowl on the seal. (Description of Seal symbols here on the LA County Web site.

Size is important. I agree with Joe Schmoe - God help me :) - when he says that the ACLU seems to be CREATING an issue out of whole cloth.

LA was not going to become a fundamentalist area - unless money is the God.

One of the discussions over at Calpundit (it's actually a good, thoughtful discussion in the comments, which started out as a post about the downhill slide of the LA Times op-ed page) is that the ACLU took the case, and the county settled, is because getting to court and losing, might bolster the Roy Moore's of the world who think one tiny cross put on the flag is equivelant to comissioning and getting the county to pay for a large Ten Commandments statue at the entrance to the courthouse.

2004-06-18T09:57:00.000-07:00

Colby Cosh: Shooting the Shit

I went to Colby Cosh's site determined to link something.:

I CANNOT BELIEVE THERE ARE PEOPLE RUNNING AROUNBD LOOSE LIKE YOU ARE.. YOU AND YOUR HENCHMAN STEVE HARPER.

YOU ARE BOTH FUCKING ASSHOLES WHO SHOULKD BE SHOT IN THE FACE WITH A BALL OF YOUR OWN SHIT !!! BECAUSE THATS WHAT YOU ARE... SHIT!!! LOOSE STINCKIN COW SHIT!!! YOU KNOW THE KIND OF STENCH THAT KEEPS EMANATING OUT OF TORONTO??? YAH THAT STENCH OF DECREPID JOURNALISTS WHO WOULD MANUFACTURE CONSENT AND PUT CANADA INTO HARM BY ADVOCATING THE LIKES OF HARPER TO GOVERN..

YOU HAVE YOUR JOURNALISTIC AGENDA AND PROFIT MOTIVE.. HARPER AND HIS BAND OF ASSHOLES WILL MAKE MORE SCANDOLOUS AND CORRUPT GOVERNMENT AND RIGHT WING EXTREMISM THAT YOU THE MEDIA WILL EVER HANDLE NOW THAT YOU HAVE BUILT THEM UP TO BE LIGITIMATE.. WHAT FUCKIN TURDS YOU ALL ARE!!!

LIARS!!! CHARLATANS!!! ASSHOLES... PISS DRINKERS!!!!
BRIAN RANVILLE
BRANDON, MB.
[phone number deleted] IF YOU WANNA KISS MY ASS OR EAT MY SHIT!

Link

Other than that it's a little too Canadien [no sic] for me right now at the Colby Cash (clearly Canadian?) site.

2004-06-16T20:10:00.000-07:00

Closing The Door After The Horse Got Out

Senate Reaffirms U.S. Anti-Torture Stance

Yeah, I'm all warm and fuzzy. Don't get me wrong, it's a good move. But sad it had to be done, no?

2004-06-16T19:46:00.000-07:00

Kerry Would Raise Child Tax Credit

Quick pick two words out of that headline. Do it. Which ones did you pick? Was it "raise" and "tax?"

Clever, huh? Or maybe I'm just blowing smoke. That's the first impression I got, however. It's just a weird way to phrase it.

2004-06-16T18:10:00.000-07:00

Matt Y on Top of His "Game"

Matt-Y plugs us into a good read of his own devising. Agree with him or not, it's a well-written piece that keeps your interest.

The column is about take-your-piety to work day; about how odd it really is to take a week off from the business and work of the country in Congress - especially at this time of the year - to pay constant tribute to President Reagan.

Worried about high gas prices and jobs moving overseas? There's a bill in the House that's supposed to address both problems, but it got shelved temporary [sic] in favor of symbolic resolutions and floor statements in praise of Ronald Reagan. Indeed, all real legislative work came to a halt for a week in order to make room for Reaganophilia. Instead of debating the nation's problems, the Senate floor was treated to a debate between Majority Leader Bill Frist and Armed Forces Committee Chairman John Warner regarding whether or not the Pentagon should be named after Reagan.

I don't care about all that trash — that gotcha "blogism" — whether Matt-Y is a moderate or he is a sheep in wolf's clothing.

We're all firebrands at one point or another. Blogs are about letting it all hang out. That one can be paraded around the blogosphere for one or two references to .. anything you're thinking of right now .. without looking at the body of work, is pathetic.

But so goes the world.

Clearly Matt-Y is a moderate in all senses of the word. He advocates no revolution; he mixes it up with his opinions regarding war, fiscal policy and racial dynamics. More often than not, he falls on the left side of discernment. But not always.

Back to the piece.

An old friend of mine [BB-how old can he be?] is on the federal payroll nowadays as a lieutenant in the Marine Corps. He got orders recently to go to Iraq, where I expect the troops don't get much time off, even for something as important as Reagan Day. At any rate, I honestly don't know how much attention he pays to defense politics inside the beltway, but someone in the Marine chain of command must be frustrated at the slow pace of work in Congress on this year's Defense Department authorization bill and, even worse, on the supplemental appropriations that are supposed to finance continued operations in Iraq. Given that Congress took Friday off despite already being behind schedule you might think they worked extra hard Monday through Thursday in an effort to get something done. You'd be wrong.

Lastly, Matt-Y should be proud of this turn of phrase: There’s your modern conservatism: not much interest in the substance of policy, but really fond of Ronald Reagan.

Beautiful. Go read the rest.

OK, one more slice:

A healthy, sane political movement enjoying a monopoly of political power would be loath to waste a minute dilly-dallying when there's such a grand agenda to achieve. But while Republicans may like their agenda, they love their political power. And as I wrote last week, despite Reagan's political success, "Americans really do want the government to solve their problems, clean their air and water, educate their children, cure their sick, and keep them safe from terrorists and defective products alike." The trouble with the conservative agenda isn't just that it won't do these things, but that conservatives don't think the government should do these things. Most people want government to do more, but Republican leaders want it to do less.

2004-06-15T15:17:00.000-07:00

W Ketchup

Yes, some bright spark (or is that dim bulb) has produced W Ketchup - a way to fight back aganst Heinz Ketchup.

Heinz Ketchup, you see "not only has 57 varieties, it has 57 foreign factories. And that's unAmerican (if true). But it's W who's the great proponent of outsourcing. If you look at this Heinz Ketchup corporate release (ODF), you'll see that 60 percent of the companies sales are overseas, and that Teresa Heinz owns only four percent of stock in the company.

Hmm. Conundrum.

Money from the sale of his ketchup - though it never says ho wmuch of the money goes toward the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund, which actually sounds like a great idea (scholarships for families who's mother or father have died in battle or POW or MIA).

Except there's a message from Oliver North (who founded the thing) on the front of the scholarships section of Web site, which makes it seem fishier than a cod's c .. well, you see where I'm going. North got people - soldiers - killed. Seems downright hypocritical when you think about it for, oh, 0.4 seconds.

There's also a lot of opinion polticial stuff and Hannity's July 8 Freedom Concert is on the home page.

Order some today - and then send me pictures of what you do with it.

2004-06-15T13:05:00.000-07:00

Bush gets thanks from Afghan president

All out praise.

Interesting to note there's a quota system in the new American-written Afghanistan constitution - 25 percent of elected officials must be women.

I applaud the move, by the way, but can imagine such a response if say, blacks were constitutionally required to be given 11 percent of elected office.

2004-06-15T12:52:00.001-07:00

Gmail - One Step Toward Oblivion

.. or immorality (spelling intended).

This site http://gmail-is-too-creepy.com says Gmail basically opens up all your e-mail communications through them for government perusal. It says Google will even store deleted messages and that after 180 days e-mails stop becoming protected communications.

I can't say for sure - but its enough to stop me even considering it. However, I wasn't anyway. I just got 100mb through Yahoo - and that's more than enough. My Excite e-mail account, after I didn't renew my payment - its back down to 6 MB.

Of course, I'm hoping someone will tell me Yahoo is WORSE and blow me out of the water.

2004-06-14T08:40:00.000-07:00

Supreme Court Sidesteps Pledge Debate

Which makes me wonder why they took it in the first place.

They made a decision about putting God in the pledge of Allegiance, instead one abut parental rights. Makes me wonder how and why they took the case.

No really. Article. Actual decision (PDF)

2004-06-14T08:38:00.000-07:00

Capitalizing?

New books on guess who?

2004-06-14T08:25:00.000-07:00

Surreal: Bush and Clinton

I was able to watch most of the unveiling of Bill and Hillary Clinton's official portraits.

