Oh, it's a threat now.
Alarmed at the chance that the Republican party might pick Rudolph Giuliani as its presidential nominee despite his support for abortion rights, a coalition of influential Christian conservatives is threatening to back a third-party candidate in an attempt to stop him.
The group making the threat, which came together Saturday in Salt Lake City during a break-away gathering during a metting of the secretive Council for National Policy, includes Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family, who is perhaps the most influential of the group, as well as Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, the direct mail pioneer Richard Viquerie and dozens of other politically-oriented conservative Christians, participants said. Almost everyone present expressed support for a written resolution that "if the Republican Party nominates a pro-abortion candidate we will consider running a third party candidate." Meet the conservative movement's equivelant of two year olds. They want what they want and throw these temper tantrums when they don't get it. I think some political corporeal punishment is in order here.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Checkmate
Hmm, this could be interesting. MOSCOW (AP)-The former world chess champion Garry Kasparov entered Russia's presidential race on Sunday, elected overwhelmingly as the candidate for the country's beleagured opposition coalition.
Kasparov has been a driving force behind the coalition, which has united liberals, leftists and nationalists in opposition to President Vladimir Putin. He received 379 of 498 votes at a national congress held in Moscow by the Other Russia coalition, coalition spokeswoman Lyudmila Mamina told The Associated Press.
Kasparov's place on the ballot was not assured. His candidacy still needs to be registered and could be blocked. Putin couldn't be reached for comment, although Deep Blue apparently wishes him luck.
Kasparov has been a driving force behind the coalition, which has united liberals, leftists and nationalists in opposition to President Vladimir Putin. He received 379 of 498 votes at a national congress held in Moscow by the Other Russia coalition, coalition spokeswoman Lyudmila Mamina told The Associated Press.
Kasparov's place on the ballot was not assured. His candidacy still needs to be registered and could be blocked. Putin couldn't be reached for comment, although Deep Blue apparently wishes him luck.
The Libertarian Within
An interesting look at the age-old debate of personal freedon vs. public responsibility, and why the two aren't necessarily incompatible.
Intersting, isn't it? Of those who view family breakdown as a major social problem, I don't know any who argue that we should ban divorce and lock up single mothers. I actually agree with libertarians that many government policies have greatly harmed the family, and while I would propably go further than they would in supporting some government attempts to stem the tide-say, state laws that provice longer waiting periods before divorce-I believe that the state is pretty hamstrung in this regard.
But unlike many libertarians, I don't think that's all there is to say. Family breakdown is largely a consequence of changing cultural norms. And when it comes to culture, liberarians are of two impossibly contradictory minds. In their Hayek mode, they argue, like the Volokh Conspiracy's Ilya Somin, that the "harmful effects of private choices...are best dealt with through the private sector," a sentiment with which I strongly agree.
Unfortunately, in practice libertarians tend to see all criticism of personal behavior as a threat to liberty.
(snip)Libertarians believe government shouldn't say anything about the family problem. And neither should anyone else. While I don't think that's completely accurate or fair, the author does have a point. Personal choice is fine-but when too many people make bad personal choices, they add up and start to affect the rest of us. This is where other people have the right to say, "Enough is enough. Clean up your act, or we'll do it for you."
Intersting, isn't it? Of those who view family breakdown as a major social problem, I don't know any who argue that we should ban divorce and lock up single mothers. I actually agree with libertarians that many government policies have greatly harmed the family, and while I would propably go further than they would in supporting some government attempts to stem the tide-say, state laws that provice longer waiting periods before divorce-I believe that the state is pretty hamstrung in this regard.
But unlike many libertarians, I don't think that's all there is to say. Family breakdown is largely a consequence of changing cultural norms. And when it comes to culture, liberarians are of two impossibly contradictory minds. In their Hayek mode, they argue, like the Volokh Conspiracy's Ilya Somin, that the "harmful effects of private choices...are best dealt with through the private sector," a sentiment with which I strongly agree.
Unfortunately, in practice libertarians tend to see all criticism of personal behavior as a threat to liberty.
(snip)Libertarians believe government shouldn't say anything about the family problem. And neither should anyone else. While I don't think that's completely accurate or fair, the author does have a point. Personal choice is fine-but when too many people make bad personal choices, they add up and start to affect the rest of us. This is where other people have the right to say, "Enough is enough. Clean up your act, or we'll do it for you."
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Clarence's Comeback
The Judge is in the house, and he's fighting back. Justice Clarence Thomas settles scores in an angry and vivid forthcoming memoir, scathingly condemning the media, the Democratic senators who opposed his nomination to the Supreme Court, and the "mob" of liberal elites and activist groups that he says desecrated his life.
"My Grandfather's Son," for which Thomas has received a reported $1.5 million, is a 289-page memoir of his life in rural Georgia, his reliance on his religious faith and his rise to the high court. His book ends with the day he was sworn in and contains only fleeting mentions of his time on the bench.
Thomas lovingly describes the iron-willed grandfather who raised him after his own father abandoned him as a toddler, praises the Roman Catholic Church for providing him with an education but criticizes it for not being as "adamant about ending racism then as it is about ending abortion now," and goves a detailed description of the confirmation hearings that electrified the nation in 1991 and the sexual harassment allegations by Anita Hill that he said destroyed his reputation.
They are the most extensive comments Thomas has made about Hill since his confirmation. Though he has given numerous speeches since he has been on the court, he has rarely mentioned Hill or spoken in detail about the nomination fight. In the book, Thomas writes that Hill was the tool of liberal activist groups "obsessed" with abortion and outraged because he did not fit their idea of what an African American should believe.
"The mob I now faced carried no ropes or guns," Thomas writes of his hearings. "Its weapons were smooth-tongued lies spoken into microphones and printed on the front pages of America's newspapers....But it was a mob all the same, and its purpose--to keep the black man in his place--was unchanged." Sadly, that purpose hasn't changed for white liberals or those who claim to be leaders of the black community these days.
"My Grandfather's Son," for which Thomas has received a reported $1.5 million, is a 289-page memoir of his life in rural Georgia, his reliance on his religious faith and his rise to the high court. His book ends with the day he was sworn in and contains only fleeting mentions of his time on the bench.
Thomas lovingly describes the iron-willed grandfather who raised him after his own father abandoned him as a toddler, praises the Roman Catholic Church for providing him with an education but criticizes it for not being as "adamant about ending racism then as it is about ending abortion now," and goves a detailed description of the confirmation hearings that electrified the nation in 1991 and the sexual harassment allegations by Anita Hill that he said destroyed his reputation.
They are the most extensive comments Thomas has made about Hill since his confirmation. Though he has given numerous speeches since he has been on the court, he has rarely mentioned Hill or spoken in detail about the nomination fight. In the book, Thomas writes that Hill was the tool of liberal activist groups "obsessed" with abortion and outraged because he did not fit their idea of what an African American should believe.
"The mob I now faced carried no ropes or guns," Thomas writes of his hearings. "Its weapons were smooth-tongued lies spoken into microphones and printed on the front pages of America's newspapers....But it was a mob all the same, and its purpose--to keep the black man in his place--was unchanged." Sadly, that purpose hasn't changed for white liberals or those who claim to be leaders of the black community these days.
The McCainiac Is Back
Hoo boy. I like him, but the good senator should stick to national security issues and stay away from religion. GOP presidential candidate John McCain says America is better off with a Christian President and he doesn't want a Muslim in the Oval Office.
"I admire the Islam. There's a lot of good principles in it," he said. "But I just have to say in all candor that since this nation was founded primarily on Christian principles, personally, I prefer someone who I knew has a solid grounding in my faith."
In a wide-ranging interview about religion and faith with the Web site Beliefnet, McCain said he wouldn't "rule out under any circumstance" someone who wasn't Christian, but said, "I just feel that that's an important part of our qualifications to lead." Too bad the Constitution says otherwise, Senator.
"I admire the Islam. There's a lot of good principles in it," he said. "But I just have to say in all candor that since this nation was founded primarily on Christian principles, personally, I prefer someone who I knew has a solid grounding in my faith."
In a wide-ranging interview about religion and faith with the Web site Beliefnet, McCain said he wouldn't "rule out under any circumstance" someone who wasn't Christian, but said, "I just feel that that's an important part of our qualifications to lead." Too bad the Constitution says otherwise, Senator.
Central Terrorist Agency
Ima Dinnerjacket says we're the same as those who like to execute gays.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP)-Iran's parliament on Saturday approved a nonbinding resolution labeling the CIA and the US Army "terrorist organizations," in apparent response to a Senate resolution seeking to give a similar designation to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The hard-line dominated parliament cited U.S. involvement in dropping nuclear bombs in Japan in World War II, using depleted uranium munitions in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq, supporting the killings of Palestinians by Israel, bombing and killing Iraqi civilians, and torturing terror suspects in prisons.
"The agressor U.S. Army and the Central Intelligence Agency are terrorists and also nurture terror," said a statement by the 215 lawmakers who signed the resolution at an open session of the Iranian parliament. The session was broadcast live on state-run radio. Well, I'll be looking forward to Dinnerjacket's attempts to cut off the CIA and the Army's financial support-oh, wait. We have the Democrats for that.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP)-Iran's parliament on Saturday approved a nonbinding resolution labeling the CIA and the US Army "terrorist organizations," in apparent response to a Senate resolution seeking to give a similar designation to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The hard-line dominated parliament cited U.S. involvement in dropping nuclear bombs in Japan in World War II, using depleted uranium munitions in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq, supporting the killings of Palestinians by Israel, bombing and killing Iraqi civilians, and torturing terror suspects in prisons.
"The agressor U.S. Army and the Central Intelligence Agency are terrorists and also nurture terror," said a statement by the 215 lawmakers who signed the resolution at an open session of the Iranian parliament. The session was broadcast live on state-run radio. Well, I'll be looking forward to Dinnerjacket's attempts to cut off the CIA and the Army's financial support-oh, wait. We have the Democrats for that.
The Man On The Screen
Remember, these people are our allies. A Saudi man divorced his wife for watching alone a television programme presented by a male, an act he deemed immoral, the Al Shams newspaper reported on Saturday.
The man, whom the paper did not identify, ended his marriage on the grounds his wife was effectively alone with an unrelated man, which is forbidden under the strict Islamic law enforced in the ultra-conservative kingdom, the paper said.
Men in Saudi Arabia have the authority to divorce their wives without resort to the courts. Yes, Saudi men are afraid of their wives having affairs with electronic images. About the only difference between Saudi Arabia and Iran is that Saudi Arabia doesn't want nukes.
The man, whom the paper did not identify, ended his marriage on the grounds his wife was effectively alone with an unrelated man, which is forbidden under the strict Islamic law enforced in the ultra-conservative kingdom, the paper said.
Men in Saudi Arabia have the authority to divorce their wives without resort to the courts. Yes, Saudi men are afraid of their wives having affairs with electronic images. About the only difference between Saudi Arabia and Iran is that Saudi Arabia doesn't want nukes.
Big Illiterates On Campus
You mean there's someone out there who thinks brains are actually more important for minority students than brawn? Oh, the heresy!
While he enjoyed teaching many members of the track, swimming and crew teams in his courses, he vociferously resisted the notion that athletic scholarships offered opportunity to low-income, minority students.
"If you were giving the scholarship to an intellectually brilliant kid who happens to play a sport, that's fine," he said. "But they give it to a functional illiterate who can't read a cereal box, and then make him spend 50 hours a week on physical skills. That's not opportunity. If you want to give financial help to minorities, go find the ones who are at the library after school."
Of course, that doesn't sit well with the paternalism crowd:
Rutgers Athletic Director Bob Mulcahy told local newspapers that Dowling's comment was "a blatantly racist statement."
In a statement released by the university, Rutgers President Richard McCormick called it "inaccurate and inhumane."
"It also has a racist implication that has no place whatsoever in our civil discourse," McCormick said in the statement. No, what seems to have no place in "Civil discourse" is an honest discussion of race, patronizing, and stereotyping by white liberals.
While he enjoyed teaching many members of the track, swimming and crew teams in his courses, he vociferously resisted the notion that athletic scholarships offered opportunity to low-income, minority students.
"If you were giving the scholarship to an intellectually brilliant kid who happens to play a sport, that's fine," he said. "But they give it to a functional illiterate who can't read a cereal box, and then make him spend 50 hours a week on physical skills. That's not opportunity. If you want to give financial help to minorities, go find the ones who are at the library after school."
Of course, that doesn't sit well with the paternalism crowd:
Rutgers Athletic Director Bob Mulcahy told local newspapers that Dowling's comment was "a blatantly racist statement."
In a statement released by the university, Rutgers President Richard McCormick called it "inaccurate and inhumane."
"It also has a racist implication that has no place whatsoever in our civil discourse," McCormick said in the statement. No, what seems to have no place in "Civil discourse" is an honest discussion of race, patronizing, and stereotyping by white liberals.
Missing In Action
Whatever you do, don't get lost in Washington State. Tanya Rider left work at a Fred Meyer grocery store in Bellevue on Sept. 19 but never made it home. Tom Rider said that when he couldn't reach her, he called Bellevue police to report her missing.
Bellevue police took the report right away, but when they found video of Tanya Rider getting into her car after work, they told her husband the case was out of their jurisdiction and he should notify King County, he said. Tom Rider said he tried that, but "the first operator I talked to on the first day I tried to report it flat denied to start a missing persons report because she didn't meet the criteria," he said.
"I basically hounded them until they started a case and then, of course, I was the first focal point, so I tried to get myself out of the way as quickly as possible. I let them search the house. I told them they didn't have to have a warrant for anything, just ask," he said.
Thursday morning, detectives asked him to come in to sign for a search of phone records. They also asked him to take a polygraph test.
"By the time he was done explaining the polygraph test to me, the detective burst into the room with a cell phone map that had a circle on it," he said.
His wife's car tumbled about 20 feet down a ravine and lay buried below brush and blackberry bushes. The air bags deployed, but she was injured and trapped. Rescuers had to cut the roof off to get her out.
"I know there were delays (in finding her) because of red tape," Tom Rider said. Hmm, maybe they could have found her sooner if they'd actually done their jobs?
Bellevue police took the report right away, but when they found video of Tanya Rider getting into her car after work, they told her husband the case was out of their jurisdiction and he should notify King County, he said. Tom Rider said he tried that, but "the first operator I talked to on the first day I tried to report it flat denied to start a missing persons report because she didn't meet the criteria," he said.
"I basically hounded them until they started a case and then, of course, I was the first focal point, so I tried to get myself out of the way as quickly as possible. I let them search the house. I told them they didn't have to have a warrant for anything, just ask," he said.
Thursday morning, detectives asked him to come in to sign for a search of phone records. They also asked him to take a polygraph test.
"By the time he was done explaining the polygraph test to me, the detective burst into the room with a cell phone map that had a circle on it," he said.
His wife's car tumbled about 20 feet down a ravine and lay buried below brush and blackberry bushes. The air bags deployed, but she was injured and trapped. Rescuers had to cut the roof off to get her out.
"I know there were delays (in finding her) because of red tape," Tom Rider said. Hmm, maybe they could have found her sooner if they'd actually done their jobs?
Friday, September 28, 2007
The Trannies Are Out
Apparently hate crime protections only go so far, even for liberal Democrats.
Evan as the Senate passed a hate crimes bill sought for a decade by gays and lesbians, House Deomcratic leaders decided Thursday to strip transgender people from another long-languishing civil rights bill, generating dismay in the gay community and furious bur fruitless lobbying for more time.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco and Reps. George Miller, D-Martinez, Barney Frank, D-Mass., and Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., believe that they lack the votes in the Democrat-controlled House to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act if it includes gender identity along with sexual orientation as a prohibited ground for firing an employee.
Frank and Baldwin are the only openly gay members of Congress.
"People now accept the fact that we just don't have the votes for the transgender," Frank said. How can that be? They allowed Nancy to become House Speaker, didn't they?
Evan as the Senate passed a hate crimes bill sought for a decade by gays and lesbians, House Deomcratic leaders decided Thursday to strip transgender people from another long-languishing civil rights bill, generating dismay in the gay community and furious bur fruitless lobbying for more time.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco and Reps. George Miller, D-Martinez, Barney Frank, D-Mass., and Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., believe that they lack the votes in the Democrat-controlled House to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act if it includes gender identity along with sexual orientation as a prohibited ground for firing an employee.
Frank and Baldwin are the only openly gay members of Congress.
"People now accept the fact that we just don't have the votes for the transgender," Frank said. How can that be? They allowed Nancy to become House Speaker, didn't they?
It's Either Me Or The Big House
The man who wants to be America's doctor is worried about the next president being black America's warden.
Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards said if he isn't elected president, the population of African-American males is likely to either wind up in prison or dead.
At an MTV/MySpace.com forum Thursday, Edwards responded to a question about inner-city kids partaking in violence by saying there was no "silver bullet" to fight the problem.
"We start with the president of the United States saying to America, 'we cannot build enough prisons to solve this problem. And the iea that we can keep incarcerating and keep incarcerating-pretty soon we're not going to have a young African-American male population in America. They're all going to be in prison or dead. One of the two." Considering that it was the Democrats and white liberals who helped create a generation of second-class citizens and now want to heep them there in order to feel good about themselves, you'd think Edwards would be happy-if this White House thing doesn't work out, he'll have millions of clients to sue for.
Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards said if he isn't elected president, the population of African-American males is likely to either wind up in prison or dead.
At an MTV/MySpace.com forum Thursday, Edwards responded to a question about inner-city kids partaking in violence by saying there was no "silver bullet" to fight the problem.
"We start with the president of the United States saying to America, 'we cannot build enough prisons to solve this problem. And the iea that we can keep incarcerating and keep incarcerating-pretty soon we're not going to have a young African-American male population in America. They're all going to be in prison or dead. One of the two." Considering that it was the Democrats and white liberals who helped create a generation of second-class citizens and now want to heep them there in order to feel good about themselves, you'd think Edwards would be happy-if this White House thing doesn't work out, he'll have millions of clients to sue for.
Bonded Love
Big Mama Hillary wants every kid to be a future Democratic voter. WASHINGTON (AP)-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton said Firday that every born in the United States should get a $5,000 "baby bond" from the government to help pay for future costs of college or buying a home.
Clinton, her party's front-runner in the 2008 race, made the suggestion during a forum hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus.
"I like the idea of giving every baby born in America a $5,000 account that will grow over time, so that when that young person turns 18 if they have finished high school they will be able to access it to go to college or maybe they will be able to make that downpayment on their first home," she said. Well, that's nice. The next generation can have their first taste of living in Mama's welfare state straight out of the womb.
Clinton, her party's front-runner in the 2008 race, made the suggestion during a forum hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus.
"I like the idea of giving every baby born in America a $5,000 account that will grow over time, so that when that young person turns 18 if they have finished high school they will be able to access it to go to college or maybe they will be able to make that downpayment on their first home," she said. Well, that's nice. The next generation can have their first taste of living in Mama's welfare state straight out of the womb.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Water, Water, Nowhere
You know how they say "Don't drink the water?" What do you do if there isn't any at all?
SHIJIAZHUANG, China: Hundreds of feet below ground, this provincial capital of more than two million people is steadily running out of water. The water table is sinking fast. Municipal wells have already drained two-thirds of the local groundwater.
Above ground, this city in the North China Plain is having a party, Economic growth topped 11 percent last year. Population is rising. One new upscale housing development is advertising waterfront property on lakes filled with pumped groundwater. Another half-built complex, the Arc de Royal, is rising above one of the lowest points in the city's water table.
"People who are buying apartments aren't thinking about whether there will be water in the future," said Zhang Zhongmin, who has tried for the past 20 years to raise public awareness about the city's dire water situation.
For three decades, water has been indispensable in sustaining the rollicking economic expansion that has made China a world power. Now, China's galloping, often wasteful style of economic growth is pushing the country toward a water crisis. Water pollution is rampant nationwide, while water scarcity has worsened severely in north China-even as demand keeps rising everywhere. Water has been the lifeline of many a once-great civilization, and when that lifeline was cut, chaos and collapse often followed. In this case, we could get burned by the collapse that seems to be coming.
SHIJIAZHUANG, China: Hundreds of feet below ground, this provincial capital of more than two million people is steadily running out of water. The water table is sinking fast. Municipal wells have already drained two-thirds of the local groundwater.
Above ground, this city in the North China Plain is having a party, Economic growth topped 11 percent last year. Population is rising. One new upscale housing development is advertising waterfront property on lakes filled with pumped groundwater. Another half-built complex, the Arc de Royal, is rising above one of the lowest points in the city's water table.
"People who are buying apartments aren't thinking about whether there will be water in the future," said Zhang Zhongmin, who has tried for the past 20 years to raise public awareness about the city's dire water situation.
For three decades, water has been indispensable in sustaining the rollicking economic expansion that has made China a world power. Now, China's galloping, often wasteful style of economic growth is pushing the country toward a water crisis. Water pollution is rampant nationwide, while water scarcity has worsened severely in north China-even as demand keeps rising everywhere. Water has been the lifeline of many a once-great civilization, and when that lifeline was cut, chaos and collapse often followed. In this case, we could get burned by the collapse that seems to be coming.
Gimme Shelter
You know the Cold War is back when these are back in style. HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP)-In an age of al-Qaida, sleeper cells and the threat of nuclear terrorism, Hintsville is dusting off its Cold War manual to create the nation's most ambitious fallout-shelter plan, featuring an abandoned mine big enough for 20,000 people to take cover underground.
Others would hunker down in college dorms, churches, libraries and research halls that planners hope will bring the community's shelter capacity to 300,000, or space for every man, woman and child in Huntsville and the surrounding county.
Emergency planners in Huntsville-an out-of-the-way city best known as the home of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center-say the idea makes sense because radioactive fallout could be scattered for hundreds of miles if terrorists detonated a nuclear bomb.
"If Huntsville is in the blast zone, there's not much we can do. But if it's just fallout...shelters would absorb 90 percent of the radiation," said longtime emergency management planner Kirk Paradise, whose Cold War expertise with fallout shelters led local leaders to renew Huntsville's program. Yes, but then you'd have to deal with the talking apes and telepathic mutants, wouldn't you?
Others would hunker down in college dorms, churches, libraries and research halls that planners hope will bring the community's shelter capacity to 300,000, or space for every man, woman and child in Huntsville and the surrounding county.
Emergency planners in Huntsville-an out-of-the-way city best known as the home of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center-say the idea makes sense because radioactive fallout could be scattered for hundreds of miles if terrorists detonated a nuclear bomb.
"If Huntsville is in the blast zone, there's not much we can do. But if it's just fallout...shelters would absorb 90 percent of the radiation," said longtime emergency management planner Kirk Paradise, whose Cold War expertise with fallout shelters led local leaders to renew Huntsville's program. Yes, but then you'd have to deal with the talking apes and telepathic mutants, wouldn't you?
Hot Buttered Legislation
Apparently there's nothing important going on.
WASHINGTON-House Democrats on Wednesday ordered federal safety regulators to limit popcorn plant workers' exposure to a flavoring chemical linked to a ling ailment, saying further delay could cost lives.
The lack of an Occupational Safety and Health Administration standard on diacetyl "has endangered the health of families," said rep. Betty Sutton, D-Ohio. "That is why we have to act today. Workers should never have to choose between their health and feeding their families."
But the Bush administration and House Republicans think the Democrats' bill is premature, and Congress' interference with OSHA's work may cause more harm than good.
"We believe that it's important to give OSHA time to complete a scientific study of diacetyl exposure and to issue a recommended exposure limit for the use of that chemical," said Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, R-Fla. "Without a complete study, Congress may push manufacturers to use different chemicals that could be even more directly responsible for diseases." How about finding a way of limiting exposure to nannystating politicians? That'd be a first.
WASHINGTON-House Democrats on Wednesday ordered federal safety regulators to limit popcorn plant workers' exposure to a flavoring chemical linked to a ling ailment, saying further delay could cost lives.
The lack of an Occupational Safety and Health Administration standard on diacetyl "has endangered the health of families," said rep. Betty Sutton, D-Ohio. "That is why we have to act today. Workers should never have to choose between their health and feeding their families."
But the Bush administration and House Republicans think the Democrats' bill is premature, and Congress' interference with OSHA's work may cause more harm than good.
"We believe that it's important to give OSHA time to complete a scientific study of diacetyl exposure and to issue a recommended exposure limit for the use of that chemical," said Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, R-Fla. "Without a complete study, Congress may push manufacturers to use different chemicals that could be even more directly responsible for diseases." How about finding a way of limiting exposure to nannystating politicians? That'd be a first.
Monkey Man
It's like Planet of the Apes in reverse. A provincial judge in the city of Wiener Neustadt dismissed the case earlier this week, ruling that the Vienna-based Association Against Animal Factories had no legal standing to argue on the chimp's behalf.
The association, which worries the shelter caring for the chimp might close, has been pressing to get Pan declared a "person" so a guardian can be appointed to look out for his interests and provide him with a home.
Group president Martin Balluch insists that Pan is "a being with interests" and accuses the Austrian judicial system of monkeying around. Well, if "Mr. Pan" starts snarling "Get your stinking paws off of me, you damn dirty humans!" then I'll be impressed.
The association, which worries the shelter caring for the chimp might close, has been pressing to get Pan declared a "person" so a guardian can be appointed to look out for his interests and provide him with a home.
Group president Martin Balluch insists that Pan is "a being with interests" and accuses the Austrian judicial system of monkeying around. Well, if "Mr. Pan" starts snarling "Get your stinking paws off of me, you damn dirty humans!" then I'll be impressed.
Losing Faith
There's little love for Big Brother these days. A new Gallup poll reveals that, as the organization puts it, Americans now "express less trust in the federal government than at any point in the past decade, and trust in many federal government institutions is now lower than it was during the Watergate era, generally recognized as the low point in American history for trust in government."
Among the findings: Barely half trust the government to handle international problems, the lowest number ever. And less than half express faith in the government handling domestic issues, the lowest findings since 1976.
Faith in the executive branch has fallen to 43%-only 3% higher than it was just before President Nixon's resignation in 1974. At the same time, trust in Congress, at 50%, is its lowest ever. Americans have often had a long-standing skepticism of government, although there were periods when trust in its institutions was higher than in others. This is how democracies fail-cynicism breeding cynical leaders.
Among the findings: Barely half trust the government to handle international problems, the lowest number ever. And less than half express faith in the government handling domestic issues, the lowest findings since 1976.
Faith in the executive branch has fallen to 43%-only 3% higher than it was just before President Nixon's resignation in 1974. At the same time, trust in Congress, at 50%, is its lowest ever. Americans have often had a long-standing skepticism of government, although there were periods when trust in its institutions was higher than in others. This is how democracies fail-cynicism breeding cynical leaders.
Blowing Smoke
It's come to this: we now have politically correct smoking. Vancouver's hookah-parlour owners are celebrating after winning an exemption Thursday from a proposed new bylaw that will ban smoking on most sidewalks in commercial districts, in bus shelters and even in taxis passing through Vancouver.
In giving the bylaw unanimous approval-in-principle, Vancouver city council members bowed to arguments that hookah lounges provide an important cultural space for the city's Muslims and granted them a temporary exemption.
(snip) Ernad Yacoub, who runs five restaurants in Vancouver, also attended Thursday's meeting to ask council to protect hookah lounges.
"I support no smoking on the patios," he said, saying it will make it easier for him since he won't have to settle fights between his smoking and non-smoking customers.
But he said hookah lounges are essential for immgrants from hookah-smoking cultures, because it helps them deal with the depression common for newcomers and gives them places like they have at home. By that logic, other Canadians should be able to set up group-therapy smoking sessions. Depression, indeed.
In giving the bylaw unanimous approval-in-principle, Vancouver city council members bowed to arguments that hookah lounges provide an important cultural space for the city's Muslims and granted them a temporary exemption.
(snip) Ernad Yacoub, who runs five restaurants in Vancouver, also attended Thursday's meeting to ask council to protect hookah lounges.
"I support no smoking on the patios," he said, saying it will make it easier for him since he won't have to settle fights between his smoking and non-smoking customers.
But he said hookah lounges are essential for immgrants from hookah-smoking cultures, because it helps them deal with the depression common for newcomers and gives them places like they have at home. By that logic, other Canadians should be able to set up group-therapy smoking sessions. Depression, indeed.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
I Saw Your Photograph
The Queen apparently doesn't like her princess's picture hanging on the wall.
NEW YORK-The owner of a New York City restaraunt is "heartbroken" over a letter he received from former President Bill Clinton's lawyer asking that a photograph of daughter Chelsea be removed from his eatery-or face legal action.
The photo, taken of the former first daughter with Osso Buco owner Nino Selimaj, has been on display in the window of the Greenwich Village haunt for about five years, the restaurateur said. It was snapped when Chelsea, now 27, was having dinner there with a group of about 30 friends.
But Selimaj said he was shocked when he received a letter from Clinton's lawyer Douglas J. Band on Sept. 18 threatening legal action if the photograph of "private citizen" Chelsea was not taken down. The photograph is still on display near the front entrance of the restaurant-only now, the letter is posted alongside it.
"We ask that you immediately remove that picture and any and all pictures displaying Ms. Clinton," the letter warns. "We reserve the right to exercise any and all options available to us if you refuse to comply." Well, if anything it's good practice for the future Queen when her minions order the peasants to avert their eyes.
NEW YORK-The owner of a New York City restaraunt is "heartbroken" over a letter he received from former President Bill Clinton's lawyer asking that a photograph of daughter Chelsea be removed from his eatery-or face legal action.
The photo, taken of the former first daughter with Osso Buco owner Nino Selimaj, has been on display in the window of the Greenwich Village haunt for about five years, the restaurateur said. It was snapped when Chelsea, now 27, was having dinner there with a group of about 30 friends.
But Selimaj said he was shocked when he received a letter from Clinton's lawyer Douglas J. Band on Sept. 18 threatening legal action if the photograph of "private citizen" Chelsea was not taken down. The photograph is still on display near the front entrance of the restaurant-only now, the letter is posted alongside it.
"We ask that you immediately remove that picture and any and all pictures displaying Ms. Clinton," the letter warns. "We reserve the right to exercise any and all options available to us if you refuse to comply." Well, if anything it's good practice for the future Queen when her minions order the peasants to avert their eyes.
Arsenel Of Democracy
Just because you've got more money than God, doesn't mean you're him. Former UK ambassador to Uzbekistan Craig Murray has vowed to carry on making allegations against billonaire Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov, despite attempts to silence him and his supporters.
Murray told The Reg: "If the man believes he was libelled then he should take me to court."
Murray's blog was deleted by its host on Friday after threats from Usmanov's UK legal team. It's expected to reappear in the early hours of tomorrow on an overseas server, and will repeat the charges that drew heavy fire from specialist libel firm Schillings. Carry on, Mr. Craig. It seems you can take the billionaire out of communism, but you can't take the communist thuggery out of the billionaire.
Murray told The Reg: "If the man believes he was libelled then he should take me to court."
Murray's blog was deleted by its host on Friday after threats from Usmanov's UK legal team. It's expected to reappear in the early hours of tomorrow on an overseas server, and will repeat the charges that drew heavy fire from specialist libel firm Schillings. Carry on, Mr. Craig. It seems you can take the billionaire out of communism, but you can't take the communist thuggery out of the billionaire.
Uncle Putin's Worst Nightmare
Wow, it looks like Gorby's not quite such a fan of Uncle Putin these days. MOSCOW (AP)-Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev warned Wednesday against whitewashing the crimes of dictator Joseph Stalin, stressing that Russia cannot move forward withour facing the truth about its bloody past.
In words that appeared aimed at President Vladimir Putin, Gorbachev also emphasized the need to pursue democracy.
