Tyrant

Another Sad Day for America

2007-03-17T14:21:00.000-05:00

Soldier Found Guilty

Reading the lengths these guys went to to cover up the crimes makes me sick. The Innocent have no protection from our soldiers, and as usual we are our own worst enemy.

I haven't been around to post much lately, this is always a busy time of year for me, as things start to warm up folks often find things they never notice in the winter. It's an interesting cycle, though I think tax time may also have something to do with it.

The lack of time I have for this lately has me considering just dropping this blog, it would be easier for me to pick up writing a diary on one of the larger sites, if indeed I even have time for that.

Like I said though, I'm just thinking about it, I'll mull it over for a few more days at least. Thanks to everyone that stops by. I've certainly found this cathartic if not always enjoyable.

Joe

"Support The Troops"

2007-02-28T13:19:00.000-05:00

Just another example of everything the neo-cons say being a lie. "Support The Troops" Indeed.

Marine takes plea deal in Iraqi murder

2007-02-18T03:19:00.000-05:00

What was that I was saying about being proud to be an American?

Somehow I don't think it was because it means guys like this get 8 years for premeditated murder. I've got a friend doing 25 years in a Florida prison for a DUI with no accident, fatality, or even property damage, how exactly is this justice? I guess we'll have to see how the rest of his deal goes, and if the others actually get some serious time.

These people have no respect for life at all, and those with no respect for life have no business acting as my representative anywhere in the world, and definately not holding a gun while doing it. I'd say the same for bush except we dont know if he's personally shot anyone, unlike Cheney who is well known for shooting even his friends.

Other defendants said they dragged Awad from his home in Hamdania, tied him up and stuffed him in a bomb crater with a stolen rifle and shovel to make it look like he was planting a roadside bomb. Hamdania is a rural town in the vast western Iraqi province of Al Anbar.

They then faked a firefight to make it look like they were being attacked and returning fire, and killed Awad, according to testimony from other defendants in the killing.

Pennington's attorney presented evidence that Pennington suffered psychological damage during the battle of Falluja, where two of his friends died.

Prosecutors argued that Awad's killing was in cold blood and that Pennington had made light of the murder by seizing the arm of the corpse and having it slap itself following the faked firefight.

just makes you proud to be an American, doesnt it?

2007-02-17T03:09:00.000-05:00

Once Upon a Time...: Excuse Me While I Scream for a Few Minutes

2007-02-12T16:23:00.000-05:00

Once Upon a Time...: Excuse Me While I Scream for a Few Minutes

I have been so busy lately I haven't had hardly any time to keep up with the news (partially because I've been avoiding mentions of Anna Nicole Smith) but I had some time this afternoon and some of the stuff I've been reading really has me feeling incoherent, no wonder Arthur feels like screaming, read his post, I couldn't agree more.

2007-02-05T15:21:00.000-05:00

I've always been somewhat conservative when upgrading an operating system, moving from dos to windows took me longer than most, and the interceding upgrades between Windows 3.11 for workgroups and XP were hardly any diffferent, with the exception that I completely skipped Win Me. On the other hand I have already used more flavors of Linux than I ever have of Windows, and I've only been doing that for a few years. Vista just seems like a bad idea, I don't know what the heck Gates is thinking, Sure it would position him to make all kinds of money and I guess that's it, but the built in crippling of your personally owned hardware is pathetic. It's fine for them not to have drivers for everything, you go to your hardware vendor for that, but to build the crippling into the software in order to charge you more to use your hardware? that is absolutely insane.

Among the known issues: Songs purchased from the iTunes music store may not play; contacts and calendar entries won't sync to customers' iPods; and customers could corrupt their iPod unless they eject it from Windows using iTunes.

Daily Show

2007-02-01T23:11:00.000-05:00

I can barely type I'm laughing so loud, Jon Stewart deserves whatever awards are applicable for tonight's show. The bit with Gebharts gay daughter woke up the dogs on the other side of the house.

The Laguna beach bit was funny and I've never even seen the show, nor do I know anything about it.

Cant wait to see how it ends. :)

Boston, Home of Incompetence

2007-02-01T06:59:00.000-05:00

Boston officials livid over ad stunt - Yahoo! News:

"I find it kind of ridiculous that they're making these statements on TV that we must not be safe from terrorism, because they were up there for three weeks and no one noticed. It's pretty commonsensical to look at them and say this is a piece of art and installation," he told The Globe.

I try not to watch much cable news, because you rarely get any competent reporting, it's mostly sensationalism and corporate (CNN,MSNBC) or government (FOX) propaganda. I do watch some of it, at least twice a day for 15 minutes at a time while making myself a cup of tea, occasionally 3 times a day, I do enjoy my tea.

Watching this story unfold on every one of these networks was simply pathetic, and none of them got it even close to right. There were no closed boxes under bridges, these were electronic signs, amazingly simple ones at that. Anyone not a complete idiot would have recognized that, even if they didn't recognize the charachter.

Take a look at the sign:

Look closely, all the electronics (and the batteries) are clearly visible on the outside of a flush mounted circuit board, there isn't even any place to put explosives. None of the other cities these were placed in freaked out over this, What the hell is wrong with the Boston PD? Then of course there is the cable network complicity in turning this into a "scare" by not once showing the available pictures of the sign, or the video played on local News stations in Boston.

Amazing that after 3 weeks of these signs being posted it suddenly becomes a huge media scare after Bush's poll ratings drop from 35% approval to 30%.