George Bush Junior was saying kind, flattering words to BOTH Clintons. Bush even put a plug in for his book. He did well in this informal setting.

I'll get a transctipt. You will not believe some of the kind words flowign toward Clinton. Who knew Richard Clarke wasn't the only one who could do such a thing?

PS - Kerry announces his running mate this week. Campaign wise the spotlight has been off him too logn and Bush's face has been up there looking presidential for too long.

I'll find the transcript. UPDATE here (partly. Bill and Hillary and Laura Bush's comments aren't here)

2004-06-11T16:41:00.000-07:00

REAGAN: Some Words, Images

Whatever your political persuasion we all have one BIG reason to thank Reagan.

He kept the regurgitation of the 10th anniversary of the Nicole Simpson murder and subsqeuent OJ trials, off the front page. Hoo-ray.

Official Program (small PDF).

Lady Thatcher's eulogy

Brian Mulroney's eulogy
George Bush Junior's speech.

Bill Clinton's 1998 words on occasion of the dedication of the Ronald Reagan Building in DC.

Yahoo photos.

A simple tribute at Rubyan.

2004-06-11T14:07:00.000-07:00

Reagan's Funeral

First to Note. I have seen none of it. I might have watched some of it if I was at home, but I'm at work.

Watching funerals just isn't one of my "things." Not Princess Diana. Not Nixon. Not um ....

Seen through other bloggers' eyes, though:

Apparently Bill Clinton was napping through part of it, though someone else said he was praying. Hillary Clinton, Prince Charles and Lady Thatcher may also have been nodding off.

Beside that point, see, I thought Clinton wasn't invited or something (Drudge????)

Apparently, right-wingers are pissed that Chirac and Martin did not attend. Where before, I thought their beef before was that Reagan and his family could invite whomever he chose. Which is it?

Bush Jr. was OK but nothing special (Tacitus and even LGF - I had to go there to see what they'd say about Clinton's apparent napping. Or praying.)

Bush Sr. teared up. There's your compassionate conservative.

I find it extremely hard to believe Clinton was napping (remember he's still about the youngest one there). More likely the camera's caught him with his eyes closed for a brief few seconds.

Mulroney surprised everyone with his eloquence (as in "Who knew" and "Why?").

And, the consensus is, Mikhail Gorbechev must be having a few awkward moments with all this talk about the Evil Empire being crushed. Well, maybe, but he played an equal or greater part so I'm not so sure about that.

Oh - and people thought it was moving.
No one really mentioned Nancy.

2004-06-10T12:05:00.000-07:00

$45 trillion - Not A Number You See Every Day

That's the total wealth of households - citizens - in America.

The other side of that coin? $23 trillion in collective household personal debt. Ouch.

Link

2004-06-10T11:29:00.000-07:00

My Brain on News

Please correct my wicked ways and point me to (a link) what's on your mind.

Ashcroft Refuses to Release '02 Memo

Bruce Bartlett's National Review Oct. 2003 column about Reagan's tax increases including the largest in 20th Century America. And, if the times called for it, then I'm not saying it's a bad thing.

Ronald Reagan's A Life In Letters is a book worth reading, by the way.

Thinking about the hate that Ted Rall draws out of people (often times, rightfully so). He calls Democrats weak and they should think more like him. It would not be fun being him because he's truly spouting hate. So does Rush, but the left rarely gets as viotriolic in response.

Wondering if Ricky's razor sharp memory will consider my link above as an "approving link." Just the other day I said no serious liberal or Democrat blogger ever cites Democratic Underground commentators approvingly.

Fires burning in Arizona

There's more, but .... Blog stuff in just a few (hours). Hey, I'm busy. Sorry.

2004-06-09T19:39:00.000-07:00

A Very Bad Year

George Bush Junior said terrorism incidents were down last year, until he said they weren't. Flippity. Floppity.

Here's how the cynical bastards play it (unless you disagree). The state department releases a Worldwide Terrorism Report in April. It shows terrorism incidents are down (if you don't count anything going on in Iraq or Afghanistan).

Big headlines everywhere. Now, they releases a "correction." Turns out they're up. Small headlines. Barely anyone notices. Who's keeping us safer? It ain't these guys.

Frankie says it this way, in a way:

When I was seventeen
It was a very bad year
It was a very bad year for small town deaths
And soft summer nights
We’d hide from the lights
On the village green
When I was seventeen

When I was twenty-one
It was a very bad year
It was a very bad year for city deaths
Who ran up the stair
With all that turbaned hair
And it came undone
When I was twenty-one

When I was thirty-five
It was a very bad year
It was a very bad year for hot-blooded whackos
Of independent means
Who'd ride in government limousines
Their chauffeurs would drive
When I was thirty-five

But now the days grow short
It's the autumn of the year
And now I think of my life as vintage wine
from fine old kegs
from the brim to the dregs
And it poured dark and dank
The year stank

It was a mess of good years

2004-06-09T19:16:00.000-07:00

Global cooperation

We're getting more cooperation from our global partners because we have been humbled. There's not any other reason.

The entire rationale for going to war with Iraq was a shameful crock and smarter minds than those in the Rove administration realized that the "proof" offered was not enough justification for invading a country, breaking international laws (absent that imminent threat) and generally being dumbfucks about the whole thing.

And now that this administration's willingness to flought its own laws (international laws which we sign on to are our laws) seems to continue unabated, we are humbled. Adn if we're not, we should be. Reaizng a weakness is a strength.

I'm a proud American. I don't want other countries to be right and the US wrong.

Sometimes it just works out that way.

I want to live in a country where if we make mistakes we say so and we set about working out ways where they don't happen again.

Ever wonder why we're seeing headlines like this NOW: Bush, Blair Seek Wider NATO Role in Iraq

2004-06-09T12:40:00.000-07:00

Now That's Clever*

Someone poses as someone who can connect a patient with a doctor willing to provide abortions. Only he doesn't and makes women wait until it's too late too abort.

Sweet ...

*Hint it's not clever. It's illegal.
PS Yes, this was a link referral from Atrios. I agree the comments aren't worth much time there generally (the places where they are worth time are getting few). But there are some good nuggets of information posted by politico Atrios. Sometimes, there's a whole mine of information.

2004-06-09T12:00:00.000-07:00

Frivolity in the Land

Seriously, who looks more French?

Kerry or Krauthammer or the General? (two comparable pictures and one animated).

See also Jose Kerry

2004-06-09T11:52:00.000-07:00

Oldest Democracy

It is worth remembering that though the United States is one of the youngest countries, it holds the world's oldest democracies.

I was going to save my words for July 4, but I'd probably forget.

2004-06-09T11:16:00.000-07:00

Your Mother, Hypocrathy

So, some people seemed to have missed the boat about putting down the swords after hours and being friends.

Agreeing to disagree if you will.

It seems around the blogopshere, Democrats are being slammed for saying nice things about Reagan. (and doing so reportedly better than the Bush man.

They're also being slammed for saying, well not even mean things in most cases, but discussing the man's legacy. Sometimes they disprove.

Nice trap.

2004-06-09T10:56:00.000-07:00

Where Did I Read That?
A call out to stupid folk
"Clinton is upset about not being able to speak at Reagan's funeral." Where did you read that?

The Drudge Report, that's where, citing one anonymous Clinton inside source. Either that or you read it quoted by idiots who pissed on themselves in their hurry to believe it.

Those who believe this unquestioningly, have you not been burned too many times before? Don't you ever learn?

You cite and you blather about this as if it was fact. Simultaneously most of you also bitch about the media's use of anonymus sources (I'm one of the latter bitchers.)

Try and think of one lefty blog you've read that's approvingly cited comments at the Democratic Underground. I consider that an equivalent.

There's bound to be one out there but you can't think of one right off the bat. And it would take you a long time to find one.

As I've been spouting at other blogger's comments today, Drudge is wrong more than he's right. Half the time people think HE's right, it's a link to someone else's site and someone else's reporting.

The more partisan the post on Drudge Report, the more salt you must carry to pinch.

When you find a report about this that doesn't quote Drudge, let me know.

2004-06-08T17:03:00.001-07:00

Blogger down most of the day: I had some posts planned. They're going to have to wait now. (I still don't have a computer at home and I'm going to see if the Piston's can luck out and beat the Lakers again - which is my preference).