His remarks, less guarded than usual, came amid growing concern among Russia's marginalized liberals that Putin's government is recasting Stalin's legacy to justify its own increasingly tight control. I only wish Yeltsin were still around so I could hear what he had to say. So much for Stalin's second coming.
In words that appeared aimed at President Vladimir Putin, Gorbachev also emphasized the need to pursue democracy.
His remarks, less guarded than usual, came amid growing concern among Russia's marginalized liberals that Putin's government is recasting Stalin's legacy to justify its own increasingly tight control. I only wish Yeltsin were still around so I could hear what he had to say. So much for Stalin's second coming.
Rather Arrogant
Oh, get over yourself, already. Former "Evening News" Dan Rather choked back tears on several occasions today when discussing his decision to file a lawsuit against CBS and he left many audience members with a sense that he may call President George W. Bush as a witness should the lawsuit proceed to trial (and Rather said he hoped it would).
When asked by Carol Joynt, host of the "Q&A Cafe" held at Nathans restaurant who worked with Rather at CBS in the 1970s, whether "he'd like to" call President Bush as a witness in the trial, Rather said "I'd like not to answer the question," leaving both Joynt and audience members wondering whether the newman has Bush in his sightes. Joynt later told Yeas & Nays, "From the look in his eye--and he gave me a definite Ratheresque look--I got the impression he will call the president as a witness. Possibly both of them: 41 and 43. He implied the suit is not against them, but what the suit is about stems directly from his antagonistic relationship with them." Poor Dan. Still can't get over the fact that he wasn't untouchable.
When asked by Carol Joynt, host of the "Q&A Cafe" held at Nathans restaurant who worked with Rather at CBS in the 1970s, whether "he'd like to" call President Bush as a witness in the trial, Rather said "I'd like not to answer the question," leaving both Joynt and audience members wondering whether the newman has Bush in his sightes. Joynt later told Yeas & Nays, "From the look in his eye--and he gave me a definite Ratheresque look--I got the impression he will call the president as a witness. Possibly both of them: 41 and 43. He implied the suit is not against them, but what the suit is about stems directly from his antagonistic relationship with them." Poor Dan. Still can't get over the fact that he wasn't untouchable.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Down With The Sickness
Shades of the Andromeda Strain. Microbes that cause salmonella came back from spaceflight even more virulent and dangerous in an experiment aboard the US space shuttle Atlantis, according to a study published Monday.
The experiment by microbiologists at Arizona State University sent tubes with salmonella bacteria on a shuttle flight in September 2006 to measure how space flight might affect disease causing microbes.
The salmonella sample that trabelled millions of kilometers (miles) in orbit changed their pattern of certain genes compared to identical bacteria back on Earth, said the study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. First a meteor makes people sick in Peru, now scientists are messing around with this kind of stuff. Do they want to get their brains eaten by zombies?
The experiment by microbiologists at Arizona State University sent tubes with salmonella bacteria on a shuttle flight in September 2006 to measure how space flight might affect disease causing microbes.
The salmonella sample that trabelled millions of kilometers (miles) in orbit changed their pattern of certain genes compared to identical bacteria back on Earth, said the study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. First a meteor makes people sick in Peru, now scientists are messing around with this kind of stuff. Do they want to get their brains eaten by zombies?
Have It Your Way, Mahmoud
Ima Dinnerjacket seems intent on joining his 12th Imam in a hole in the ground.
UNITED NATIONS-Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced Tuesday that "the nuclear issue of Iran is now closed," and indicated that Tehran will disregard U.N. Security Council resolutions imposed by "arrogant powers" and demanding suspension of its uranium enrichment.
Instead, he said, Iran has decided to pursue the monitoring of its nuclear program "through its appropriate legal path," the International Atomic Energy Agency which is the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog.
The U.S delegation was absent during the speech except for a note taker. We can expect more of Dinnerjacket's short man syndrome as he tires to book more places where he won't be laughed off the stage or derided by the host.
UNITED NATIONS-Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced Tuesday that "the nuclear issue of Iran is now closed," and indicated that Tehran will disregard U.N. Security Council resolutions imposed by "arrogant powers" and demanding suspension of its uranium enrichment.
Instead, he said, Iran has decided to pursue the monitoring of its nuclear program "through its appropriate legal path," the International Atomic Energy Agency which is the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog.
The U.S delegation was absent during the speech except for a note taker. We can expect more of Dinnerjacket's short man syndrome as he tires to book more places where he won't be laughed off the stage or derided by the host.
Dogma
Yes, I can just imagine hordes of angry Christians calling for this guy's beheading.
A SWEDISH artist unveiled a sculpture depicting Christ as a well-endowed dog, saying he wanted to stimulate debate about religion and freedom of expression in the wake of a row over cartoons of the prophet Mohammed.
The artwork showed Jesus as a dog with a bloodstained head under a crown of thorns and an "enormous sexual organ", according to Swedish press agency TT.
However, within hours of the sculpture being installed on a roundabout in Skaanes Fagerhult, a town in the south of Sweden, it disappeared.
(snip) "It is my turn to follow (artist) Lars Vilks and provoke a sensible discussion about religion," Ramsing said.
Vilks is the Swedish artist whose cartoon of the prophet Mohammed with a dog's body published in the Swedish press triggered controversy both in Sweden and other countries. I imagine most Christians will be sensible-in ignoring this nonsense, as most did, or writing angry letters to the editor as they do when defiled crucifixes posing as art are displayed in museums. I suppose this means I have to burn down a Swedish embassy, though.
A SWEDISH artist unveiled a sculpture depicting Christ as a well-endowed dog, saying he wanted to stimulate debate about religion and freedom of expression in the wake of a row over cartoons of the prophet Mohammed.
The artwork showed Jesus as a dog with a bloodstained head under a crown of thorns and an "enormous sexual organ", according to Swedish press agency TT.
However, within hours of the sculpture being installed on a roundabout in Skaanes Fagerhult, a town in the south of Sweden, it disappeared.
(snip) "It is my turn to follow (artist) Lars Vilks and provoke a sensible discussion about religion," Ramsing said.
Vilks is the Swedish artist whose cartoon of the prophet Mohammed with a dog's body published in the Swedish press triggered controversy both in Sweden and other countries. I imagine most Christians will be sensible-in ignoring this nonsense, as most did, or writing angry letters to the editor as they do when defiled crucifixes posing as art are displayed in museums. I suppose this means I have to burn down a Swedish embassy, though.
Burmese Tigers
Monks are on the march, and the head thugs aren't happy about it. Buddhist monks marched in protest in Burma yesterday in the biggest show of defiance for a decade against the country's repressive and tenacious dictatorship.
The marches, in Rangoon, the capital, and at least four other places brought to a head a month of protest against the junta. Despite the presence of large numbers of police and civilian militiamen supporting the Government, most marches were peaceful, if tense.
However, the indreasing presence on the streets of monks after the suppression and arrest of civilian demonstrators last month, will add greatly to the discomfort of one of the world's longest-surviving military governments. I can see how large numbers of men in robes who know martial arts can do that.
The marches, in Rangoon, the capital, and at least four other places brought to a head a month of protest against the junta. Despite the presence of large numbers of police and civilian militiamen supporting the Government, most marches were peaceful, if tense.
However, the indreasing presence on the streets of monks after the suppression and arrest of civilian demonstrators last month, will add greatly to the discomfort of one of the world's longest-surviving military governments. I can see how large numbers of men in robes who know martial arts can do that.
Old Tendencies Die Hard
While Bush wants to spread democracy in the Middle East, it's not happening elsewhere. Democracy and good governmance are on the retreat in a number of countries around the world, a wide-ranging report says on tuesday.
The report, compiled by Freedom House, a US government-supported campaigning organisation, concludes that human rights and governance have worsened in Russia and Iran, arguing that corruption in Iran has intensified in spite of the campaign promises of President Mahomoud Amhadi-Nejad.
It also indicates that states around the world are attempting to follow the model of China and Russia by seeking to modernise parts of their economy while keeping a central grip on power. Well, maybe they're just following the Bush mantra: do as we do, not as we say.
The report, compiled by Freedom House, a US government-supported campaigning organisation, concludes that human rights and governance have worsened in Russia and Iran, arguing that corruption in Iran has intensified in spite of the campaign promises of President Mahomoud Amhadi-Nejad.
It also indicates that states around the world are attempting to follow the model of China and Russia by seeking to modernise parts of their economy while keeping a central grip on power. Well, maybe they're just following the Bush mantra: do as we do, not as we say.
Won't You Stay
This is not going to make the Michael Moores of the world happy: most Europeans actually want us to stay in Iraq. While the American public and policy debate revolves largely around exit strategies and "redeployment," there is apparent consensus among European policy analysts that American troops should remain in Iraq for the foreseeable future. In contrast to both European media opinion and the prevailing views of American liberals, our respondents supprted sustained troop levels. Many consider the announcement of a timetable for withdrawal to be counter-productive and even outright dangerous, saying that lack of American involvement would drive Iraq further into chaos. I think the main reason for this is that they're afraid of being asked to have to pick up the slack for us when we leave, but it could also be because Europe has shifted more to the right in spite of intense media propaganda. They may hate us, but they still need us.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Dream Bunker
"Welcome home, Professor Falcon. Shall we play a game?"
Looking for a new home with a bit more space as well as a 1950s Cold War ambiance?
A US intercontinental ballistic missle base, equipped with a vast underground network of tunnels and rooms but no atomic warheads, is for sale in a remote corner of the United States.
The warheads and missiles went when the US government abandoned the Titan bases in the 1970s.
Located near remote Moses Lake in the northwest state of Washington, the former Larsen military base includes 4,000 square meters (43,000 square feet) of "usable" space on 23 hectares (56 acres) of land, and the owner is only asking for 1.5 million dollars-which might buy a small home in Hollywood. With Russia apparently intent on resuming the Cold War, this just might be the way to live in both comfort and safety. Add a new missile or two and you could also help defend your country.
Looking for a new home with a bit more space as well as a 1950s Cold War ambiance?
A US intercontinental ballistic missle base, equipped with a vast underground network of tunnels and rooms but no atomic warheads, is for sale in a remote corner of the United States.
The warheads and missiles went when the US government abandoned the Titan bases in the 1970s.
Located near remote Moses Lake in the northwest state of Washington, the former Larsen military base includes 4,000 square meters (43,000 square feet) of "usable" space on 23 hectares (56 acres) of land, and the owner is only asking for 1.5 million dollars-which might buy a small home in Hollywood. With Russia apparently intent on resuming the Cold War, this just might be the way to live in both comfort and safety. Add a new missile or two and you could also help defend your country.
Your Plan Is My Plan
Nannystaters should be happy: Romney and Hillary are singing the same tune. RomneyHillaryCare is a giveaway to the insurance industry (which doesn't want to insure sick people, just healthy people) and big business (which wants to be out of the health care industry). It takes the costs of healthcare and passing them directly to the person who decides if they should have the operation to extend their own lives or standard of living or not. Everybody under Rillary care will be forced to buy into plans with huge deductibles. At that point it will all be out of pocket for them and they'll be forced to stop buying healthcare.
(snip)
PS--the same person wrote Hillary2Care as wrote Romneycare (implemented in Massachusetts under Governor Mitt Romney's administration), and the two plans are virtually identical. Which makes Mitt Romney's criticism of Hillary's plan *especially* hilarious. This is on par with Gay Old Pervert Republican politicians making speeches about the "evil Gay lifestyle". Edwards wants to be America's doctor. HillaryRomney want to be America's HMO. Either way, it's a bad prescription.
(snip)
PS--the same person wrote Hillary2Care as wrote Romneycare (implemented in Massachusetts under Governor Mitt Romney's administration), and the two plans are virtually identical. Which makes Mitt Romney's criticism of Hillary's plan *especially* hilarious. This is on par with Gay Old Pervert Republican politicians making speeches about the "evil Gay lifestyle". Edwards wants to be America's doctor. HillaryRomney want to be America's HMO. Either way, it's a bad prescription.
Stumblin' In
A look at why Creationist fundamentalism is actually detrimental to Christianity's message. The reason why I engage in these discussions is very simple: I want to remove the stumbling block to the Gospel message that is being created by a dogmatic presentation of Creationism. Not the belief in a young earth and creation without evolution per se, but the "either/or" teaching that comes with it. I am not here to argue for an old earth or evolution, necessarily, but against the false dichotomy that so often comes with Creationism. More and more people are being taught that an old earth/evolution and Christianity are wholly inconsistent and that if you believe one, you can not really believe the other. Such a blanket statement puts two very distinct groups in crisis and I am convinced that souls are being lost to the Kingdom as a result. This may sound a bit over-dramatic, but I have seen too many people distracted from the Gospel message by this issue. Here are the two groups I think are in danger:
First, there are Christians, especially young people, who have been raised in a dogmatic Creationist households or attend such a church, and have been taught that evolution, or even an old earth, are evil and absolutely contrary to Scripture. That if you believe Scripture, you can not also believe in these "lies". They are taught that those who do believe both are deluded or compromising Christians, probably not even worthy of the name of Christian. They are taught these as absolute truths, rather than one interpretation among the many that sincere Christians hold. These young people are ingrained with this teaching and accept it fully. Then they come into contact with the scientific evidence and begin to suspect that evolution or an old earth might actually be supported by the evidence. This creates a severe crisis of faith. They have been taught that if evolution or an old earth were true, then the atheists are right and the Bible can not be trusted and God did not create everything after all. I have seen this crisis in action. I have discussed this matter with those who either had abandoned Christianity or were about to because of this dogmatic teaching, and did my best to explain to them that the conflict was not inherent and that they could, indeed, believe in both. Most did not even know that there were Christians who accepted evolution, which shows how sheltered their lives had been. And therin lies the fallacy of the creationist dogma. They have become so narrow in their teachings they've fostered a generation of know-nothings who don't know what to think. If I were a more religious person, I might tell them that ignorance and division is what the Devil wants, and that by causing these kids to lose faith when they're old enough to go out into the real world and think for themselves, maybe they're doing the Devil's work instead of God's. Think about it, Creationists.
First, there are Christians, especially young people, who have been raised in a dogmatic Creationist households or attend such a church, and have been taught that evolution, or even an old earth, are evil and absolutely contrary to Scripture. That if you believe Scripture, you can not also believe in these "lies". They are taught that those who do believe both are deluded or compromising Christians, probably not even worthy of the name of Christian. They are taught these as absolute truths, rather than one interpretation among the many that sincere Christians hold. These young people are ingrained with this teaching and accept it fully. Then they come into contact with the scientific evidence and begin to suspect that evolution or an old earth might actually be supported by the evidence. This creates a severe crisis of faith. They have been taught that if evolution or an old earth were true, then the atheists are right and the Bible can not be trusted and God did not create everything after all. I have seen this crisis in action. I have discussed this matter with those who either had abandoned Christianity or were about to because of this dogmatic teaching, and did my best to explain to them that the conflict was not inherent and that they could, indeed, believe in both. Most did not even know that there were Christians who accepted evolution, which shows how sheltered their lives had been. And therin lies the fallacy of the creationist dogma. They have become so narrow in their teachings they've fostered a generation of know-nothings who don't know what to think. If I were a more religious person, I might tell them that ignorance and division is what the Devil wants, and that by causing these kids to lose faith when they're old enough to go out into the real world and think for themselves, maybe they're doing the Devil's work instead of God's. Think about it, Creationists.
Dinnerjacket On Tour
So Ima Dinnerjacket came to town. If he was expecting hugs and kisses, he didn't get them. Ahmadinejad smiled at first but appeared increasingly agitated, decrying the "insults" and "unfriendly treatment." Columbia President Lee Bollinger and audience members took him to task over Iran's human-rights record and foreign policy, as well as Ahmadinejad's statements denying the Holocaust and calling for the disappearance of Israel.
"Mr. President, you exhibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator," Bollinger said, to loud applause.
He said Ahmadinejad's denial of the Holocause might fool the illiterate and ignorant.
"When you come to a place like this it makes you simply ridiculous," Bollinger said. "The truth is that the Holocaust is the most documented event in human history." While Bollinger was right, I have to wonder how serious is the attitude of someone from a university that would allow Dinnerjacket to speak in the firt place, but won't let the ROTC on campus.
"Mr. President, you exhibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator," Bollinger said, to loud applause.
He said Ahmadinejad's denial of the Holocause might fool the illiterate and ignorant.
"When you come to a place like this it makes you simply ridiculous," Bollinger said. "The truth is that the Holocaust is the most documented event in human history." While Bollinger was right, I have to wonder how serious is the attitude of someone from a university that would allow Dinnerjacket to speak in the firt place, but won't let the ROTC on campus.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
George W. Who?
When it comes to 2008, Bush is the proverbial invisible man, and the top tier prefers it that way. Competing to succeed him, top GOP candidates Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson and John McCain barely utter Bush's name. They essentially ignore the lame-duck president, or give him only passing credit, as they rail against the status quo and promise to fix problems he hasn't solved.
"We all know Americans want change," said McCain, an Arizona senator, explaining the aversion to aligning with Bush. "I give him credit for a number of things but I think the fact is Americans are turning the page, including our Republican primary voters."
The candidates are walking a fine line. They are trying to tap into the deep discontent those voters feel about the state of the country without alienating any who hold Bush in high regard. At the same time, they have to counter the Democrats' powerful arguments for a new direction. The post-Bush era will be an opportunity for the GOP to redefine itself and get back to basics. Whether they have the wisdom or will to do that remains to be seen, however.
"We all know Americans want change," said McCain, an Arizona senator, explaining the aversion to aligning with Bush. "I give him credit for a number of things but I think the fact is Americans are turning the page, including our Republican primary voters."
The candidates are walking a fine line. They are trying to tap into the deep discontent those voters feel about the state of the country without alienating any who hold Bush in high regard. At the same time, they have to counter the Democrats' powerful arguments for a new direction. The post-Bush era will be an opportunity for the GOP to redefine itself and get back to basics. Whether they have the wisdom or will to do that remains to be seen, however.
Pimpin' Propaganda
The Old Gray Lady is not only a whore, she's a cheap one at that. Officials at the New York Times have admitted a liberal activist group was permitted to pay half the rate it should have for a provocative ad concemning U.S. Iraq commander Gen. David Petraeus.
The MoveOn ad, which cast Petraeus as "General Betray Us" and attacked his truthfulness, ran on the same day the commander made a highly anticipated appearance before Congress.
But since the liberal group paid the standby rate of $64,575 for the full-page ad, it should not have been guaranteed to run on Sept. 10, the day Petraeus warned Congress against a rapid withdrawal of troops from Iraq, Times personnel said.
"We made a mistake," Catherine Mathis, vice president of corporate communications for The Times, told the newspaper's public editor. If you're going to charge for it, at least make everybody pay the same rate.
The MoveOn ad, which cast Petraeus as "General Betray Us" and attacked his truthfulness, ran on the same day the commander made a highly anticipated appearance before Congress.
But since the liberal group paid the standby rate of $64,575 for the full-page ad, it should not have been guaranteed to run on Sept. 10, the day Petraeus warned Congress against a rapid withdrawal of troops from Iraq, Times personnel said.
"We made a mistake," Catherine Mathis, vice president of corporate communications for The Times, told the newspaper's public editor. If you're going to charge for it, at least make everybody pay the same rate.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Their Cross To Bear
You almost have to feel sorry for them. Organized by a scarcely-known Tampa-area Christain group and ending Saturday, the summit sounded a back-to-basics theme: that evangelicals are called to be active citizens to combat threats from the left; that the work must involve not just national advocacy groups but local people and pastors; and the fight requires patience and persistance.
That last sentiment is a reminder of the challenges facing the Christian right.
Activists lost key allies in Congress when the Democrats retook Congress in 2006, movement pioneers Jerry Falwell and D. James Kennedy died this year, and there's apathy over the current crop of GOP presidential candidates.
Even this weekend's summit had its disappointments. Organizers had hoped up to 350 people would attend, laying the groundwork for a new Florida activist network.
But only 104, nearly all of them from Florida, had registered by Friday. A workshop on the basics of grass roots activism drew a handful of people-and one of them was a spy, an activist for Americans United for Separation of Church and State researching the opposition.
"There will be peaks and valleys, but I don't know if people understand the depth and breadth of our movement," said Gary Cass, former executive director at Kennedy's Center for Reclaiming America for Christ, which closed after the South Florida preacher fell ill. In their zeal to "Reclaim America," it seems that some people became guilty of the same sins they accused their opponents of-arrogance and pride.
That last sentiment is a reminder of the challenges facing the Christian right.
Activists lost key allies in Congress when the Democrats retook Congress in 2006, movement pioneers Jerry Falwell and D. James Kennedy died this year, and there's apathy over the current crop of GOP presidential candidates.
Even this weekend's summit had its disappointments. Organizers had hoped up to 350 people would attend, laying the groundwork for a new Florida activist network.
But only 104, nearly all of them from Florida, had registered by Friday. A workshop on the basics of grass roots activism drew a handful of people-and one of them was a spy, an activist for Americans United for Separation of Church and State researching the opposition.
"There will be peaks and valleys, but I don't know if people understand the depth and breadth of our movement," said Gary Cass, former executive director at Kennedy's Center for Reclaiming America for Christ, which closed after the South Florida preacher fell ill. In their zeal to "Reclaim America," it seems that some people became guilty of the same sins they accused their opponents of-arrogance and pride.
Teacher, Teacher
Along with being America's doctor, John Edwards wants to be its principal, too. Former Sen. John Edwards yesterday outlined to Iowa voters his education initiative to help youngsters prepare for school, to recruit and retain quality teachers and to improve the nation's schools.
Without talking about a way to pay for his plan, the North Carolina Democrat promised to offer all 4-year-olds access to pre-kindergarten, reduce class sizes and "radically overhaul" President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act by pushing "open-ended essay" tests instead of standardized testing.
Referring to the prestigious U.S. Military Academy, he said he would create a "West Point" for teachers to recruit and train qualified people, with a focus on math and science.
"Teacher quality is lowest in the poorest schools, where good teachers are needed the most," he said, proposing to reward successful teachers from high-poverty schools with raises up to $15,000 a year.
Mr. Edwards, a self-made millionaire son of a mill worker, said a quality education allowed him to achieve success. Yes, kids, just think of it. You can grow up to become President-or a lawyer with his "I was born a poor black child" shtick who became one of America's most well-known ambulance chasers.
Without talking about a way to pay for his plan, the North Carolina Democrat promised to offer all 4-year-olds access to pre-kindergarten, reduce class sizes and "radically overhaul" President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act by pushing "open-ended essay" tests instead of standardized testing.
Referring to the prestigious U.S. Military Academy, he said he would create a "West Point" for teachers to recruit and train qualified people, with a focus on math and science.
"Teacher quality is lowest in the poorest schools, where good teachers are needed the most," he said, proposing to reward successful teachers from high-poverty schools with raises up to $15,000 a year.
Mr. Edwards, a self-made millionaire son of a mill worker, said a quality education allowed him to achieve success. Yes, kids, just think of it. You can grow up to become President-or a lawyer with his "I was born a poor black child" shtick who became one of America's most well-known ambulance chasers.
Spaceballs
Darn that universe, always interfering with Allah's will. Two Malaysian candidates, a doctor and an army dentist who are both Muslims, are undergoing training in Russia with the winner expected to be announced on Friday, ahead of the 11-day space mission which starts on October 10.
Other Muslims have ventured into space, but none during the fasting month of Ramadan which began last week, and Malaysia's Department of Islamic Development (JAKIM) is hopeful the astronaut will choose to fast during his voyage.
"Conditions at the International Space Station which are so different from those on earth are not a hindrance for the astronaut to fulfil his obligations as a Muslim," it said in a 20-page booklet.
"In difficult conditions, Islam has conveniences to ensure that religious worship can still be performed." You'd think that a guy they call The Prophet would have forseen space travel and taken it into account.
Other Muslims have ventured into space, but none during the fasting month of Ramadan which began last week, and Malaysia's Department of Islamic Development (JAKIM) is hopeful the astronaut will choose to fast during his voyage.
"Conditions at the International Space Station which are so different from those on earth are not a hindrance for the astronaut to fulfil his obligations as a Muslim," it said in a 20-page booklet.
"In difficult conditions, Islam has conveniences to ensure that religious worship can still be performed." You'd think that a guy they call The Prophet would have forseen space travel and taken it into account.
The King And Queen
How much trouble is the GOP in next year? Even Bush thinks Hillary is next. Karl Rove may not think much of Hillary Rodham Clinton's chances of winning the White House, but it sounds like President Bush is less sanguine. At an off-the-record lunch a week ago, Bush expressed admiration for her tenacity in the campaign. And he left some in the room with the impression that he thinks she will win the election and has been thinking about how to turn the country over to her.
The topic came up when Bush invited a group of morning and evening news anchors and Sunday show hosts to join him in the executive mansion's family dining room a few hours before he delivered his nationally televised address on Iraq last week. Bush made no explicit election predictions, according to some in the room, but clearly thought Clinton would win the Democratic nomination and talked in a way that seemed to suggest he expects her to succeed him-and will continue his Iraq policy if she does. That sound you hear is multiple Bushbot heads exploding.
The topic came up when Bush invited a group of morning and evening news anchors and Sunday show hosts to join him in the executive mansion's family dining room a few hours before he delivered his nationally televised address on Iraq last week. Bush made no explicit election predictions, according to some in the room, but clearly thought Clinton would win the Democratic nomination and talked in a way that seemed to suggest he expects her to succeed him-and will continue his Iraq policy if she does. That sound you hear is multiple Bushbot heads exploding.
The Bridge Goes Bust
Meet the anti-Ted Stevens. JUNEAU-The state of Alaska on Friday officially abandoned the controversial "bridge to nowhere" project in Ketchikan that became a symbol of federal pork-barrel spending.
The $3989 million bridge would have connected Ketchikan to its airport on a nearby island.
"Ketchikan desires a better way to reach the airport, but the $398 million bridge is not the answer," Gov Sarah Palin said in a prepared statement. Sorry, Ted. Maybe you can build one with your Intertubes.
The $3989 million bridge would have connected Ketchikan to its airport on a nearby island.
"Ketchikan desires a better way to reach the airport, but the $398 million bridge is not the answer," Gov Sarah Palin said in a prepared statement. Sorry, Ted. Maybe you can build one with your Intertubes.
F Bomb Op-Ed
It was a stupid thing to do, but it's still free speech.
The Colorado State University student newspaper is under fire after publishing a two-word editorial statement about President Bush.
The Rocky Mountain Collegian published the editorial on its Sept 21 opinion page, saying "Taser this...(explecitive) Bush."
University officials released a statement explaining their concern for response to the editorial , and that it has no control over its student media.
"While we understand (the editorial) is upsetting and offensive to many people, CSU is prohibited by law from censoring or regulating the content of its student media publications," CSU said in a written statement. Since the whole point was about how far you can take free speech-seriously, how many people, both liberal and conservative, have thought the same thing recently-I say let the students hang themselves with their own stupidity. It'll be a learning experience on how not to behave in the real world.
The Colorado State University student newspaper is under fire after publishing a two-word editorial statement about President Bush.
The Rocky Mountain Collegian published the editorial on its Sept 21 opinion page, saying "Taser this...(explecitive) Bush."
University officials released a statement explaining their concern for response to the editorial , and that it has no control over its student media.
"While we understand (the editorial) is upsetting and offensive to many people, CSU is prohibited by law from censoring or regulating the content of its student media publications," CSU said in a written statement. Since the whole point was about how far you can take free speech-seriously, how many people, both liberal and conservative, have thought the same thing recently-I say let the students hang themselves with their own stupidity. It'll be a learning experience on how not to behave in the real world.
High Now, Brown Cow?
Will we be seeing raids on pastures next? Lately, a fairly common occurence is the discovery that marijuana may be effective in the treatment of yet another illness. Recently, scientists at National Centre for Scientific Research in Valbonne, France found that an element in marijuana could prevent the development of prion diseases. The most famous of this class of malady is bovine spongiforme enzephalopathy commonly known as mad cow disease, which when transmitted to humans is called Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. So the Evil Weed could help save lives? Doesn't matter, it's still the government's duty to tell you to just say no for your own good.
Romneycop Short Circuits
I think Mitt is getting desperate. Romney hit some of the themes he needs to-he spoke on being a "Change Republican" and emphasized family values in particular. He also pointed out his support for the Federal Marriage Amendment, which, with Thompson's rejection of it, makes him unique among the major Republican candidates.
But then he says he's going to move "In God We Trust" to the front of the new dollar coins instead of the side. Hmmm. I guess I'm all for it, but the crowd took a few seconds to applaud, and I think most people were as confused as I was. Is that a new campaign promise?
Plus, I haven't seen his delivery this bad in quite a while. (I have seen it this bad before.) He was very slow winding up, and the speech has a lot of really, really lame applause lines. I couldn't take much more after this one:
"I'll make sure that our future is defined not by the letters ACLU, but by the letters USA." It doesn't get much worse than this. Maybe Mitt should stop pandering and just be himself like he was at the beginning of his campaign. You know, sort of like how Rudy, Thompson and McCain are doing now.
But then he says he's going to move "In God We Trust" to the front of the new dollar coins instead of the side. Hmmm. I guess I'm all for it, but the crowd took a few seconds to applaud, and I think most people were as confused as I was. Is that a new campaign promise?
Plus, I haven't seen his delivery this bad in quite a while. (I have seen it this bad before.) He was very slow winding up, and the speech has a lot of really, really lame applause lines. I couldn't take much more after this one:
"I'll make sure that our future is defined not by the letters ACLU, but by the letters USA." It doesn't get much worse than this. Maybe Mitt should stop pandering and just be himself like he was at the beginning of his campaign. You know, sort of like how Rudy, Thompson and McCain are doing now.
"They Want A Beaum?"
Are we sure this guy wasn't accidentally switched with an American at birth? He sure doesn't sound French.
President Nicolas Sarkozy of France has directly accused Iran of seeking a nuclear bomb and urged "stronger sanctions" against Teheran.
It was the latest sign that Mr Sarkozy is positioning France as America's key European ally in tackling Teheran's nuclear ambitions.
Mr Sarkozy said France did not want a war, but flatly declared in a television interview that "Iran is trying to obtain an atomic bomb."
He added: "That is unacceptable and I tell the French people it is unacceptable." I must be living in a parallel universe if a French leader doesn't want to surrender.
President Nicolas Sarkozy of France has directly accused Iran of seeking a nuclear bomb and urged "stronger sanctions" against Teheran.
It was the latest sign that Mr Sarkozy is positioning France as America's key European ally in tackling Teheran's nuclear ambitions.
Mr Sarkozy said France did not want a war, but flatly declared in a television interview that "Iran is trying to obtain an atomic bomb."
He added: "That is unacceptable and I tell the French people it is unacceptable." I must be living in a parallel universe if a French leader doesn't want to surrender.
Fessing Up
It's not your father's confessional. Thousands of people are attending confession at weekends and just as many are posting their reprentance on videos that are played back to congregations or shared on websites such as YouTube.
New technology is fuelling the boom, but so is clever marketing by Churches that are portraying confession as a form of self-imporvement-always popular with Americans-rather than some sort of punishment.
Church leaders attribute the boom to the fashion for self-analysis peddled by daytime television programmes such as The Jerry Springer Show and to a wider theological trend in which Christians are looking for firmer moral guidance.
Some Protestant churches are trying to make confession less forbidding, allowing people to shred their sins in paper shredders, for example.
In a shopping mall in Colorado Springs, three Catholic priests are available to hear confessions six days a week in a small office equipped with a box of tissues and the Ten Commandments.