Pathetic. If you live in Boston, fire your cops and get some competent ones. You've just been made the laughingstock of the country.

2007-01-31T19:33:00.000-05:00

Glenn Greenwald has a great post on Republican hypocrisies (at least on this one issue)... check it out.

Unclaimed Territory - by Glenn Greenwald: Republicans and Congress' war powers -- then and now:

Republicans and Congress' war powers -- then and now

AP cleans up its GOP talking points

2007-01-31T19:08:00.000-05:00

Democrats unveil $463.5B spending bill - Yahoo! News:

WASHINGTON - Democrats say they are making the best of a bad situation as they bring to the House floor a massive bill cobbling together $463.5 billion in unfinished budget business.

It sure is good of the AP to fix their little smear on the Democratic Party. Just for a reminder here's the original headline and first paragraph:

Democrats unveil massive spending bill

WASHINGTON - Democrats have unveiled a massive spending bill combining the budgets of 13 Cabinet agencies with increases in aid for lower-income college students, while cutting President Bush's funding requests for foreign aid and closing military bases.

Who wrote the first version I wonder?

2007-01-31T15:41:00.000-05:00

Independent Online Edition > Middle East:

The story emerging on independent Iraqi websites and in Arabic newspapers is entirely different from the government's account of the battle with the so-called "Soldiers of Heaven", planning a raid on Najaf to kill Shia religious leaders.

Please go read The Independent Online Edition for the rest of this story.

The thing that gets me, is that this 'unofficial' version of the story sounds much more likely than the 'official' version, not to mention that the gov't claims 25 deaths while every news outlet has already claimed hundreds of deaths. Then of course there is the fact that the area has been cordoned off and the living victims hidden from journalists and not allowed the freedom to tell their side of the story. Why the hell should we trust anything government officials say at this point?

Every time I look at a news report over the last few days someone has stated that there are already signs that the 'surge' is working, amazing since death rates still seem to be rising and the simple fact that no measurable portion of the 'surge' has yet deployed.

There's been a lot of terror scares since bush's poll numbers dropped again.... surprise, surprise.

Impeach, Prosecute, Imprison.

That Darned Liberal Media

2007-01-30T16:13:00.000-05:00

Democrats unveil massive spending bill - Yahoo! News:

WASHINGTON - Democrats have unveiled a massive spending bill combining the budgets of 13 Cabinet agencies with increases in aid for lower-income college students, while cutting
President Bush's funding requests for foreign aid and closing military bases.

Isn't this an interesting headline? Thankfully the first sentence proves it to be false. But how many do you think will notice that? No, What we will here will likely be the headline, over and over, from the likes of Limbaugh and Hannity and whatever other liars care to chime in.

If you missed it, The reason it was a "massive spending bill" is because it includes the budgets of 13 Agencies, budgets which the Republicans just didn't get around to while they were in charge. Still, nice of the AP to do the Republicans talking points for them.

Destroying the Constitution

2007-01-30T02:38:00.000-05:00

Bush Directive Increases Sway on Regulation - New York Times:

President Bush has signed a directive that gives the White House much greater control over the rules and policy statements that the government develops to protect public health, safety, the environment, civil rights and privacy.

Don't expect to hear much about this in your local paper, but Bush is again creating laws to restrict the rest of Government from acting within it's constitutional bounds. Please write your representatives and tell them Bush must be stopped, America is looking far too much like Nazi Germany for my tastes, and I'm not even a Muslim or Hispanic.

Help me save our country, contact your representatives, let them know YOU know what is going on.

2007-01-25T15:49:00.000-05:00

The Raw Story | 'Shocking' video: Shi'a Iraqi soldiers beat Sunnis as US trainers watch:

Dramatic footage of mostly Shi'a Iraqi soldiers delivering a "brutal beating" to several local Sunnis has been obtained by a British public-service television station.

I think it's quite telling that one of the American soldiers says right at the beginning "you're not filming this are you?"

The rest of the video just makes me sick. As a man I will intervene if I see someone being attacked on the street. I feel it is my duty as a human being. As soldiers, intervention in hostilities is their job. That is one company that needs an across the board court martial. That they also sat there whooping and cheering sickens me even more.

Our time is running out, we need to fix this now before we no longer have anything like a democracy, it's obvious our soldiers care little for things such as rule of law, or even doing the "right" thing.

Call your Representatives, tell them you are sick of this being the face America shows the world community.

2007-01-23T18:55:00.000-05:00

The Sun Online - Bizarre: Cruise 'is Christ' of Scientology:

leader David Miscavige believes that in future, Cruise, 44, will be worshipped like Jesus for his work to raise awareness of the religion.

Where do I even start?

This is so crazy even the Scientologist's can't really believe it. What are they trying to do, freak out the fundamentalist end of the world Christians into an end times frenzy?

Maybe they've all started using large quantities of LSD. I don't know, but the last thing we need is a second coming of Tom Cruise, this one has been bad enough, and I'm just considering his acting.

Acinetobacter Baumannii

2007-01-21T23:59:00.000-05:00

Acinetobacter Baumannii in Iraq:

Now dubbed "Supergerms", they spread without warning and seemingly without official notices since they are infections instead of diseases. The government is taking advantage of this technicality.

Now isn't this nice, as if it weren't bad enough that we are killing scores of Iraqi's every day, (not to mention allowing sectarian death squads to run pretty much free in killing other Iraqi's) We are also assisting the spread of a deadly and drug resistant microbe, while simultaneously covering that fact up.