2004-06-08T17:03:00.000-07:00

Reagan Years
(See post below this one if you think I'm just ripping Reagan)

I thought it was quite a coincidence. On Saturday, the first time I heard about Reagan dying (which was about 6 p.m. PST), I was reading "The Reagan Years" chapter of Al Franken's "Rush Limbaugh Is ... "

it's about Rush needing people to believe that Reaganomics is the key to success in America otherwise his (Rush's) schtick falls apart. Click here.

One of its strongest points is that, despite the idea that Reagan was fiscally responsible, the sum of the budgets he submitted to the Democratic-controlled Congress was actually more than the final budgets that became law. Click here.

Also, he rips Rush's idea that the level of taxes on the poor went down. Click here.

Also, there's Reagan's clearly untrue stories about a football game where his team lost the game because he was TOO honest (story was a lie) and a welfare queen who never existed. Click a different place here.

2004-06-07T08:31:00.000-07:00

Reagan: Champion of Freedom, Free Markets and Free Lunch

I was in America for only the first of the Reagan years. And I was a kid. So I was not inspired, as 8-year-olds rarely get inspired by politicians (and 80-year-olds even less, perhaps).

Since I started paying attention, well I really haven't developed a great appreciation of his legacy. By all reports, he brought a new sense of confidence to an unconfident country; he and the men around him brought inflation under control. Those are plusses.

He survived an assassination attempt, which demonstrates how an inch to the left can change - or not change history. For most people that sealed the reverence he had - we loved JFK because he was killed, let's let this man know that we love him while he now lives.

I admire him for his humor, his ability to talk with Americans, not at them.

He is given too much credit for ending the cold war. Our stinging national debt (which just like our own personal debt we religiously try and forget about, but it's there and it's damaging) is the price we had to pay for the Reagan administration helping considerably in the end of the cold war.

But you have to give Mikail Gorbechev a tremendous amount of credit. Their relationship and how they were able to play off each other DID end the cold war. But none of it would have happened without the rise of a man like Gorbechev at the helm.

This weekend, I got tired quickly of watching the "news" and the kind, good words about a man who I never really connected with - before my time. In other words, I was glad people had kind, good words to say, but they didn't mean much to me. When Carter dies, it will be much the same. When George H.W. Bush dies (no. 41), I will feel something more because he was a part of my political consience. He was a good man but didn't seem to have done much. When George Bush Junior dies -- well, I believe he will die "young." In his mid-60s -- I'm not yet sure how I will feel.

Reagan was a B movie actor, who as president of the Screen Actor's Guild, thought he was being patriotic by fingering people he THOUGHT were Communists. He also pursued Martin Luther King, calling him a Communist. Iran-Contra happened under his watch - a stain many of his supporters want to forget.

But you know what I learned most about Reagan over the weekend - at least he admitted his mistakes, and did so while in office.

He was the one who signed the law making official a National Day of recognition for MLK Jr. He apologized to Corretta Scott King at the time for that and for opposing the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Of Iran Contra, he said:

... 4 Mar 1987 On national television, Reagan acknowledges mistakes on Iran-Contra. "A few months ago I told the American people I did not trade arms for hostages. My heart and my best intentions tell me that's true, but the facts and evidence tell me it is not. As the Tower Board reported, what began as a strategic opening to Iran deteriorated, in its implementation, into trading arms for hostages. This runs counter to my own beliefs, to administration policy, and to the original strategy we had in mind. There are reasons why it happened, but no excuses. It was a mistake." His approval rating went up to 51 percent.

Link here. Also:

"October 1983, a suicide bomber drove a truck loaded with 2.5 tons of TNT into the Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. The explosion killed 241 American servicemen. And the Iranians were behind it. They financed the operation. They coordinated it from their embassy in Syria. They trained the suicide bomber in Iran. They even manufactured the truck there. The Iranians were in it up to their eyeballs.

And we knew it. One month before the Beirut bombing, the NSA intercepted a phone call made by the Iranian ambassador to Syria. The ambassador described having given Hezbollah orders to kill American forces in Lebanon and also "undertake an extraordinary operation against the Marines" in Beirut. Somehow, this information got lost in the Pentagon until two days after the bombing.

... the Contras increasingly appeared to be a particularly ruthless and bloodthirsty bunch. Stories of atrocities against civilian noncombatants certainly didn't help. In the words of human rights group Americas Watch, "the Contras systematically engage in violent abuses ... so prevalent that these may be said to be their principle means of waging war." Another NGO compiled a year's worth of Contra atrocities, which included murder, rape, torture, maiming children, cutting off arms, cutting out tongues, gouging out eyes, castration, bayoneting pregnant women in the stomach, and amputating genitals.

An eyewitness to a Contra raid in Jinotega province said:
"Rosa had her breasts cut off. Then they cut into her chest and took out her heart. The men had their arms broken, their testicles cut off and their eyes poked out. They were killed by slitting their throats and pulling the tongue out through the slit."

Every President has SOMETHING to answer for, some for more important things than others.

UPDATE John Cole has a quality post about the reaction to Reagan's death, which strikes the right tone.

UPDATE 2 June 8, 2004 Admitting your mistakes while you're in office is a good thing btw.

2004-06-04T18:17:00.000-07:00

D-DAY

I couldn't do the commemoration of D-Day justice with my words, without some serious effort. Even then they would be overrought because i am only looking back on history.

June 6, 1944 remains one of the most brutal, goriest days of planned war in the modern age.

And everyone involved knew it would be so. It represents an stounding sacrifice by British and American forces. Who for a long time asked nothing in return - but whose countries now continue to vilify France. Which pretty much cheapens part of it for me as an American.

But the soldiers should be proud of their bravery and we should be proud of their bravery.

Thank You.

2004-06-04T18:14:00.000-07:00

Jolie Deux

Happy 30th Angelina Jolie.

You are one whacked out bombshell - but no tin a drugged out bad way.

And oh so gorgeous - although when you purse your lips too much sometimes, it looks like a puckered asshole.

Love ya.

2004-06-04T14:54:00.000-07:00

Ricky Is A God

He should not be questioned. His every word is the truth, including those He chooseth to layeth down in BLOGS (By Laws Of God)

/tongue in cheek.]

It just amazes me that people think everything they say comes out crystal clear. Or makes sense. I for one know that sometimes I may be thinking of 40 different things but what I actually type is not understood by those reading it (It's something I work much harder at avoiding at my job BTW)

And if someone has a question about what I mean and asks nicely as I have been of Ricky - I''m more than happy to answer it.

2004-06-03T16:16:00.000-07:00

I know my Inspirational Leaders

I hate Michael Moore. I love Ray Bradbury with a passion. The most talented writer on the planet.

Ray Bradbury hates Michael Moore, and one suspects it may not have started with Moore co-opting Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 (which is about censorship and narrow-mindedness, and so really it has nothing to do with the subject of Moore's film).

With what apears to be a flawed translation, 84-year-old Ray Bradbury was interviewed in a Swedish magazine and clearly disloves Moore.

2004-06-03T16:10:00.000-07:00

Kerry picks Gov. Locke

My long-standing point (see left column of this blog, down) about Locke as VP gets some play in, what I think is a new site: Opinionduel.com. The NRO and the TNR writers tag team a debate and .....

.. Well, anyway, the relevant paragraphs on the question of "Who Would best Serve as John Kerry's running mate :

John Miller, National Review: What about Locke? The Cato folks aren't really huge fans of his — they point to taxpayer advocates and ballot initiatives as the real reasons for his fairly good mark. Still, he might be worth a look. Here are three quick thoughts on him. First, he'll obviously help in Washington — though if Kerry needs assistance carrying the Evergreen State, then he's got some pretty severe problems to overcome. Second, he's Asian American, which would generate a lot of hot air about breaking glass ceilings — but I also wonder if choosing him would lead to some grumbling among black and Hispanic Democrats that one of their own should have had a shot at veepdom first. Third, if Kerry picks Locke, we're in for a pun-tastic news cycle. Get it? Kerry picks Locke. Brace yourself.

Michael Crowley (Mr.), The New Republic: And damn you for naming Gary Locke, another guy, like Vilsack, whose very name glazes my eyes. (Although I have another pun opportunity for you: KERRY AIDES: LOCKE A LOCK FOR VEEP.) If you're right that the national-security test will be essential then Locke, like most governors, isn't a very serious contender. (I'd argue that a big enough charmer, like John Edwards, can overcome a lack of foreign-policy statute. But Locke isn't such a figure.)