The priests say they hear 8,000 confessions a year, according to the Wall Street Journal. We've gone from the age of pop psychology to the age of pop religion. One man's group therapy is another man's mass, I suppose.
New technology is fuelling the boom, but so is clever marketing by Churches that are portraying confession as a form of self-imporvement-always popular with Americans-rather than some sort of punishment.
Church leaders attribute the boom to the fashion for self-analysis peddled by daytime television programmes such as The Jerry Springer Show and to a wider theological trend in which Christians are looking for firmer moral guidance.
Some Protestant churches are trying to make confession less forbidding, allowing people to shred their sins in paper shredders, for example.
In a shopping mall in Colorado Springs, three Catholic priests are available to hear confessions six days a week in a small office equipped with a box of tissues and the Ten Commandments.
The priests say they hear 8,000 confessions a year, according to the Wall Street Journal. We've gone from the age of pop psychology to the age of pop religion. One man's group therapy is another man's mass, I suppose.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Stupidity For Stupidity's Sake
Here's more proof that a college education and common sense don't necessarily go together. BOTSON (AP)-Troopers arrested an MIT student at gunpoint Friday after she walked into Logan International Airport wearing a computer circuit board and wiring on her sweatshirt. Authorities call it a fake bomb, she called it art.
Star Thompson's attorney said the charges against her were an overreaction, but authorities expressed amazement that someone would wear such a device eight months after a simpiar scare in Boston, and six years after two of the jets hijacked in the Sept. 11 attacks took off from Logan.
"I'm shocked and appalled that somebody would wear this type of device to an airport," said State Police Maj. Scott Pare, the airport's commanding officer. Maybe I'm not up on what's considered art these days. I guess a lack of brain cells helps define it.
Star Thompson's attorney said the charges against her were an overreaction, but authorities expressed amazement that someone would wear such a device eight months after a simpiar scare in Boston, and six years after two of the jets hijacked in the Sept. 11 attacks took off from Logan.
"I'm shocked and appalled that somebody would wear this type of device to an airport," said State Police Maj. Scott Pare, the airport's commanding officer. Maybe I'm not up on what's considered art these days. I guess a lack of brain cells helps define it.
Still Hanging In There
Fidel is still among the living, sort of. HAVANA (AP)-Fidel Castro looked alert and healthier in a video taped Friday, the first images released of the ailing 81-year-old leader in more than three months. In the images aired unexpectedly on state television Friday evening, Castro wore a red, blue and white jumpsuit with "F. Castro" in small block letters. The Cuban leader spoke slowly and softly and didn't always look the interviewer in the eye, but appeared to be thinking clearly.
Officials broke into regularly scheduled programming only minutes earlier to announce that an hour-long "conversation" with Fidel Castro would be shown.
Castro mentioned the price of oil and the value of the Euro against the dollar, evidence that the video was recorded Friday, as Cuban officials said. At time, it was hard to follow his train of thought as he spoke about a wandering essay he published in state media Wednesday. Well, it sounds like time has caught up with Fidel-he's as old and creaky as his Revolution.
Officials broke into regularly scheduled programming only minutes earlier to announce that an hour-long "conversation" with Fidel Castro would be shown.
Castro mentioned the price of oil and the value of the Euro against the dollar, evidence that the video was recorded Friday, as Cuban officials said. At time, it was hard to follow his train of thought as he spoke about a wandering essay he published in state media Wednesday. Well, it sounds like time has caught up with Fidel-he's as old and creaky as his Revolution.
In The Eyes Of A Ranger
Bush's Rangers are abandoning the G.O.P.'s sinking ship. Dozens of corporate executives who backed President George W. Bush for re-election in 2004, including some of his top fund-raisers, are now helping Democrats running for president.
John Mack, chief executive officer of Morgan Stanley, Rupert Murdoch, chairman of News Corp., and Terry Semel, chairman of Yahoo! Inc., are among some 60 executives writing checks to Democrats such as Senators Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois, a review of U.S. Federal Election Commission records shows.
While the vast majority of business leaders still back Republicans for 2008, the stature of some of those donating to Democrats suggests that support may be ereoding, seven years into the Bush presidency. Some executives expressed concern over Republican positions on issues ranging from the war in Iraq and stem-cell research to global warming and the fiscal deficit. In other words, intelligent businessmen know a dead-end proposition when they see one.
John Mack, chief executive officer of Morgan Stanley, Rupert Murdoch, chairman of News Corp., and Terry Semel, chairman of Yahoo! Inc., are among some 60 executives writing checks to Democrats such as Senators Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois, a review of U.S. Federal Election Commission records shows.
While the vast majority of business leaders still back Republicans for 2008, the stature of some of those donating to Democrats suggests that support may be ereoding, seven years into the Bush presidency. Some executives expressed concern over Republican positions on issues ranging from the war in Iraq and stem-cell research to global warming and the fiscal deficit. In other words, intelligent businessmen know a dead-end proposition when they see one.
These Boots Are Made For Perp Walkin'
The boot is on the other foot. GUANAJUATO, Mexico (AP)-A bootmaker to workd leaders, including President Bush and Vincente Fox, is in a Colorado jail, charged with money laundering and conspiring to illegally smuggle the skins of protected animals into the United States to provide exotic footwear for high-end clinets.
The arrest of Martin Villegas-and Mexico's raid of a warehouse filled with hundreds of cowboy boots and belts made from endangered species-has raised questions about how much Fox knew of the scheme and whether the former Mexican president purchased illegal boots for himself. Talk about your classic heels...being a "World leader" means never having to follow the same rules as everybody else.
The arrest of Martin Villegas-and Mexico's raid of a warehouse filled with hundreds of cowboy boots and belts made from endangered species-has raised questions about how much Fox knew of the scheme and whether the former Mexican president purchased illegal boots for himself. Talk about your classic heels...being a "World leader" means never having to follow the same rules as everybody else.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
The Undecided Man
Well, he just doesn't know. WASHINGTON, 19 (UPI)-Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he doesn't know if the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 was the right thing to do, ABC News reported Wednesday.
Citing an interview Gates had with New York Times columnist David Brooks, ABC says the defense secretary was aksed whether the invasion was worth doing-and responded by rephrasing the question.
"If I'd know then what I know now, would I have done the same? I think the answer is, 'I don't know,'" Gates said.
The remark stands in contrast to repeated assertions by President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and other administration figures and supporters, who maintain the invasion was the right course of action. Bearing in mind that I also think invading Iraq was the right thing to do, if I'd known then what I know now, I'd have asked myself a lot of hard questions about the cost if I'd been Secretary of Defense. But Rumsfeld was, not me-and asking tough questions wasn't his style.
Citing an interview Gates had with New York Times columnist David Brooks, ABC says the defense secretary was aksed whether the invasion was worth doing-and responded by rephrasing the question.
"If I'd know then what I know now, would I have done the same? I think the answer is, 'I don't know,'" Gates said.
The remark stands in contrast to repeated assertions by President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and other administration figures and supporters, who maintain the invasion was the right course of action. Bearing in mind that I also think invading Iraq was the right thing to do, if I'd known then what I know now, I'd have asked myself a lot of hard questions about the cost if I'd been Secretary of Defense. But Rumsfeld was, not me-and asking tough questions wasn't his style.
Purple Haze
There's more gay-looking money on the way. WASHINGTON (AP)-Honest Abe will become Colorful Abe with splashes of purple and gray livening up the $5 bill.
The government showed off the new bill Thursday in an Internet news conference-a high-tech unveiling that officials say is entirely appropriate for a 21st century redesign of the bill featuring the Civil War president, Abraham Lincoln.
The changes are similar to those already made, starting in 2003, to the $10, $20 and $50 bills. In those redesigns, pastel colors were added as part of an effort to stay ahead of counterfeiters and their ever-more sophisticated copying machines. Yes, but what if the counterfeiters themselves are gay? They'll know exactly how much color and tint to use.
The government showed off the new bill Thursday in an Internet news conference-a high-tech unveiling that officials say is entirely appropriate for a 21st century redesign of the bill featuring the Civil War president, Abraham Lincoln.
The changes are similar to those already made, starting in 2003, to the $10, $20 and $50 bills. In those redesigns, pastel colors were added as part of an effort to stay ahead of counterfeiters and their ever-more sophisticated copying machines. Yes, but what if the counterfeiters themselves are gay? They'll know exactly how much color and tint to use.
Just Like A Woman
Oh, those whacky Brits. It's time to come clean. For the past week, steered by a small bunch of female friends, I experienced the thoughts, anxieties and simple daily tasks of a 21st-century woman. For one week, I lived as I imagined a woman might.
I worried about cellulite, obsessed about finding the right partner and thought constantly about my biological clock. In my mission, I journeyed into the darker side of the female psyche.
"Someone said to me, 'You wouldn't underestand-you're a man,'" I tell Pete. "But I'm on a quest. A quest to find out how it feels to be on the other side of the gender divide." I swear, sometimes the country is like a real-life Monty Python sketch.
I worried about cellulite, obsessed about finding the right partner and thought constantly about my biological clock. In my mission, I journeyed into the darker side of the female psyche.
"Someone said to me, 'You wouldn't underestand-you're a man,'" I tell Pete. "But I'm on a quest. A quest to find out how it feels to be on the other side of the gender divide." I swear, sometimes the country is like a real-life Monty Python sketch.
Better Dead Than Fred
I'm sure this has Fred Thompson shaking in his boots. DENVER (AP)--James Dobson, one of the nation's most politically influential evangelical Christians, made it clear in a message to friends this week he will not support Republican presidential hopeful Fred Thompson.
In a private e-mail obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press, Dobson accuses the former Tennessee senator and actor of being weak on the campaign trail and wrong on issues dear to social conservatives.
"Isn't Thompson the candidate who is opposed to a Constitutional amendment to protect marriage, believes there should be 50 different definitions of marriage in the U.S., favors McCain-Feingold, won't talk at all about what he believes, and can't speak his way out of a paper bag on the campaign trail>" Dobson wrote.
"He has no passion, no zeal, and no apparent 'want to.' And yet he is apparently the Great Hope that burns in the breasts of many conservative Christians? Well, not for me, my brothers. Not for me!" Isn't James Dobson one of those unappeasable types who, if allowed to influence the nominating process, could doom the Republicans' chances of winning the White House in '08? And yet he is apparently the Great Dope that causes heartburn in the breasts of many conservatives? Well, not for me, my brothers. Not for me!
In a private e-mail obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press, Dobson accuses the former Tennessee senator and actor of being weak on the campaign trail and wrong on issues dear to social conservatives.
"Isn't Thompson the candidate who is opposed to a Constitutional amendment to protect marriage, believes there should be 50 different definitions of marriage in the U.S., favors McCain-Feingold, won't talk at all about what he believes, and can't speak his way out of a paper bag on the campaign trail>" Dobson wrote.
"He has no passion, no zeal, and no apparent 'want to.' And yet he is apparently the Great Hope that burns in the breasts of many conservative Christians? Well, not for me, my brothers. Not for me!" Isn't James Dobson one of those unappeasable types who, if allowed to influence the nominating process, could doom the Republicans' chances of winning the White House in '08? And yet he is apparently the Great Dope that causes heartburn in the breasts of many conservatives? Well, not for me, my brothers. Not for me!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Sumner Days
The strange case of Lawrence Sumners has become a prime example of campus censorship, and even other liberals are apalled at what transpired. This is what higher education comes down to here in 2007: if a self-appointed cabal of elitists whose leftist views differ with others, they spring into action to deny people the right to speak.
The petitioners are still angry at some admittedly wrong-headed words that Sumners said back in 2005. Back then he wondered aloud about the reasons that fewer women excel in the sciences.
Some, including the late UCSC Chancellor Denice Denton, challenged his words-a reasonable and even praiseworthy reaction. But others now don't think that Sumners has the right to even speak before the regents at a dinner.
Even some of those who oppsed Sumners at Harvard are aghast at the UC reaction. According to the Harvard Crimson newspaper, professor Judith Ryan-a critic of Sumners-said the authors of the petition "have fallen prey to a simplification that became widespread in media reports...[W]e should be able to listen to views with which we don't agree, and to debate them in a civil way."
As we non-academics say: "Duh." All I can say at this point is, for people with so much education, academics just aren't too bright a lot of the time.
The petitioners are still angry at some admittedly wrong-headed words that Sumners said back in 2005. Back then he wondered aloud about the reasons that fewer women excel in the sciences.
Some, including the late UCSC Chancellor Denice Denton, challenged his words-a reasonable and even praiseworthy reaction. But others now don't think that Sumners has the right to even speak before the regents at a dinner.
Even some of those who oppsed Sumners at Harvard are aghast at the UC reaction. According to the Harvard Crimson newspaper, professor Judith Ryan-a critic of Sumners-said the authors of the petition "have fallen prey to a simplification that became widespread in media reports...[W]e should be able to listen to views with which we don't agree, and to debate them in a civil way."
As we non-academics say: "Duh." All I can say at this point is, for people with so much education, academics just aren't too bright a lot of the time.
Time Has Come Today
It's Hugo time! CRACAS (Reuters)-President Hugo Chavez wants Venezuelan clocks turned back half an hour and he wants it done in record time-next Monday.
"I don't care if they call me crazy, the new time will go ahead, let them call me whatever they want," Chavez said on his weekly TV show. "I'm not to blame. I received a recommendation and said I liked the idea."
The shift will allow children to wake up for school in daylight instead of before sunrise, Chavez said.
That may seem reasonable to many Venezuelans but ordering the change with little notice and scant public education has raised questions over how much thought was given to the plan.
It also highlights how the anti-U.S. president's style can sometimes be eccentric, improvised and rushed in his self-styled revolution to turn one of the world's biggest oil exporters into a socialist state. Well, he does want to turn back the clock to the dark ages; I guess this is a start.
"I don't care if they call me crazy, the new time will go ahead, let them call me whatever they want," Chavez said on his weekly TV show. "I'm not to blame. I received a recommendation and said I liked the idea."
The shift will allow children to wake up for school in daylight instead of before sunrise, Chavez said.
That may seem reasonable to many Venezuelans but ordering the change with little notice and scant public education has raised questions over how much thought was given to the plan.
It also highlights how the anti-U.S. president's style can sometimes be eccentric, improvised and rushed in his self-styled revolution to turn one of the world's biggest oil exporters into a socialist state. Well, he does want to turn back the clock to the dark ages; I guess this is a start.
Dewey, Chetum Andhow
No more ambulances to chase for him. LOS ANGELES-Pioneering class-action attorney William S. Lerach agreed to plead guilty to a federal conspiracy charge involving a kickback scheme, prosecutors said yesterday.
The deal came after a seven-year federal investigation into charges that Mr. Lerach's former law firm paid people to sign on as plaintiffs in more than 150 lawsuits against major corporations including AT&T, Lucent Technologies and WorldCom.
Prosecutors say the firm netted more than $200 million in fees over 20 years.
Mr. Lerach agreed to plead guilty to conspiring to obstruct justice and making false statements under oath, according to the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles. What goes around, comes around, heh.
The deal came after a seven-year federal investigation into charges that Mr. Lerach's former law firm paid people to sign on as plaintiffs in more than 150 lawsuits against major corporations including AT&T, Lucent Technologies and WorldCom.
Prosecutors say the firm netted more than $200 million in fees over 20 years.
Mr. Lerach agreed to plead guilty to conspiring to obstruct justice and making false statements under oath, according to the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles. What goes around, comes around, heh.
We Beat The Yalies' Three
Money talks, discrimination walks. NEW HAVEN, Conn.-Yale Law School will end its policy of not working with military recruiters following a court ruling this week that jeopardized about $300 million in federal funding, school officials said Wednesday.
Yale and other universities had objected to the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy that allows gay men and women to serve in the military only if they keep their sexual orientation to themselves. Yale Law School had refused to assist military recruiters because the Pentagon wouldn't sign a nondiscrimination pledge.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Yale on Monday, rekecting its argument that its right to academic freedom was infringed by federal law that says universities must give the military the same access as other job recruiters or forfeit federal money.
"The fact is we have been forced under enormous pressure to acquiescence in a policy that we believe is deeply offensive and harmful to our students," said Robert Burt, a Yale law professor who was lead plaintiff in the case. So, it was OK for your university to ask the Pentagon to sign a nondiscimination pledge, but not for them to ask for fair treatment in return? Gotcha.
Yale and other universities had objected to the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy that allows gay men and women to serve in the military only if they keep their sexual orientation to themselves. Yale Law School had refused to assist military recruiters because the Pentagon wouldn't sign a nondiscrimination pledge.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Yale on Monday, rekecting its argument that its right to academic freedom was infringed by federal law that says universities must give the military the same access as other job recruiters or forfeit federal money.
"The fact is we have been forced under enormous pressure to acquiescence in a policy that we believe is deeply offensive and harmful to our students," said Robert Burt, a Yale law professor who was lead plaintiff in the case. So, it was OK for your university to ask the Pentagon to sign a nondiscimination pledge, but not for them to ask for fair treatment in return? Gotcha.
After The Lovin' Has Gone
The Republicans are rapidly running out of issues to run on. Luckily, they can still run against sex. ...Emotions related to sexual politicization are higher than ever before. Not only have the GOP sex scandals not helped, they may have thrown fuel on the fire, and I think the fire is headed for a powder keg.
As I say, I have come to dread talking about this, because it's gotten so damned contentious. I think that the anti-sex wring of the GOP is colluding with the Democrats to make other Republicans afraid. Not merely afraid of sex, but afraid to talk about sex unless they condemn it.
My biggest fear is that this is going to hurt the Republicans. They should remember that they're running against a woman who's been around the block, and who knows how to play Republican sexual fear like a violin. Her husband cheated on her, and she forgave him. Never mind that she knew all about Bill and his philandering ways for years, and that the forgiveness act may have been completely phony; to ordinary people (you know, the kind who have occasional sexual and marital difficulties) it came across as healthy realism, and counterbalanced Bill's lies. For that alone they'd have been reelected had they been able to run again. Now they can.
The irony is that this time, the Republicans have candidates who can also be seen as real people who have had occasional marital difficulties. The left would have ordinary voters see them as "hypocrites." I hope it doesn't work. I'd hate to see things reach the point where Democratic and Republican activists reach agreement that the GOP is and should be fighting a war on sex, because it's a war the Republican Party is going to lose. Certain people on the right want to deny that any sex happens within the Republican Party. If it does happen, the offender must be cast out for having the wrong kind (Larry Craig) or at best ignored if not forgiven (David Vitter). After all, GOP candidates must be seen as being among God's chosen few, and that can't happen if they're seen as being too much like the rest of us.
As I say, I have come to dread talking about this, because it's gotten so damned contentious. I think that the anti-sex wring of the GOP is colluding with the Democrats to make other Republicans afraid. Not merely afraid of sex, but afraid to talk about sex unless they condemn it.
My biggest fear is that this is going to hurt the Republicans. They should remember that they're running against a woman who's been around the block, and who knows how to play Republican sexual fear like a violin. Her husband cheated on her, and she forgave him. Never mind that she knew all about Bill and his philandering ways for years, and that the forgiveness act may have been completely phony; to ordinary people (you know, the kind who have occasional sexual and marital difficulties) it came across as healthy realism, and counterbalanced Bill's lies. For that alone they'd have been reelected had they been able to run again. Now they can.
The irony is that this time, the Republicans have candidates who can also be seen as real people who have had occasional marital difficulties. The left would have ordinary voters see them as "hypocrites." I hope it doesn't work. I'd hate to see things reach the point where Democratic and Republican activists reach agreement that the GOP is and should be fighting a war on sex, because it's a war the Republican Party is going to lose. Certain people on the right want to deny that any sex happens within the Republican Party. If it does happen, the offender must be cast out for having the wrong kind (Larry Craig) or at best ignored if not forgiven (David Vitter). After all, GOP candidates must be seen as being among God's chosen few, and that can't happen if they're seen as being too much like the rest of us.
The Clueless Camera Caper
Let's see how well that crime-free paradise known as Britain is doing, shall we?
London has 10,000 crime-fighting CCTV cameras which cost 200 million, figures show today.
But an analysis of the publicly funded spy network, which is owned and controlled by local authorities and Transport for London, has cast doubt on its ability to help solve crime.
A comparision of the number of cameras in each London borough with the proportion of crimes solved there found that police are no more likely to catch offenders in areas with hundreds of cameras than in those with hardly any.
In fact, four out of five of the boroughs with the most cameras have a record of solving crime that is below average. My, my. It seems Big Brother is asleep at the switch.
London has 10,000 crime-fighting CCTV cameras which cost 200 million, figures show today.
But an analysis of the publicly funded spy network, which is owned and controlled by local authorities and Transport for London, has cast doubt on its ability to help solve crime.
A comparision of the number of cameras in each London borough with the proportion of crimes solved there found that police are no more likely to catch offenders in areas with hundreds of cameras than in those with hardly any.
In fact, four out of five of the boroughs with the most cameras have a record of solving crime that is below average. My, my. It seems Big Brother is asleep at the switch.
The Democrats' Other Left Foot
It's a quagmire! But whose fault is it, really? To most war opponents, the blame increasingly lies with the Democratic leadership in Congress, for not taking a hard enough line with President Bush and not fighting to cut off war funding. And their frustration is visibly bubbling over-the provocative group Code Pink, for example, has actually taken to protesting outside House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's home in recent days.
But there's a growing feeling among many Democrats, particularly within the D.C. establishment, that just the opposite is true. They may not say it publicly, for fear of arousing the grass roots' wrath, but the realist wing of the party seems to think the Democrats' biggest problem on Iraq these days is not that there's too much Bush Lite but that there's too much Bush Left.
Under this view, too many anti-war activists, not satisfied with berating the president, have too often wound up behaving like him. They have gone beyond fighting back and holding the Decider accountable to adopting the same divisive, dogmatic and ultimately destructive style of politics that Democrats have been decrying for the past seven years, with the same counterproductive results. This is why I think the Republicans, for all their faults, have a better shot at making a clean break from the Bush era than the Democrats do. Hillary, for example, is running partly on the nostalgia factor-in other words, evoking the happy days of the Clinton era. At least the G.O.P. has guys like Rudy and McCain who represent a party that has a chance to really move forward.
But there's a growing feeling among many Democrats, particularly within the D.C. establishment, that just the opposite is true. They may not say it publicly, for fear of arousing the grass roots' wrath, but the realist wing of the party seems to think the Democrats' biggest problem on Iraq these days is not that there's too much Bush Lite but that there's too much Bush Left.
Under this view, too many anti-war activists, not satisfied with berating the president, have too often wound up behaving like him. They have gone beyond fighting back and holding the Decider accountable to adopting the same divisive, dogmatic and ultimately destructive style of politics that Democrats have been decrying for the past seven years, with the same counterproductive results. This is why I think the Republicans, for all their faults, have a better shot at making a clean break from the Bush era than the Democrats do. Hillary, for example, is running partly on the nostalgia factor-in other words, evoking the happy days of the Clinton era. At least the G.O.P. has guys like Rudy and McCain who represent a party that has a chance to really move forward.
Beating The Bush Curse
While I have issues with both of these guys, they're still better than a Bush clone would be. Mr. McCain can argue that Republican primary voters angry at Bush for mangling the war and destroying the G.O.P.'s reputation for grugality should credit him for battling Bush on these very issues. Whether it will be sufficient to repair the damage done to Mr. McCain's presidential prospects by the immigration debate and a list of complaints ranging from McCain-Feingold to the Gang of 14 remains to be seen.
Perhaps even more than Mr. McCain, Giuliani could be bouyed in the primary by the contrast between him an an administration so bereft of administrative competence. (And between him and a president so inarticulate as to have provoked please from conservatives not to deliver a nationally televised Iraq war address and trample on General Petraeus' lines.)
Mr. Giuliani runs on a platform replete with references to the importance of accountability and the notion that what can't be measured can't be managed. in many ways the anti-Bush, he doesn't drift, avoid conflict or praise incompetent subordinates. His record as mayor and, in particular, his now-famous CompStat crime reduction program are precisely the sort of approach that can assure G.O.P. voters that conservatives can once again be reformers and managers, not just ideologues.
Likewise, while Bush struggled through a prime-time address on Iraq, it was Mr. Giuliani who led the rhetorical and public relations debate against the Congressional Democrats and in favor of the "return on success" slogan. It was Mr. Giuliani who took on Hillary Clinton and MoveOn.org and dared the Democrats to take issue with either the "return" or "success" part of the message. Mr. Giuliani showed clearly that he can sell conservative policies better than either the president our his primary rivals. That may be because Rudy isn't trying to pass someone else's litmus test on social issues. The question is, can the G.O.P. follow his lead?
Perhaps even more than Mr. McCain, Giuliani could be bouyed in the primary by the contrast between him an an administration so bereft of administrative competence. (And between him and a president so inarticulate as to have provoked please from conservatives not to deliver a nationally televised Iraq war address and trample on General Petraeus' lines.)
Mr. Giuliani runs on a platform replete with references to the importance of accountability and the notion that what can't be measured can't be managed. in many ways the anti-Bush, he doesn't drift, avoid conflict or praise incompetent subordinates. His record as mayor and, in particular, his now-famous CompStat crime reduction program are precisely the sort of approach that can assure G.O.P. voters that conservatives can once again be reformers and managers, not just ideologues.
Likewise, while Bush struggled through a prime-time address on Iraq, it was Mr. Giuliani who led the rhetorical and public relations debate against the Congressional Democrats and in favor of the "return on success" slogan. It was Mr. Giuliani who took on Hillary Clinton and MoveOn.org and dared the Democrats to take issue with either the "return" or "success" part of the message. Mr. Giuliani showed clearly that he can sell conservative policies better than either the president our his primary rivals. That may be because Rudy isn't trying to pass someone else's litmus test on social issues. The question is, can the G.O.P. follow his lead?
Pass the Toilet Paper
Ever wonder where microphages go to the bathroom? Now you know. (Hat tip: Andrew Sullivan).
Going To Cali
Even Canadian politicians know a better thing when they see one. Liberal MP Belinda Stronach, who is battling breast cancer, travelled to California last June for an operation that was recommended as part of her treatment, says a report.
Stronach's spokesman, Greg MacEachern, told the Toronto Star that the MP for Newmarket-Aurora had a "later-stage" operation in the U.S. after a Toronto doctor referred her.
"Belinda had one of her later-stage operations in California, after referral from her personal physicians in Toronto. Prior to this, Belinda had surgery and treatment in Toronto, and continues to receive follow-up treatment there," said MacEachern.
He said speed was not the reason why she went to California.
Instead, MacEachern said the decision was made because the U.S. hospital was the best place to have it done due to the type of surgery required. Poor Michael Moron. He loses more converts that way.
Stronach's spokesman, Greg MacEachern, told the Toronto Star that the MP for Newmarket-Aurora had a "later-stage" operation in the U.S. after a Toronto doctor referred her.
"Belinda had one of her later-stage operations in California, after referral from her personal physicians in Toronto. Prior to this, Belinda had surgery and treatment in Toronto, and continues to receive follow-up treatment there," said MacEachern.
He said speed was not the reason why she went to California.
Instead, MacEachern said the decision was made because the U.S. hospital was the best place to have it done due to the type of surgery required. Poor Michael Moron. He loses more converts that way.
The Shyster Versus The Senator
Leave it to Je$$e to make Obama likeable. On a statewide tour to register new voters, Jackson said South Carolina will determine "who has momentum" in the primary when it votes Jan. 29.
Jackson sharply criticized presidential hopeful and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama for "acting like he's white" in what Jackson said has been a tepid response to six black juveniles' arrest on attempted-murder charges in Jena, La. Jackson, who also lives in Illinois, endorsed Obama in March, according to The Associated Press.
"If I were a candidate, I'd be all over Jena," Jackson said after an hour-long speech at Columbia's historically black Benedict College.
"Jena is a defining moment, just like Selma was a defining moment," said the iconic civil rights figure, who worked with Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1965 Selma civil rights movement and was with King at his 1968 assassination.
Later, Jackson said he did not recall making the "acting like he's white" comment about Obama, stressing he only wanted to point out the candidates had not seized on an oppurtunity to highlight the disproportuonate criminal punishments black youths too often face. That's because they're running for president, not looking for new phony victims to sue for, Big Daddy Rich.
Jackson sharply criticized presidential hopeful and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama for "acting like he's white" in what Jackson said has been a tepid response to six black juveniles' arrest on attempted-murder charges in Jena, La. Jackson, who also lives in Illinois, endorsed Obama in March, according to The Associated Press.
"If I were a candidate, I'd be all over Jena," Jackson said after an hour-long speech at Columbia's historically black Benedict College.
"Jena is a defining moment, just like Selma was a defining moment," said the iconic civil rights figure, who worked with Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1965 Selma civil rights movement and was with King at his 1968 assassination.
Later, Jackson said he did not recall making the "acting like he's white" comment about Obama, stressing he only wanted to point out the candidates had not seized on an oppurtunity to highlight the disproportuonate criminal punishments black youths too often face. That's because they're running for president, not looking for new phony victims to sue for, Big Daddy Rich.
Rather Obvious
Fake Memo Boy is angry. NEW YORK (AP)-Dan Rather filed a $70 million lawsuit Wednesday against CBS, alleging that the network made him a "scapegoat" for a discredited story about President Bush's National Guard service.
The 75-year-old Rather, whose final months were clouded by controversy over the report, says the complaint stems from "CBS' intentional mishandling" of the aftermath of the story.
The lawsuit, filed in a State Supreme Court in Manhattan, also names CBS President and CEO Leslie Moonves, Viacom, Inc., Viacom Chairman Sumner Redstone and former CBS News President Andrew Heyward. (At the time Viacom Inc. owned CBS. But Viacom and CBS Corp. split into two different companies in January 2006.)
Rather, the former anchorman of the 'CBS Evening News," is seeking $20 million in compensatory damages and $50 million in punitive damages. I wonder if Kinko's will be a witness for the plaintiff.
The 75-year-old Rather, whose final months were clouded by controversy over the report, says the complaint stems from "CBS' intentional mishandling" of the aftermath of the story.
The lawsuit, filed in a State Supreme Court in Manhattan, also names CBS President and CEO Leslie Moonves, Viacom, Inc., Viacom Chairman Sumner Redstone and former CBS News President Andrew Heyward. (At the time Viacom Inc. owned CBS. But Viacom and CBS Corp. split into two different companies in January 2006.)
Rather, the former anchorman of the 'CBS Evening News," is seeking $20 million in compensatory damages and $50 million in punitive damages. I wonder if Kinko's will be a witness for the plaintiff.
Snake 1, Moron 0
You know, it may be fun to watch the Wild Boyz, just don't imitate them.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)-Snake collector Matt Wilkinson of Portland grabbed a 20-inch rattler from the highway near Maupin, and three weeks later, to impress his ex-girlfriend, he stuck the serpent in his mouth.
He was soon near death with a swollen tongue that blocked his throat. Trauma doctors at the Oregon Health and Science University saved his life.
"You can assume alchohol was involved," he said. Actually, not just beer. It was something he called a "mixture of stupid stuff." He was lucky. But there's still plenty of Darwin Awards to go around.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)-Snake collector Matt Wilkinson of Portland grabbed a 20-inch rattler from the highway near Maupin, and three weeks later, to impress his ex-girlfriend, he stuck the serpent in his mouth.
He was soon near death with a swollen tongue that blocked his throat. Trauma doctors at the Oregon Health and Science University saved his life.
"You can assume alchohol was involved," he said. Actually, not just beer. It was something he called a "mixture of stupid stuff." He was lucky. But there's still plenty of Darwin Awards to go around.
Turn Out The Lights
Well, it's not like he never worked in the dark before. Some 300 people gathered on Tuesday night at the Brentwood home of CAA's David O'Connor and his wife, Lona Williams, anxious to see the guest of honor, Bill Clinton.