We sure talk about democracy and humanitarianism, but all we really do is kill. Our government is corrupt and has failed to live up to any scale of decency. The constitution no longer means a thing to our elected officials and neither do the lives of average people.

New Congress, you are on notice, fix this disastrous presidency and start acting like human beings matter.

Accountability and Why We Need it

2007-01-21T14:54:00.000-05:00

Firedoglake - Firedoglake weblog » Hypocrisy Alert: Homeland Security Undocumented!:

FEMA was unable to fully support the accuracy and completeness of certain unpaid obligations, and accounts payable, and the related effects on net position, if any, prior to the completion of DHS’s 2006 PAR. These unpaid obligations, as reported in the accompanying DHS balance sheet as of September 30, 2006, were $22.3 Billion or 46% of DHS consolidated unexpended appropriations at September 30, 2006.

At some point, those emotional conservatives that never pay attention to reality are going to have to notice all this corruption, unless it is somehow possible that all 34% of them are actually the ones destroying our government, rather than just cheer leading for them. Which as I type it seems more and more possible.

Where is the outrage, when will this stuff show up in the corporate owned media?

Where the hell is my country?

Ethics reform, or not.

2007-01-18T15:51:00.000-05:00

Republicans Halt Ethics Legislation - washingtonpost.com:

Senate Republicans scuttled broad legislation last night to curtail lobbyists' influence and tighten congressional ethics rules, refusing to let the bill pass without a vote on an unrelated measure that would give President Bush virtual line-item-veto power.

Is anyone surprised? I'm not, but I am certainly disappointed. I cant pretend to know what every American voted for in this last election, but I'm betting a large portion of it was the republican's ethical problems and the total lack of accountability. That being said, you'd think the republicans would be behind at least looking like you wanted to be honest.

Electronic Voting Fraud, an easy way to check

2007-01-17T02:02:00.000-05:00

Scoop: Wrong Winner Chosen Twice by Same Voting Machine:

As a result of voting problems in 2004, North Carolina requires a paper trail for touch screen voting machines. Right now there are paper receipts for each vote cast in these three districts. The test is simple. Total the votes for Congress on paper trail receipts in each Congressional district and compare those totals to the vote totals from the iVotronic touch screens. If paper receipts show more votes for Congress than reported by the touch screens, the variance points clearly to an iVotronic machine error. If Jennings could provide such data, this would add a compelling new level of evidence added to her case.

It's not difficult, allow the paper trail to be counted and there will be final and undeniable proof one way or another about the accuracy of these voting machines. I wonder who will object to something so simple as votes being counted?

Watch this story, lets not allow it to fade away.

Great You-Tube Video

2007-01-16T14:11:00.000-05:00

This is hilarious, I found it via AmericaBlog

Stupid is, as stupid does...

2007-01-12T01:15:00.000-05:00

Bush’s Plan for Iraq Runs Into Opposition in Congress - New York Times:

ASHINGTON, Jan. 11 President Bush’s call to increase the American military commitment in Iraq ran into intense Congressional opposition Thursday from Democrats and from moderate Republicans who expressed profound skepticism.

Before I go any further let me just say I am not completely opposed to increasing our troop strength in Iraq, my only qualification is that it be in a concerted effort to withdrawal our troops as efficiently as possible, I still don't know what the goal is in this whole endeavor, There were no WMD's, no link to al qaida, Saddam is deposed (and grotesquely martyred), we've helped to establish an elected government, what exactly is our mission? We cant just leave our troops for target practice in a civil war, even if we caused it. We gave them their freedom, now lets get our troops out, get our advisor's in, (I have a few in mind actually) and let them see where they take their new freedom.

I have not yet seen the President's address, I'm hoping to find it, but I was too busy to watch. I'll probably see it before tomorrow, but maybe not, I'm exhausted, it's been a long day.

2007-01-09T00:11:00.000-05:00

BBC NEWS | Middle East | US sub collides with Japan ship:

A US nuclear-powered submarine has collided with a Japanese tanker south of the Straits of Hormuz, Japanese and US government officials have said.

Why the heck wasn't this in US news? Who the heck was driving that thing anyway? The captain of the Exxon Valdez? Maybe the first mate of the Titanic? How do you hit an oil tanker? Those things are pretty damned big.

Spocko vs Disney

2007-01-08T02:43:00.000-05:00

Rumor has it that Spocko's website is coming back online, but I have yet to locate it. Will update when I do find it.

Until then, enjoy this clip of the KSFO "talent". And remember, Disney didnt freak out over the things these folks said, they freaked out over Spocko telling their advertisers the things their employees say.

I used to be a huge fan of Disney, their movies and theme parks, the merchandising has always seemed a bit over the top though... But this is too much, the whole "path to 9-11 thing was bad enough, but to defend the hate spewed by their KSFO employees by attacking the messenger, words just fail me, and the things they said!

I guess this isn't really that big a story all in all, nothing at all like Bush creating laws with signing statements, I don't get any international mail anyhow, but there's another right down the tubes. I used to have faith in my country and our laws, that they would themselves auto-correct any tyranny by a given president, but apparently I was wrong. This new congress seems to be our only hope in restoring america to some semblance of decency.

Update!!!

Spocko's New Web site

Go and read it, listen to the audio and take action!