2004-06-03T13:57:00.000-07:00

Iraqi amputees: Trackback of story

I saw a piece over at Spinsanity about a Bush quote being taken wildly out of context.

I hadn't heard or read of the quote until I saw it there but nevermind that. I agree with them.

I commented there about the continuous lie that "the media" only prints "bad" news, and ignores the good. I said that the story started on CNN weeks ago and that's when I had that thought but never posted about it.

Some one else said they saw it on Fox first. Of course, if anyone was following the Don North documentary (see further down the post) they would have known sooner than this.

So, using Google Search and searching CNN's site I came up with where the story originated. Funnily enough I couldn't find any link on CNN to the story, but I KNOW, I would bet thousands of dollars on the fact that it WAS on there repeatedly over a weekend if not more. I remember seeing it once and then clicking past it a number of times.

Here's the list of relevant highlights along the way:
Fox News
May 22
http://tinyurl.com/335kc

Voice of America
May 21
http://tinyurl.com/2sstk

Canton Repository
May 21
http://tinyurl.com/2huqw

Washington Times
May 20
http://tinyurl.com/34wqa
(Actually - different story not on these men)

Arizona Republic (and others AP including SF Chronicle, San Diego Union Tribune)
May 20
http://tinyurl.com/2yh6h

News4Jax (Houston TV)
May 18
http://tinyurl.com/3c9h2

News24Houston (credited to AP - short brief)
May 18
http://tinyurl.com/38l56

(Houston Chronicle, Copyright HC)
May 17
http://tinyurl.com/255zd

NY POST (different story by Don North, documentary maker)
May 17
http://tinyurl.com/2ww7k

OpinionJournal
May 14 (Google says May 13)
http://tinyurl.com/2h6aq
(Related to Don North, documentary maker. Here the limbs are $50,000)

2004-06-03T08:24:00.000-07:00

Tenet: Resigned today.

It takes a Clinton appointee to show what honor is, doesn't it?

(How's that for spin?).

Without looking anywhere on the blogs or on the wire, I'd say this is something perhaps Right and Left can agree on. The right will say, see the Bush administration does take responsibility, now it's over - and yes, it makes sense that the Clinton appointee should go first - he bears most of the responsibility. The left will say it's a start.

Me, I'll be very interested to see what he has to say about both his bosses.

UPDATE 14:27 And the obvious update: Al, that's just crazy talk. Crazy. Asking Tenet to resign. You need to see a .... whuuuhaaa? He did. ...... Tenet - crazy man, never deserved the postion. Al, if you were president, you would have fired him much sooner. Hat tip to Oliverwillis.com .. though he likely got it from Atrios, wh simply stated: Tenet Resigns, Gore speech victim #1.

2004-06-02T22:53:00.000-07:00

Where's Bush's second once-a-week speech?

Wasn't Bush due for a major speech on the plan in Iraq?

Where was it? There was some words following the Iraqi decision to elect and disband government officials. That was an unplanned speech, though - right? Because Bush had "no role" in choosing the new leaders.

For another good example - sourced - of Bush doing one thing and .. .then hoping no one would bother to look when he did the opposite, click here.

Hint, it's about Ahmed Chalabi and Bush, in February, saying he, Bush, had extensive conversations with Chalabi, but now saying, well, no, they barely knew each other. May have shaken hands in the State of the Union line.

Pathological.

The veil of secrecy is worse than the burka.

2004-06-02T21:54:00.000-07:00

Chalabi And Two Idle Thoughts

Iran was in a long painful war with Iraq. Chalabi, it will likely be revealed (if you need more proof than is already out there, which I personally do) was working for Iran and very nearly seems to have gained a leadership position in Iraq (and he's had one with the US for years).

More importantly, though, he fed the willing ears of the government of the United States a gushing line of bullshit.

Actually, it's more than an idle thought. It's not beyond the scope of possibility.

But because I'm a voice at a (very small) partisan blog any Iraq War II supporter will dismiss this faster than the noon bell on the last day of school.

And there in - assholes of the blogosphere - lies the danger in journalism returning to its bitch-slapping 19th Century days where everybody had an opinion and developed a vehicle to get it out there.

Those wishing for opinion-based, bias-revealed (even when it has nothing to do with the subject) journalism need to go fuck themselves.

Would it suprise anyone to know that when I reported more directly on state government some Republicans I reported on thought I supported their ideas. Some Democrat politicians thought I supported theirs?

I like it that way motherfucker. It's called doing a job well. A soldier does his/her job despite that he or she may disagree with the rationale for going into that war.

It's called doing a job. It's tough.

Clearly it's much much tougher on most soldiers because their lives are often on the line. Clearly. But at least they get to express opinions on everything else.

Me. I get to shut my mouth (in public) and I do it. Those who push and support the first amendment's right to freedom of speech, do the least of it on issues of substance.

That' s hard. But I value it above everything else in my profession.

Punditry is not journalism. Fact-based journalism - even if from The Washington Monthly or the American Spectator I do consider journalism, even though it comes from a slant. But they are forever damaged in trying to get across certain points to readers.

They've lost credibility to certain people.

That's a mortal damage that good journalists strive to remove from their professional lives.

What other industry publishes its self-examination in the form of Letters to the Editor and ombudsmen and a series of public corrections?

You want a link. How about the speech John Carroll gave in early May, just after his paper, the LA Times won five Pulitzers?

Really, read it. It's an honest debate started and contined by Carroll and Fox's Roger Ailes the ugly-minded whiny bitch takes one assertion out of it and complains loudly and brashly (in the Wall Street Journal oped page) like someone who KNOWS they're wrong and hope's bluster will cover that fact.

Read the two side by side. Which one do you trust is pseaking his heart. Which one is more inspirational and forward-thinking?

Here's another link. I agree with every word, but because the ombudsmen is pointing to no-questioning coverage of Pres. Bush, I and it will be discounted as partisan. By fools who waste time. But I would agree with the same points if Clinton was the president in question.

My earlier examination of the crapshoot that is Ken Timmerman - and the fact that people can bother to quote him as if it makes a salient point and this Carroll speech inspired this post and my sincere belief that critics of journalism (which does not include the clear fuck ups - Jayson Blair, Michael Kelly et all) need to STOP CONFUSING JOURNALISM WITH PUNDITRY.

BASTARDS. FUCKING LOUSY BASTARDS.

2004-06-02T12:31:00.000-07:00

Alexandra Polier - Footnote or FemiNazi?

Matt Drudge is a charltan. Those who follow his work as if it was the gospel are idiots. That headline is to attract the sub-humans who suckle off scandal.

Alexandra Polier was the woman who Matt Drudge and others pointed to as having an "affair" with then single John Kerry.

In about 5,000 words, Polier goes through how the story affected her life - and she tries to delve into how and why it blew up.

She got Drudge to sound like a whiny pussbag, S-M freak in his apology to her. She got other so-called reporters of the so-called liberal media to admit their mistakes to her.

The issue has caused her Republican dad to now decide to vote for John Kerry.

Polier went out with Kerry's finance director for a short time and they are still friends.

The complete story, here in New York magazine. A story that deserves to be told and deserves a wide and complete airing.

PS. She is incredibly beautiful and her fiancee is a lucky SOB.

2004-06-02T12:17:00.000-07:00

Like ...

The National Review Online discussing Air America is like Michael Moore discussing credibility.

Mark Steyn manages to also drag in some weird allusion to President Clinton, saying Clinton using the words "kids" to talk about gun deaths (when its really 15 to 19 year olds) is symptomatic of the fuzzy talk of the left.

2004-06-02T12:03:00.000-07:00

Kenneth Timmerman - Hack, deadbeat "journalist"

A few days ago Survivor Type cited an article written by Kenneth Timmerman in the comments section over at Classless Warfare.com.

At first the piece sounded contrived and made up. But he quoted it accurately. I had a little time on my hands and wrote this in response there and posted it. I post it here because my response is a day late (well aobut five days) and a dollar short there and so you can remember the hack that is Timmerman - and that some people will quote garbage to try and make a fair point.::

You call Kenneth Timmerman legit? He primarily writes for Moonie mag Insight Magazine. I give the WA Times credit every now and then - but you've got to have your head up your ass to write for Insight and maintain your soul.

I fully grant, that he has more ME knowledge than I do - it's what he does with it which is so sad. Google Search Kenneth R. Timmerman - you get a list of right-wing demagogery.