Then the power went out-in the entire neighborhood-putting this Hillary Clinton fund-raiser into near total darkness.
The only light came from candles and some battery operated lanterns, which were shined on Clinton when he spoke in the backyard pool area. That helped, but it was still hard to see guests. And with no electricity, and therefore no microphone, it wasn't always easy to hear, according to a guest.
"There are a lot of great things about the modern world," Clinton said, according to the guest. "Predictable electricity may not be one of them." Several guests, many of them women, trapped in a dark room with Bill. It's enough to give one nightmares.
Then the power went out-in the entire neighborhood-putting this Hillary Clinton fund-raiser into near total darkness.
The only light came from candles and some battery operated lanterns, which were shined on Clinton when he spoke in the backyard pool area. That helped, but it was still hard to see guests. And with no electricity, and therefore no microphone, it wasn't always easy to hear, according to a guest.
"There are a lot of great things about the modern world," Clinton said, according to the guest. "Predictable electricity may not be one of them." Several guests, many of them women, trapped in a dark room with Bill. It's enough to give one nightmares.
V For V You
You've gotta love the Italians. It's commonly acknowledged that politicians are a cunning breed. They speak only half-truths, they pass the buck and they retire to lucrative board positions with defence companies or private equity firms. They push their public to breaking point. The British only shrug, exasperated but resigned to their power-playing games.
The Italians, however, are not reserved people. Instead, more than 330,000 of them queued for hours in the hot sun recently to tell their politicians: vaffanculo! (roughly the equivalent of "f*** you").
Led by Beppe Grillo, a chubby, bearded comic who is Italy's version of Michael Moore, the masses rallied to protest against corruption and back-slapping. The protest even reached London, with a group of expats forming a V in Piccadilly Circus.
Grillo organised the whole thing through his blog, which is now, improbably, in the world's top 10 most-read list. The success of V-day, as it was quickly dubbed, has resulted in a third of Italians supporting Grillo for prime minister, according to a poll by Sky News. Laughter is the death knell for any politician who takes themselves too seriously. Kudos to the Italians for literally telling their politicians what to go do with themselves.
The Italians, however, are not reserved people. Instead, more than 330,000 of them queued for hours in the hot sun recently to tell their politicians: vaffanculo! (roughly the equivalent of "f*** you").
Led by Beppe Grillo, a chubby, bearded comic who is Italy's version of Michael Moore, the masses rallied to protest against corruption and back-slapping. The protest even reached London, with a group of expats forming a V in Piccadilly Circus.
Grillo organised the whole thing through his blog, which is now, improbably, in the world's top 10 most-read list. The success of V-day, as it was quickly dubbed, has resulted in a third of Italians supporting Grillo for prime minister, according to a poll by Sky News. Laughter is the death knell for any politician who takes themselves too seriously. Kudos to the Italians for literally telling their politicians what to go do with themselves.
Nyet, Mon Ami
What happens when France finally gets a leader with some cajones? Former allies aren't happy. Russia and China have ctiticised France's foreign minister Bernard Kouchner for talking of "war" with Teheran.
After meeting his French counterpart in Moscow, Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, gave warning of the possible consequences of any military strike designed to disable Iran's nuclear programme.
"We are convinced that no modern problem has a military solution, and that applies to the Iranian nuclear programme as well," said Mr Lavrov.
"We are seriously concerned about increasingly frequent reports that military action against Iran is being seriously considered." Well, I am seriously concerned that Mr. Sarkozy doesn't give a rat's behind what Uncle Pootie thinks.
After meeting his French counterpart in Moscow, Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, gave warning of the possible consequences of any military strike designed to disable Iran's nuclear programme.
"We are convinced that no modern problem has a military solution, and that applies to the Iranian nuclear programme as well," said Mr Lavrov.
"We are seriously concerned about increasingly frequent reports that military action against Iran is being seriously considered." Well, I am seriously concerned that Mr. Sarkozy doesn't give a rat's behind what Uncle Pootie thinks.
1st And Ten
Oh, he's going down.
LAS VEGAS-A man described as a key suspect has become the fourth person arrested in the case accusing O.J. Simpson of 10 felonies in the armed robbery of sports memorabilia collectors in a casino hotel room.
The man was arrested Tuesday after turning himself in to Las Vegas police, authorities said. Police have described Michael McClinton, 49, of Las Vegas, as "a key player."
McClinton arranged through his attorney to surrender. Two other men who have not been identified also are being sought by police. Poor O.J. You just can't get good accomplices these days.
LAS VEGAS-A man described as a key suspect has become the fourth person arrested in the case accusing O.J. Simpson of 10 felonies in the armed robbery of sports memorabilia collectors in a casino hotel room.
The man was arrested Tuesday after turning himself in to Las Vegas police, authorities said. Police have described Michael McClinton, 49, of Las Vegas, as "a key player."
McClinton arranged through his attorney to surrender. Two other men who have not been identified also are being sought by police. Poor O.J. You just can't get good accomplices these days.
Witless For The Prosecution
It just goes to show that pedophiles come in all professions.
DETROIT-A U.S. prosecutor was arrested in an Internet sting operation after flying from Florida to Michigan allegedly to have sex with a 5-year-old girl, officials said.
John David Roy Atchison, 53, appeared Monday in U.S. District Court in Detroit on a charge of interstate travel to have sex with a minor. He is an assistant U.S. attorney in northern Florida.
The arrest followed several weeks of Internet conversations between the prosecutor and a detective posing as the mother of a 5-year-old girl, authorities say. A pedo and a prosecutor. Oh yeah, he's gonna be really popular in the slammer.
DETROIT-A U.S. prosecutor was arrested in an Internet sting operation after flying from Florida to Michigan allegedly to have sex with a 5-year-old girl, officials said.
John David Roy Atchison, 53, appeared Monday in U.S. District Court in Detroit on a charge of interstate travel to have sex with a minor. He is an assistant U.S. attorney in northern Florida.
The arrest followed several weeks of Internet conversations between the prosecutor and a detective posing as the mother of a 5-year-old girl, authorities say. A pedo and a prosecutor. Oh yeah, he's gonna be really popular in the slammer.
"You've Got No Arms"
The Black Knight's revenge.
SNELLVILLE, Ga.-Police are investigating the death of a man who collapsed after being headbutted by an armless man in a fight over a woman.
Snellville Police Chief Roy Whitehead said the two men, Charles Keith Teer and William Russell Redfern, scuffled Monday afternoon in the driveway of a suburban Atlanta home.
Witnessess told authorities that Redfern, who has no arms, kicked Teer, and Teer struck Redfern, Whitehead said.
After bystanders separated them, Redfern "came back and headbutted [Teer] one time," Whitehouse said.
Teer complained of feeling dizzy, collapsed, and died, Whitehead said. Well, I hope no one-legged guy ever challenges Redfern to a fight...
SNELLVILLE, Ga.-Police are investigating the death of a man who collapsed after being headbutted by an armless man in a fight over a woman.
Snellville Police Chief Roy Whitehead said the two men, Charles Keith Teer and William Russell Redfern, scuffled Monday afternoon in the driveway of a suburban Atlanta home.
Witnessess told authorities that Redfern, who has no arms, kicked Teer, and Teer struck Redfern, Whitehead said.
After bystanders separated them, Redfern "came back and headbutted [Teer] one time," Whitehouse said.
Teer complained of feeling dizzy, collapsed, and died, Whitehead said. Well, I hope no one-legged guy ever challenges Redfern to a fight...
Doormat For Sale, Cheap
But who would want it?
BRUSSELS, Belgium-The keys of the kingdom were posted on eBay.
Fed up with a three-month political standoff, a Belgian teacher posted an ad on the online auction site: "For Sale: Belgium, a Kingdom in three parts...free premium; the king and his court (costs not included)."
Gerrit Six placed the advertisement on Saturday, offering free delivery, but pointing out that the country was coming secondhand and that potential buyers would have to take on more than $300 billion in national debt.
"I wanted to attract attention," Six said. "You almost have to throw a rock through a window to get attention for Belgium." Why can't we do something like this with our own unwanted properties? You know, like California, the United Nations building, Capital Hill...
BRUSSELS, Belgium-The keys of the kingdom were posted on eBay.
Fed up with a three-month political standoff, a Belgian teacher posted an ad on the online auction site: "For Sale: Belgium, a Kingdom in three parts...free premium; the king and his court (costs not included)."
Gerrit Six placed the advertisement on Saturday, offering free delivery, but pointing out that the country was coming secondhand and that potential buyers would have to take on more than $300 billion in national debt.
"I wanted to attract attention," Six said. "You almost have to throw a rock through a window to get attention for Belgium." Why can't we do something like this with our own unwanted properties? You know, like California, the United Nations building, Capital Hill...
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
It Came Out Of The Sky
I can see it now: Zombies. Villagers in southern Peru were struck by a mysterious illness after a meteorite made a fiery crach to Earth in their area, regional authorities said Monday.
Around midday Saturday, villagers were startled by an explosion and a fireball that many were convinced was an airplane crashing near their remote village, located in the high Andes department of Puno in the Desaguadero region, near the border with Bolivia.
Residents complained of headaches and vomiting brought on by a "strange odor," local health department official Jorge Lopez told Peruvian radio RPP.
Seven policemen who went to check on the reports also became ill and had to be given oxygen before being hospitalized, Lopez said. Lock and load, people. Remember to aim for their heads!
Around midday Saturday, villagers were startled by an explosion and a fireball that many were convinced was an airplane crashing near their remote village, located in the high Andes department of Puno in the Desaguadero region, near the border with Bolivia.
Residents complained of headaches and vomiting brought on by a "strange odor," local health department official Jorge Lopez told Peruvian radio RPP.
Seven policemen who went to check on the reports also became ill and had to be given oxygen before being hospitalized, Lopez said. Lock and load, people. Remember to aim for their heads!
Secret VP Man
I tell you what, one thing I won't miss about Team Bush is this nonsense. Stealth is among Cheney's most effective tools. Man-size Mosler safes, used elsewhere in government for classified secrets, store the workaday business of the office of the vice president. Even talking points for reporters are sometimes stamped "Treated As: Top Secret/SCI." Experts in and out of government said Cheney's office appears to have invented that designation, which alludes to "sensitive compartmented information," the most closely guarded category of government secrets. By adding the words "treated as," they said, Cheney seeks to protect unclassified work as though its disclosure would cause "exceptionally grave damage to national security."
Across the board, the vice president's office goes to unusual lengths to avoid tramsparency. Cheney declines to disclose the names or even the size of his staff, generally releases no public calendar and ordered the Secret Service to destroy his visitor logs. His general counsel has asserted that "the vice presidency is a unique office that is neither a part of the executive brance nor a part of the legislative branch," and is therefore exempt from rules governing either. Cheney is refusing to observe an executive order on the handling of national security secrets, and he proposed to abolish a federal office that insisted on auditing his compliance.
In the usual business of interagency consiltation, proposals and information flow into the vice president's office from around the government, but high-ranking White House officials said in interviews that almost nothing flows out. Close aides to Cheney describe a simlar one-wy valve inside the office, with information flowing up to the vice president but little or no reaction flowing down. This is what happens when you give the guy who used to run the C.I.A. one of the most boring jobs in the world.
Across the board, the vice president's office goes to unusual lengths to avoid tramsparency. Cheney declines to disclose the names or even the size of his staff, generally releases no public calendar and ordered the Secret Service to destroy his visitor logs. His general counsel has asserted that "the vice presidency is a unique office that is neither a part of the executive brance nor a part of the legislative branch," and is therefore exempt from rules governing either. Cheney is refusing to observe an executive order on the handling of national security secrets, and he proposed to abolish a federal office that insisted on auditing his compliance.
In the usual business of interagency consiltation, proposals and information flow into the vice president's office from around the government, but high-ranking White House officials said in interviews that almost nothing flows out. Close aides to Cheney describe a simlar one-wy valve inside the office, with information flowing up to the vice president but little or no reaction flowing down. This is what happens when you give the guy who used to run the C.I.A. one of the most boring jobs in the world.
Rent-A-Moonbat
By now you've probably seen this. Videos of the Monday night incident, posted on several Web sites and played repeatedly on television news, show University of Florida police officers pullint Meyer away from the microphone after he asks Kerry about impeaching President Bush and whether he and Bush were both members of the secret society Skull and Bones at Yale University.
University spokesman Steve Orlando said Meyer was asked to leave the microphone after his allotted time was up. Meyer can be seen refusing to walk away and getting upset that the microphone was cut off.
As two officers take Meyer by the arms, Kerry, D-Mass., can be heard saying, "That's all right, let me answer his question."
Audience members applaud, and Meyer struggles for several seconds as up to four officers try to remove him from the room. Meyer screams for help and then tries to break away from officers with his arms flailing at them, then is forced to the ground and officers order him to stop resisting.
As Kerry tells the audience he will answer the student's "very important question," Meyer yells at the officers to release him, crying out, "Don't Tase me, bro," just before he is shocked by the Taser. He is then led from the room, screaming, "What did I do?" Well, for one thing, you made Kerry look like a legitimate political figure, you jackass.
University spokesman Steve Orlando said Meyer was asked to leave the microphone after his allotted time was up. Meyer can be seen refusing to walk away and getting upset that the microphone was cut off.
As two officers take Meyer by the arms, Kerry, D-Mass., can be heard saying, "That's all right, let me answer his question."
Audience members applaud, and Meyer struggles for several seconds as up to four officers try to remove him from the room. Meyer screams for help and then tries to break away from officers with his arms flailing at them, then is forced to the ground and officers order him to stop resisting.
As Kerry tells the audience he will answer the student's "very important question," Meyer yells at the officers to release him, crying out, "Don't Tase me, bro," just before he is shocked by the Taser. He is then led from the room, screaming, "What did I do?" Well, for one thing, you made Kerry look like a legitimate political figure, you jackass.
Wake Up Dead
The good news is: You're still alive. The bad news: Hugo Chavez is still running your country. CARACAS (Reuters)-A Venezuelan man who had been declared dead woke up in the morgue in excruciating pain after medical examiners began their autopsy.
Carlos Camejo, 33, was declared dead after a highway accident and taken to the morgue, where examiners began an autopsy only to realize something was amiss when he started bleeding. They quickly sought to stitch up the incision on his face.
"I woke up because the pain was unbearable," Camejo said, according to a report on Friday in leading local newspaper El Universal. Shades of Alfred Hitchcock. At least he didn't have to "Rise" to the occasion to prove he was still among the living.
Carlos Camejo, 33, was declared dead after a highway accident and taken to the morgue, where examiners began an autopsy only to realize something was amiss when he started bleeding. They quickly sought to stitch up the incision on his face.
"I woke up because the pain was unbearable," Camejo said, according to a report on Friday in leading local newspaper El Universal. Shades of Alfred Hitchcock. At least he didn't have to "Rise" to the occasion to prove he was still among the living.
Dear Leader Knows Nothing
Mini-Me swears he and Syria are just good friends.
North Korea has denied allegations that it may be helping Syria develop a nuclear weapons facility.
The foreign ministry in Pyongyang called the claims an "unskilful conspiracy" and "groundless."
There were allegations last week that Syria was holding technology or materials relating to North Korea's nuclear programme.
This follows reports that Israeli jets entered Syrian air space earlier this month and hit an unknown target.
"Recently some US media including the New York Times have been spreading allegations that we are secretly helping Syria with its nuclear programme. Such reports are groundless and misleading," a ministry spokesman said. In response, Syria claimed that Israel was trying to break its balls, while Israel said they already had.
North Korea has denied allegations that it may be helping Syria develop a nuclear weapons facility.
The foreign ministry in Pyongyang called the claims an "unskilful conspiracy" and "groundless."
There were allegations last week that Syria was holding technology or materials relating to North Korea's nuclear programme.
This follows reports that Israeli jets entered Syrian air space earlier this month and hit an unknown target.
"Recently some US media including the New York Times have been spreading allegations that we are secretly helping Syria with its nuclear programme. Such reports are groundless and misleading," a ministry spokesman said. In response, Syria claimed that Israel was trying to break its balls, while Israel said they already had.
Almighty Euro
Is the greenback headed for extinction on the world stage?
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP)-Former U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greemspan said it is possible that the euro could replace the U.S. dollar as the reserve currency of choice.
According to an advance copy of an interview to be published in Thursday's edition of the German magazine Stern, Greenspan said that the dollar is still slightly ahead in its use as a reserve currency, but added that "it doesn't have all that much of an advantage" anymore.
The euro has been soaring against the U.S. currency in recent weeks, hitting an all-time high of $1.3927 last week as the dollar has fallen on turblent market conditions stemming from the ongoing U.S. subprime crisis. The Fed meets this week and is expected to lower its benchmark interest rate from the current 5.25 percent. Social engineering of the housing market=economic upheavel=less people being able to buy homes. The law of unintended consequences at work.
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP)-Former U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greemspan said it is possible that the euro could replace the U.S. dollar as the reserve currency of choice.
According to an advance copy of an interview to be published in Thursday's edition of the German magazine Stern, Greenspan said that the dollar is still slightly ahead in its use as a reserve currency, but added that "it doesn't have all that much of an advantage" anymore.
The euro has been soaring against the U.S. currency in recent weeks, hitting an all-time high of $1.3927 last week as the dollar has fallen on turblent market conditions stemming from the ongoing U.S. subprime crisis. The Fed meets this week and is expected to lower its benchmark interest rate from the current 5.25 percent. Social engineering of the housing market=economic upheavel=less people being able to buy homes. The law of unintended consequences at work.
Paranoia Strikes Deep
The "Good Old Days" are back-with a vengeance. WASHINGTON-China and Russia are spying on the United States nearly as much as they did during the Cold War, according to the top U.S. intelligence official.
Mike McConnell, the director of national intelligence, says in testimony prepared for a Tuesday congressional hearing that a law passed last month expanding the U.S. government's eavesdropping power is needed to protect not just against terrorists but also against more traditional potential adversaries, such as those two Cold War foes.
"China and Russia's foreign intelligence services are among the most aggressive in collecting against sensitive and protected U.S. systems, facilities and development projects, and their efforts are approaching Cold War levels," McConnell says in his testimony. "Foreign intelligence information concerning the plans, activities and intentions of foreign powers and their agents is critical to protect the nation and preserve our security." That's all well and good, but I'm still not convinced giving this Administration-or future presidents, for that matter-so much authority is the answer. We should be able to keep tabs on the bad guys without sacrificing what we're supposedly protecting.
Mike McConnell, the director of national intelligence, says in testimony prepared for a Tuesday congressional hearing that a law passed last month expanding the U.S. government's eavesdropping power is needed to protect not just against terrorists but also against more traditional potential adversaries, such as those two Cold War foes.
"China and Russia's foreign intelligence services are among the most aggressive in collecting against sensitive and protected U.S. systems, facilities and development projects, and their efforts are approaching Cold War levels," McConnell says in his testimony. "Foreign intelligence information concerning the plans, activities and intentions of foreign powers and their agents is critical to protect the nation and preserve our security." That's all well and good, but I'm still not convinced giving this Administration-or future presidents, for that matter-so much authority is the answer. We should be able to keep tabs on the bad guys without sacrificing what we're supposedly protecting.
If You Tap In It, They Will Come
I wonder if visitors can get autographed photos of Larry Craig's scuffmarks? BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhuanet)-Tourists are flocking to see the bathroom in the Minneapolis airport where U.S. Sen. Larry Craig was arrested in a sex sting, making the stall a "tourist attraction," media reported Sunday.
"It's become a tourist attraction," said Karen Evans, who staffs the information counter at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
She said some even take pictures.
Craig was arrested in the second stall from the right Aug 27 for lewd conduct during a police sting. The Idaho Republican pleaded guilty fo misdemeanor disorderly conduct. I understand the tap-dancing lessons are free.
"It's become a tourist attraction," said Karen Evans, who staffs the information counter at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
She said some even take pictures.
Craig was arrested in the second stall from the right Aug 27 for lewd conduct during a police sting. The Idaho Republican pleaded guilty fo misdemeanor disorderly conduct. I understand the tap-dancing lessons are free.
A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Brainwash
It takes a village idiot to raise future revolutionaries. CARACAS, Venezuela (AP)-President Hugo Chavez threatened on Monday to close or take over any private school that refuses to submit to the oversight of his socialist government as it develops a new curriculum and textbooks.
"Society cannot allow the private sector to do whatever it wants," said Chavez, speaking on the first day of classes.
All schools, public and private, must admit state inspectors and submit to the government's new educational system, or be closed and nationalized, with the state taking responsibiluty for the education of their children, Chavez said.
A new curriculum will be ready by the end of this school year, and new textbooks are being developed to help educate "the new citizen," said Chavez's brother and education monister Adan Chavez, who joined him in a televised ceremony at the opening of a public school in the eastern town of El Tigre. I'm sure Michael Moore, Sean Penn and Harry Belefonte will be the first to praise the new school system as a model for the U.S. to follow. Because you can never have too much ideology in the classroom, right, guys?
"Society cannot allow the private sector to do whatever it wants," said Chavez, speaking on the first day of classes.
All schools, public and private, must admit state inspectors and submit to the government's new educational system, or be closed and nationalized, with the state taking responsibiluty for the education of their children, Chavez said.
A new curriculum will be ready by the end of this school year, and new textbooks are being developed to help educate "the new citizen," said Chavez's brother and education monister Adan Chavez, who joined him in a televised ceremony at the opening of a public school in the eastern town of El Tigre. I'm sure Michael Moore, Sean Penn and Harry Belefonte will be the first to praise the new school system as a model for the U.S. to follow. Because you can never have too much ideology in the classroom, right, guys?
One Nation, Under Hillary
It's Hillarycare or Bust! Speaking yesterday in Iowa, she said: "I believe everyone-every man, woman and child-should have quality, affordable healthcare in America. I intend to be the President that accomplishes that goal for our country."
Although the US spends more on healthcare than other Western countries, 47 million Americans-one sixth of the population-are not covered by private insurance schemes or government-funded schemes.
Mrs. Clinton's plan, which would cost about $110 billion (55 billion) a year, is similar to those proposed by Democratic rivals John Edwards and Barack Obama which build on existing private health schemes.
She would insist that everyone is covered, in the same way that "drivers in most states are required to have car insurance." Um, sorry, Mrs. Clinton, but switching to Hillarycare wouldn't quite be the same as switching to Geico. For one thing, I wouldn't save a lot more on my taxes.
Although the US spends more on healthcare than other Western countries, 47 million Americans-one sixth of the population-are not covered by private insurance schemes or government-funded schemes.
Mrs. Clinton's plan, which would cost about $110 billion (55 billion) a year, is similar to those proposed by Democratic rivals John Edwards and Barack Obama which build on existing private health schemes.
She would insist that everyone is covered, in the same way that "drivers in most states are required to have car insurance." Um, sorry, Mrs. Clinton, but switching to Hillarycare wouldn't quite be the same as switching to Geico. For one thing, I wouldn't save a lot more on my taxes.
Missile Maniacs
Keep talking like this, guys. We'll see how many rockets you'll actually be able to get off the ground. Iran threatened to fire long-range missiles at American targets in the Middle East yesterday as the war of words between Teheran and the West continued to escalate.
A senior commander of the Revolutionary Guard, the largest component of the Islamic republic's armed forces, chose this moment to outline the capability of his country's ballistic missiles.
The Shahab-3 rocket has a range of 1,250 miles, allowing it to strike an array of Western targets across the Middle East.
"Today the Americans are around our country but this does not mean that they are encircling us. They are encircled themselves and are within our range," said Gen Mohammed Hassan Koussechi. Oh yes, sir, General, you've got 'em right where they want you.
A senior commander of the Revolutionary Guard, the largest component of the Islamic republic's armed forces, chose this moment to outline the capability of his country's ballistic missiles.
The Shahab-3 rocket has a range of 1,250 miles, allowing it to strike an array of Western targets across the Middle East.
"Today the Americans are around our country but this does not mean that they are encircling us. They are encircled themselves and are within our range," said Gen Mohammed Hassan Koussechi. Oh yes, sir, General, you've got 'em right where they want you.
Set Phasers On Butt Kicking
Move over, Star Trek.
Fragile particles rarely seen in our Universe have been merged with ordinary electrons to make a new form of matter.
Di-Positronium, as the new molecule is known, was predicted to exist in 1946 but has remained elusive to science.
Now, a US team has created thousands of the molecules by merging electrons with their antimatter equivalent: positrons.
The discovery, reported in the journal Nature, is a key step in the creation of ultra-powerful lasers known as gamma-ray annihilation lasers.
"The difference in the power available from a gamma-ray laser compared to a normal laser is the same as the difference between a nuclear explosion and a chemical explosion," said Dr David Cassidy of the University of California, Riverside, and one of the authors of the paper. I love the smell of burning electrons in the morning...
Fragile particles rarely seen in our Universe have been merged with ordinary electrons to make a new form of matter.
Di-Positronium, as the new molecule is known, was predicted to exist in 1946 but has remained elusive to science.
Now, a US team has created thousands of the molecules by merging electrons with their antimatter equivalent: positrons.
The discovery, reported in the journal Nature, is a key step in the creation of ultra-powerful lasers known as gamma-ray annihilation lasers.
"The difference in the power available from a gamma-ray laser compared to a normal laser is the same as the difference between a nuclear explosion and a chemical explosion," said Dr David Cassidy of the University of California, Riverside, and one of the authors of the paper. I love the smell of burning electrons in the morning...
Monday, September 17, 2007
Outsourcing Incompetence
Barney Fife hs been kicked out of Iraq.
BAGHDAD-The Interior Ministry said Monday that it was pulling the license of an American security firm allegedly involved in the fatal shooting of civilians during an attack on a U.S. State Department motorcade in Baghdad.
The ministry said it would prosecute any foreign contractors found to have used excessive force in the Sunday incident.
Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul-Karin Khalaf said eight people were killed and 13 were wounded when security contractors working for Blackwater USA opened fire in a predominantly Sunni neighborhood of western Baghdad.
"We have canceled the license of Blackwater and prevented them from working all over Iraqi territory. We will also refer those involved to Iraqi judicial authorities," Khalaf said. Can you imagine how the Bush administration would have responded? "We're very sorry that this incident happened, but our legal advisors have told us that they didn't really do anything criminal, and if you think otherwise then you're just another cut-and-run type who hates America and wants to hand the country over to our enemies."
BAGHDAD-The Interior Ministry said Monday that it was pulling the license of an American security firm allegedly involved in the fatal shooting of civilians during an attack on a U.S. State Department motorcade in Baghdad.
The ministry said it would prosecute any foreign contractors found to have used excessive force in the Sunday incident.
Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul-Karin Khalaf said eight people were killed and 13 were wounded when security contractors working for Blackwater USA opened fire in a predominantly Sunni neighborhood of western Baghdad.
"We have canceled the license of Blackwater and prevented them from working all over Iraqi territory. We will also refer those involved to Iraqi judicial authorities," Khalaf said. Can you imagine how the Bush administration would have responded? "We're very sorry that this incident happened, but our legal advisors have told us that they didn't really do anything criminal, and if you think otherwise then you're just another cut-and-run type who hates America and wants to hand the country over to our enemies."
When The PCs Are Too Un-PC
Here's another example of why government should be involved in innovation as little as possible. Let's imagine that you set up a non-profit to recycle electronics and divert computers from going directly to landfills or otherwise being destroyed by a grinder. You look for ways to refurbish these components and possibly recombine them into functional computers that go out to areas and institutions that have difficulty obtaining computers. You might even collect some of the vintage electronics that comes through the door and hang on to this stuff because you think it's cool and somebody might want it someday. Yes, your place looks a bit like a junkyard but it's one that employs people to do something with the junk you collect. And while you have organized these efforts as a charity, you have figured out how to break even from providing these recycling services and you don't need donations or government support.
You do all this and then a government inspector drops in one day. This is an inspector from the Department of Toxic Substance Control of the California Enivoronmental Protection Agency. You've had inspectors before and the visits have been cordial. Your operation is not unlike the Salvation Army or the Goodwill. You have worked with the DTSC in the past. You think you're a friend of the environment because you repurpose equipment that would otherwise be waste.
You expect to pass the inspection but no. Instead, you get written up. Perhaps it's because there's a new inspector in town with something to prove. No matter, you've now been handed a Section 1 violation, which means they can shut you down or make it very hard for you to stay in business. The inspector says that you don't have a proper inventory of all the parts. The inspector says that you have to get rid of equiment after a year, so you'll have to clear out your museum of collectibles. This is the letter of the law and you're expected to follow it. You've got 30 days to comply. Now, imagine if this were done at all levels of our lives. Imagine how hard it would be to operate any legitimate business or other concern under these conditions. Then you'll get a pretty good idea of what life would be like in a socialist country. In other words, if the Democrats truly ran everything.
You do all this and then a government inspector drops in one day. This is an inspector from the Department of Toxic Substance Control of the California Enivoronmental Protection Agency. You've had inspectors before and the visits have been cordial. Your operation is not unlike the Salvation Army or the Goodwill. You have worked with the DTSC in the past. You think you're a friend of the environment because you repurpose equipment that would otherwise be waste.
You expect to pass the inspection but no. Instead, you get written up. Perhaps it's because there's a new inspector in town with something to prove. No matter, you've now been handed a Section 1 violation, which means they can shut you down or make it very hard for you to stay in business. The inspector says that you don't have a proper inventory of all the parts. The inspector says that you have to get rid of equiment after a year, so you'll have to clear out your museum of collectibles. This is the letter of the law and you're expected to follow it. You've got 30 days to comply. Now, imagine if this were done at all levels of our lives. Imagine how hard it would be to operate any legitimate business or other concern under these conditions. Then you'll get a pretty good idea of what life would be like in a socialist country. In other words, if the Democrats truly ran everything.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Bygone Belgium?
Europe's doormat provides a lesson as to why a country needs a single language. Several months ago, elections were organized in Belgium. The outcome of these elections was that a center-right coalition would be formed. After months of negotiations, however, a crisis broke out. Now it seems possible that the tiny country of Belgium could split apart into two separate states.
Belgium is, in many ways, a strange country. It is young; it only came into being in the 19th century. And it consists of two very different parts: one part is in the south where people speak Frency, the otheer part is the north where people speak Dutch. Until 1830 Belgium as a whole was part of the Netherlands, but Belgians wanted independence, fought for it and got it.
(snip) Belgium proves how difficult it is to have two different peoples (with two different histories and with two different cultures) to make up one country. This year the arguments (about power and influence) have escalated, and some are now calling on Flanders to separate from Wallonia. Some experts have already stated that if Belgium were to split up, nobody would notice and everybody would be better off. One could conceivably say the same thing about Iraq.
Belgium is, in many ways, a strange country. It is young; it only came into being in the 19th century. And it consists of two very different parts: one part is in the south where people speak Frency, the otheer part is the north where people speak Dutch. Until 1830 Belgium as a whole was part of the Netherlands, but Belgians wanted independence, fought for it and got it.
(snip) Belgium proves how difficult it is to have two different peoples (with two different histories and with two different cultures) to make up one country. This year the arguments (about power and influence) have escalated, and some are now calling on Flanders to separate from Wallonia. Some experts have already stated that if Belgium were to split up, nobody would notice and everybody would be better off. One could conceivably say the same thing about Iraq.
"If Elected, I Will Not Assassinate"
Well, why not? Russian news reports say Andrei Lugovoi, the sole suspect in last years's poisoning death of a Kremlin critic in London, has been nominated to run for the Russian parliament on an ultra-nationalist ticket.
The reports quote the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, as saying Lugovoi will stand as the party's number two candidate in December elections for the lower house of parliament.