House Bans Lobbyist Gifts

2007-01-05T01:17:00.000-05:00

I hope the New Congress does a lot of this:

House Bans Lobbyist Gifts, Business-Sponsored Travel - Yahoo! News:

Jan. 4 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. House of Representatives, after installing its new Democratic leadership, voted to ban lawmakers from flying on corporate jets and accepting gifts and meals from lobbyists.

The House passed, 430-1, a package of rules aimed at demonstrating Democrats' commitment to cleaning up Congress. Tomorrow, the House will vote on rules designed to end the anonymous sponsorship of pet projects, or earmarks, that have been quietly tucked into spending measures.

Congrats are due Speaker Pelosi as the First Woman Speaker of the House, and doubly so for passing this legislation on her very first day. Now lets see about that accountability problem shall we?

2007-01-04T14:17:00.000-05:00

9NEWS - Article - NORAD: Rocket body re-entered the atmosphere:

Beginning at 6:15 Thursday morning 9NEWS was flooded with calls from viewers, many of whom said, “I have just seen the most incredible thing ever in my life.”

That incredible thing, according to NORAD, was a SL-4 rocket body that re-entered the atmosphere over Colorado and Wyoming. NORAD added that it is possible pieces of the object broke off during re-entry over states neighboring Colorado.

Interesting that when Norad is not covering up for 9-11, they have no trouble seeing inside that big donut they watch. I wonder if anybody else notices this?

A sad end to 2006

2007-01-01T03:18:00.000-05:00

U.S. military deaths in Iraq reach 3,000 | Top News | Reuters.com:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of U.S. military deaths in Iraq has reached 3,000 since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, an authoritative Web site tracking war deaths said on Sunday.

The milestone comes as President George W. Bush weighs options, including more troops, for the deteriorating situation in Iraq, where daily violence plagues Baghdad and much of the country and has killed tens of thousands of Iraqis.

I suppose I don't do enough of what advances we have made, and how things do improve in some areas... That being said, we've lost too many troops not to have a clear and well defined mission in Iraq, somebody has got to get through to Bush, I don't care if it takes impeachment. We cannot continue to hemorrhage our young men and women in an aimless attempt to spread democracy.

As it's the New Year, I'd like to wish anyone who stops by a happy one, and Especially for the troops, you've managed to do incredible things under impossible circumstances, and I know all Americans are proud of your ability, as well they should be, I wish nothing more than you should all come home tomorrow, but that is impossible , so I can only hope that your commander in chief finds a way to get you out of there as soon as is feasibly possible. May all of you return home safely.

2006-12-31T00:39:00.000-05:00

Night Light: future shock: evidence of plans to torture demonstrators:

The idea of subjecting demonstrating Americans to group torture may seem unthinkable today. Yet a few years ago we couldn't have imagined that our government woul ban public demonstrations by forcing protesters into "Free Speech Zones" behind fences, miles away from other Americans. The unimaginable has now become real. This is only the next logical step, and it could happen soon.

Welcome to the Brave New America. Be careful out there.

This is pretty frightening. I wonder what one could do to protect oneself against such weaponry? I think it's definitely worth looking into.

Death of a Tyrant

2006-12-30T16:45:00.000-05:00

Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall December 29, 2006 12:05 PM:

This whole endeavor, from the very start, has been about taking tawdry, cheap acts and dressing them up in a papier-mache grandeur -- phony victory celebrations, ersatz democratization, reconstruction headed up by toadies, con artists and grifters. And this is no different. Hanging Saddam is easy. It's a job, for once, that these folks can actually see through to completion. So this execution, ironically and pathetically, becomes a stand-in for the failures, incompetence and general betrayal of country on every other front that President Bush has brought us.

We all know Saddam was a bad guy. Many of us are already aware that his most atrocious acts were sanctioned by the US and carried out with weapons sold to them by Donald Rumsfeld and crew, (none of which was allowed into evidence at his "trial") some of us don't pay any attention to what actually happens though, far too many of us are willing to take the Administration's words as fact without even the appearance of checking with actual reality.

If you have the time, go read Joshua's piece, he's always got an interesting angle on the news.

The Blue State: Bush fast asleep when Saddam's execution happened:

Forget the fact that the Duelfer Report proved Saddam Hussein was a diminishing threat, not a grave and gathering one. Forget that Saddam Hussein did not posses weapons of mass destruction. Forget that the American people were lied to over and over about this war. Still, after all this Iraq hype, shouldn't the man behind the invasion at least garner up the motivation and energy to stay awake past his normal bed time? Since he is in Texas, he would have had to fall asleep before 9 PM CT in order to miss the execution. That means he probably got ready for bed in the 8 PM hour. What President goes to bed that early? Major world events are happening, and our President chooses to sleep. This is like "My Pet Goat" all over again.

The Blue State just doesn't realize what hard work it is being president, That 3 hours of sitting in meetings while other people yap on about things you don't care about is amazingly difficult, and a president needs to sleep after such an ordeal.

2006-12-30T03:24:00.000-05:00

If you've any interest in the future of Software and PC hardware, you might want to read this Paper By Peter Gutman on the Cost Analysis of Windows Vista:

Executive Summary ----------------- Windows Vista includes an extensive reworking of core OS elements in order to provide content protection for so-called "premium content", typically HD data from Blu-Ray and HD-DVD sources. Providing this protection incurs considerable costs in terms of system performance, system stability, technical support overhead, and hardware and software cost. These issues affect not only users of Vista but the entire PC industry, since the effects of the protection measures extend to cover all hardware and software that will ever come into contact with Vista, even if it's not used directly with Vista (for example hardware in a Macintosh computer or on a Linux server). This document analyses the cost involved in Vista's content protection, and the collateral damage that this incurs throughout the computer industry.