Is this the same Timmerman who doesn't actually write his own books? That one?

I know I post this too late for ST, but you don't have an e-mail listed so I can't contact you e-mail to e-mail. I'll post it at my site, as well.

This is the start of his Web page.My latest book, The French Betrayal of America, hit #3 on Amazon.com bestseller list for non-fiction books after one week on-sale.

Read about the book at National Review On-line and on Newsmax.com

Worried about Jean-François KERRY and what he will mean for America? the war on terror? rogue regimes such as the Islamic Republic of Iran? Read more...

Yeah.

In the piece you cite, the French were the good guys. Another flip-flopper, right? Or is there another explanation? Hmmm. Reconsideration of evidence, perhaps? No. Just selective amnesia. Oh - and the unsourced claims in his book.

He also wrote in Feb. 2003 (from his Web site) :Regarding a Post-Saddam Iraq, Ken's oped from today's Washington Times on what Europe will look like for France and Germany (and French and German businesses) after the stunning US-led victory in Iraq.

Though others say he wrote for Time and Newsweek, he doesn't cite those stories on his Web site at all. Links go back to 1996.

He's sponsored by the Middle East Data Project Look into that.

He also wrote a 1991 book: The Death Lobby: How the West Armed Iraq (Houghton Mifflin). You like that don't you?

This fact is listed on his bio page, which has numerous (as in most) dead links.

If you go to his articles link page here you see that he mentions that Amazon has found a cache of The Death Lobby - in August 2000, way BEFORE the book was released.

Another rank mistake. And I'm supposed to have faith in this man?

The man who on the same page has FOUR Reader's Digest articles listed, but only three linked. The one not linked? The one you cite.
Four, and yet he's a contributing editor? In other words, that's a term used for contributing writer.

A man who on the same Articles link has a section titled "Scholary Articles & Monographs."

(For the slow - the word is "scholarly"). Yes, as a matter of fact I did get quite a chuckle out of that.

A man who's Home Link at the bottom of this page goes to a site called timmerman2000.com - which is now a domain for sale.

A man who has a site where a significant portion of the links, even off the front page, are dead. And the site has not been abandoned - the French Betrayal book was released in March, 2004. The "interview" with Brit Hume was 4-20-04

I have fun on my Web site, and I'm - to a fault - willing to try and understand both sides of MOST issues, but your cite of Ken Timmerman is, without further context of the man, flawed beyond redemption.

UPDATE 15:22 ST did respond - go figure. In his defense new comments appear at the left of the site and mine stayed up there for a while - if that says anything - and so he probably has some kin do flife and wasn't just monitoring the comment for a response.

He made a lame spelling jab to discount the rest of the post and then he attempted to NOT GET IT by asking me about the Death Lobby point I made above regarding the dates of publication vs, the date when Amazon "found" a cache of books.

Turrns out he was right on the last one and I apologized for the error over at Classless Warfare, as well. My brain kept on telling me 2001 as the publication date - but it was 1991.

See also Preachers of Hate.com, Ken. T.s other mirror site, which has a few less dead links but only a few less.

2004-06-01T17:27:00.000-07:00

Abortion 2
Partial-birth abortion

I approve of the federal court's decision (CNN) declaring that the procedure (called late-term abortion in the medical field) is legal and should remain so, but as I've read it, I don't understand how the judge came about her decision, except the "protecting the women's health" angle which should be as clear as mud to anyone breathing.

The U.S. District Court in San Francisco declared unconstitutional a federal law banning late-term abortions Tuesday.

Judge Phyllis Hamilton concluded that the act posed an undue burden on a woman's ability to choose a second-trimester abortion; was unconstitutionally vague; and lacked an exemption to protect the mother's health.

The Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 imposed criminal and civil penalties on "[a]ny physician who, in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, knowingly performs a partial-birth abortion."

Tuesday's ruling enjoined law enforcement officials from enforcing the act. Challenges have also been filed in Nebraska and New York.

2004-06-01T15:14:00.000-07:00

Abortion 1
Talon News carion for GOPUSA

First the "news." Afterward my two cents.

Abortion Of Disabled Babies Increasing at Alarming Rate
By Jimmy Moore Talon News | June 1, 2004

LONDON (Talon News) -- Abortions of babies with Down's syndrome, deformed feet, cleft lips and palates, as well as other medical abnormalities, have become more and more commonplace, according to statistics recently released by the Office For National Statistics in England and Wales.

The latest numbers from 2002 found that more women are choosing to abort their babies who may have some form of handicap. These kinds of abortions spiked by 8 percent over the previous year.

Of Down's syndrome babies, 690 were aborted in 2002, an increase of 17 percent over the 2001 total of 591.

More babies were aborted in 2002 who had Down's syndrome (372) than those that were born with the disease (329).

In 2002, five babies were aborted for deformed feet and another was killed because of a cleft lip and palate.

Also, in 2000 and 2001 combined, nine babies were the victims of abortion because of a cleft lip and palate while two more babies were also aborted for having a cleft lip.

Rev. Joanna Jepson, a curate with the Church of England who fought on behalf of an aborted baby in a 2001 High Court case, said she is outraged at these statistics because they are an insult to surviving humans with these conditions.

"These statistics are horrifying and show the highly consumerist attitude which is now pervading human relationships" because abortion has become too commonplace, Jepson exclaimed in a story reported on The Drudge Report.

She argued in the court case that an abortion for a cleft lip and palate under the 1967 Abortion Act does not constitute a "serious handicap."

"I don't think anyone had any idea that so many babies had been aborted for cleft lip and palate," Jepson continued on Drudge. "The fact that two were aborted for cleft lip alone is a slur on people with the condition."

She said she is shocked that doctors are not doing something to regulate these kinds of abortions from happening.

"I cannot believe the medical profession is standing by decisions to abort babies for these reasons," Jepson expressed on Drudge.

Some are blaming the birth defects on women over 40, whose babies are more likely to have problems such as spina bifida, heart defects, and Down's syndrome.

And because of the technological advances in the detection of birth defects prior to birth, more and more women are choosing to end the life of their baby despite the fact that most of these conditions can be corrected once the baby is born.

Abortions for babies who may be at risk of having a physical or mental condition or are deemed life-threatening are considered legal for any reason throughout the entire pregnancy according to Ground E of the Abortion Act in England.

According to the latest data published in the Health Statistics Quarterly from the Office for National Statistics for the National Congenital Anomaly System (NCAS) from 2002, 1,863 babies were aborted under this law compared with the 1,722 in 2001.

Of the 185,000 abortions conducted each year in Great Britain, most are considered for "social" reasons. A two-doctor panel makes the final decision about whether the pregnant woman will be better off physically and mentally if she has the baby or aborts it.

This system virtually guarantees that women who want to have an abortion for any reason can do it.

London Metropolitan University ethics professor Jacqueline Laing said aborting babies because they have deformities is making the world a savage place.

"We are obliterating the willingness of people to accept disability," Laing noted in the Drudge story. "Babies are required to fit a description of normality before they are allowed to be born."

Nuala Scarisbrick, a trustee with a British pro-life group called LIFE, said these increases in abortion statistics are disturbing to people with disabilities.

"The message is being sent out to disabled people that they should not have been born," Scarisbrick commented on Drudge. "It is appalling and abhorrent."

LIFE's Patrick Cusworth added that women are being forced to kill their babies if any defects are found whatsoever.

"We fear that these statistics indicate that women whose unborn children are even suspected as having special needs are being placed under increased pressure to have abortions," Cusworth contended to The Scotsman. "Such statistics are an indictment of a society which places a conditional value upon its citizens, based upon how 'useful' they may prove to be in later life."

Copyright © 2004 Talon News -- All rights reserved.

First, let's start with that "All Rights Reserved" notice at the bottom. The story is a complete rip from the Drudge Report, which has no orginal reporting of its own.

There is also nothing produced by Talon "News" to have rights about. They pulled bits form the Scotsman and Drudge - and did so badly - or more likely, deliberately.

More importantly, it's a Daily Mail (UK) story to begin with - that Talon trots out, oddly, the same day a federal court rules that the ban on partial birth abortion is not constitutional. Except, the report is from England.

And the Drudge Report dates the article Sunday May 6, 2004. anyone remember May 6 falling on a Sunday this year because I could have sworn it was a Thursday. Let's see plus 14 - 3, carry the 1. Well, whatever, we'll call it Thursday.