British police suspect Lugovoi poisoned Russian spy-turned-Kremlim critic Alexander Litvinenko in London last year using a radioactive susbstance. Lugovoi has denied involvement in Litvinenko's death. When you have a leader who's acting like a Mob boss, what's one more hitman in his pocket, more or less?
The reports quote the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, as saying Lugovoi will stand as the party's number two candidate in December elections for the lower house of parliament.
British police suspect Lugovoi poisoned Russian spy-turned-Kremlim critic Alexander Litvinenko in London last year using a radioactive susbstance. Lugovoi has denied involvement in Litvinenko's death. When you have a leader who's acting like a Mob boss, what's one more hitman in his pocket, more or less?
The Ice Queen And The Iron Lady
To paraphrase Loyd Bentsen, Hillary, you're no Margaret Thatcher. THE frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, Rudolph Giuliani, has attacked Hillary Clinton's attempts to represent herself as a new "Iron Lady" by accusing her of surrendering to the hard left over the Iraq war.
Giuliani flies into London this week to give the inaugural Margaret Thatcher lecture, organised by the Atlantic Bridge think tank. He will be awarded the Margaret Thatcher medal of freedom by the original Iron Lady, 81, who is revered by American conservatives.
The former New York mayor has accused Clinton of pandering to left-wing Democrats by casting doubt on the testimony of General David Petraeus, the commander of American forces in Iraq, on the progress of the US troop surge.
"I don't think Margaret Thatcher would impugn the integrity of a commanding general in a time of war, as Hillary Clinton did, or require an army to give a schedule of their retreat to the enemy, as the Democrats are suggesting," said Giuliani. I think Hillary is about to find out what happens when icicles meet steel balls.
Giuliani flies into London this week to give the inaugural Margaret Thatcher lecture, organised by the Atlantic Bridge think tank. He will be awarded the Margaret Thatcher medal of freedom by the original Iron Lady, 81, who is revered by American conservatives.
The former New York mayor has accused Clinton of pandering to left-wing Democrats by casting doubt on the testimony of General David Petraeus, the commander of American forces in Iraq, on the progress of the US troop surge.
"I don't think Margaret Thatcher would impugn the integrity of a commanding general in a time of war, as Hillary Clinton did, or require an army to give a schedule of their retreat to the enemy, as the Democrats are suggesting," said Giuliani. I think Hillary is about to find out what happens when icicles meet steel balls.
The Letter
Now how could anyone think this person had an agenda? Bidwell Junior High School administrators said a letter sent home with students in an eighth-grade class Tuesday was a good idea for a history lesson, with bad execution.
The letter, which appeared to ask parents to renounce their U.S. citizenship, prompted phone calls to the school from several irate parents.
Principal Joanne Parsley said teacher Mike Brooks never intended to have parents sign the letters, or forward them on to President Bush, to whom they are addressed.
"It was a well-intended lesson that didn't shake out too well," she said, adding that Brooks would not be subject to disciplinary action. I know a lot of teachers want kids to think we need a second Revolution, but one is enough.
The letter, which appeared to ask parents to renounce their U.S. citizenship, prompted phone calls to the school from several irate parents.
Principal Joanne Parsley said teacher Mike Brooks never intended to have parents sign the letters, or forward them on to President Bush, to whom they are addressed.
"It was a well-intended lesson that didn't shake out too well," she said, adding that Brooks would not be subject to disciplinary action. I know a lot of teachers want kids to think we need a second Revolution, but one is enough.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
The Party That Bush Lost
If you're a Bushbot, this will not make you happy.
Assessed favorably this week by the war's lead general, the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq appears to be causing a surge of another sort-and one that's not positive for President Bush or the Republican Party. Since the start of the Iraq war in 2003, members of the U.S. military have dramatically increased their political contributions to Democrats, marching sharply away from the party they've long supported. In the 2002 election cycle, the last full cycle before the war began, Democrats received a mere 23 percent of military members' contributions. So far this year, 40 percent of military money has gone to Democrats for Congress and president, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. Anti-war presidential candidates Barack Obama and Ron Paul are the top recipients of military money.
"People are saying now enough is enough," said Lt. Col. Joyce Griggs, an intelligence officer who said she spent two months in Baghdad earlier this year, speaking for herself and not the Army. "If you're a soldier, you're going to do your job, do what you're commanded to do. But that sentiment is wide and deep."
Griggs, who voted for George H.W. Bush but not his son the current president, contributed to Obama's presiential campaign this year, she said. Among the military forces, she's not alone in her support for the Democratic senator from Illinois, who has spoken out against the war since its start. Obama, who has never served in the military, has brought in more contributions from uninformed service members-about $27,000-than any other presidential hopeful, Democrat or Republican. "I feel that he's the most progressive candidate and he stands for change," Griggs said. "I believe he is that breath of fresh air that we need to get this country back on course." Well I might not vote for the guy, but I can see her point. So, I guess this means that the military is full of people who don't understand "Grit?"
Assessed favorably this week by the war's lead general, the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq appears to be causing a surge of another sort-and one that's not positive for President Bush or the Republican Party. Since the start of the Iraq war in 2003, members of the U.S. military have dramatically increased their political contributions to Democrats, marching sharply away from the party they've long supported. In the 2002 election cycle, the last full cycle before the war began, Democrats received a mere 23 percent of military members' contributions. So far this year, 40 percent of military money has gone to Democrats for Congress and president, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. Anti-war presidential candidates Barack Obama and Ron Paul are the top recipients of military money.
"People are saying now enough is enough," said Lt. Col. Joyce Griggs, an intelligence officer who said she spent two months in Baghdad earlier this year, speaking for herself and not the Army. "If you're a soldier, you're going to do your job, do what you're commanded to do. But that sentiment is wide and deep."
Griggs, who voted for George H.W. Bush but not his son the current president, contributed to Obama's presiential campaign this year, she said. Among the military forces, she's not alone in her support for the Democratic senator from Illinois, who has spoken out against the war since its start. Obama, who has never served in the military, has brought in more contributions from uninformed service members-about $27,000-than any other presidential hopeful, Democrat or Republican. "I feel that he's the most progressive candidate and he stands for change," Griggs said. "I believe he is that breath of fresh air that we need to get this country back on course." Well I might not vote for the guy, but I can see her point. So, I guess this means that the military is full of people who don't understand "Grit?"
To Be Better Than Our Enemies
That stuff Bush says isn't torture is out. The controversial interrogation technique known as water-boarding, in which a suspect has water poured over his mouth and nose to stimulate a drowning reflex, has been banned by CIA director Gen. Michael Hayden, current and former CIA officials tell ABCNews.com. (Image above is an ABC News graphic.)
The officials say Hayden made the decision at the recommendation of his deputy, Steve Kappes, and received approval from the White House to remove water=boarding from the list of approved interrogation techniques first authorized by a presidential finding in 2002.
The officials say the decision was made sometime last year but has never been publicly disclosed. Now this just ain't right. Next thing you know them durn libruls will be saying we need to call these terrists prisoners of war an' treat 'em according to that there Geneva Convention. You know, the thing we want our boys to be treated under.
The officials say Hayden made the decision at the recommendation of his deputy, Steve Kappes, and received approval from the White House to remove water=boarding from the list of approved interrogation techniques first authorized by a presidential finding in 2002.
The officials say the decision was made sometime last year but has never been publicly disclosed. Now this just ain't right. Next thing you know them durn libruls will be saying we need to call these terrists prisoners of war an' treat 'em according to that there Geneva Convention. You know, the thing we want our boys to be treated under.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Hooked On Bush
He may be an opportunist, but when he's right, he's right. WASHINGTON (Reuters)-Republican presidential candidates need to make a "clean break" from President George W. Bush and the U.S. government or they will lose in November 2008, a veteran Republican leadere said on Friday.
"If you don't represent real change, you just gave away the 2008 election," said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who led a Republican takeover of the House of Representatives in 1994 and now is flirting with a White House run.
Gingrich cited the Iraq war, the failed federal response to Hurricand Katrina two years ago and the inability to control U.S. borders and illegal immigration as evidence of a need for a complete overhaul of the U.S. system of governing.
"Now that may or may not make the White House happy. But I thin that's the whole point about making a clean break," Gingrich told a group of reporters over breakfast. The Republican Party is currently like an addict in denial. And like many addicts, it may take an intervention in the form of losing next year to get them to stop paying their pushers, the idealogues who have gotten them to buy their junk.
"If you don't represent real change, you just gave away the 2008 election," said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who led a Republican takeover of the House of Representatives in 1994 and now is flirting with a White House run.
Gingrich cited the Iraq war, the failed federal response to Hurricand Katrina two years ago and the inability to control U.S. borders and illegal immigration as evidence of a need for a complete overhaul of the U.S. system of governing.
"Now that may or may not make the White House happy. But I thin that's the whole point about making a clean break," Gingrich told a group of reporters over breakfast. The Republican Party is currently like an addict in denial. And like many addicts, it may take an intervention in the form of losing next year to get them to stop paying their pushers, the idealogues who have gotten them to buy their junk.
Gangsta OJ
OJ has apparently taken a step down from homicide to simple thuggery.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters)-Las Vegas police questioned O.J. Simpson after a memorabilia dealer told them the former football star and murder defendant robbed him at gunpoint in a Las Vegas casino hotel room, police and other sources said on Friday.
Simpson was questioned about Thursday night's hotel room confrontation but was not taken into custody, a Las Vegas police spokeswoman said.
The spokeswoman said the matter was still under investigation and declined to provide further details before a news conference scheduled for later on Friday. Well, if the theft charges fit, they must convict.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters)-Las Vegas police questioned O.J. Simpson after a memorabilia dealer told them the former football star and murder defendant robbed him at gunpoint in a Las Vegas casino hotel room, police and other sources said on Friday.
Simpson was questioned about Thursday night's hotel room confrontation but was not taken into custody, a Las Vegas police spokeswoman said.
The spokeswoman said the matter was still under investigation and declined to provide further details before a news conference scheduled for later on Friday. Well, if the theft charges fit, they must convict.
Boybot
Kids beware-you could be replaced. The 17-inch tall "social robot", unveiled yesterday, is the culmination of five years work by a team of Texan engineers, designers and computer programmers led by David Hanson.
The robot boy has blinking eyes that can track people and a face that displays a range of expressions.
His creators believe there is an emerging market for life-like robot companions.
Unlike clearly artificial robotic toys, Mr Hanson said he envisioned Zeno as an interactive learning companion, a synthetic friend who could engage in conversation and convey hyman emotion through a face made of a skin-like, patented material he calls "frubber." They are evolving...they have a plan...
The robot boy has blinking eyes that can track people and a face that displays a range of expressions.
His creators believe there is an emerging market for life-like robot companions.
Unlike clearly artificial robotic toys, Mr Hanson said he envisioned Zeno as an interactive learning companion, a synthetic friend who could engage in conversation and convey hyman emotion through a face made of a skin-like, patented material he calls "frubber." They are evolving...they have a plan...
The Ghost Of Jayson Blair
All the news that's fit to fake. A former ABC News consultant fired last year because he couldn't authenticate academic credentials is at the center of a new dispute over apparently faked interviews with Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Bill Gates and others.
The consultant, Alexis Debat, quit the Nixon Center, a Washington think tank, on Wednesday after Obama's representatives claimed an interview with the senator appearing under Debat's byline in the French magazine Politique Internationale never took place. The interview quoted the Democratic presidential candidate as saying the Iraq war was "a defeat for America."
Pelosi, Gates, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg all said they never gave interviews that appeared in the magazine under Debat's byline, ABC News' Web site, the Blotter, reported on Thursday. Well, on the bright side, if he can lie that convincingly, it won't be long before some politicians' campaign hires him.
The consultant, Alexis Debat, quit the Nixon Center, a Washington think tank, on Wednesday after Obama's representatives claimed an interview with the senator appearing under Debat's byline in the French magazine Politique Internationale never took place. The interview quoted the Democratic presidential candidate as saying the Iraq war was "a defeat for America."
Pelosi, Gates, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg all said they never gave interviews that appeared in the magazine under Debat's byline, ABC News' Web site, the Blotter, reported on Thursday. Well, on the bright side, if he can lie that convincingly, it won't be long before some politicians' campaign hires him.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
The Fred Factor
He may not get the nomination, but there's a reason why Fred Thompson has appeal in the crowded GOP field. Sadly, the Bush Administration has buried federalism. Consider that Ronald Reagan wanted to abolish the Department of Education, and he at least succeeded in roughly freezing the department's budget. The current president, by contrast, has doubled the department's budget and increased federal regulations imposed on the nation's schools.
If elected, would today's GOP candidates be Bush Republicans or Reagan Republicans? Romney, McCain, and Giuliani talk about cutting federal "waste" and "pork." But the problem with the $2.8 trillion federal budget is not $30 billion in pork, it is $2 trillion of spending that violates the 10th Amendment to the Constitution oas properly the responsibility of the states and the people.
What about presidential candidate Ron Paul? Pul is certainly a strong believer in the 10th Amendment, but he has been mainly occupied by the war in Iraq and hasn;t focused his campaign on cutting domestic spending.
That's why I'm pleased that Fred Thompson has thrown his hat into the ring. Thompson has been talking and writing about his belief in federalism. In a recent speech, he argued that "centralized government is not the solution to all our problems...this was among the great insights of 1787, and it is just as vital in 2007."
Thompson rightly argues that the abandonment of federalism has caused a range of pathologies including a lack of government accountability, the squelching of policy diversity between the states, and the overburdening of federal policymakers with local matters when they should be focusing on national security issues. I'm still mostly a Rudy guy. But it's refreshing that there's someone in the race who actually understands Reagan's core message and isn't just parroting it to prove their conservative bona fides.
If elected, would today's GOP candidates be Bush Republicans or Reagan Republicans? Romney, McCain, and Giuliani talk about cutting federal "waste" and "pork." But the problem with the $2.8 trillion federal budget is not $30 billion in pork, it is $2 trillion of spending that violates the 10th Amendment to the Constitution oas properly the responsibility of the states and the people.
What about presidential candidate Ron Paul? Pul is certainly a strong believer in the 10th Amendment, but he has been mainly occupied by the war in Iraq and hasn;t focused his campaign on cutting domestic spending.
That's why I'm pleased that Fred Thompson has thrown his hat into the ring. Thompson has been talking and writing about his belief in federalism. In a recent speech, he argued that "centralized government is not the solution to all our problems...this was among the great insights of 1787, and it is just as vital in 2007."
Thompson rightly argues that the abandonment of federalism has caused a range of pathologies including a lack of government accountability, the squelching of policy diversity between the states, and the overburdening of federal policymakers with local matters when they should be focusing on national security issues. I'm still mostly a Rudy guy. But it's refreshing that there's someone in the race who actually understands Reagan's core message and isn't just parroting it to prove their conservative bona fides.
The Sheik Is Gone
It's too early to tell how this will hurt us long-term, but it can't be good. Nothing could have been more predictable than the murder of Abu Risha, the man most closely identified with America's Anbar strategy. He was the public face of the turn against Al-Qaeda, and Petraeus immediately said that "it shows Al Qaeda in Iraq remains a very dangerous and barbarid enemy." But there's no reason to assume that al-Qaeda killed him-I'd guess that one of the nationalist insurgency groups, the ones which current American rhetoric pretends don't exist-is a more likely suspect. Other tribes deeply resented him. The major nationalist insurgency groups had recently issued a series of statements denouncing people who would illegitimately seize the fruits of their victorious jihad-of whom he was the prime example. All those photographs which swamped the Arab media showing him shaking hands with President Bush made him even more a marked man than before.
His murder graphically demonstrates that the other groups threatened by the American Anbar strategy were never going to just sit back passively and allow it to succeed-an obvious strategic point which has always seemed to elude surge advocates. The Sunni strategy as presented by surge advocates has always rested not only on a whole series of dubious claims about Iraqi Sunni politics, but also relies on a whole series of best-case scenarios in which nothing could go wrong. In Iraq, something always goes wrong.
It's a major setback for the strategy, particularly on the symbolic level. Even if Abu Risha was a poor choice to "lead" the strategy, he was in fact elevated to that symbolic position by American propaganda and practice (that meeting with the President, for instance). His murder demonstrates that even America's closest friends are not untouchable-not even on the day of a Presidential address expected to rely heavily on progress in Anbar. The political fallout of the murder inside of Iraq may well exceed Abu Risha's actual role in Sunni politics. Will this become Iraq's version of the Tet Offensive, which American and South Vietnamese forces actually won, but which was a huge propaganda coup for the antiwar movement at home? The next time Bush tries to compare Iraq with Vietnam, he should remember that it was also a failed strategy and not just the durn librul media and them Democrats in Congress which led to our withdrawal.
His murder graphically demonstrates that the other groups threatened by the American Anbar strategy were never going to just sit back passively and allow it to succeed-an obvious strategic point which has always seemed to elude surge advocates. The Sunni strategy as presented by surge advocates has always rested not only on a whole series of dubious claims about Iraqi Sunni politics, but also relies on a whole series of best-case scenarios in which nothing could go wrong. In Iraq, something always goes wrong.
It's a major setback for the strategy, particularly on the symbolic level. Even if Abu Risha was a poor choice to "lead" the strategy, he was in fact elevated to that symbolic position by American propaganda and practice (that meeting with the President, for instance). His murder demonstrates that even America's closest friends are not untouchable-not even on the day of a Presidential address expected to rely heavily on progress in Anbar. The political fallout of the murder inside of Iraq may well exceed Abu Risha's actual role in Sunni politics. Will this become Iraq's version of the Tet Offensive, which American and South Vietnamese forces actually won, but which was a huge propaganda coup for the antiwar movement at home? The next time Bush tries to compare Iraq with Vietnam, he should remember that it was also a failed strategy and not just the durn librul media and them Democrats in Congress which led to our withdrawal.
If You Leave
Radical Islam, the cult that just won't let go.
THE HAGUE-A 22-year-old Dutch-Iranian will launch a campaign on Tuesday for Muslims to have the right to renounce their faith and find support from their peers, a view which has made him the victim of three physical attacks.
Although similar initiatives have started elsewhere in Europe, Ehsan Jami's group has stirred intense interest in the Netherlands, which has one million Muslins, and has reignited the country's highly-emotive debate.
"We have an enormous problem with apostasy in Islam. We see a lot of problems where people want to leave Islam but they can't," Jamil said. "There are five sharia schools in Islam which say if you leave Islam you must be killed," he said. Apostasy is punishable by death or imprisonment in some Muslim countries and deplored throughout the Islamic world. This is what happens when you have a religion that has never experienced a Renaissance or a Reformation. Its Dark Ages follows you wherever you go.
THE HAGUE-A 22-year-old Dutch-Iranian will launch a campaign on Tuesday for Muslims to have the right to renounce their faith and find support from their peers, a view which has made him the victim of three physical attacks.
Although similar initiatives have started elsewhere in Europe, Ehsan Jami's group has stirred intense interest in the Netherlands, which has one million Muslins, and has reignited the country's highly-emotive debate.
"We have an enormous problem with apostasy in Islam. We see a lot of problems where people want to leave Islam but they can't," Jamil said. "There are five sharia schools in Islam which say if you leave Islam you must be killed," he said. Apostasy is punishable by death or imprisonment in some Muslim countries and deplored throughout the Islamic world. This is what happens when you have a religion that has never experienced a Renaissance or a Reformation. Its Dark Ages follows you wherever you go.
Osama Junior
Binny's boy seems to be following in his daddy's targeted footsteps.
ON THE sixth anniversay of the 9/11 tragedy, Osama bin Laden remains free-but he could now be joined in his campaign by his son, Hamza.
Militant sources say while bin Laden's whereabouts are unknown, Hamza has recently come to the tribal belt, the al-Qaida stronghold on Pakistan and Afghanistan's border.
The news came from a militant who was formerly in one of bin Laden's camps before 9/11 and maintains links with groups affiliated with him.
Referring to bin Laden by his nom de guerre of "sheik," he said: "Sheik's own son, young Hamza, is now here and he is among friends. Well, if Junior wants to join the family business, that's fine. We could use the target practice for if and when we do find his old man.
ON THE sixth anniversay of the 9/11 tragedy, Osama bin Laden remains free-but he could now be joined in his campaign by his son, Hamza.
Militant sources say while bin Laden's whereabouts are unknown, Hamza has recently come to the tribal belt, the al-Qaida stronghold on Pakistan and Afghanistan's border.
The news came from a militant who was formerly in one of bin Laden's camps before 9/11 and maintains links with groups affiliated with him.
Referring to bin Laden by his nom de guerre of "sheik," he said: "Sheik's own son, young Hamza, is now here and he is among friends. Well, if Junior wants to join the family business, that's fine. We could use the target practice for if and when we do find his old man.
Mother Russia
It's like the lottery, but for mothers. ULYANOVSK, Russia (Reuters)-The governor of a central Russian province urged couples to skip work on Wednesday and make love instead to help boost Russia's low birth-rate.
And if a woman gives birth in exactly nine months time-on Russia's national day on June 12-she will qualify for a prize, perhaps even winning a new home.
"It's normally something for the home-a fridge or a television set," Yelena Yakovleva at the Ulyanovsk regional administration press office, said.
"It doesn't matter if it's a girl or a boy." Maybe we should try something like this here at home. I'm sure there are many women out there whom I could help win a new home...
And if a woman gives birth in exactly nine months time-on Russia's national day on June 12-she will qualify for a prize, perhaps even winning a new home.
"It's normally something for the home-a fridge or a television set," Yelena Yakovleva at the Ulyanovsk regional administration press office, said.
"It doesn't matter if it's a girl or a boy." Maybe we should try something like this here at home. I'm sure there are many women out there whom I could help win a new home...
Somebody Saved My Life Tonight
Sure he did. Fidel Castro has claimed that Cuba had once saved the life of President Ronald Reagan by tipping off American officials about an assassination plot by Right-wing extremists.
He made his extraordinary claim in a long newspaper essay read out on Cuban television in which he argued that his country had co-operated with the US in the past.
Castro wrote that a Cuban security official stationed at the United Nations was warned in 1984 of a plot by an extreme Right-wing group to kill Mr Reagan during a planned trip to North Carolina later that year. Wow, I didn't know ghosts could travel back in time.
He made his extraordinary claim in a long newspaper essay read out on Cuban television in which he argued that his country had co-operated with the US in the past.
Castro wrote that a Cuban security official stationed at the United Nations was warned in 1984 of a plot by an extreme Right-wing group to kill Mr Reagan during a planned trip to North Carolina later that year. Wow, I didn't know ghosts could travel back in time.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
I Will Survive
Well, I wouldn't get my hopes up just yet. What happens to planets when their stars age and die?
That's not an academic question. About five billion years from now, astronomers say, the Sun will run out of hydrogen fuel and swell temporarily more than 100 times in diameter into a so-called red giant, swallowing Mercury and Venus and dooming life on Earth, but perhaps not Earth itself.
Astronomers are announcing that they have discovered a planet that seems to have survived the puffing up of its home star, suggesting there is some hope that Earth could survive the aging and swelling of the Sun. So I guess this means I'll be able to sell that beachfront property to visiting aliens after all?
That's not an academic question. About five billion years from now, astronomers say, the Sun will run out of hydrogen fuel and swell temporarily more than 100 times in diameter into a so-called red giant, swallowing Mercury and Venus and dooming life on Earth, but perhaps not Earth itself.
Astronomers are announcing that they have discovered a planet that seems to have survived the puffing up of its home star, suggesting there is some hope that Earth could survive the aging and swelling of the Sun. So I guess this means I'll be able to sell that beachfront property to visiting aliens after all?
The Governator's Smackdown
Arnold comes through again. Just minutes before a midnight deadline, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill that would have placed on the Feb. 5 presidential primary election ballot an advisory resloution urging President Bush to immediately withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq.
Schwarzenegger said in his veto message such a vote would be superfluous when voters can determine the future course of Iraq policy with their votes for president.
"There is no louder message Californians can send to Washington on the Iraq war than who should lead our country," the governor said. "Placing a non-binding resolution on Iraq on the same ballot, when it carries no weight or authority, would only further divide voters and shift attention from other critical issues that must be addressed." In other words, the Governator told the moonbats what they could go do with themselves. So much for his being a complete RINO.
Schwarzenegger said in his veto message such a vote would be superfluous when voters can determine the future course of Iraq policy with their votes for president.
"There is no louder message Californians can send to Washington on the Iraq war than who should lead our country," the governor said. "Placing a non-binding resolution on Iraq on the same ballot, when it carries no weight or authority, would only further divide voters and shift attention from other critical issues that must be addressed." In other words, the Governator told the moonbats what they could go do with themselves. So much for his being a complete RINO.
Hsudenfrude
What has Hillary learned from the Hsu scandal? Not much, apparently.
WASHINGTON-Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, whose campaign is returning $850,000 in contributions linked to disgraced fundraiser Norman Hsu, indicated Wednesday that donors who contributed that money could donate to her presidential campaign once again.
"We're not asking that that be done," she said in a teleconference with reporters. "But I believe that the vast majority of those 200-plus donors are perfectly capable of making up their own minds about what they will or won't do going forward."
Clinton's remarks were her first public comments on the effect Hsu's unraveling fortunes have had on her presidential campaign. Hsu was a leading money "bundler" for Clinton, earning the title of HillRaiser for his fundraising activities.
"It was very difficult for us to make any decision other than returning the contributions that were in any way connected to him and that is what we decided to do," she said.
Clinton's campaign said this week that any donors whose money was returned could donate once again if they confirm to the campaign that the contributions are from their own personal funds.
Hsu, unknown in political circles until about four years ago, was booked into the Mesa County jail in Colorado around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday after leaving a hospital where he had stayed as a fugitive for missing his sentencing on a 1991 grand theft cast to which he had pleaded no contest. Well, Norman, you're about to find out what being a "HillRaiser" is really worth. I just wish it was this easy to catch all of the crooks who worked for Hillary's campaign.
WASHINGTON-Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, whose campaign is returning $850,000 in contributions linked to disgraced fundraiser Norman Hsu, indicated Wednesday that donors who contributed that money could donate to her presidential campaign once again.
"We're not asking that that be done," she said in a teleconference with reporters. "But I believe that the vast majority of those 200-plus donors are perfectly capable of making up their own minds about what they will or won't do going forward."
Clinton's remarks were her first public comments on the effect Hsu's unraveling fortunes have had on her presidential campaign. Hsu was a leading money "bundler" for Clinton, earning the title of HillRaiser for his fundraising activities.
"It was very difficult for us to make any decision other than returning the contributions that were in any way connected to him and that is what we decided to do," she said.
Clinton's campaign said this week that any donors whose money was returned could donate once again if they confirm to the campaign that the contributions are from their own personal funds.
Hsu, unknown in political circles until about four years ago, was booked into the Mesa County jail in Colorado around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday after leaving a hospital where he had stayed as a fugitive for missing his sentencing on a 1991 grand theft cast to which he had pleaded no contest. Well, Norman, you're about to find out what being a "HillRaiser" is really worth. I just wish it was this easy to catch all of the crooks who worked for Hillary's campaign.
The Happy Breed
Over at Instapundit, Glenn Reynolds nails it when it comes to libertarian philosophy versus the current strain of authoritarianism passing itself off as conservatism:
And yet, judging by their output in recent years, libertarians are in a fine mood-and not because they are in denial. However distant the country may be from their laissez-faire ideal, free-market principles now drive the American economy to a degree unimaginable a generation ago. Former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan, who as a young economist sat at the knee of the libertarian guru Ayn Rand, presided in the 1990s overe one of the most prosperous stretches in American history, with the support, no less, of a Democratic president. When the avowedly libertarian economist Milton Friedman died last November, he was lauded just about everywhere, and even given respectful treatment in places like the New York Review of Books.
Well, just look around--do you see anything that's likely to revive faith in Big Government? I think, though, that Hymowitz misses something about libertarians' cultural ideals: We can be conservative in our own lifestules and childrearing (and many of the people she names are) without believing that it's the government's business to make everyone live that way. We can even think that traditional childrearing and marriage are generally a good thing without insisting on social mores that punish those who live differently. I don't think that's a "cultural contradiction" at all. It's just a belief in letting people make up their own minds. Sounds about right to me.
And yet, judging by their output in recent years, libertarians are in a fine mood-and not because they are in denial. However distant the country may be from their laissez-faire ideal, free-market principles now drive the American economy to a degree unimaginable a generation ago. Former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan, who as a young economist sat at the knee of the libertarian guru Ayn Rand, presided in the 1990s overe one of the most prosperous stretches in American history, with the support, no less, of a Democratic president. When the avowedly libertarian economist Milton Friedman died last November, he was lauded just about everywhere, and even given respectful treatment in places like the New York Review of Books.
Well, just look around--do you see anything that's likely to revive faith in Big Government? I think, though, that Hymowitz misses something about libertarians' cultural ideals: We can be conservative in our own lifestules and childrearing (and many of the people she names are) without believing that it's the government's business to make everyone live that way. We can even think that traditional childrearing and marriage are generally a good thing without insisting on social mores that punish those who live differently. I don't think that's a "cultural contradiction" at all. It's just a belief in letting people make up their own minds. Sounds about right to me.
Words Of Warning
Barack Obama, five years ago. After September 11th, after witnessing the carnage and destruction, the dust and the tears, I supported this administration's pledge to hunt down and root out those who would slaughter innocence in the name of intolerance, and I would willingly take up arms myself to prevent such tragedy from happening again. I don't oppose all wars. And I know that in this crowd today, there is no shortage of patriots, or patriotism.
What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war. What I am opposed to is the cynical attempt by Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz and other armchair, weekend warriors in this administration to shove their own ideological agendas down our throats, irrespective of the costs in lives lost and in hardships borne.
What I am opposed to is the attempt by political hacks like Karl Rove to distract us from a rise in the uninsured, a rise in the poverty rate, a drop in the median income-to distract us from corporate scandals and a stock market that has gone through its worst month since the Great Depression. That's what I'm opposed to. A dumb war. A rash war. A war based not on reason but on passion, not on prinicple but on politics. Now let me be clear-I suffer no illusions about Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal man. A ruthless man. A man who butchers his own people to secure his own power. He has repeatedly defied UN resolutions, thwarted UN inspection teams, developed chemical and biological weapons, and coveted nuclear capacity. He's a bad guy. The world, and the Iraqi people, would be better off without him.
But I also know that Saddam poses no imminent and direct threat to the United States, or to his neighbors, that the Iraqi economy is in shambles, that the Iraqi military a fraction of its former strength, and that in concert with the international community he can be contained until, in the way of all petty dictators, he falls away into the dustbin of history. I know that even a successful war against Iraw will require a US occupation of undertimined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences. I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of Al Qaeda. I am not opposed to all wars. I'm opposed to dumb wars. Five years later, I don't see much evidence that Bush has learned how to fight a smarter war.
What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war. What I am opposed to is the cynical attempt by Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz and other armchair, weekend warriors in this administration to shove their own ideological agendas down our throats, irrespective of the costs in lives lost and in hardships borne.
What I am opposed to is the attempt by political hacks like Karl Rove to distract us from a rise in the uninsured, a rise in the poverty rate, a drop in the median income-to distract us from corporate scandals and a stock market that has gone through its worst month since the Great Depression. That's what I'm opposed to. A dumb war. A rash war. A war based not on reason but on passion, not on prinicple but on politics. Now let me be clear-I suffer no illusions about Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal man. A ruthless man. A man who butchers his own people to secure his own power. He has repeatedly defied UN resolutions, thwarted UN inspection teams, developed chemical and biological weapons, and coveted nuclear capacity. He's a bad guy. The world, and the Iraqi people, would be better off without him.