You've got to read the whole thing to really see the problem, looks like Micro$oft is doing it's best to screw consumers. No wonder Bill's been doing so much charity stuff lately, he must actually have some conscience, despite the evidence.

2006-12-30T02:58:00.000-05:00

Attytood: Weird science:

Washington, DC — Grand Canyon National Park is not permitted to give an official estimate of the geologic age of its principal feature, due to pressure from Bush administration appointees. Despite promising a prompt review of its approval for a book claiming the Grand Canyon was created by Noah's flood rather than by geologic forces, more than three years later no review has ever been done and the book remains on sale at the park, according to documents released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).

As if you needed more evidence of the Bush administration's anti-science stance.

How pathetic is this anyway? How do you even respond to it? I wonder if it occurred to these fundamentalist sheep that if this single flood caused the grand canyon, that it would still be natural forces that did it? Wouldn't the rest of the world look like that too? Why not? I wonder if they ever consider how far back in history you have to go to eliminate friction from science, technically I guess it's erosion, but you don't get one without the other, its the same effect. I think I would miss electricity, despite how misguided we are in its use.

Then there's this:

rain forest to savannah :

Brazil - Global warming could spell the end of the world's largest remaining tropical rain forest, transforming the Amazon into a grassy savanna before end of the century, researchers said Friday.
ADVERTISEMENT

Jose Antonio Marengo, a meteorologist with Brazil's National Space Research Institute, said that global warming, if left unchecked, will reduce rainfall and raise temperatures substantially in the ecologically rich region

Wonder where we'll get our oxygen then?

Problems posting

2006-12-30T02:27:00.000-05:00

I'm having some problems with posting tonight, for some reason only my links and quotes are getting through, for some reason every time I try to post it deletes my personal comments...working on it.

Teen expelled for rap lyrics reaches $60,000 settlement:
Yesterday, Anthony's attorney asked for court approval for a $60,000 settlement, with $45,000 coming from the insurer for North Sewickley, and the other $15,000 from Franklin.

Of course, initially the settlement was much bigger:

Three months later, the school district agreed to pay Anthony a $90,000 settlement to end his suit against them

Wonder what happened to that?

Ice mass snaps free from Canada's Arctic - Yahoo! News:
The Ayles Ice Shelf — all 41 square miles of it — broke clear 16 months ago from the coast of Ellesmere Island, about 500 miles south of the North Pole in the Canadian Arctic.

Scientists discovered the event by using satellite imagery. Within one hour of breaking free, the shelf had formed as a new ice island, leaving a trail of icy boulders floating in its wake.

Warwick Vincent of Laval University, who studies Arctic conditions, traveled to the newly formed ice island and couldn't believe what he saw.

"This is a dramatic and disturbing event. It shows that we are losing remarkable features of the Canadian North that have been in place for many thousands of years," Vincent said. "We are crossing climate thresholds, and these may signal the onset of accelerated change ahead."
SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Nation -- Bad weather halts cleanup of offshore oil spill:
The pipeline, located about 30 miles southeast of Galveston, already has leaked an estimated 43,000 gallons of oil into the Gulf; roughly 500 gallons a day, or 21 gallons an hour, continue to escape the line.

Just a bit off

2006-12-26T02:48:00.000-05:00

I said I'd do this last weekend, but as it happens I'm always amazingly busy this time of year, I cant wait until the next generation grows up, this one is clueless when it comes to computers and electronics, every time we go through one of these orgies of capitalism, I barely get a minute to myself, at least it helps pay the bills.

So, the Blog's title is "Now for Something Different", reminds me mostly of someone who almost got the joke but missed it. the Monty Python line is actually: "and now for something completely different", and has the added enjoyment of being able to post with titles like, "A Man with Three Buttocks". That's assuming an awful lot though, and there's really no way to tell, as apparently J_G has no recognizable (to me at least) sense of humor.
The only real reason I'm profiling her blog is that some people have no patience, consideration or common decency, and when you run into it you should point it out. The sad thing is, much unlike some other's I have spoken of here, J_G seems sincere, is obviously intelligent and yet is totally misguided in allegiance and either completely lacking in social skills or simply unbearably rude and bigoted towards those whom she disagrees with.

That all being said, there's really not much on her blog for me to disagree with, you'd almost think she were rational. But I did see one thing I thought I'd clarify:

Now for Something Different:

I also believe that if Israel lays down her arms Israel and her people will be exterminated by the likes of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, David Duke with people like Jimmy Carter turning away so that he can say he did not see it happening. That is exactly how the perpetrators were able to make the holocaust happen Mr. Carter!

While I disagree with the conclusion J_G draws here, The rest of her post is basically an accurate portrayal. The thing that is missed, and which always seems to be missed, is that we've been lying to these folks about almost everything, more so even than we lie to ourselves.

We teach our children false histories all the time and import the lies around the globe in our advertising and broadcasts, and then we wonder why someone doubts one of the more shocking periods of history, one that we also lie constantly to ourselves about, though not about the death counts, we like to pretend that Hitler and the Nazis were communists or atheists (or both) when they were in fact mostly Christian, many of which being German were Lutheran. Christians fighting against terrorism, that's the way Hitler sold it to the German people, and they bought it, they fell eagerly behind their ancestral flag/symbol (swastika) and rallied behind the almost evangelical leader in a great surge of national patriotism. The parallels here are obvious, and one can hardly miss the fact that Prescott Bush helped fund the Nazi war machine. We really should have taken all that money from them and locked the bastards up then, look where we are now.