So that's an obvious Drudge mistake, no doubt somehow rooted in the glim of England forming its dates DAY/MONTH/YEAR. The Daily Mail story actually appeared 30/5/04. How May 6 got involved, I'm scared to figure. And don't try. It's a clear mistake.

But that's the most minor quibble. This is the meat of my beef. Read these two concurrent sentences again:Of Down's syndrome babies, 690 were aborted in 2002, an increase of 17 percent over the 2001 total of 591.

More babies were aborted in 2002 who had Down's syndrome (372) than those that were born with the disease (329).

See anything wrong? Something along the lines of a slight numbers discrepancy between 690 and 372? Read on for the explanation.

The Drudge version, as was clear from the lede paragraph is wildly reworked from the Daily Mail original. As in, not just edited, but completely torn apart and put back together again to create a bastardized version of the story.

But even in the Drudge version are these two sentences:The number of abortions carried out because of chromosomal abnormalities such as Downs syndrome increased by 17% - from 591 in 2001 to 690 in 2002.

There were more foetuses with Downs syndrome aborted than babies born with the condition in 2002 - 372 abortions compared with 329 births.

If you don't see the difference there - then you were the target audience.

"Chromosomal abnormalities" includes a long list of problems - such as Downs syndrome.

Downs syndrome kids are some of the most loving and cutest kids around. I'm familiar with them. Their parents are lucky to have them.

But that's beside the point, really. Quote, unquote "normal" kids are loving and cute, too. And of the 150,000 abortions in England (in 2001), the vast majority were, apparently, "normal" children. 1,863 were not.

2004-06-01T13:19:00.000-07:00

A Country's Introspection

You hear over and over again - from ALL media and talk shows and also anyone who's really paying attention - that it was important that the new Iraqi president not be seen as a tool of the United States.

I don't think we ask ourselves enough - why is it important to be identtified as not 100 percent aligned with American interests?

Why is that?

2004-06-01T13:15:00.000-07:00

Up, Up and Away

Joel (Pax Nortona) runs out of breath and comes face to face with "The Deadly Blade."

Like Stephen King's Green Mile, except true and in four parts not six. And, you know, free. Starts today.

2004-06-01T09:31:00.000-07:00

Good News in Iraq

Good news - the country is setting up a government. a PM a president; the governing council has disolved, in an attempt to further the American government to follow through on its June 30th deadline (which publicly it had never veered from).
I'd like to say unreserved good news, but I can't. However, if this government is known by the people at all - it has a chance. If not, it does not.

Apparently the new president has indicated a desire for American troops to stay. And that's where I'd say - why? If we weren't there - and if Iraq had all its oil revenue - couldn't they do a better job then we're doing. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but that's the strong impression I get.

A phrase that keeps on jumping out at me from a story I read is from an Iraqi citizen who said, "We never see them on the streets, we don't know who they are?" Paraphrasing.

2004-05-30T13:01:00.000-07:00

America=War +

I feel good about America when it does something right (Gulf War 1, World War 1 and World War 2 ... ). I feel bad about America when it does something wrong (the current Iraq war, My Lai, Vietnam, embracing the war of Christian fundamentalism... ).

On this Memorial Day Weekend it's a good idea to also remember that right and wrong aren't always the two sides of the War coin. America is greater than its wars.

2004-05-28T11:44:00.000-07:00

Surprise!

Right-wing pundits* are whining bitches?

Wait, that's not a surprise

TAKE TWO
Surprise.

Orlando Sentinel conservative Columnist Peter Brown gives non-snarky, unreserved thanks to Bill Clinton for one thing. The O-Sent is also home of the mood-swingy Kathleen Parker (you read her column on a regular basis - it's a weird experience).

*(Note, not saying all right-wingers)

2004-05-28T10:50:00.000-07:00

Wrong on Abu Ghraib

(Hint they were POWs. We killed at least 20 of them.).

Discountblogger is feeling the pull back to blogging. In fact posted.

I told you so. There I've got that out of my system.

Should be welcome. He will likely prove that rather than running at the mouth day in and day out, he'll post rarely and thoughtfully. Either that, or he'll post just at the extrmes of his emotions. Like today (well, May 26 actually).

2004-05-28T10:40:00.000-07:00

No Culpability?

At all?

2004-05-28T09:56:00.000-07:00

TheNaderfactor.com

The self-titled "Weblog of Mass Discussion."

2.8 million people voted for Ralph Nader in 2000. But it was Gore's fault he lost the election. Not the media playing the smae horse-race horsehit race, not Nader stroking himself.

2004-05-28T09:50:00.000-07:00

Writer Stupidity

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld is required by law to submit a list of recommended closures and realignments to an independent commission by next May 16. The commission then reports its decisions to President Bush by Sept. 8, 2005, and the decisions become law 45 days later unless Congress enacts a joint resolution rejecting them; it can reject them in whole but not in part.

This from an AP story only caught my eye because this is so easily fixed. It reads that an independent commission regarding military base-closures must report "its decisions to President Bush by Sept. 8. 2005. Bear in mind that the report won't even be submitted until May 16 (at the latest).

This could so easily have been recetified - the fact that Bush may not be the president in 2005 - by rephrasing the sentence: "The commission then reports its decsion to the presdient by spet. 8, 2005."

That' s not taking a partisan stance. That's writing better.

2004-05-27T10:42:00.000-07:00

Amnesty International Report

Before anyone dismisses (damn, too late, Thanks White House) the Amnesty International 2004 on global human rights issues, let's bear in mind they have been around for decades. Let's all be aware that they recorded countless crimes of Saddam Hussein and other despots long before we were paying attention.

Though their critics don't like what they have to say, the group has credibility.

Newsweek online interviewed the Amnesty International USA executive director William F. Schulz. An excerpt:

What do you recommend to U.S. and other troops in Afghanistan and Iraq now combating local resistance to their occupation? Is force never the best option?

Amnesty International is not a pacifist group, and we are not suggesting use of force is inappropriate in responding to armed groups. But using force alone in fighting the war on terror is like repairing a television set with nothing but a hammer. In addition to the use of force you need other forms of persuasion and other insights and greater wisdom. In Afghanistan, while of course there will be need for security there that can only be provided by military presence, there’s also a need to build a civil society. There’s a need to demonstrate to the larger percentage of the Afghan population that their interests are better served by pursuing a peaceful course that includes a civil society, democratic elections, a free press—all of the guarantees of economic welfare and political stability that come with a fully developed society. That can’t happen by force alone.

Why did Amnesty decide to do this study on armed groups now?

The right to security is every bit as important a right as the right to liberty. Article Three of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights ensures that we have a right to be safe in our homes. So armed groups are committing some of the most serious violations in the world. When governments reply with violations of their own, you have the most sustained attack on human rights in the last 50 years. The second reason is because the growth of these armed groups demonstrates that the war on terror is not working. The way in which the war on terror is being conducted is in fact not making us safer but has resulted in a proliferation of armed groups. Since 9/11, terrorist activities—activities by armed groups—have generally increased. The number of armed groups we ourselves have tracked has grown by some 14 to 16 percent.

This reality needs to be stopped and Bush is not the man to do it. Prove me wrong. Use your best argument to convince me that not only will he make it worse but that Bush will be, categorically, better than Kerry.

2004-05-26T15:27:00.000-07:00

Fox Sure Isn't Shy About Itself

From its Web site:

Foxnews.com online has come a long way since it was launched in November 1996.

Today the channel that sent shockwaves through the whole world from its very first day on air has become a global name which people, governments, and decision-makers cannot afford to ignore.

With more than 30 bureaus and dozens of correspondents covering the four corners of the world Foxnews.com has given millions of people a refreshing new perspective on global events.

... Foxnews.com has offered its audiences in the world much needed freedom of thought, independence, and room for debate. In the rest of the world, often dominated by the stereotypical thinking of previous news “heavyweights”, Foxnews.com offers a different and a new perspective.

Fox News correspondents opened a window for the world on the millennium’s first two wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Our expanded coverage competed with and sometimes outperformed our competitors bringing into the spotlight the war’s devastating impact on the lives of ordinary people.

We continue to cover all viewpoints with objectivity integrity and balance.

So now when Fox News speaks, the world listens and “reads”.