But I also know that Saddam poses no imminent and direct threat to the United States, or to his neighbors, that the Iraqi economy is in shambles, that the Iraqi military a fraction of its former strength, and that in concert with the international community he can be contained until, in the way of all petty dictators, he falls away into the dustbin of history. I know that even a successful war against Iraw will require a US occupation of undertimined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences. I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of Al Qaeda. I am not opposed to all wars. I'm opposed to dumb wars. Five years later, I don't see much evidence that Bush has learned how to fight a smarter war.
Miscarriage Of Justice?
Political payback, Bush style. In Oakdale Federal Detention Center in central Louisiana sits America's most prominent political prisoner: former Alabama Governor Don E. Siegelman. He was tried, convicted and sentenced to serve 7 years and 4 months in prison. His crime? At this point, it's reasonably clear that the crime of which he was charged and convicted, and for which he was sentenced with unprecedented severity, was being a successrul Democratic candidate in a state that Karl Rove had slated for a G.O.P. makeover. The charges against him (he was convicted on only a handful of those brought) disintegrate in nothingness under inspection. No independent, objective prosecutor would ever have brought them.
But the Siegleman case is one of the hallmarks of the Bush Administration's justice concept. Like tin-horned Central AMerican dictators of old, the Bush crew believes that it can and should use the criminal justice system to take out its political enemies. It does this in a brazen way. And it has no shortage of ostensibly independent helpters to see its schemes along their merry way. When the story is fully told, the "independent" players will be exposed as not remotely independent. This was an across-the-board systems failure.
There is a reasonable prospect that this enterprise, which is now feverishly attempting to disappear into the shadows of prosecutorial immunity, will be exposed. On Friday, House Judiciary Committee investigators will take the testimony of Jill Simpson, a Republican lawyer from Rainsville, Alabama (up on Sand Mountain), who has vital information linking Karl Rove, William Canary, prosecutors Leura Canary, and Alice Martin, and other key figures in the Alabama G.O.P., to the conspiracy to take down Siegleman. While this may not rise to the level of Watergate or current Bush shenanigans, it seems to fit the pattern of Bush-era G.O.P. dirty tricks. A pox on all of them.
But the Siegleman case is one of the hallmarks of the Bush Administration's justice concept. Like tin-horned Central AMerican dictators of old, the Bush crew believes that it can and should use the criminal justice system to take out its political enemies. It does this in a brazen way. And it has no shortage of ostensibly independent helpters to see its schemes along their merry way. When the story is fully told, the "independent" players will be exposed as not remotely independent. This was an across-the-board systems failure.
There is a reasonable prospect that this enterprise, which is now feverishly attempting to disappear into the shadows of prosecutorial immunity, will be exposed. On Friday, House Judiciary Committee investigators will take the testimony of Jill Simpson, a Republican lawyer from Rainsville, Alabama (up on Sand Mountain), who has vital information linking Karl Rove, William Canary, prosecutors Leura Canary, and Alice Martin, and other key figures in the Alabama G.O.P., to the conspiracy to take down Siegleman. While this may not rise to the level of Watergate or current Bush shenanigans, it seems to fit the pattern of Bush-era G.O.P. dirty tricks. A pox on all of them.
A Pill A Day Keeps The Tumors Away
Now this is a tough choice-please the pro-life fanatics, or save your life. Taking the Pill reduces the risks of a woman getting cancer later in life, according to one of the largest studies ever undertaken.
The conclusion will reassure millions of women who took the Pill 30 or 40 years ago and are now of an age when the risks are growing.
The study found that overall cancer risk was up to 12 per cent lower for women who took the Pill for less than eight years. But, for the minority of women who took it for more than eight years, the news was less good: for them, the risk of cancer was increased by 22 per cent. It's the same old problem-science versus somebody else's morality. Like preventing cervical cancer in teenage girls. Because apparently the value of life only goes so far when it goes against somebody's intepretation of God's will.
The conclusion will reassure millions of women who took the Pill 30 or 40 years ago and are now of an age when the risks are growing.
The study found that overall cancer risk was up to 12 per cent lower for women who took the Pill for less than eight years. But, for the minority of women who took it for more than eight years, the news was less good: for them, the risk of cancer was increased by 22 per cent. It's the same old problem-science versus somebody else's morality. Like preventing cervical cancer in teenage girls. Because apparently the value of life only goes so far when it goes against somebody's intepretation of God's will.
By The Time Hsu Get To Woodstock
It must have been the brown acid, man.
NEW YORK-The mystery of where a dirty Democratic fundraiser got the money to lead a lavish lifestyle, fund political campaigns and post a $2 million bond to get out of jail appears to have a Woodstock connection, according to a report published in Wednesday's Wall Street Journal.
The newspaper reports that a company run by Norman Hsu, who donated nearly $2 million to Democratic candidates since 2004-including presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton-recently received $40 million from a Madison Avenue investment fund run by Joel Rosenman, one of the creators of the fabled Woodstock rock festival in 1969.
Now, that $40 million is missing, Rosenman reportedly told investors this week.
Hsu reportedly told Rosenman the funds provided by Source Financing Investors would be used to manufacture apparel in China for top designers such as Gucci and Prada, and would yield a 40 percent profit, according to documents examined by the newspaper.
Rosenmman now says that when Source Financing tried to cash checks from Hsu's company, Components Ltd., the checks bounced.
Rosenman reportedly now wants Hsu to repay the entire $40 million. What can I say? An ex-hippie and his money are soon parted...
NEW YORK-The mystery of where a dirty Democratic fundraiser got the money to lead a lavish lifestyle, fund political campaigns and post a $2 million bond to get out of jail appears to have a Woodstock connection, according to a report published in Wednesday's Wall Street Journal.
The newspaper reports that a company run by Norman Hsu, who donated nearly $2 million to Democratic candidates since 2004-including presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton-recently received $40 million from a Madison Avenue investment fund run by Joel Rosenman, one of the creators of the fabled Woodstock rock festival in 1969.
Now, that $40 million is missing, Rosenman reportedly told investors this week.
Hsu reportedly told Rosenman the funds provided by Source Financing Investors would be used to manufacture apparel in China for top designers such as Gucci and Prada, and would yield a 40 percent profit, according to documents examined by the newspaper.
Rosenmman now says that when Source Financing tried to cash checks from Hsu's company, Components Ltd., the checks bounced.
Rosenman reportedly now wants Hsu to repay the entire $40 million. What can I say? An ex-hippie and his money are soon parted...
Big Bang
Who's your bomb's daddy? MOSCOW-The Russian military has successfully tested what it described as the world's most powerful non-nuclear air-delivered bomb, Russia's state television reported Tuesday.
It was the latest show of Russia's military muscle amid chilly relations with the United States.
Channel One television said the new weapon, nicknamed "dad of all bombs," is four times more powerful than the U.S. "mother of all bombs."
"The tests have shown that the new air-delivered ordnance is comparable to a nuclear weapon in its efficiency and capability," Gen. Alexander Rukshin, a deputy chief of the Russian military's Genereal Staff, said in televised remarks. I know Uncle Putin wants to prove how tough he is-but this sounds a bit like overcompensation.
It was the latest show of Russia's military muscle amid chilly relations with the United States.
Channel One television said the new weapon, nicknamed "dad of all bombs," is four times more powerful than the U.S. "mother of all bombs."
"The tests have shown that the new air-delivered ordnance is comparable to a nuclear weapon in its efficiency and capability," Gen. Alexander Rukshin, a deputy chief of the Russian military's Genereal Staff, said in televised remarks. I know Uncle Putin wants to prove how tough he is-but this sounds a bit like overcompensation.
The "I Told You So" Candidate
See, this, in spite of his faults, is why I still like McCain. SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP)-Republican presidential hopeful John Mccain said Tuesday that he was right from the start about the war strategy in Iraq.
"For almost four years we pursued a failed policy in Iraq...I condemned it, I was critized by Republicans and others for doing so, and I saw it was doomed to failure and I argued for the strategy that is now succeeding," McCain said.
The current strategy under Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, including the infusion of thousands of additional troops, is right on track, McCain said.
"This strategy is working. It is succeeding, and it must be given a chance to succeed," he said. Of course, Team Bush would never cop to having listened to McCain. That would require some measure of humility on their part.
"For almost four years we pursued a failed policy in Iraq...I condemned it, I was critized by Republicans and others for doing so, and I saw it was doomed to failure and I argued for the strategy that is now succeeding," McCain said.
The current strategy under Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, including the infusion of thousands of additional troops, is right on track, McCain said.
"This strategy is working. It is succeeding, and it must be given a chance to succeed," he said. Of course, Team Bush would never cop to having listened to McCain. That would require some measure of humility on their part.
The Politics Of Petraeus
It seems some Republicans have a better grasp of reality than the Bush administration does. Even conservatives sounded surprising notes of frustration with White House war policy. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) cited "ups and downs" in Iraq and Sen. Jim DeMint (R.-S.C.) deemed the U.S. "unprepared politicially and militarily for the task" of invading Iraq.
Yet centrist Republicans, many of them apprehensive about defending the war on the campaign trail next year, remain the focus. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) saw a post-Petraeus opening for his and Sen. Ken Salazar's (D-Colo.) plan to turn the bipartisan Iraq Study Group recommendations into law.
"What I'm looking for is an overarching new strategy that says we want to finish the business in Iraq," Alexander said. He depicted Tuesday's testimony as the study group's report, "updated by Petraeus and Crocker." What he means is they're looking for a workable strategy that will go over with a war-weary public as we enter the post-Bush era. Looking forward, being able to come up with new ideas-that's conservatism, not stubborn rhetoric about staying the course.
Yet centrist Republicans, many of them apprehensive about defending the war on the campaign trail next year, remain the focus. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) saw a post-Petraeus opening for his and Sen. Ken Salazar's (D-Colo.) plan to turn the bipartisan Iraq Study Group recommendations into law.
"What I'm looking for is an overarching new strategy that says we want to finish the business in Iraq," Alexander said. He depicted Tuesday's testimony as the study group's report, "updated by Petraeus and Crocker." What he means is they're looking for a workable strategy that will go over with a war-weary public as we enter the post-Bush era. Looking forward, being able to come up with new ideas-that's conservatism, not stubborn rhetoric about staying the course.
My Kingdom For A Pint
There are some traditions you just don't mess with. BRUSSELS, Sept. 11-Britons and the Irish can still down a pint of beer, walk a mile, covet an ounce of gold and eat a pound of bananas after the European Union ruled today that the countries could retain measurements dating back to the Middle Ages.
Under a previous European Union plan, Britain and Ireland would have been forced to adopt the metric system and phase out imperial measurements by 2009. But after a vociferous antimetric campaign by British skeptics and London's tabloid press, European Union officials decided that an ounce of common sense (or 28.3 grams) suggested that granting a reprieve was better than braving a public backlash.
They also feared that forcing Britain to abolish the imperial system would have damaged European Trade with the United States, one of three countries, including Liberia and Myanmar, that have not officially adopted the metric system. Everything looks smaller in the metric system. Maybe the Brusselsprouts were afraid that profits from trade with us knuckledragging American barbarians would look smaller too.
Under a previous European Union plan, Britain and Ireland would have been forced to adopt the metric system and phase out imperial measurements by 2009. But after a vociferous antimetric campaign by British skeptics and London's tabloid press, European Union officials decided that an ounce of common sense (or 28.3 grams) suggested that granting a reprieve was better than braving a public backlash.
They also feared that forcing Britain to abolish the imperial system would have damaged European Trade with the United States, one of three countries, including Liberia and Myanmar, that have not officially adopted the metric system. Everything looks smaller in the metric system. Maybe the Brusselsprouts were afraid that profits from trade with us knuckledragging American barbarians would look smaller too.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Mythbusters
It's an older article, but the always reliable folks at Popular Mechanics are still a good way to refute the 9-11 Truther crowd.
Healthy skepticism, it seems, has curdled into paranoia. Wild conspiracy tales are peddled daily on the Internet, talk radio and in other media. Blurry photos, quotes taken out of context and sketchy eyewitness accounts have inspired a slew of elaborate theories: The Pentagon was struck by a missile; the World Trade Center was razed by demolition-style bombs; Flight 93 was shot down by a mysterious white jet. As outlandish as these claims may sound, they are increasingly accepted abroad and among extremists here in the United States.
To investigate 16 of the most prevalent claims made by conspiracy theorists, POPULAR MECHANICS assembled a team of nine researchers and reporters who, together with PM editors, consulted more than 70 professionals in fields that form the core content of this magazine, including aviation, engineering and the military.
In the end, we were able to debunk each of these assertions with hard evidence and a healthy dose of common sense. We learned that a few theories are based on something as innocent as a reporting error on that chaotic day. Others are byproducts of cynical imaginations that aim to inject suspicion and animosity into public debate. Only by confronting such poisonous claims with irrefutable facts can we understand what really happened on a day that is forever seared into world history. Of course, facts and evidence don't matter to a conspiracy theorist. They'll say you were duped, that you're one of "Them," (whoever "They" are) and cling to their paranoid fantasies instead of blaming those who were really responsible-you know, the guys who did the actual hijackings.
Healthy skepticism, it seems, has curdled into paranoia. Wild conspiracy tales are peddled daily on the Internet, talk radio and in other media. Blurry photos, quotes taken out of context and sketchy eyewitness accounts have inspired a slew of elaborate theories: The Pentagon was struck by a missile; the World Trade Center was razed by demolition-style bombs; Flight 93 was shot down by a mysterious white jet. As outlandish as these claims may sound, they are increasingly accepted abroad and among extremists here in the United States.
To investigate 16 of the most prevalent claims made by conspiracy theorists, POPULAR MECHANICS assembled a team of nine researchers and reporters who, together with PM editors, consulted more than 70 professionals in fields that form the core content of this magazine, including aviation, engineering and the military.
In the end, we were able to debunk each of these assertions with hard evidence and a healthy dose of common sense. We learned that a few theories are based on something as innocent as a reporting error on that chaotic day. Others are byproducts of cynical imaginations that aim to inject suspicion and animosity into public debate. Only by confronting such poisonous claims with irrefutable facts can we understand what really happened on a day that is forever seared into world history. Of course, facts and evidence don't matter to a conspiracy theorist. They'll say you were duped, that you're one of "Them," (whoever "They" are) and cling to their paranoid fantasies instead of blaming those who were really responsible-you know, the guys who did the actual hijackings.
Waiting for The Clampdown
Say what you will about American fundamentalists, Ima Dinnerjacket makes them look like pikers by comparision. Iran is pressing on with one of its toughest moral crackdowns in years, warning tens of thousands of women over slack dress, targeting "immoral" cafes and seizing illegal satellite receivers, local media reported on Monday.
The Iranian police launched the crackdown in April in a self-declared drive to "elevate security in society" that encompassed arrests of thugs, raids on underground parties and street checks of improperly dressed individuals.
Reza Zarei, commander of police in Tehran province, said that since the drive began police in his region have handed out 113,454 warnings to women found to have infringed Iran's strict Islamic dress codes. I think I know what Ima Dinnerjacket's problem is. He figures that since no woman will touch him with a ten foot pole, none of them should be allowed to entice another man. That's what happens when you're a dictator with the world's smallest penis.
The Iranian police launched the crackdown in April in a self-declared drive to "elevate security in society" that encompassed arrests of thugs, raids on underground parties and street checks of improperly dressed individuals.
Reza Zarei, commander of police in Tehran province, said that since the drive began police in his region have handed out 113,454 warnings to women found to have infringed Iran's strict Islamic dress codes. I think I know what Ima Dinnerjacket's problem is. He figures that since no woman will touch him with a ten foot pole, none of them should be allowed to entice another man. That's what happens when you're a dictator with the world's smallest penis.
One Loon To Bind Them All
The Hobbit is on defense as the guy who makes Cindy Sheehan look sane.
Cleveland Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich was the only member of Congress on Monday night to vote against a symbolic resolution to recognize September 11 as a day of remebrance, extend sympathies to those who lost their lives and their families and honor emergency workers and the U.S. armed forces.
Kucinich issued a press release before the vote, criticizing the resolution as "incomplete," and saying that Congress needs to "wake up to the truth and exercise its obligation under the Constitution to save our nation from being destroyed by the lies that took us into Iraq, the lies that keep us there, the lies that are being used to set the stage for war against Iran and the lies that have undermined our basic civil liberties here at home."
"The September 11 resolution that Congress considers today should have made reference to those matters," he continued. "It does not, so I cannot support it." Ah, no, Denny, it shouldn't have. Disagree with the way the Iraq war is being run and complain about the loss of civil liberties all you want-I know I do. But 9-11 is something that happened to all of us. Goofballs like you have used the passage of time and fading memories to distort it with conspiracy theories and Bush Derangement Syndrome. Fortunately, most people recognize you and your ilk for the nutjobs that you are.
Cleveland Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich was the only member of Congress on Monday night to vote against a symbolic resolution to recognize September 11 as a day of remebrance, extend sympathies to those who lost their lives and their families and honor emergency workers and the U.S. armed forces.
Kucinich issued a press release before the vote, criticizing the resolution as "incomplete," and saying that Congress needs to "wake up to the truth and exercise its obligation under the Constitution to save our nation from being destroyed by the lies that took us into Iraq, the lies that keep us there, the lies that are being used to set the stage for war against Iran and the lies that have undermined our basic civil liberties here at home."
"The September 11 resolution that Congress considers today should have made reference to those matters," he continued. "It does not, so I cannot support it." Ah, no, Denny, it shouldn't have. Disagree with the way the Iraq war is being run and complain about the loss of civil liberties all you want-I know I do. But 9-11 is something that happened to all of us. Goofballs like you have used the passage of time and fading memories to distort it with conspiracy theories and Bush Derangement Syndrome. Fortunately, most people recognize you and your ilk for the nutjobs that you are.
Return Of The Master PC
Geeks,rejoice! TORONTO-Commercial director Joseph Kosinski is in final negotiations to develop and direct "Tron," described as "the next chapter" of Disney's 1982 cult classic. Sean Bailey is producing via the Live Planet banner, as is Stephen Lisberger, who co-wrote and directed the original film.
Kosinski, who last month signed on to helm the remake of "Logan's Run" for Warner Bros. Pictures, will oversee the visual development of the project and have input on the script, which is being written by "Lost" scribes Eddie Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. Story details are being kept secret.
The orignal, about a computer programmere thrust into a computer and forced to fight in games he helped create, is remembered for its sci-fi gladiator-style battles and groundbreaking special effects. It was the first movie to use computer-generated images instead of models and other optical effects in conjunction with live action. The arcade game based on the movie was so popular that it earned more than the movie. I understand that in the new movie, the villain will use endless amounts of spam and letters from Nigeria to confuse the protagonists. In other words, it will be just like real life.
Kosinski, who last month signed on to helm the remake of "Logan's Run" for Warner Bros. Pictures, will oversee the visual development of the project and have input on the script, which is being written by "Lost" scribes Eddie Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. Story details are being kept secret.
The orignal, about a computer programmere thrust into a computer and forced to fight in games he helped create, is remembered for its sci-fi gladiator-style battles and groundbreaking special effects. It was the first movie to use computer-generated images instead of models and other optical effects in conjunction with live action. The arcade game based on the movie was so popular that it earned more than the movie. I understand that in the new movie, the villain will use endless amounts of spam and letters from Nigeria to confuse the protagonists. In other words, it will be just like real life.
Hatchet Man
This nut needs to have his head chopped off. AMSTERDAM, Netherland (AP)-A U.S. citizen has confessed to using an axe to kill a Dutch student after failing to find a soldier to attack, his lawyer said Tuesday.
The suspect, Carlos Hartmann, 41, of Tecumseh, Mich., has confessed to the Sept. 8 killing on a train platform in the southern city of Roosendaal, defence lawyer Peter Gremmen said.
Gremmen said Hartmann wanted to punish the Netherlands for its support of the war in Iraq.
Hartmann appeared before a judge Tuesday and was ordered held for another two weeks for investigation.
"He hates soldiers, and says that the army kills people, so it would be legitimate if he were also to kill someone...from the American milutary-or from its NATO allies," Gremmen said in a telephone interview. In response, the Dutch government said it would move to ban axes.
The suspect, Carlos Hartmann, 41, of Tecumseh, Mich., has confessed to the Sept. 8 killing on a train platform in the southern city of Roosendaal, defence lawyer Peter Gremmen said.
Gremmen said Hartmann wanted to punish the Netherlands for its support of the war in Iraq.
Hartmann appeared before a judge Tuesday and was ordered held for another two weeks for investigation.
"He hates soldiers, and says that the army kills people, so it would be legitimate if he were also to kill someone...from the American milutary-or from its NATO allies," Gremmen said in a telephone interview. In response, the Dutch government said it would move to ban axes.
The Future's So Bright
This is not going to make doomsayers happy. (Hat tip: Newsbusters) Despite daunting challenges posed by global warming, water, enerty, unemployment and terrorism, the world faces a brighter future with fewer wars, higher life expectancy and improved literacy, according to a report released Monday.
"Although great human tragedies like Iraq and Darfur dominate the news, the vast majority of the world is living in peace, conflicts actually decreased over the past decade," says the 2007 State of the Future report.
(snip) It said the world economy grew at 5.4 percent last year to 66 trillion dollars while the global population rose 1.1 percent, increasing the average world per capita income by 4.3 percent.
"At this rate world poverty will be cut by more than half between 2000 and 2015, meeting the UN Millenium Development Goal for poverty reduction except in sub-Saharan Africa", it added. Hugo Chavez, Mini-Me and Fidel's ghost aren't going to like this. How can they keep their revolutions going when people everywhere are making more money than them?
"Although great human tragedies like Iraq and Darfur dominate the news, the vast majority of the world is living in peace, conflicts actually decreased over the past decade," says the 2007 State of the Future report.
(snip) It said the world economy grew at 5.4 percent last year to 66 trillion dollars while the global population rose 1.1 percent, increasing the average world per capita income by 4.3 percent.
"At this rate world poverty will be cut by more than half between 2000 and 2015, meeting the UN Millenium Development Goal for poverty reduction except in sub-Saharan Africa", it added. Hugo Chavez, Mini-Me and Fidel's ghost aren't going to like this. How can they keep their revolutions going when people everywhere are making more money than them?
Monday, September 10, 2007
Camp Bin Laden
This gives new meaning to "What I did on my summer vacation."
SACRAMENTO, Calif.-A California man was sentenced to 24 years in a federal prison Monday for attending an Al Qaeda training camp in Pakistan and returning to the United States "willing to wage violent jihad."
Hamid Hayat, a U.S. citizen who turned 25 on Monday, was convicted in April 2006 of providing material support to terrorists and lying about it to FBI agents. Prosecutors said Hayat intended to attack hospitals, banks, grocery stores and government buildings in California.
He could have received up to 39 years in prison.
But federal Judge Garland Burrell Jr. imposed the lesser sentence, citing Hayat's lack of a previous criminal record and other factors. This guy was caught, given a fair trial, convicted by a jury of his peers and will now spend a considerable chunk of his life behind bars. No legal limbo, no detention without charges-he was put through the system, and it did its job. So why can't we do the same thing with the rest of the scumbags we've been holding at Club Gitmo?
SACRAMENTO, Calif.-A California man was sentenced to 24 years in a federal prison Monday for attending an Al Qaeda training camp in Pakistan and returning to the United States "willing to wage violent jihad."
Hamid Hayat, a U.S. citizen who turned 25 on Monday, was convicted in April 2006 of providing material support to terrorists and lying about it to FBI agents. Prosecutors said Hayat intended to attack hospitals, banks, grocery stores and government buildings in California.
He could have received up to 39 years in prison.
But federal Judge Garland Burrell Jr. imposed the lesser sentence, citing Hayat's lack of a previous criminal record and other factors. This guy was caught, given a fair trial, convicted by a jury of his peers and will now spend a considerable chunk of his life behind bars. No legal limbo, no detention without charges-he was put through the system, and it did its job. So why can't we do the same thing with the rest of the scumbags we've been holding at Club Gitmo?
Lawyer Lust
To paraphrase the Bard, the first thing we do is, let's castrate all the lawyers.
PHILADELPHIA-A defense attorney who was found naked with a 14-year-old girl in a city courthouse pleaded no contest to charges of sexually assaulting the teen and five other girls.
Larry Charles, 50, entered the pleas on Monday, the day his trial was scheduled to begin.
Authorities have said a sheriff's deputy making his rounds in the courthouse on Jan. 15, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, looked into a lawyer's lounge and discovered Charles and the girl.
Charles, who often worked in the courthouse as a criminal defense attorney, was charged with rape and related offenses in that case.
After his arrest, five other girls came forward and testified that Charles assaulted them. Some of the girls testified they were assaulted multiple times over several years. I'm sure he'll claim he was simply showing them his "Briefs." Wotta creep.
PHILADELPHIA-A defense attorney who was found naked with a 14-year-old girl in a city courthouse pleaded no contest to charges of sexually assaulting the teen and five other girls.
Larry Charles, 50, entered the pleas on Monday, the day his trial was scheduled to begin.
Authorities have said a sheriff's deputy making his rounds in the courthouse on Jan. 15, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, looked into a lawyer's lounge and discovered Charles and the girl.
Charles, who often worked in the courthouse as a criminal defense attorney, was charged with rape and related offenses in that case.
After his arrest, five other girls came forward and testified that Charles assaulted them. Some of the girls testified they were assaulted multiple times over several years. I'm sure he'll claim he was simply showing them his "Briefs." Wotta creep.
Through The Looking Glass
Dennis Kucinich must have missed this part of Syria the last time he was there. One of the hallmarks of a successful dictatorship is that it gets people to internalise its values and self-censor. It gets them to do the work of the observers and security apparatus for them. It gets the secret policeman to enter their heads. And that's the most immediate difference between a dictatorship and a democracy. In a dictatorship there is no private space. There is no downtime. It's suffocating.
As a result, it's difficult to know where the Ba'ath Parth ends and the individual begins. As in all totalitarian systems individuality is pretty much stamped out. Look around you. Look at the people in the streets. How many of them are laughing? How many of them are joking? How many of them are even smiling? What's the difference between the Democratic Party and Syria? The Democratic Party at least wants to keep its subjects happy as well as ignorant.
As a result, it's difficult to know where the Ba'ath Parth ends and the individual begins. As in all totalitarian systems individuality is pretty much stamped out. Look around you. Look at the people in the streets. How many of them are laughing? How many of them are joking? How many of them are even smiling? What's the difference between the Democratic Party and Syria? The Democratic Party at least wants to keep its subjects happy as well as ignorant.
Right BRained Versus Left Brained
Researchers have found out that conservatives just don't like change.
Using electroencepholographs, which measure neuronal impulses, the researchers examined activity in a part of the brain-the anterior cingulate cortex-that is strongly linked with the self-regulatory process of conflict monitoring.
The match-up was unmistakable: respondents who had described themselves as liberals showed "significantly greater conflict-related neural activity" when the hypothetical situation called for an unscheduled break in routine.
Conservatives, however, were less flexible, refusing to deviate from old habits "despite signals that this...should be changed."
I don't know how much credence this should be given, but it would explain the Bush Administration.
Using electroencepholographs, which measure neuronal impulses, the researchers examined activity in a part of the brain-the anterior cingulate cortex-that is strongly linked with the self-regulatory process of conflict monitoring.
The match-up was unmistakable: respondents who had described themselves as liberals showed "significantly greater conflict-related neural activity" when the hypothetical situation called for an unscheduled break in routine.
Conservatives, however, were less flexible, refusing to deviate from old habits "despite signals that this...should be changed."
I don't know how much credence this should be given, but it would explain the Bush Administration.
Manbearpig Versus PETA
Oh, give me a break. He may be the hero of the environmental movement for his crusade against global warming but Al Gore is about to be targeted by animal rights activists over his carnivorous contribution to greenhouse gases.
Citing United Nations research that the meat industry is worse for the environment than driving and flying, animal rights groups are directing a campaign at the former American vice-president's diet.
When he delivers a lecture on global warming in Denver next month, protesters will display billboards bearing a cartoon image of Mr Gore eating a drumstick and the message: "Too chicken to go vegetarian? Meat is the No 1 cause of global warming".
The campaign is being organised by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) and is backed by other animal rights groups. You know, there are a lot of things to criticize Al Gore for. This isn't one of them, however.
Citing United Nations research that the meat industry is worse for the environment than driving and flying, animal rights groups are directing a campaign at the former American vice-president's diet.
When he delivers a lecture on global warming in Denver next month, protesters will display billboards bearing a cartoon image of Mr Gore eating a drumstick and the message: "Too chicken to go vegetarian? Meat is the No 1 cause of global warming".
The campaign is being organised by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) and is backed by other animal rights groups. You know, there are a lot of things to criticize Al Gore for. This isn't one of them, however.
Mr. Potato Head
It turns out calories may be good brain food. Compared with primates, humans have many more copies of a gene essential for breaking down calorie-rich starches, Nature Genetics reports.
And these extra calories may have been crucial for feeding the larger brains of humans, speculate the University of California Santa Cruz authors.
Previously, experts had wondered if meat in the diet was the answer.
Brain food
However, Dr. Nathaniel Dominy and his colleagues argue this is improbable.
"Even when you look at modern human hunter-gatherers, meat is a relatively small fraction of their diet.
"To think that, two to four million years ago, a small-brained, awkwardly bipedal animal could efficiently acquire meat, even by scavenging, doesn't make a whole lot of sense." So keep those Lays and Pringles handy. The brain cells you save may be your own!
And these extra calories may have been crucial for feeding the larger brains of humans, speculate the University of California Santa Cruz authors.
Previously, experts had wondered if meat in the diet was the answer.
Brain food
However, Dr. Nathaniel Dominy and his colleagues argue this is improbable.
"Even when you look at modern human hunter-gatherers, meat is a relatively small fraction of their diet.
"To think that, two to four million years ago, a small-brained, awkwardly bipedal animal could efficiently acquire meat, even by scavenging, doesn't make a whole lot of sense." So keep those Lays and Pringles handy. The brain cells you save may be your own!
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Moonbat In Chief
Well, at least we know where the Hobbit stands. After praising Syria following a meeting in Damascus with President Bashar Assad, Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich declared he will not visit troops in Iraq during his Middle East tour because he considers the American military presence in Iraq to be illegal.
"I feel the United States is engaging in an illegal occupation...I don't want to bless that occupation with my presence," Kucinich said in Lebanon, according to the Associated Press. "I will not do it."
The Ohio congressman accused the Bush administration of destabilizing the Middle East and praised Syria for receiving Iraqi refugees. Dennis the Menace. He supports the troops, except when he doesn't.
"I feel the United States is engaging in an illegal occupation...I don't want to bless that occupation with my presence," Kucinich said in Lebanon, according to the Associated Press. "I will not do it."
The Ohio congressman accused the Bush administration of destabilizing the Middle East and praised Syria for receiving Iraqi refugees. Dennis the Menace. He supports the troops, except when he doesn't.
Material World
Even sims like money. When people are given the opportunity to create a fantasy world, they can and do defy the laws of gravity (you can fly in Second Life), but not of economics or human nature. Players in this digital, global game don't have to work, but many do. They don;t need to change clothes, fix their hair, or buy and furnish a home, but many do. They don't need to have drinks in their hands at the virtual bar, but they buy cocktails anyway, just to look right, to feel comfortable.
Second Life residents find ways to make money so they can spend it to do things, look impressive, and get more stuff, even if it's made only of pixels. In a place where people should never have to clean out their closets, some endup devoting hours to organizing their things, purging, even holding yard sales.