Is it really so surprising that someone smart enough to see through the obvious lies we tell even ourselves all the time finds one of the most shocking periods of our recent history to be a bit incredible? Skepticism is natural, even when misguided. Some of these folks, the David Dukes not included, have legitimate (though misplaced) questions about the historical record.

And here's where we get to the grand point. The message of the season, the core of the Christmas season, and Christianity in general, is peace on earth, good will towards mankind, that we love everyone else, despite their flaws and misunderstandings, despite their stupidity and rashness, despite the disagreements and cultural differences, to love everyone as a child of the creator and to do what you can to make life less horrible for those whom you can help.

Too many have forgotten this, if indeed they ever heard it, and I figure your badly placed annual orgy of capitalism in the name of Christ is as good a time as any to point this out. You can never understand anything until you know it enough to love it. It's high time we showed everyone a little more love respect and honesty.

I know you can do it. Make the effort, and make a difference.

Happy Holidays, no matter what your faith.

Stolen Gleefully from Firedoglake

2006-12-24T21:45:00.000-05:00

Firedoglake - Firedoglake weblog » Face the Snark, Holiday Edition.:

T'was the night before Christmas and throughout Cellblock A,
Not an inmate was stirring, not even Bob Ney.
The jail guards on duty watched their screens with one eye
As Jack Abramoff tossed in his bunk with a sigh.

Over at the White House, George Bush slumped in his chair
And stared at the trees blooming in warm winter air.
A bottle of Jack sat on the desk by his hand
He wondered why nothing had gone like they'd planned.

Upstairs, Laura lay in the First Couple's bed
And watched the sugar plum fairies dance 'round her head.
Jenna and her sis drank their way through the night
And scoffed at the thought that they should join in Dad's fight.

At the Veep's house, Darth Cheney fondled his nub
And growled lustfully at all the cash in his tub.
Lynne was still steamed at how the news had made hay
That her lesbian daughter was in the family way.

Rumsfeld slept soundly despite the Iraq folly
His first speaking fee gaining interest, by golly.
So a few thousand soldiers had given their lives
This is how a messy new democracy thrives.

No campaign in her future, just more of the same,
Where her "husband" fucked up and she took the blame.
Condi sat at her piano and longed for the day
She returned to Stanford and could be openly gay.

What happened to their plan, the one now deceased?
Where they'd control all the oil in the Middle East?
The one where the military industrial complex thrives
While it destroys countless American lives?

You see, the giant had woken; a disturbance was heard
Somewhere over by Constitution and Third.
A woman "dressed in Armani" had taken the helm
And proposed some big changes in King George's realm.

A quick glance at some video and you got the gist
America had grown tired of Bill "Cat-Killer" Frist.
Voters refused to re-elect someone so dumb
As self-righteous git, Senator Rick Santorum.

A giddiness coursed through the globe's hemispheres
For a return to good government soon would be here!
Six long, painful years the world had suffered the crimes
Of a President who claims to believe in End Times.

But now is not the time to ease up on Dim Son.
Real change still needs to come out of Washington.
Sure, the Chimperor speaks of bipartisanship
But his word is as good as three week-old spinach dip.

The media, as well, must be made to account,
While the numbers of dead continue to mount.
Like eager freshmen donning their Rush Week beanies
Pundits sacrifice truth for their damned cocktail weenies.

Now right-wing nutjobs frantically scramble to find
A new bugaboo they can all get behind.
A Muslim American sworn in on a Koran?
My god, what will come next? We all move to Iran?

So go K.O., go Fitzy, go Media Matters!
Keep up the pressure on all these Mad Hatters.
On A-list, on B-list, and C-Z list bloggers
Fingers fleet like the feet of Riverdance cloggers.

One of these days we'll finally be able to shout
We worked as a team to kick the criminals out.
So those of you still doubting, be of good cheer.
The Internets, The Google, and Youtube are here.

A cynical optimist, I cling to the hope
That idiots hang themselves when given the rope.
That these villainous fiends who spread war like the plague
Will all wind up shackled in the dock at The Hague.

Happy Holidays to all and peace to the world. And as soon as possible, please.

just say no?

2006-12-23T22:03:00.000-05:00

Retired narcotics officer tells public how to hoodwink drugs police | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited:

When I was raiding houses and destroying families, my conscience was telling me it was wrong, but my need for power, fame and peer acceptance overshadowed my good conscience."

Interesting how he doesn't seem to be saying he was just doing his job, or following orders, he was showing off, acting out, and on a power trip assisted by the his peers and their oneupmanship. That people do these things sickens me, that jobs are more important than morals, and that those trained and paid to protect us in a professional capacity could act continually against their own morality doesn't exactly inspire confidence in the human race.

On the other hand, I do sort of like how he is fighting back against his guilt, he's basically taken the entire war on drugs establishment on single handedly. Sure he'll have lawyers to help protect him from lawsuits and such, but it's still a rather gutsy move, though it will also likely make him millions of dollars, something I'm sure he's figured into this substantially.