In January 2001, Foxnews.com was launched as the first mainstream news site in Arabic and in no time, it rose to the top. In 2002, Foxnews.com received more than 811 million impressions and 161 million visits.

Boiling topics and heated debates along with objective news reporting and interactive feedback are the attributes that put Foxnews.com amongst the 50 most visited sites worldwide.

EMBRACING NEW HORIZONS

As we officially broke the “language barrier” with Foxnews.com Arabic, our dream of bringing “people and continents together” is coming true. A new window of opportunity to see the world through is now opening.

We go behind the scenes to provide every visitor with “the news they don’t see”, daringly and boldly as Fox always does.

The website promises to raise traditionally sidelined questions and issues. It upholds the same philosophy of the mother organization, Fox News Television: “The right to speak up”. This translates into allowing everyone a chanc to express their opinion freely, encouraging debates, viewpoints and counter viewpoints.

Foxnews.com has been designed to attract readers from continents poles-apart. Not only do we offer a versatile content of news and information, but it also aims to be more interactive.

Our ultimate goal is to set up a more proactive relationship with our audience, where the audience is not simply a visitor at the other end of the line. They are and they will always be an integral part of the news reporting and news-making process.

Our team of dedicated journalists with their multi-national education and diversified backgrounds share a common set of attributes: objectivity, accuracy, and a passion for truth.

Truth will be the force that will drive us to raise thorny issues, to seize every opportunity for exclusive reporting, to take hold of unforgettable moments in history and to rekindle the willpower within every human being who strives for truth.

That's the guys at Fox for you. Wait, did I say Fox? Silly me. I meant AlJazeera.net.

I just manipulated and changed a few things to suit my purposes. It's a new skill. Wonder where I learned it?

2004-05-26T15:05:00.000-07:00

Not Your Best Move Kerry ... Do Better

Your typical jet burns fuel in an amazingly costly and inefficient way. So the fact that Kerry chose to launch both his "The Real Deal" plane and his energy policy at the same time was .. well, foolish. Could have been better thought out.

Jet fuel is its own unique animal though it is, essentially, diesel

Environmentalists say airlines rate as one of the most polluting forms of transport, with 16,000 commercial jets producing more than 600 million tons of carbon dioxide every year (2000 figures). Guidelines on aircraft emissions were excluded from the Kyoto Protocol and aviation fuel is tax exempt.

If the Kerry campaign is smart they will mention biodiesel fuels. If it is REALLY smart, it is already using them (though they are still being researched and the last thing we need is another Democratic plane scare quotes accident).

One advantage - the biodiesels don't blow up into huge fireballs when they hit land ... or other things.

i'm just saying. Seems good to me.

2004-05-26T15:03:00.000-07:00

Good Move Kerry ... Next

"Boston is the place where America's freedom began, and it's where I want the journey to the Democratic nomination to be completed," Kerry said in a statement released by his campaign. "On Thursday, July 29, with great pride, I will accept my party's nomination for president in the city of Boston. From there we will begin our journey to a new America."

2004-05-26T14:19:00.000-07:00

Al-Qaida Said Almost Ready to Attack U.S.

Remember this headline back in July/August 2001?

Yeah, how we all were a little more careful about airplane travel and keeping vigilante on the basis of a credible report from the government?

Nope, me neither.

It was in the Presidential Daily Briefing (PDB), though.

And it's out there today.

Yeah - good job.

Al-Qaeda recruitement up. The whole fucking planet more dangerous because the Rove administration thought it had all the answers and was oh so dismissive of anyone who said different.

Remember the headline. How could we change this situation? Vote Kerry.

2004-05-25T16:23:00.000-07:00

My Last Post of the Day

I can fully agree with this screed against michael moore (Moore is in my Cannon Fodder listing). I imagine the columnist has not seen the film, but his points remain valid. Moore is all about promoting himself and crying victim.

Moore professes to tell us the real reason for the U.S. invasion of Iraq is a connection between Bush and the Saudi royal family. As with most conspiracy theorists, he makes far more than he can prove out of the most tenuous connections. And he bashes everything else Bush has done since taking office. Bush is the most public of figures and, therefore, is practically libel-proof. Moore can say what he wants about the president short of accusing him of capital murder, which one gets the feeling he would like to do.

But, if nothing else, Moore should have had the decency to turn his project into a real movie like Oliver Stone did for "JFK," the completely unverifiable, off-the-wall conspiracy theory about John Kennedy's assassination. It would have been a more truthful approach. Those who care about honesty in documentary filmmaking would not have to be embarrassed about the disservice done to their craft.

If anyone doubts the motives behind this, the film received a record long-standing ovation at its festival screening and was only one of three "documentaries" allowed in the competition in 50 years. That doesn't happen with films about wildlife or Eskimos or because the texture and cinematography were super. Yet Moore can't even be honest about his reasons for the film. He and the festival jury chairman, Quentin Tarantino, had the temerity to claim that the quality of the film, not its political message, was the reason for the highest honor awarded. Balderdash!

Moore contends with a straight face that he did not set out to make a political film. He just wanted people to leave the theater feeling that it was an enjoyable way to spend two hours. It would be fair to ask him: Enjoyable for whom? Sen. John Kerry and his fellow Democrats generally? It is safe to predict that the president of the United States or his relatives would not find it a pleasant experience.

Of course, the jury paid no attention to the main thrust of the film. The members just liked the way the film was edited, the color and the tone of the narration and whatever.

2004-05-25T15:40:00.000-07:00

A Cool Media-Bashing Quote ...
From The WSJ

... the second biggest circulation daily in the country.

Hypocritcal? Perhaps. Stupid. Yes.

Here's the bash from the Best of the Web feature at the WSJ (which used to be Best of the Blogs until everyone realized James Taranto never really linked to any blogs but Andrew Sullivan.)

NoKo Media Are Ghraib-Mad Too
North Koreans are "closely following the scandal of abuse meted out by the US military in Iraqi jails," reports Agence France-Presse from Pyongyang:

"I was shocked to see the pictures of naked Iraqi prisoners on television and in the newspapers," said Kim Sun-Ok, a 31-year-old employee working at a state telecommunications company.

"Most of my colleagues are saying the abuse is inhumane and cruel," the female Pyongyang resident said. "I think the Americans are like wild wolves that attack people without mercy."

Un Kyong-Hi, a college researcher in her 20s, said the abuses reinforced negative perceptions about the Stalinist state's ideological foe.

"Many people have seen pictures of the abuse, which is the top international news here. People's ideas that the United States is a barbarian country are being reinforced."

Trying to look on the bright side, we reflected that it's encouraging, at least, that the Pyongyang regime is relaxing its repression and allowing its people to see Western news reports. Then, alas, we read on: "While foreign visitors can watch news programmes through international satellite television channels at luxury hotels, ordinary people here have no such free access to outside information but get their news through the state media, which reflects the policies of the North Korean government."

The difference between North Korea and America, then, is that here the media are free not to portray America as a "barbarian country." Too bad they don't use that freedom more often.

Hey that's funny. 'Cept I think the only one to use the phrase "barbarian country" in US mainstream media is you, sorry "we" in the WSJ.

And who is this we? Well, apparently it took this many (Carol Muller helps compile Best of the Web Today. Thanks to Barak Moore, Michael Segal, Susan Petrarca, Lawrence Peck, Carolyn Grotevant, Pat Ducey, Jason Osborn, Michael Hatzimichalis, Burt Rublin, Matt Duffy, Charlie Gaylord, Thomas Dillon, Anil Adyanthaya, Erik Andresen, Alan Ogletee and Suzanne Vesper) people to put the thing together - under James' name.

Grammar Dramar (Same link above) One of those many people above does make the rational point that using "homicide bomber" or "homicide bombings" for "suicide bomber" - something only Fox maintains regularly - makes absolutely no sense at all.

And here is the summary of why: Suicide describes the method of bombing not the result, in the same way car bombing describes a method of killing others. It's not called car homicide bombing.

It;'s also quickly a redundancy: Bombing kills 4. Or homicide bombing kills 4. Or Suicide bombing kills 4. Unless you are hip to the Fox code, it makes no sense to say homicide bombing kills 4 as "bombing kills 4" delivers exactly the same information and suicide bombing delivers additional information.

Bonus: Pro-war poetry at WSJ

2004-05-25T15:14:00.000-07:00

Bush Has Five More To Go

People can lightly criticize this speech and do so fairly, but remember Bush has five more to go to spell out the rest of what he has to say. So to expect everytghing everyne wants to hear in sppech 1 is ridiculous.