"Why can't we break away from a consumerist, appearance-oriented culture?" said Nick Yee, who has studied the sociology of virtual worlds and recently received a doctorate in communication from Stanford. "What does Second Life say about us, that we trade our consumerist-oriented culture for one that's even worse?" Well, for one thing it says that capitalism and free markets work, even in virtual worlds. It's in the real world that people try to deny human nature.
Second Life residents find ways to make money so they can spend it to do things, look impressive, and get more stuff, even if it's made only of pixels. In a place where people should never have to clean out their closets, some endup devoting hours to organizing their things, purging, even holding yard sales.
"Why can't we break away from a consumerist, appearance-oriented culture?" said Nick Yee, who has studied the sociology of virtual worlds and recently received a doctorate in communication from Stanford. "What does Second Life say about us, that we trade our consumerist-oriented culture for one that's even worse?" Well, for one thing it says that capitalism and free markets work, even in virtual worlds. It's in the real world that people try to deny human nature.
Doing The Nickel
Now this is something I could get behind, and is probably close to what will actually happen.
In a report to be released Sunday, a panel of experts assembled by the U.S. Institute of Peace calls for a 50 percent reduction in U.S. forces in Iraq within three years and a total withdrawal and handover of security to the Iraqi military in five years.
"The United States faces too many challenges around the world to continue its current level of effort in Iraq, or even the deployment that was in place before the surge," the report says. "...It is time to chart a clearer path forward."
The panel includes many of the experts that advised the Iraq Study Group panel led by former secretary of state James A. Baker III and former Democratic congressman Lee H. Hamilton, which issued its report last December. Many of its recommendations have since been adopted, some reluctantly, by the Bush administration. The U.S. Institute of Peace ran the Baker-Hamilton report and assembled the experts. If a Democrat wins in 2008, he or she can use this to say we are getting out of Iraq. If a Republican wins, he can say this is a win because it allows us to leave with some dignity. Either way it sounds like a plan.
In a report to be released Sunday, a panel of experts assembled by the U.S. Institute of Peace calls for a 50 percent reduction in U.S. forces in Iraq within three years and a total withdrawal and handover of security to the Iraqi military in five years.
"The United States faces too many challenges around the world to continue its current level of effort in Iraq, or even the deployment that was in place before the surge," the report says. "...It is time to chart a clearer path forward."
The panel includes many of the experts that advised the Iraq Study Group panel led by former secretary of state James A. Baker III and former Democratic congressman Lee H. Hamilton, which issued its report last December. Many of its recommendations have since been adopted, some reluctantly, by the Bush administration. The U.S. Institute of Peace ran the Baker-Hamilton report and assembled the experts. If a Democrat wins in 2008, he or she can use this to say we are getting out of Iraq. If a Republican wins, he can say this is a win because it allows us to leave with some dignity. Either way it sounds like a plan.
Pistolwhipped
From Britain comes a stunning admission that's sure to make Michael Moore squirm. Despite the recent spate of shootings in our streets, we pride ourselves on our strict gun laws. Every time an American gunman goes on a killing spree, we shake our heads in righteous disbelief at our poor benighted colonial cousins. Why is it, even after the Virginia Tech massacre, that Americans still resist calls for more gun controls?
The short answer is that "gun controls" do not work; they are indeed generally perverse in their effects. Virginia Tech, where 32 students were shot in April, had a strict gun ban policy and only last year successfully resisted a legal challenge that would have allowed the carrying of licensed defensive weapons on campus. It is with a measure of bitter irony that we recall Thomas Jefferson, founder of the University of Virginia, recording the words of Cesare Beccaria: "Laws that forbid the carrying of arms...disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes...Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man."
(Snip) Gun controls disarm only the law-abiding, and leave predators with a freer hand. Nearly two and a half million people now fall victim to crimes of violence in Britain every year, more than four every minute; crimes that may devestate lives. It is perhaps a privelege of those who have never had to confront violence to disparage the power to resist. We've known this for more than 200 years. It's why we reject the message of the Michael Moores of the world. If Britian is finally waking up to the idea that it's actually OK for somebody to defend themselves, there may be some hope for our Royalist cousins yet.
The short answer is that "gun controls" do not work; they are indeed generally perverse in their effects. Virginia Tech, where 32 students were shot in April, had a strict gun ban policy and only last year successfully resisted a legal challenge that would have allowed the carrying of licensed defensive weapons on campus. It is with a measure of bitter irony that we recall Thomas Jefferson, founder of the University of Virginia, recording the words of Cesare Beccaria: "Laws that forbid the carrying of arms...disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes...Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man."
(Snip) Gun controls disarm only the law-abiding, and leave predators with a freer hand. Nearly two and a half million people now fall victim to crimes of violence in Britain every year, more than four every minute; crimes that may devestate lives. It is perhaps a privelege of those who have never had to confront violence to disparage the power to resist. We've known this for more than 200 years. It's why we reject the message of the Michael Moores of the world. If Britian is finally waking up to the idea that it's actually OK for somebody to defend themselves, there may be some hope for our Royalist cousins yet.
The Glass House Campaign
There's an equal amount of finger-pointing from pots and kettles on both sides. But it may not be too late for both parties to heed the warning signs of growing voter dissatisfaction and mend their ways.
When will self-righteous Republicans and holier-than-thou Democrats learn that hypocrisy, not sex and greed, is the original sin for which voters, and certainly cynical journalists, hold them accountable?
The anti-gay, pro-"family values" party, held captive by its Southern-based, evangelical wing, is repeatedly embarrassed when its David Vitters and Larry Craigs exhibit interest in 'hos and 'mos (translation for Beltway types: "whores" and "homosexuals.")
Likewise, the party of campaign finance "reform," intellectually imprisoned by the Washington ethics industry and its handmaidens in the ivory towers of liberal editorial pages, is caught with its Progressive Era pants down when a big pile of hot Jacksons ends up in William Jefferson's freezer, or when a financial supporter facing a felony indictment ends up on Hillary Clinton's donor list.
There is a solution to the demagogic payback resulting from these self-inflicted shots in the foot.
Republicans might want to review the Democrats' mid-20th Century divorce from their morally bankrupt, also Southern-based, segragationist wing, with which the party's northern liberal branch made a deal with the devil for decades, and which proved a constant embarrassment to its civil libertarian sensibilities.
GOP alignment with the sexual orientation bigots continues to drive millions of gay voters, many of whom share Republican economic values, into the arms of Democratic candidates, just as the party of Lincoln had a lock on poor black voters, who probably would have deserted the GOP sooner had Democrats not cozied up to the Theodore Bilbos and Ross Barnetts of the political underworld.
And Democrats, every time they are tempted to take a cheap shot at big-spending "special interests," would do well to consider that average voters have nothing against being rich and believe both parties succumb equally to the lure of campaign cash. All hope is not lost. Personally I think the GOP has a better shot at recovering from its current malaise than the Democrats do. But it will take a while-and they should consider what is worth giving up in order to get right (no pun intended) with voters again.
When will self-righteous Republicans and holier-than-thou Democrats learn that hypocrisy, not sex and greed, is the original sin for which voters, and certainly cynical journalists, hold them accountable?
The anti-gay, pro-"family values" party, held captive by its Southern-based, evangelical wing, is repeatedly embarrassed when its David Vitters and Larry Craigs exhibit interest in 'hos and 'mos (translation for Beltway types: "whores" and "homosexuals.")
Likewise, the party of campaign finance "reform," intellectually imprisoned by the Washington ethics industry and its handmaidens in the ivory towers of liberal editorial pages, is caught with its Progressive Era pants down when a big pile of hot Jacksons ends up in William Jefferson's freezer, or when a financial supporter facing a felony indictment ends up on Hillary Clinton's donor list.
There is a solution to the demagogic payback resulting from these self-inflicted shots in the foot.
Republicans might want to review the Democrats' mid-20th Century divorce from their morally bankrupt, also Southern-based, segragationist wing, with which the party's northern liberal branch made a deal with the devil for decades, and which proved a constant embarrassment to its civil libertarian sensibilities.
GOP alignment with the sexual orientation bigots continues to drive millions of gay voters, many of whom share Republican economic values, into the arms of Democratic candidates, just as the party of Lincoln had a lock on poor black voters, who probably would have deserted the GOP sooner had Democrats not cozied up to the Theodore Bilbos and Ross Barnetts of the political underworld.
And Democrats, every time they are tempted to take a cheap shot at big-spending "special interests," would do well to consider that average voters have nothing against being rich and believe both parties succumb equally to the lure of campaign cash. All hope is not lost. Personally I think the GOP has a better shot at recovering from its current malaise than the Democrats do. But it will take a while-and they should consider what is worth giving up in order to get right (no pun intended) with voters again.
Ramblin' Man
Bush is taking his time saying goodbye next year. President Bush will not sit home in his final year in office.
While the presidential campaign of 2008 sweeps across the country, the lane-duck two-termer is scheduling an exhausting year of focus on international relations and foreign travel that will keep him out of the country.
Some trips are built-in obligations. In April, a NATO summit in Bucharest, Romania, is in ink on the calendar.
July 7 brings the annual G8 Summit in a rare Asian venue: a spa in northern Japan on the island of Hokkaido.
The Pacific economic conference known as APEC is in South America in November. That's summertime in Lima, Peru. Unfortunately, the next hemispheric Summit of the Americas in Trinidad doesn't happen until 2009.
In addition, Bush just announced this week he will definitely attend the Beijing Olympics at some point in August as the two political parties back home prepare for their nominating conventions. Maybe he just wants to be as far away from Hillary as possible if she gets the nomination. In that case, I don't blame him for taking a trip or two...or several...
While the presidential campaign of 2008 sweeps across the country, the lane-duck two-termer is scheduling an exhausting year of focus on international relations and foreign travel that will keep him out of the country.
Some trips are built-in obligations. In April, a NATO summit in Bucharest, Romania, is in ink on the calendar.
July 7 brings the annual G8 Summit in a rare Asian venue: a spa in northern Japan on the island of Hokkaido.
The Pacific economic conference known as APEC is in South America in November. That's summertime in Lima, Peru. Unfortunately, the next hemispheric Summit of the Americas in Trinidad doesn't happen until 2009.
In addition, Bush just announced this week he will definitely attend the Beijing Olympics at some point in August as the two political parties back home prepare for their nominating conventions. Maybe he just wants to be as far away from Hillary as possible if she gets the nomination. In that case, I don't blame him for taking a trip or two...or several...
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Three Kings
It may not be what the Bushbots want to hear. But it may be what's coming after all. A weak, partitioned Iraq is not the best outcome. We had hoped for much more. Our original objective was a democratic and unified post-Hussein Iraq. But it has turned out to be a bridge too far. We tried to give the Iraqis a republic, but their leaders turned out to be, tragically, too driven by sectarian sentiment, by an absence of national identity, and by the habits of suspicion and maneuver cultivated during decades in the underground of Saddam Hussein's totalitarian state.
All this was exacerbated by post-invasion U.S. strategic errors (most important, eschewing a heavy footprint, not forcibly suppressing the early looting and letting Moqtada al-Sadr escape with his life in Auguest 2004) and by al-Qaeda's barbarous bombing campaign designed explicitly to kindle sectarian strife.
Whatever the reasons, we now have to look for the second-best outcome. A democratic, unified Iraq might someday emerge. Perhaps today's ground-up reconciliation in the provinces will translate into tomorrow's ground-up national reconciliation. Possible, but highly doubtful. What is far more certain is what we are getting: ground-up partition. Simply put, we tried to create a new country out of whole cloth that was cobbled together from the remains of a country that was created out of whole cloth by the British. The difference was, when the British became an occupying force in other countries they at least made an effort to understand the culture of those countries. Team Bush thought two historically hostile tribes would be able to magically create a democracy out of thin air. They thought wishing would make it so-and we now see how that turned out.
All this was exacerbated by post-invasion U.S. strategic errors (most important, eschewing a heavy footprint, not forcibly suppressing the early looting and letting Moqtada al-Sadr escape with his life in Auguest 2004) and by al-Qaeda's barbarous bombing campaign designed explicitly to kindle sectarian strife.
Whatever the reasons, we now have to look for the second-best outcome. A democratic, unified Iraq might someday emerge. Perhaps today's ground-up reconciliation in the provinces will translate into tomorrow's ground-up national reconciliation. Possible, but highly doubtful. What is far more certain is what we are getting: ground-up partition. Simply put, we tried to create a new country out of whole cloth that was cobbled together from the remains of a country that was created out of whole cloth by the British. The difference was, when the British became an occupying force in other countries they at least made an effort to understand the culture of those countries. Team Bush thought two historically hostile tribes would be able to magically create a democracy out of thin air. They thought wishing would make it so-and we now see how that turned out.
Center Stage
See, this is the reason I still like Arnold.
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP)-In a year when Republican presidential candidates have aggressively courted the GOP right, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger warned that the party faces a perilous future if it continues to surrender the politcal center.
"Our party has lost the middle and we will not regain true political power in California until we get it back," the celebrity governor told hundreds of Republicans at a state party convention Friday.
"The California Republican Party should be a right-of-center party that occupies the broad middle of California. That is a lush, green, abandoned political space," he said. "It can be ours."
The state party's percentage of voter registration has been shrinking, and to reverse it the party must tackle issues with broad public appeal, like climate change and building highways, railroads and tunnels, he said. In an apparent reference to abortion and other social issues that often divide the party, he said members must be accepting of those with other views while not abandoning "who we are."
(Snip) Schwarzenegger recently proposed distilling the state GOP platform-the party's statement of core values-into as little as a single page focusing on lowering taxes, limiting the size of government and building a strong national defense. That proposal, in a letter to party members, made no mention of abortion, gay marriage or other social issues. They often say that California is ahead of the times and represents the future of the country as a whole. For the sake of the national Republican Party, I hope that's true.
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP)-In a year when Republican presidential candidates have aggressively courted the GOP right, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger warned that the party faces a perilous future if it continues to surrender the politcal center.
"Our party has lost the middle and we will not regain true political power in California until we get it back," the celebrity governor told hundreds of Republicans at a state party convention Friday.
"The California Republican Party should be a right-of-center party that occupies the broad middle of California. That is a lush, green, abandoned political space," he said. "It can be ours."
The state party's percentage of voter registration has been shrinking, and to reverse it the party must tackle issues with broad public appeal, like climate change and building highways, railroads and tunnels, he said. In an apparent reference to abortion and other social issues that often divide the party, he said members must be accepting of those with other views while not abandoning "who we are."
(Snip) Schwarzenegger recently proposed distilling the state GOP platform-the party's statement of core values-into as little as a single page focusing on lowering taxes, limiting the size of government and building a strong national defense. That proposal, in a letter to party members, made no mention of abortion, gay marriage or other social issues. They often say that California is ahead of the times and represents the future of the country as a whole. For the sake of the national Republican Party, I hope that's true.
Keyes Unlocked
Oh, wouldn't this be fun. Former U.S. Amb. Alan Keyes is sending signals to allies that he is weighing a late bid for the Republican presidential nomination, two sources close to the two-time presidential candidate say.
This week, Keyes's name was registered to participate in the West Virginia Republican convention in 2008-that party's delegate selection contests. The entry fee is $5000 and the deadline for payment was last Friday, according to the state party's website.
Sources close to Keyes confirmed that he has begun to talk to some of his longtime advisers about a run. But they said he did not direct RenewAmerica, a grassroots activist group he chairs, to send in the fee. Oh, by all means go for it, Alan. I'd love to see you and Tom Tancredo in a debate just so I could decide which one was nuttier.
This week, Keyes's name was registered to participate in the West Virginia Republican convention in 2008-that party's delegate selection contests. The entry fee is $5000 and the deadline for payment was last Friday, according to the state party's website.
Sources close to Keyes confirmed that he has begun to talk to some of his longtime advisers about a run. But they said he did not direct RenewAmerica, a grassroots activist group he chairs, to send in the fee. Oh, by all means go for it, Alan. I'd love to see you and Tom Tancredo in a debate just so I could decide which one was nuttier.
Chuck Checks Out
Hagel's stepping down. WASHINGTON-Chuck Hagel will announce Monday that he is retiring from the U.S. Senate and will not run for president next year, people close to the Nebraska Republican said Friday.
Hagel plans to announce that "he will not run for re-election and that he does not intend to be a candidate for any office in 2008," said one person, who asked not to be named.
Hagel has scheduled a press conference for 10 a.m. Monday at the Omaha Press Club.
According to one person interviewed, Hagel told Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky on Friday morning that he had decided to retire. Hagel's staff learned of his decision that afternoon. What probably happened was that Hagel saw the writing on the wall for the GOP in 2008 and decided he'd rather go out with some dignity rather than get his rear end handed to him. Whatever the case, getting out now was probably the best thing for him to do.
Hagel plans to announce that "he will not run for re-election and that he does not intend to be a candidate for any office in 2008," said one person, who asked not to be named.
Hagel has scheduled a press conference for 10 a.m. Monday at the Omaha Press Club.
According to one person interviewed, Hagel told Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky on Friday morning that he had decided to retire. Hagel's staff learned of his decision that afternoon. What probably happened was that Hagel saw the writing on the wall for the GOP in 2008 and decided he'd rather go out with some dignity rather than get his rear end handed to him. Whatever the case, getting out now was probably the best thing for him to do.
Justice At Last
This is good news.
Iran must pay $2.65 billion (130.10 million) to the family members of the 241 US servicemen killed in the 1983 bombing of the US Marine barracks in Beirut, an American judge has ruled, calling it the largest-ever such judgement against another country.
Iran has been blamed for supporting the militant group Hezbollah, which carried out the suicide bombing in Beirut. It was the worst terrorist act against American targets until the attacks of Sept 11, 2001.
Hundreds of people crowded a federal courtroom to hear yesterday's ruling. Parents have grown old since their children were killed. Siblings have grown into middle-age. Children have married and started families of their own.
"These individuals, whose hearts and souls were forever broken, waited patiently for nearly a quarter century for justice to be done," District Judge Royce C Lamberth said as families embraced.
The crowd, many of them weeping, stood and erupted into applause as Lamberth left the bench.
The ruling allows nearly 1,000 family members and estates to try to collect Iranian assets from various sources around the world. Start writing those checks, Ima Dinnerjacket. While you're still around, that is.
Iran must pay $2.65 billion (130.10 million) to the family members of the 241 US servicemen killed in the 1983 bombing of the US Marine barracks in Beirut, an American judge has ruled, calling it the largest-ever such judgement against another country.
Iran has been blamed for supporting the militant group Hezbollah, which carried out the suicide bombing in Beirut. It was the worst terrorist act against American targets until the attacks of Sept 11, 2001.
Hundreds of people crowded a federal courtroom to hear yesterday's ruling. Parents have grown old since their children were killed. Siblings have grown into middle-age. Children have married and started families of their own.
"These individuals, whose hearts and souls were forever broken, waited patiently for nearly a quarter century for justice to be done," District Judge Royce C Lamberth said as families embraced.
The crowd, many of them weeping, stood and erupted into applause as Lamberth left the bench.
The ruling allows nearly 1,000 family members and estates to try to collect Iranian assets from various sources around the world. Start writing those checks, Ima Dinnerjacket. While you're still around, that is.
Friday, September 07, 2007
Both Sides Now
This is pretty much where I stand, as well.
In reality, there is no contradiction here. Glenn is right to point out that Goldsmith believes that pre-9/11 law constrained presidential wartime authority too much, and that some of the Bush Administration's efforts were undercut by those restraints. But Orrin and Jonathan are also correct in pointing out that Goldsmith disapproved of the Bush Administration's response to the problem. Instead of working with Congress and the courts to change overly restrictive laws (Goldsmith's preferred strategy), the Administration chose to claim that they already had the power to do almost anything the president might want to, so long as it has even a remote connection to waging the war. As Goldsmith argues, this approach is bad law because the Constitution does in fact allow congressional and judicial restriction of the president's warmaking powers, and in some cases even requires it (for my take on these issues in a debate with John Yoo and others, see here).
Goldsmith also argues that the Bush Administration's approach was politically counterproductive and led to an actual diminution of the executive authority that the administration sought to enhance. Bush's overreaching generated a backlash in Congress and the courts that eventually led to stronger curbs on executive power than would have existed had the Administration tried to work with Congress early on and made less sweeping (but still broad) claims of inherent presidential power. As Goldsmith himself puts it, "They [the Bush Administration] embraced this vision because they wanted to leave the presidency stronger than when they assumed office, but the approach they took achieved exactly the opposite effect. The central irony is that people whose explicit goal was to expand presidential power have diminished it."
In sum, Goldsmith believes that the War on Terror has been hobbled by excessive legal constraints, but also argues that the Bush Administration's response to the problem was both legally dubioys and politically counterproductive. In my view, he is largely correct on both counts. The good news is that Congress and the courts' reaction to Bush may make it much harder for a future Democratic president to declare war. The bad news is that Bush's legal hocus-pocus will take a long time for this country's institutions to recover from.
In reality, there is no contradiction here. Glenn is right to point out that Goldsmith believes that pre-9/11 law constrained presidential wartime authority too much, and that some of the Bush Administration's efforts were undercut by those restraints. But Orrin and Jonathan are also correct in pointing out that Goldsmith disapproved of the Bush Administration's response to the problem. Instead of working with Congress and the courts to change overly restrictive laws (Goldsmith's preferred strategy), the Administration chose to claim that they already had the power to do almost anything the president might want to, so long as it has even a remote connection to waging the war. As Goldsmith argues, this approach is bad law because the Constitution does in fact allow congressional and judicial restriction of the president's warmaking powers, and in some cases even requires it (for my take on these issues in a debate with John Yoo and others, see here).
Goldsmith also argues that the Bush Administration's approach was politically counterproductive and led to an actual diminution of the executive authority that the administration sought to enhance. Bush's overreaching generated a backlash in Congress and the courts that eventually led to stronger curbs on executive power than would have existed had the Administration tried to work with Congress early on and made less sweeping (but still broad) claims of inherent presidential power. As Goldsmith himself puts it, "They [the Bush Administration] embraced this vision because they wanted to leave the presidency stronger than when they assumed office, but the approach they took achieved exactly the opposite effect. The central irony is that people whose explicit goal was to expand presidential power have diminished it."
In sum, Goldsmith believes that the War on Terror has been hobbled by excessive legal constraints, but also argues that the Bush Administration's response to the problem was both legally dubioys and politically counterproductive. In my view, he is largely correct on both counts. The good news is that Congress and the courts' reaction to Bush may make it much harder for a future Democratic president to declare war. The bad news is that Bush's legal hocus-pocus will take a long time for this country's institutions to recover from.
The WMD's That Weren't
Well, it turns out Bush was sold a bill of goods, after all. Both the French intelligence service and the CIA paid Sabri hundreds of thousands of dollars (at least $200,000 in the case of the CIA) to give them documents on Saddam's WMD programs. "The information detailed that Saddam may have wished to have a program, that his engineers had told him they could build a nuclear weapon within two years if they had fissionable material, which they didn't, and that they had no chemical or biological weapons."
On the eve of Sabri's appearance at the United Nations in September 2002 to present Saddam's case, the officer in charge of this operation met in New York with a "cutout" who had debriefed Sabri for the CIA. Then the officer flew to Washington, where he met with CIA deputy director John McLaughlin, who was "excited" about the report. Nevertheless, McLaughlin expressed his reservations. He said that Sabri's information was at odds with "our best source." That source was code-named "Curveball," later exposed as a fabricator, con man and former Iraqi taxi driver posing as a chemical engineer.
The next day, Sept. 18, Tenet briefed Bush on Sabri. "Tenet told me he had briefed the president personally," said one of the former CIA officers. According to Tenet, Bush's response was to call the information "the same old thing." Bush insisted it was simply what Saddam wanted him to think. "The president had no interest in the intelligence," said the CIA officer. The other officer said, "Bush didn't give a fuck about the intelligence. He had made his mind up." For the record, I don't think this means Bush deliberately lied about the WMD. What it does mean is that he listened to what he wanted to hear and didn't care about all the evidence to the contrary. That makes him worse than a liar, because at least a liar is intelligent enough to know what's going on around him. It makes Bush and his supporters within the administration just as incompetent and cynical as I thought.
On the eve of Sabri's appearance at the United Nations in September 2002 to present Saddam's case, the officer in charge of this operation met in New York with a "cutout" who had debriefed Sabri for the CIA. Then the officer flew to Washington, where he met with CIA deputy director John McLaughlin, who was "excited" about the report. Nevertheless, McLaughlin expressed his reservations. He said that Sabri's information was at odds with "our best source." That source was code-named "Curveball," later exposed as a fabricator, con man and former Iraqi taxi driver posing as a chemical engineer.
The next day, Sept. 18, Tenet briefed Bush on Sabri. "Tenet told me he had briefed the president personally," said one of the former CIA officers. According to Tenet, Bush's response was to call the information "the same old thing." Bush insisted it was simply what Saddam wanted him to think. "The president had no interest in the intelligence," said the CIA officer. The other officer said, "Bush didn't give a fuck about the intelligence. He had made his mind up." For the record, I don't think this means Bush deliberately lied about the WMD. What it does mean is that he listened to what he wanted to hear and didn't care about all the evidence to the contrary. That makes him worse than a liar, because at least a liar is intelligent enough to know what's going on around him. It makes Bush and his supporters within the administration just as incompetent and cynical as I thought.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Open Sourced Conservatism
Hmm-Andrew Sullivan brings up an interesting point. Wikipedia is now as much a part of online discourse as the weather is for sailors. We can complain about it, but there's not much we can do about it. For my own part, I've always loved it. Surfing Wiki is one of life's true intellectual pleasures. This Sunday, it's set to include its 2 millionth entry, as Crooked Timber notes. Conservapedia, with its tree-dwelling octopi, also continues to grow. But isn't it sad that American conservatism is now the repository of ideology as opposed to empiricism? Wiki, on the other hand, is the product of a genuinely conservative constitution-self-doubting, self-correcting, open-sourced. Of course there's no room for self-doubt in today's neocon ideologues who have hijacked the movement. Doubt is for sissies and libruls, after all.
Uncle Sam's Rx
Who says we have to wait for Hillary? Consider two distinguishing features of socialist economies. The first is that the government decides what individuals may produce, what they consume, and the terms of exchange.
That is largely true of America's health care sustem. Government controls production and consumption by determining the number of physicians; what services medical professionals can offer and under what terms; where they can practice; who can open a hospital or purchase a new MRI; who can market a drug or medical device; and what kind of health insurance consumers may purchase.
Government bureaucrats even set the prices for half of our health care sector directly, and indirectly set prices for the other half, When you read about Medicare over-paying imaging centers and hospitals, or that it's impossible for Bostonians to get an appointment with a general practitioner, it's largely because the bureaucrats got the prices wront, and these rigid prices do not automatically eliminate shortages and gluts like flexible markets do. Michael Moore wants us to become more like Canada. I've got news for him-we are!
That is largely true of America's health care sustem. Government controls production and consumption by determining the number of physicians; what services medical professionals can offer and under what terms; where they can practice; who can open a hospital or purchase a new MRI; who can market a drug or medical device; and what kind of health insurance consumers may purchase.
Government bureaucrats even set the prices for half of our health care sector directly, and indirectly set prices for the other half, When you read about Medicare over-paying imaging centers and hospitals, or that it's impossible for Bostonians to get an appointment with a general practitioner, it's largely because the bureaucrats got the prices wront, and these rigid prices do not automatically eliminate shortages and gluts like flexible markets do. Michael Moore wants us to become more like Canada. I've got news for him-we are!
Pothead Perp Walk
I thought going to college was supposed to make you smarter, not dumber. A pair of former Northeastern University freshmen are facing drug and other charges after prosecutors said one of them leaned out his dorm window on Sunday and loudly told a woman in the dorm opposite his that he and his roommate were selling pot.
Two plain clothes Boston officers in the building overheard the conversation, made their way ip to a second floor dorm room where they arrested Michael Emery, 18, of Haverhill and Matthew Ferrante, 18, of North Andover after finding about four ounces of marijauna, drug paraphernalia, including a scale, and several bottles of alchohol in the room, the Suffolk district attorney's office said.
"If you're looking for weed, my roommate Ferrante has some for sale," Emery allegedly said out the window, according to the district attorney's office. Instead of selling smokes, these morons may well find themselves being passed around for some. I'll bet their parents are real glad they wasted all that tuition money.
Two plain clothes Boston officers in the building overheard the conversation, made their way ip to a second floor dorm room where they arrested Michael Emery, 18, of Haverhill and Matthew Ferrante, 18, of North Andover after finding about four ounces of marijauna, drug paraphernalia, including a scale, and several bottles of alchohol in the room, the Suffolk district attorney's office said.
"If you're looking for weed, my roommate Ferrante has some for sale," Emery allegedly said out the window, according to the district attorney's office. Instead of selling smokes, these morons may well find themselves being passed around for some. I'll bet their parents are real glad they wasted all that tuition money.
Reality Check, Mon Ami
"Us? Arrogant? Non, non, inferior foreigners!" It may come as no surprise to the rest of the world.
But the French were aghast last night after their own study found they were regarded as arrogant.
French statesmen could do with a dose of modesty rather than lecturing other nations on human rights, the report commissioned by president Nicolas Sarkozy said.
France takes pride in its cultural difference and public opinion has often rewarded leaders who assert its importance on the world stage, as Jacques Chirac did in publicly opposing the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
According to the report, the French have no idea how the rest of the world views them.
"As surprising as it may seem, while our country is emerging from a long period of self-doubt and has under-estimated itself as a 'medium' power, it continues to be perceived as 'arrogant' in much of the world," wrote the report's author, former Socialist foreign minister Hubert Vedrine. Well, lecturing others while carrying surrender flags does tend to give one that impression.
But the French were aghast last night after their own study found they were regarded as arrogant.
French statesmen could do with a dose of modesty rather than lecturing other nations on human rights, the report commissioned by president Nicolas Sarkozy said.
France takes pride in its cultural difference and public opinion has often rewarded leaders who assert its importance on the world stage, as Jacques Chirac did in publicly opposing the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
According to the report, the French have no idea how the rest of the world views them.
"As surprising as it may seem, while our country is emerging from a long period of self-doubt and has under-estimated itself as a 'medium' power, it continues to be perceived as 'arrogant' in much of the world," wrote the report's author, former Socialist foreign minister Hubert Vedrine. Well, lecturing others while carrying surrender flags does tend to give one that impression.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Look For The Illegible Label
Now this hits people where they live. Tens of thousands of condoms provided free by the District to curb HIV-AIDS have been returned to the health department because of complaints that their paper packaging is easily damaged and could render the condoms ineffective.
Demand at two distribution sites in the Southeast set up by nonprofit groups plummeted more than 80 percent after the condoms, in a mustard-yellow and purple wrapper, were introduced this year. More than 2,000 packets a week were scooped up in mid-March, but by late May, only 400 were being given away each week.
Volunteers concerned about why interest had dropped began asking people who had picked up the condoms. They were told about packets ripping in purses or bursting open in pockets. As a result, recipients said they had little confidence that the condoms would offer protection.
In addiction, expiration dates on some of the Chinese-made condoms were illegible. If you can't trust your protection, what can you trust?
Demand at two distribution sites in the Southeast set up by nonprofit groups plummeted more than 80 percent after the condoms, in a mustard-yellow and purple wrapper, were introduced this year. More than 2,000 packets a week were scooped up in mid-March, but by late May, only 400 were being given away each week.
Volunteers concerned about why interest had dropped began asking people who had picked up the condoms. They were told about packets ripping in purses or bursting open in pockets. As a result, recipients said they had little confidence that the condoms would offer protection.
In addiction, expiration dates on some of the Chinese-made condoms were illegible. If you can't trust your protection, what can you trust?