I am really quite shocked that we haven't yet worked out this whole marijuana issue. As a cash crop it is environmentally friendly and has so many uses listing them is prohibitive. The medicines and fiber products, heck the essential oils alone have hundred's of uses ranging from inhibiting inflammation to non-toxic pesticides, (many of which are time tested precursors to petroleum products, and would thereby reduce our need for oil). There is no reason we cant regulate it like alcohol and tobacco, and by doing so we free up police to do more important work, while simultaneously freeing up hundreds of millions of dollars in tax money going into locking up US citizens and creating a whole new revenue stream for the tax system. Of course much of that comes just from the basic hemp plant, and wouldn't even require legalizing marijuana, it would just mean re-legalizing the growth of hemp by America's farmers. But then the petroleum companies sort of have a lock on all that don't they? Maybe someday our Government will start working with the best interest of the people in mind rather than that of corporations.

The Sins of the Fathers?

2006-12-22T02:49:00.000-05:00

Putting children behind bars in Taylor:

Hard information on the program and the private prison is difficult to come by. The company running the prison refers questions to the immigration office, and the immigration office has had little to say about the situation.

News of the 400 people — 200 of them children — being held in the T. Don Hutto unit in Taylor has sparked protests from several groups interested in immigrant issues. They are concerned about everything from care and feeding of those being held to the psychological effect of incarceration on children and families.

I wonder if this has anything to do with that open ended contract Haliburton has to build internment facilities in the US?

2006-12-21T16:50:00.000-05:00

therawstory:

During the 2005-06 school year, 28 kindergarten students in Maryland were suspended for sex offenses, including sexual assault, sexual harassment and sexual activity, according to state data. Fifteen of those suspensions were for sexual harassment.

There is something seriously wrong with this country. Children in kindergarten have no concept of sexuality, At most these incidents should have led to a discussion with the child about inappropriate touching, punishment for sexual harassment is completely out of line, and places an unnecessary burden on the child's future, as those records follow them everywhere.

2006-12-21T14:43:00.000-05:00

Marine faces murder charges in Haditha killings | News One | Reuters.com:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Marine sergeant has been charged with 13 counts of murder in the killings of unarmed civilians in Haditha, Iraq, one of his defense lawyers said on Thursday.

Mark Zaid, an attorney for Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, said the charges served against his client do not allege premeditated murder and carry a maximum penalty of life in prison. Zaid said other Marines investigated in the case had yet to receive word from the military on any possible charges.

It's about time this gets straightened out. I'm not much of a patriot I guess, I don't support killing in any form, though I understand the need for a military. Guys like this though, they are the equivalent of dog soldiers, poorly trained and unrestrained madmen with guns, which is great if you are fighting all out war against a clear enemy, but the exact wrong type to have in an environment where we are trying to help someone (assuming you accept that we are there to "help" the Iraqi's). I'm all for having a corps of uneducated murderous lunatics in the military, so long as we keep them restrained until an appropriate venue, but they have no place in our general military. They have no place interacting with citizens of other countries, and should never be used in any theater that includes any significant number of civilians.

In Letter, GOP Rep Fears Influx of Muslims

2006-12-20T14:12:00.000-05:00

TPMmuckraker December 19, 2006 04:29 PM:

In a letter sent out to select supporters earlier this month reacting to the controversy (among certain extreme conservatives, at least) over Muslim representative-elect Keith Ellison's (D-MN) decision to be sworn in on the Koran, Rep. Virgil Goode (R-VA) warned that the U.S. must close its borders to guard against the influx of still more Muslims. In it, he also proudly recounts his retort to a Muslim student who asked him why he did not include the Koran with The Ten Commandments on his wall. "As long as I have the honor of representing the citizens of the 5th District of Virginia in the United States House of Representatives, The Koran is not going to be on the wall of my office," he says he told the student.

Well, at least they aren't warning you about me anymore. Still, if it isn't pagans, heathens, atheists, gays, blacks or Hispanics, it might as well be Muslims right? For the record, the fact that We The People are represented in Congress by racist idiots says some very sad things about the state of our nation. Why not just give David Duke another shot?

Why I love Technology

2006-12-20T14:02:00.000-05:00

Telegraph | News | Robot controlled by power of brain waves:

Computer scientists have used the power of thought to control a humanoid robot.

Wearing a special cap dotted with 32 scalp electrodes, an individual can "order" the robot to move about and pick up objects merely by generating brain waves that reflect the instructions.

When I first saw this I thought of the advantages of neural control for say, amputees, it'd be better for a guy with no legs to control some robotic legs than to send a robot to do what he wants... It's all just a matter of time now isn't it?

Torture

2006-12-20T03:36:00.000-05:00

AlterNet: Rights and Liberties: Torture Is Now Part of the American Soul:

The Detainee Abuse and Accountability Project (DAA), a coalition of academics and human rights groups, has documented the abuse or killing of 460 inmates of US military prisons in Afghanistan, Iraq and at Guantanamo Bay. This, it says, is necessarily a conservative figure: many cases will remain unrecorded. The prisoners were beaten, raped, forced to abuse themselves, forced to maintain "stress positions," and subjected to prolonged sleep deprivation and mock executions.

I am so sick of these things being done in my name. We must put a stop to it.

Rising Crime

2006-12-18T18:00:00.000-05:00

Americablog comments on the rise in crime, mentions the lasck of accountability, but misses a crucial factor that leads to the crime in the first place, the poor continue to get poorer as the middle class slowly reaches poor status itself, the rich are getting richer, but everyone else is suffering. THis is the main cause for crime, those with nothing see constantly the abundance everywhere and their frustration is clearly expressed in the number of them willing to resort to crime.