It's a little like saying the first chapter of the book should have the ending.

+++
By the way, I did like the third eye he had, courtesy of the bike tumble. He had a scrape on his chin, too. Looking presidential.

Steve Gilliard lightly and comprehensively takes the speech apart.

2004-05-25T10:49:00.000-07:00

Feels Good:
Bush Called America A Failed Country

"It is the heart and will of America that gives me confidence when I say that we can solve the biggest problem facing our country, and that is a failed country, and a failed culture. A culture which once delineated right from wrong and good from bad has shifted to a culture that flouts virtue and revels in irresponsibility. It's a culture that says if it feels good, do it, and be willing to blame."

-- 1996 Republican Convention. Is he a wishy-washy, icky-picky flip-flopper, too? By the GOP standards against Kerry - of course.

"... if it feels good, do it, and be willing to blame."

Posted on Thu, Mar. 20, 2003

War begins in Iraq with strikes aimed at `leadership targets'

By Martin Merzer, Ron Hutcheson and Drew Brown
Knight Ridder Newspapers

WASHINGTON - War erupted Wednesday night as the United States launched dozens of Tomahawk cruise missiles and aimed 2,000-pound bombs at Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and other "leadership targets" in Baghdad.

The strike was aimed at "decapitating" Saddam's regime and specifically targeted him, his two sons and other senior leaders of the Baath Party and Iraqi Revolutionary Command Council, according to a senior Bush administration official.

...

U.S. forces also took control of the frequencies used by Iraqi state radio and began broadcasting messages in Arabic, officials said. The message said the Iraqi people's day of liberation had arrived.

...

President Bush announced the attack in a four-minute television speech to the nation. "On my order, coalition forces have begun striking selected targets of military importance to undermine Saddam Hussein's ability to wage war," he said. "These are the opening stages of what will be a broad and concerted campaign."

Minutes before the speech, an internal television monitor showed the president pumping his fist. "Feels good," he said.

Except, as Ara Rubyan pointed out May 4, Bush has never blamed the right people.

Update 11:28 And from April, 2004. EJ Dionne in his column offers this Bush quote from earlier that month:

We stand for a culture of responsibility in America. We're changing the culture of this country from one that has said, if it feels good, do it, and if you got a problem, blame somebody else, to a culture in which each of us are responsible for the decisions we make in life."

And then describes how Bush's reaction to the Aug 6, 2001 PDB was decidely underwhelming in this regard.

2004-05-25T10:18:00.000-07:00

The Return of O' Grady

Scott O' Grady - shot down over Bosnia (while helping NATO enforce a no-fly zone (hmmmm, imagine - NATO. Tsk.) - will participate in an online chat at 2:30 PST today at georgewbush.com.

Tomorrow it is Chief Warrant Officer, Mike Durant (the subject of Black Hawk Down). One wonders, with this timely focus on military heroes, whether the campaign gave John Kerry a call. After all , Kerry is still the most dominant name on the Re-elect Bush Web site, appearing big and bold four different times at least.

**PS. Notice how I don' t call O' Grady - who earned a theology degree after his military experience - a GOP shill and obviously misguided because he's supporting a candidate. He's entitled to his views (especially when he doesn't make a living off of those views). But hang on ;) - he's written 2 books. The man is clearly beyond redemption.

**PPS On May 12 Doro (not the heavy metal queen ) Bush Koch was the chat victim. She appears on the Web page with the catchy slogan - W Stands for Women

2004-05-25T10:07:00.000-07:00

Nader Goes After the Republican vote

In a parallel world, maybe.

Yeah, Ralph "My Face Hurts" Nader's going to draw all kinds of support from the Republicans with this line about impeaching Bush. Won't effect the Dem vote at all. Naaah.

Nader is such an egotistical motherfucker. This year playing both sides of the fence. If he's smart, sometime around mid-October he'll just pull out of the race - and scare the bejeezus out of Republicans and, maybe, gain some new Democratic friends who will actually help him achieve some of his goals. Because he certainly isn't going to get anywhere or achieve ANYTHING on the course he's traveling now.

It's that simple.

2004-05-25T09:30:00.000-07:00

Hannity: A Real Man's Man

I couldn't listen to Sean Hannity's reaction to the president's speech. It made me kinda ill trying to.

But I could watch him all day.

Thanks General for making me think of Hoover. He sucked, too.

Cross-posted to Hannity Is A Moron.

2004-05-25T08:36:00.000-07:00

Disrespecting the Party, the Process, the Presidency

What do you notice about this photo. I'll wait. (It's a Boeing 757 by the way.)

While you're thinking, here's a thought of mine.

John Kerry even thinking about delaying accepting the party nomination will be the worst decision he's made in his candidacy. The extra money he can spend is more than offset by the bad press and the bald badness of the decision - caused by the very idea that he would make the entire convention into .. a nothing.

Caused by the very idea that it shows in naked numbers that money is the most important thing in politics. Of course, it is, unfortunately. But such a naked display is too easy to paint as money grubbing politics.

The worst public decision I think Clinton made was firing Jocelyn Elders. That has still stuck with me as such a terrible capitulation. That involved dicks too. The worst private decision, of course, was touching Monica Lewinksy and not telling her to go have a cold shower.

The poor public decisions from George Bush Sr. - I can't really think of any. But I was a teenager then and not living in this country.

update 9:53 Oliver gives another angle of the Kerry Soul Plane.

Roger Simon has some more good reasons why delaying the nomination is "just too dumb even for politics." (link, courtesy of the The Note.) That includes the usual convention poll bounce (heck even Dukakis got a 17-point bounce apparently), which will fall flat if there's no climatic event at the end of all the speechifying.

2004-05-25T08:15:00.000-07:00

Pixar Presidency vs. On The Ground

The speech - I didn't watch. Some of the discussion afterward started to give me a reminder of the grand view that perhaps started it all. We were "guided by a vision."

This rising idealism about our goal there was balanced, sadly, by the complete fuck up it has become. and by the fact that "forced democracy" is an oxymoronic success but any oxytonal failure.

We are ostensibly there to give democracy back (?) to Iraq. But how do we do it? Suggestions. I used to think about double the number of soldiers would have a chance at doing the job - most of them would be there to do good. Others, a much smaller number, would continue to do the fighting.

But our remaining credibility is shot in that country. And if we are relying on the civilians who got us in there and destroyed that credibility to restore it again, then we are doomed.

If this is one of the most important ventures this country has ever attempted, than Kerry is better for this reason alone. He'll bring in a fresh crew. He will bring in people who have not screwed up. He may do it a different way - but he will be able to kickstart our chances again of doing what we sent out to accomplish. Or put another way - Saddam is gone. That should have started the healing and rebuilding - in overdrive. Instead we are there and we are stuck defendign and defining ourselves and occasionaly helping the Iraqi people.

I say "occasionally" because we still don't have the electricity on in most places - places that had it before. We DO have it in the Saddam palaces where he used to live and now our troops live.

One small example, but the symbolism is painful.

2004-05-24T18:14:00.000-07:00

Alexandra Kerry's Breasts, Tits, Boobs

update 19:29 No I have not been looking all this time, but I decided to try LimeWire and found the photo.

You'd think by far more the more interesting angle (alhough I haven't seen the pictures despite looking feverishly :) - so cannot tell for sure) of Alexandra Kerry (30 yo daughter of the 44th president of the United States) appearing at Cannes Film Festival would be, not her breasts showing under the red carpet flash bulbs, but of her seen later in a café face sucking with Michael Moore.

OK, now that I've got you nightmares guaranteed for a week, I'll get on to the real reason for the post. The more interesting angle of this story to me is that Miss. Kerry was there to air a film called the "The Last Full Measure," describing "havoc in an American family caused by the Vietnam War."

What might this "havoc" be?"

The Intl. Herald Tribune: Alexandra Kerry, the 30-year-old daughter of Senator John Kerry, walked up Cannes's celebrated red carpet for the premiere of Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill 2" wearing an off-shoulder black number that turned transparent under the flashes. Kerry, who is showing a short film at the festival, was pursued by the press during her stay at Cannes, but French newspapers reported that her staff had warned journalists off questions concerning her father's campaign to be the Democratic candidate for the U.S. presidency. Her film, "The Last Full Measure," describes havoc in an American family caused by the Vietnam War.