Fly The Sacrificial Skies
When in doubt, go back to basics. KATHMANDU (Reuters)-Officials at Nepal's state-run airline have sacrificed two goats to appease Akash Bhairab, the Hindu sky god, following technical problems with one of its Boeing 757 aircraft, the carrier said Tuesday.
Nepal Airlines, which has two Boeing aircraft, has had to suspend some services in recent weeks due to the problem.
The goats were sacrificed in front of the troublesome aircraft Sunday at Nepal's only international airport in Kathmandu in accordance with Hindu traditions, an official said.
"The snag in the plane has now been fixed and the aircraft has resumed its flights," said Raju K.C., a senior airline official, without explaining what the problem had been. In response, a group of Christian missionaries deplored what they said was primitive superstition-and then proceeded to pay homage to a man who they say was born of a virgin birth and died more than 2,000 years ago, but who now lives in the sky with his father.
Nepal Airlines, which has two Boeing aircraft, has had to suspend some services in recent weeks due to the problem.
The goats were sacrificed in front of the troublesome aircraft Sunday at Nepal's only international airport in Kathmandu in accordance with Hindu traditions, an official said.
"The snag in the plane has now been fixed and the aircraft has resumed its flights," said Raju K.C., a senior airline official, without explaining what the problem had been. In response, a group of Christian missionaries deplored what they said was primitive superstition-and then proceeded to pay homage to a man who they say was born of a virgin birth and died more than 2,000 years ago, but who now lives in the sky with his father.
Where Are Hsu?
Hsu has apparently skipped. REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (AP)-Disgraced Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu was a wanted man again after he failed to show up for a court date Wednesday and a judge isued a new warrant for his arrest.
Hsu, whose criminal past has roiled the campaigns of top presidential candidates, was scheduled to ask a judge to cut in half the $2 million bail he posted last week when he turned himself in after spending 15 years on the lam from a felony theft conviction.
Instead, San Mateo Superior Court Judge Robert Foiles orderd Hsu's bail forfeited to the county and issued a new arrest warrant. If Hsu is arrested again, he will be jailed without bail this time.
Paging Dog the Bounty Hunter!
Hsu, whose criminal past has roiled the campaigns of top presidential candidates, was scheduled to ask a judge to cut in half the $2 million bail he posted last week when he turned himself in after spending 15 years on the lam from a felony theft conviction.
Instead, San Mateo Superior Court Judge Robert Foiles orderd Hsu's bail forfeited to the county and issued a new arrest warrant. If Hsu is arrested again, he will be jailed without bail this time.
Paging Dog the Bounty Hunter!
Are We Not Men?
Shades of H.G. Wells. Animal-human hybrid embryos could be created in British laboratories within months after the fertility regulator gave the controversial research its blessing.
Two teans of scientists are poised to start making cow-human hybrids for research into incurable diseases-with at least one project starting by the end of the year.
Stem cell expert Dr Stephen Minger, who wants to use the embryos to study diseases such as Alzheimer's, said the work could "revolutionise drug discovery." Maybe, but I just hope somebody who might someday get treatment from this research doesn't develop an urge to leave "cow patties" on their front lawn...
Two teans of scientists are poised to start making cow-human hybrids for research into incurable diseases-with at least one project starting by the end of the year.
Stem cell expert Dr Stephen Minger, who wants to use the embryos to study diseases such as Alzheimer's, said the work could "revolutionise drug discovery." Maybe, but I just hope somebody who might someday get treatment from this research doesn't develop an urge to leave "cow patties" on their front lawn...
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Only The Healthy Need Apply
While France undergoes reform, the British Health Police are going into overdrive. Failing to follow a healthy lifestyle could lead to fre NHS treatment being denied under the Tory plans.
Patients would be handed "NHA Health Miles Cards" allowing them to earn reward points for losing weight, giving up smoking, receiving immunisations or attending regular health screenings.
Like a supermarket loyalty card, the points could be redeemed as discounts on gym membership and fresh fruit and vegetables, or even give priority for other public services-such as jumping the queue for council housing.
But heavy smokers, the obese and binge drinkers who were a drain on the NHS could be denied some routine treatments such as hip replacements until they cleaned up their act. "Now then, we can't have you all getting sick out of your own lifestyle choice. You must be healthy enough to take advantage of our wonderful government health care! You say you don't want government health? What do you think we are, France?"
Patients would be handed "NHA Health Miles Cards" allowing them to earn reward points for losing weight, giving up smoking, receiving immunisations or attending regular health screenings.
Like a supermarket loyalty card, the points could be redeemed as discounts on gym membership and fresh fruit and vegetables, or even give priority for other public services-such as jumping the queue for council housing.
But heavy smokers, the obese and binge drinkers who were a drain on the NHS could be denied some routine treatments such as hip replacements until they cleaned up their act. "Now then, we can't have you all getting sick out of your own lifestyle choice. You must be healthy enough to take advantage of our wonderful government health care! You say you don't want government health? What do you think we are, France?"
No Freebies For Thee
Sarkozy goes after one of the staples of the French welfare state. Thousands of Britons who have taken early retirement and moved to France are to lose free health care under radical reforms introduced by France's new president.
In his drive to kick-start the French economy by creating a culture of hard work, Nicolas Sarkozy believes those who chose to retire early-under 65-should not benefit from free health care.
During his election campaign earlier this year Mr Sarkozy said: "If you think 53 makes you old enough to retire, then fine, go ahead and retire. But don't expect the state to pay for it." France is going to go through a massive culture shock with this guy. A Frenchman with guts? Non, non!
In his drive to kick-start the French economy by creating a culture of hard work, Nicolas Sarkozy believes those who chose to retire early-under 65-should not benefit from free health care.
During his election campaign earlier this year Mr Sarkozy said: "If you think 53 makes you old enough to retire, then fine, go ahead and retire. But don't expect the state to pay for it." France is going to go through a massive culture shock with this guy. A Frenchman with guts? Non, non!
Patches' Pocket Change
One man's fugitive is another man's cash cow. Rhode Island Rep. Patrick Kennedy said Tuesday he's not returning $6,600 in donations he got from Norman Hsu, a prominent Democratic donor whose criminal past was recently revealed.
Several top Democrats, including 2008 presidential candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry and Kennedy's father, Sen. Edward Kennedy, have said they will return Hsu's donations or give them to charity.
Rep. Kennedy will keep the money because there is no indication that Hsu's contributions to him were illegal, according to his chief of staff, Adam Brand. Well, he could always take Hsu for a drive across a river...that would solve the problem the Kennedy way...
Several top Democrats, including 2008 presidential candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry and Kennedy's father, Sen. Edward Kennedy, have said they will return Hsu's donations or give them to charity.
Rep. Kennedy will keep the money because there is no indication that Hsu's contributions to him were illegal, according to his chief of staff, Adam Brand. Well, he could always take Hsu for a drive across a river...that would solve the problem the Kennedy way...
This Is What Belgians Actually Believe
Say what you will about Europeans, they know a con game when they see one. BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP)-A Belgian prosecutor on Tuesday recommended that the U.S.-based Church of Scientology stand trial for fraud and extortion, following a 10-year investigation that concluded the group should be labeled a criminal orbanization.
Scientology said it would fight the criminal charges recommended by investigating prosecutor Jean-Claude Van Espen, who said that up to 12 unidentified people should face charges.
Van Espen's probe also concluded that Scientology's Brussels-based Europe office and its Belgian missions conducted unlawful practices in medicine, violated privacy laws and used illegal business contracts, said Lieve Pellens, a spokeswoman at the Federal Prosecutors Office. Somewhere, Hercule Poirot is smiling.
Scientology said it would fight the criminal charges recommended by investigating prosecutor Jean-Claude Van Espen, who said that up to 12 unidentified people should face charges.
Van Espen's probe also concluded that Scientology's Brussels-based Europe office and its Belgian missions conducted unlawful practices in medicine, violated privacy laws and used illegal business contracts, said Lieve Pellens, a spokeswoman at the Federal Prosecutors Office. Somewhere, Hercule Poirot is smiling.
Great Danes
Kudos to Denmark for being vigilant-and without violating any of their own citizenss rights in the process. The suspects had been under surveillance for some time and Danish investigators had liaised with "several foreign co-operation partners" before making the arrests, police said.
Later on Tuesday, two of the suspects, both 21, were remanded in custory for 27 days, with the first 13 days to be spent in solitary confinement.
The six others would probably be released after questioning, said Jakob Scharf, an official from the Danish police intelligence agency.
"We have prevented a terror attack," Mr Scharf said, but he gave no details of what might have been the intended target of the alleged bombers. So, these guys were caught using old-fashioned police work-no convoluated legal definitions that put the subjects in limbo for several years, no shipping them off to foreign countries for "Interrogation," and no denying them of whatever rights they have under Danish law. It's called letting the law do its job. Are you listening, Bushbots?
Later on Tuesday, two of the suspects, both 21, were remanded in custory for 27 days, with the first 13 days to be spent in solitary confinement.
The six others would probably be released after questioning, said Jakob Scharf, an official from the Danish police intelligence agency.
"We have prevented a terror attack," Mr Scharf said, but he gave no details of what might have been the intended target of the alleged bombers. So, these guys were caught using old-fashioned police work-no convoluated legal definitions that put the subjects in limbo for several years, no shipping them off to foreign countries for "Interrogation," and no denying them of whatever rights they have under Danish law. It's called letting the law do its job. Are you listening, Bushbots?
The Rose
Why can't we have more politicians like this guy? (hat tip: Andrew Sullivan) A day or two later, at a dinner for Georgian businessmen, the president delivers a speech hammering home his well-honed message of self-help. "The government is going to help you in the best way possible, by doing nothing for you, by getting out of your way. Well, I exaggerate but you understand. Of course we will provide you with infrastructure, and help by getting rid of corruption, but you have all succeeded by your own initiative and enterprise, so you should congratulate yourselves." This is a recurring theme we hear from many former Soviet republics and across Eastern Europe. No wonder Putin is peeved-they'd rather listen to the ghost of Reagan rather than Stalin.
Monday, September 03, 2007
Department Of Bathroom Security
Speaking of today's leftists, I can't believe I agree with this. In the consensus judgement of America's 16 intelligence agencies, the terrorist threat to our homeland is "persistent and evolving," placing our country in "a heightened threat environment."
Given that chilling assessment, isn't it the height of madness to use America's finite law enforcement resources to seek out and arrest people for tapping the foot of a cute undercover officer in a restroom?
Don't get me wrong. I'm not wild about walking into a public restroom and seeing a couple using the stall for something other than, as Sgt. Dave Karsnia, the arresting officer in the Craig case put it, "its intended use."
But that is not what Larry Craig did. If he had, someone in the restroom could have done what most people do when they see a law being broken: go get a cop. But if the cops in Idaho and other red states went after real crime, there wouldn't be any issues for the morality police to run on. I mean, it's not like cruising in the stalls is less important than stopping the people who want to blow those stalls up, is it?
Given that chilling assessment, isn't it the height of madness to use America's finite law enforcement resources to seek out and arrest people for tapping the foot of a cute undercover officer in a restroom?
Don't get me wrong. I'm not wild about walking into a public restroom and seeing a couple using the stall for something other than, as Sgt. Dave Karsnia, the arresting officer in the Craig case put it, "its intended use."
But that is not what Larry Craig did. If he had, someone in the restroom could have done what most people do when they see a law being broken: go get a cop. But if the cops in Idaho and other red states went after real crime, there wouldn't be any issues for the morality police to run on. I mean, it's not like cruising in the stalls is less important than stopping the people who want to blow those stalls up, is it?
Uncle Joe's Blues
Wow, even old leftists get it more than today's current crop does. I almost fell off the chair when I read Mr. Seeger's words: "I think you're right-I should have asked to see the gulags when I was in [the] USSR." For years, Mr. Seeger continued, he had been trying to get people to realize that any social change had to be nonviolent, in the fashion sought by Martin Luther King Kr. Mr. Seeger had hoped, he explained, that both Krushchev and later Gorbachev would "open things up." He acknowledged that he underestimated, and perhaps still does, "how the majority of the human race has faith in violence."
More importantlu, Mr. Seeger attached the words and music for a song he had written, "thinking what Woodie [Guthrie] might have written had he been around" to see the death of his old Communist dream. Called "The Big Joe Blues," it's a yodeling Jimmie Rodgers-type song, he said. It not only makes the point that Joe Stalin was far more dangerous and a threat than Joe McCarthy-a man Mr. Seeger and the old left view as the quintessential American demagogue-but emphasizes the horrors that Stalin brought. Will any of today's celebrity idiots recant for their support of Hugo Chavez in their later years? I doubt it. The lefties of Seeger's generation-the Thirties through the Fifties-were just as much against dogma and rigid ideology as they were against what they perceived as the evils of big business. Many of them were smart enough to recognize when they were wrong. Today's lefties are all about toeing the party line. They don't have the luxury of being allowed to think for themselves.
More importantlu, Mr. Seeger attached the words and music for a song he had written, "thinking what Woodie [Guthrie] might have written had he been around" to see the death of his old Communist dream. Called "The Big Joe Blues," it's a yodeling Jimmie Rodgers-type song, he said. It not only makes the point that Joe Stalin was far more dangerous and a threat than Joe McCarthy-a man Mr. Seeger and the old left view as the quintessential American demagogue-but emphasizes the horrors that Stalin brought. Will any of today's celebrity idiots recant for their support of Hugo Chavez in their later years? I doubt it. The lefties of Seeger's generation-the Thirties through the Fifties-were just as much against dogma and rigid ideology as they were against what they perceived as the evils of big business. Many of them were smart enough to recognize when they were wrong. Today's lefties are all about toeing the party line. They don't have the luxury of being allowed to think for themselves.
The Green Money Machine
See, this is what we fought a Revolution to get away from. Nearly two-thirds of the public believe ministers are using environmental fears as an excuse to raise tax revenue, according to a poll.
And research suggests their cynicism is justified-with green taxes raking in 10 billion more for the Treasury than it would cost to offset the entire UK's carbon footprint.
The figures are contained in a dossier compiled by pressure group the TaxPayer's Alliance (TPA).
The document is likely to provide grim reading for politicians of all colours-including Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Tory leader David Cameron-who are committed to making individuals pay for habits which damage the environment. But at least the money will be used for free health care and to put more cameras on the streets to keep people "Safe," right?
And research suggests their cynicism is justified-with green taxes raking in 10 billion more for the Treasury than it would cost to offset the entire UK's carbon footprint.
The figures are contained in a dossier compiled by pressure group the TaxPayer's Alliance (TPA).
The document is likely to provide grim reading for politicians of all colours-including Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Tory leader David Cameron-who are committed to making individuals pay for habits which damage the environment. But at least the money will be used for free health care and to put more cameras on the streets to keep people "Safe," right?
Hucksterpedia
It's not just Dummycrats censoring Wikipedia. LITTLE ROCK, Ark.-Internet criticism of Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee's involvement in the pardon of a castrated rapist and his heavy use of a state airplane disappeared with a mouse click.
Such edits are common on Wikipedia, a collaborative Internet reference site where anyone can add, change or even delete entries. But the changes made to pages about the former current Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe and others were made using state government computers, according to an analysis by The Associated Press of records from Wikipedia and the state.
The AP found that five computer addresses within the state government network were used while editing information about politicians. Other computer users within the state network changed pages ranging from the rock group AC/DC, Soviet Communist Party boss Yuri Andropov and the city of Batesville, Ark., to a profile of Charles Manson.
The Arkansas Department of Information Services acknowledges the Internet Protocol addresses are registered to the state. The agency refuses to say which offices are assigned to the numbers and twice rejected Freedom of Information Act requests by AP seeking further information.
Arkansas policy dictates that state resources not be used for political purposes. Ethics officials cautioned Beebe after a campaign worker in 2005 used a state computer to edit a Beebe political speech. They say history is written by the winners-but the losers can edit Wikipedia.
Such edits are common on Wikipedia, a collaborative Internet reference site where anyone can add, change or even delete entries. But the changes made to pages about the former current Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe and others were made using state government computers, according to an analysis by The Associated Press of records from Wikipedia and the state.
The AP found that five computer addresses within the state government network were used while editing information about politicians. Other computer users within the state network changed pages ranging from the rock group AC/DC, Soviet Communist Party boss Yuri Andropov and the city of Batesville, Ark., to a profile of Charles Manson.
The Arkansas Department of Information Services acknowledges the Internet Protocol addresses are registered to the state. The agency refuses to say which offices are assigned to the numbers and twice rejected Freedom of Information Act requests by AP seeking further information.
Arkansas policy dictates that state resources not be used for political purposes. Ethics officials cautioned Beebe after a campaign worker in 2005 used a state computer to edit a Beebe political speech. They say history is written by the winners-but the losers can edit Wikipedia.
Ban There, Done That
Yeah, I'm sure this will be a rousing success. KHARTOUM, Sudan-U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will press for speedy deployment of a 26,000-strong peacekeeping force in Darfur and a quick start to new peace talks to end the four-year conflict there during his visit to Sudan starting Monday.
Ban, who was greeted on his arrival in Khartoum by Sudanese Deputy Foreign Minister Mohamed Ali Karto, plans to spend a day in Darfur and hold talks with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.
"I want to create the foundations of a lasting peace and security," Ban told reporters last week. "My goal is to lock in the progress we have made so far, to build on it so that this terrible trauma may one day cease." I'm sure the women of Darfur will be glad to know the blue helmets are coming.
Ban, who was greeted on his arrival in Khartoum by Sudanese Deputy Foreign Minister Mohamed Ali Karto, plans to spend a day in Darfur and hold talks with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.
"I want to create the foundations of a lasting peace and security," Ban told reporters last week. "My goal is to lock in the progress we have made so far, to build on it so that this terrible trauma may one day cease." I'm sure the women of Darfur will be glad to know the blue helmets are coming.
Crying
That must be one sore shoulder. Looking to the day he leaves the White House, President Bush says he'll concentrate on making speeches and running an institute that promotes democracy around the world. He also admitted that he cries "a lot" on God's shoulder.
Bush made the revelations to Robert Draper, for his book "Dead Certain," which will be released on Tuesday.
According to the New York Times, Bush told Draper:
-"I've got God's shoulder to cry on, and I cry a lot. I'll bet I've shed more tears than you can count as president"-an implied reference to the casualties of the Iraq war. Maybe if Bush had listened to people who knew what they were talking about, he wouldn't have had so much reason to cry. And given the way things are going for the GOP, he may have a lot more to cry about come next November.
Bush made the revelations to Robert Draper, for his book "Dead Certain," which will be released on Tuesday.
According to the New York Times, Bush told Draper:
-"I've got God's shoulder to cry on, and I cry a lot. I'll bet I've shed more tears than you can count as president"-an implied reference to the casualties of the Iraq war. Maybe if Bush had listened to people who knew what they were talking about, he wouldn't have had so much reason to cry. And given the way things are going for the GOP, he may have a lot more to cry about come next November.
Didn't Hsu Know, Bill?
The would-be First Man is shocked that there was gambling going on in his wife's establishment. Contoocook, N.H.-Former President Bill Clinton said he was "shocked" by revelations that a top fundraiser for his wife is a fugitive from justice and claimed he didn't even know what "HillRaiser" Norman Hsu did for a living.
"You could have knocked me over with a straw, especially when I heard the L.A. people had been allegedly looking for him for 15 years when he was in plain view," he told Newsday while touring a county fair in rural New Hampshire Sunday.
"I never knew how me made a living or anything, but I was shocked," said Clinton of Hsu, who has made millions as an investor in textile and other businesses. This is like a guy denying he had an affair with a chubby chick...oh, wait.
"You could have knocked me over with a straw, especially when I heard the L.A. people had been allegedly looking for him for 15 years when he was in plain view," he told Newsday while touring a county fair in rural New Hampshire Sunday.
"I never knew how me made a living or anything, but I was shocked," said Clinton of Hsu, who has made millions as an investor in textile and other businesses. This is like a guy denying he had an affair with a chubby chick...oh, wait.
Secrets Of The Brain
It turns out Karl Rove may have been smarter than his boss, after all.
Karl Rove told George W. Bush before the 2000 election that it wa a bad idea to name Richard B. Cheney as his running mate, and Rove later raised objections to the nomination of Harriet E. Miers to the Supreme Court, according to a new book on the Bush presidency.
In "Dead Certain: The Presidency of George Bush," journalist Robert Drapter writes that Rove told Bush he should not tap Cheney for the Republican ticket: "Selecting Daddy's top foreign-policy guru ran counter to the message. It was worse than a safe pick--it was needy." But Bush did not care--he was comfortable with Cheney and "saw no harm in giving his VP unprecedented run of the place."
When Rove, President Bush's top political adviser, expressed concerns about the Miers selection, he was "shouted down" and subsequently muted his objections, Draper writes, while other advisers did not realize the outcry the nomination would cause within the president's conservative base. So Rove was right, after all-it's just that Bush didn't want to listen to him when it mattered.
Karl Rove told George W. Bush before the 2000 election that it wa a bad idea to name Richard B. Cheney as his running mate, and Rove later raised objections to the nomination of Harriet E. Miers to the Supreme Court, according to a new book on the Bush presidency.
In "Dead Certain: The Presidency of George Bush," journalist Robert Drapter writes that Rove told Bush he should not tap Cheney for the Republican ticket: "Selecting Daddy's top foreign-policy guru ran counter to the message. It was worse than a safe pick--it was needy." But Bush did not care--he was comfortable with Cheney and "saw no harm in giving his VP unprecedented run of the place."
When Rove, President Bush's top political adviser, expressed concerns about the Miers selection, he was "shouted down" and subsequently muted his objections, Draper writes, while other advisers did not realize the outcry the nomination would cause within the president's conservative base. So Rove was right, after all-it's just that Bush didn't want to listen to him when it mattered.
No Capitalism, No Luchre
Let's see how well that revolution thing is working out, shall we, Hugo?
CARACAS: The Venezuelan economy, under the direction of President Hugo Chavez, is starting to unravel in the currency market.
While Venezuela earns record proceeds from oil exports, consumers face shortages of meat, flour and cooking oil. Annual inflation has risen to 16 percent, the highest in Latin America, as Chavez tripled government spending in four years.
Exxon Mobile and ConocoPhillips are pulling out after Chavez demanded that they cede control of joint venture projects. I can hear Hugo now: "We must all sacrifice for the Revolution!" Except for him, of course.
CARACAS: The Venezuelan economy, under the direction of President Hugo Chavez, is starting to unravel in the currency market.
While Venezuela earns record proceeds from oil exports, consumers face shortages of meat, flour and cooking oil. Annual inflation has risen to 16 percent, the highest in Latin America, as Chavez tripled government spending in four years.
Exxon Mobile and ConocoPhillips are pulling out after Chavez demanded that they cede control of joint venture projects. I can hear Hugo now: "We must all sacrifice for the Revolution!" Except for him, of course.
From China With Love
Well this is good news-not. The Chinese military hacked into a Pentagon computer network in June in the most susccessful cyber attack on the US defence department, say American officials.
The Pentagon acknowledged shitting down part of a computer system serving the office of Robert Gates, defence secretary, byt declined to say who it believed was behind the attack.
Current and former officials have told the Financial Times an intermal investigation has revealed that the incursion came from the People's Liberation Army. I guess they got tired of just sending us tainted toys...
The Pentagon acknowledged shitting down part of a computer system serving the office of Robert Gates, defence secretary, byt declined to say who it believed was behind the attack.
Current and former officials have told the Financial Times an intermal investigation has revealed that the incursion came from the People's Liberation Army. I guess they got tired of just sending us tainted toys...
Sunday, September 02, 2007
No Nukes Is Good Nukes
Well, we'll see. GENEVA (Reuters)-North Korea agreed in weekend talks with the United States to fully account for and disable its nuclear programs by the end of the year, negotiators said on Sunday.
"We had very good, very substantive talks," U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Chris Hill told reporters. "One thing that we agreed on is that (North Korea) will provide a full declaration of all of their nuclear programs and will disable their nuclar programs by the end of this year, 2007."
North Korea's top nuclear envoy said separately his delegation was pleased with the outcome of the talks, held to hasten the end of Pyongyang's nuclear programme, a target agreed to in principle in 2005 in exchange for diplomatic and economic benefits. Now let me see if I understand this. The Bush defenders have said that Mini Me can't be trusted and that Clinton's deals with him were a huge mistake, something that I agree with. So why is Bush apparently so willing to trust Mini Me now?
"We had very good, very substantive talks," U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Chris Hill told reporters. "One thing that we agreed on is that (North Korea) will provide a full declaration of all of their nuclear programs and will disable their nuclar programs by the end of this year, 2007."
North Korea's top nuclear envoy said separately his delegation was pleased with the outcome of the talks, held to hasten the end of Pyongyang's nuclear programme, a target agreed to in principle in 2005 in exchange for diplomatic and economic benefits. Now let me see if I understand this. The Bush defenders have said that Mini Me can't be trusted and that Clinton's deals with him were a huge mistake, something that I agree with. So why is Bush apparently so willing to trust Mini Me now?
Fool For The Falklands
Oh, this should be good. IN a new outburst of antiwestern sabre-rattling, President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela has threatened Britain with "revenge" for the Falklands war of 1982. The belligerent Latin American leftist warned last week that his recent build-up of sophisticated Russian and Iranian weapons would be used to destroy the British fleet if it attempted to return to the South Atlantic.
Speaking on his weekly television show Alo Presidente (Hello, Mr President), Chavez denounced what he described as Britain's "illegal occpation" of the Falklands and repeated his call for a regional military alliance against Britain and the United States.
"If we had been united in the last war, we could have stopped the old empire," Chavez said, as he gesticulated to maps showing how Venezuelan aircraft and submarines would intercept British warships. "Today we could sink the British fleet." I do believe he means it. The little twerp thinks he could win a war.
Speaking on his weekly television show Alo Presidente (Hello, Mr President), Chavez denounced what he described as Britain's "illegal occpation" of the Falklands and repeated his call for a regional military alliance against Britain and the United States.
"If we had been united in the last war, we could have stopped the old empire," Chavez said, as he gesticulated to maps showing how Venezuelan aircraft and submarines would intercept British warships. "Today we could sink the British fleet." I do believe he means it. The little twerp thinks he could win a war.
Edwards' Orders
How nice to know that John Edwards would be looking out for us.
TIPTON, Iowa-Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards said on Sunday that his universal healthcare proposal would require that Americans go to the doctor for preventive care.
"It requires that everybody be covered. It requires that everybody get preventive care," he told a crowd sitting in lawn chairs in front of the Cedar County Courthouse. "If you are going to be in the system, you can;t chhose not to go to the doctor for 20 years. You have to go in and be checked and make sure that you are OK."
He noted, for example that women would be required to have regular mammograms in an effort to find and treat "the first trace of problem." Edwards and his wife, Elizabeth, announced earlier this year that her breast cancer had returned and spread.
Edwards said his mandatory healthcare plan would cover preventive, chronic and long-term health care. The plan would include mental health care as well as dental and vision coverage for all Americans.
"The whole idea is a continuum of care, basically from birth to death," he said. And how does he plan to enforce this on people who won't comply? Send them off to health reeducation camps?
TIPTON, Iowa-Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards said on Sunday that his universal healthcare proposal would require that Americans go to the doctor for preventive care.
"It requires that everybody be covered. It requires that everybody get preventive care," he told a crowd sitting in lawn chairs in front of the Cedar County Courthouse. "If you are going to be in the system, you can;t chhose not to go to the doctor for 20 years. You have to go in and be checked and make sure that you are OK."
He noted, for example that women would be required to have regular mammograms in an effort to find and treat "the first trace of problem." Edwards and his wife, Elizabeth, announced earlier this year that her breast cancer had returned and spread.
Edwards said his mandatory healthcare plan would cover preventive, chronic and long-term health care. The plan would include mental health care as well as dental and vision coverage for all Americans.
"The whole idea is a continuum of care, basically from birth to death," he said. And how does he plan to enforce this on people who won't comply? Send them off to health reeducation camps?
Saturday, September 01, 2007
Bad Burn At Black Rock
Seriously, why does anyone go to these things? Before 10 a.m. Wednesday, medical supervisor Jonathan Washko already had seen one Burning Man participant whisked away by helicopter in critical condition, another with a broken left arm, another with a face burn from a fire accident, half a dozen people overcome by dehydration, and a stream of Burners with bloodied knees, stubbed toes and sunburned noses.
Washko, who is a director of the Regional Emergency Medical Services Authority, the Reno-based medical agency that serves the festival, expects the informary to get more crowded as the weekend progresses and record numbers of attendees descend on the desert festival.
"Some people just get a little too relaxed and crazy out here and take more risks," he said Wednesday. "It'kk reach a crescendo by Saturday."
As the festival's awe-inspiring art installations and free-spirited tone have attracted more participants to Nevada's Black Rock Desert since 1990-the numver of attendees is expected to top 45,000 this year-the crowds also have increased the workload for medical and law enforcement personnel who oversee the event. With so many Darwin Award candidates in one place, should anybody be surprised?
Washko, who is a director of the Regional Emergency Medical Services Authority, the Reno-based medical agency that serves the festival, expects the informary to get more crowded as the weekend progresses and record numbers of attendees descend on the desert festival.
"Some people just get a little too relaxed and crazy out here and take more risks," he said Wednesday. "It'kk reach a crescendo by Saturday."
As the festival's awe-inspiring art installations and free-spirited tone have attracted more participants to Nevada's Black Rock Desert since 1990-the numver of attendees is expected to top 45,000 this year-the crowds also have increased the workload for medical and law enforcement personnel who oversee the event. With so many Darwin Award candidates in one place, should anybody be surprised?
Reach For The Stars
Well, at least we were there first.
MOSCOW, August 31 (RIA Novosti)-Russia plans to send cosmonauts to the Moon by 20205 and establish a permanent manned base there in 20207-2032, the head of the space agency said Friday.
Anatoly Perminov said that in accordance with Russia's space program through 2040, a manned flight to Mars will be carried out after 2035.
He said that toward the end of this year, Russia will have 103 satellites in orbit, up from the current 95. Hey, if you want to be Emperor of the Galaxy you have to start somewhere...
MOSCOW, August 31 (RIA Novosti)-Russia plans to send cosmonauts to the Moon by 20205 and establish a permanent manned base there in 20207-2032, the head of the space agency said Friday.
Anatoly Perminov said that in accordance with Russia's space program through 2040, a manned flight to Mars will be carried out after 2035.
He said that toward the end of this year, Russia will have 103 satellites in orbit, up from the current 95. Hey, if you want to be Emperor of the Galaxy you have to start somewhere...
Bathroom Blues
The current poster boy for Republican hypocrisy is outta there. BOISE, Idaho (CNN)-Sen. Larry Craig said Saturday he will resign, succumbing to rapidly intensifying pressure from within his own republican Party.
"The people of Idaho deserve a senator who can devote 100 percent of his time and effort to the critical issures of our state and of our nation," said Craig, speaking under a clear blue sky at 10:30 a.m. (12:30 p.m. ET) outside the historic Boise Depot in Idaho's capital city.
"Therefore it is with sadness and deep regret that I announce that it is my intent to resign from the Senate, effective September 30th." Well, now he can cruise as a private citizen, until his party decides to make it illegal.
"The people of Idaho deserve a senator who can devote 100 percent of his time and effort to the critical issures of our state and of our nation," said Craig, speaking under a clear blue sky at 10:30 a.m. (12:30 p.m. ET) outside the historic Boise Depot in Idaho's capital city.
"Therefore it is with sadness and deep regret that I announce that it is my intent to resign from the Senate, effective September 30th." Well, now he can cruise as a private citizen, until his party decides to make it illegal.
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