AMERICAblog: A blog for a great nation that deserves the truth:

Here's the awful stats:

U.S. violent crimes jump in first half of 2006: FBI | US News | Reuters.com:

Sceretary Rice

2006-12-15T14:21:00.000-05:00

Rice Rejects Overture To Iran And Syria - washingtonpost.com:

This has got to be the dumbest response ever made by Ms. Rice:

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday rejected a bipartisan panel's recommendation that the United States seek the help of Syria and Iran in Iraq, saying the "compensation" required by any deal might be too high. She argued that neither country should need incentives to foster stability in Iraq.
"If they have an interest in a stable Iraq, they will do it anyway," Rice said in a wide-ranging interview with Washington Post reporters and editors. She said she did not want to trade away Lebanese sovereignty to Syria or allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon as a price for peace in Iraq.

I don't know what Ms. Rice was thinking here. She has no power to do either of the things she refuses to do, nor does she have any power to stop those things from happening. She doesn't hold the strings of Lebanese Sovereignty, nor does she control whether or not Iran gets nukes,this should be obvious because what nuclear science they have now was procured on her watch, something she certainly wasn't worried about while they were amassing said knowledge. As far as Lebanese Sovereignty goes, we already know Bush doesn't know what Sovereignty means, I think it's pretty obvious by her statement here, Rice doesn't comprehend the meaning of sovereignty either. Isn't it time to convict these criminals and lock them away?

2006-12-13T14:06:00.000-05:00

General foresees 'generational war' against terrorism - Nation/Politics - The Washington Times, America's Newspaper:
"We're in a generational war. You can try and fight the enemy where they are and where they're attacking you, or prevent them and defend your own homeland," said Gen. Schissler, deputy director for the war on terrorism within the strategic plans office of the Pentagon's Joint Staff.
"But that's not enough to stop it. We've got to break the chain, and that's ... the ideology. We really need to show the errors in Islamist extremist thinking." (emphasis mine)

Lets be honest with ourselves shall we? We will never manage to convince "Islamic extremists" to not be extremists until we figure out how to convince our own fundamentalists Christians to stop being such radical hate mongers. The problem is the same, fundamentalist viewpoints from either side. This type of thing has no place in the 21st century. The fact that General Schissler thinks the "War on Terror" will last a hundred years shows only the Military being the military, guys whose job it is to kill people tend to want to keep doing their job, loathsome as it may be.

Why is Pat Robertson Turning Americans Gay?

2006-12-12T20:01:00.000-05:00

Considering this alarming report from WorldNetDaily:

WorldNetDaily: A devil food is turning our kids into homosexuals:

If you're a grownup, you're already developed, and you're able to fight off some of the damaging effects of soy. Babies aren't so fortunate. Research is now showing that when you feed your baby soy formula, you're giving him or her the equivalent of five birth control pills a day. A baby's endocrine system just can't cope with that kind of massive assault, so some damage is inevitable. At the extreme, the damage can be fatal.

I have to ask an astounding question to Pat Robertson. Why are you turning Americans gay?

Pat's Health Shake:

Weight Loss Health Shake
In blender combine:
6 - 10 ounces distilled water
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Safflower Oil
1 tablespoon Flaxseed or Fish Oil
2 scoops Soy protein powder
2 scoops Whey protein powder
1 teaspoon Glutamine powder
1 teaspoon MSM powder
6 - 8 frozen strawberries
¼ cup blueberries
½ banana
1 packet non-caloric sweetener
If desired add a few ice cubes and blend till smooth.

I thought that the venerable Mr. Robertson was against this sort of thing, but apparently he is in on the insidious plot to turn more Americans gay. I am deeply disappointed.

Your tax dollars at work

2006-12-12T13:59:00.000-05:00

Go watch this Christian Embassy Video:

I've already discussed it here:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A watchdog group that promotes religious freedom in the U.S. military accused senior officers on Monday using their rank and influence to coerce soldiers and airmen into adopting evangelical Christianity.

Such proselytizing, according to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, has created a core of "radical" Christians within the U.S. armed forces and "Such proselytizing, according to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, has created a core of "radical" Christians within the U.S. armed forces and Pentagon who punish those who do not accept evangelical beliefs by stalling their careers."

"It's egregious beyond the pale," said Mikey Weinstein, president and founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. "We apparently have a radicalized, evangelical Christian Pentagon within the rest of the Pentagon."

An Ordinary Accident

2006-12-12T13:50:00.000-05:00

CITIZEN-TIMES.com: Man in serious condition after hunting accident:

"A Polk County man was in serious condition Monday after being shot by a friend who mistook him for a deer. N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission officials charged Ignacio Chagollo, 39, of Henderson County, with criminally negligent hunting and reckless discharge of a firearm, said Sgt. Chris Elms of the wildlife commission."

“The thing that would have saved him was positively identifying his target before shooting,” Elms said, which is something the wildlife commission tries to drill into hunters during hunter education courses."

“The hunter is the one always ultimately responsible for what they’re shooting,” Huebner said. “They have to rule out everything else they think it is before they actually pull the trigger and shoot.”

Interesting what happens to a normal guy that accidentally shoots his friend in the arm. In this case, the victim wasn't even wearing a Safety vest or any orange at all, and the shooter was in a tree stand with his vision obscured by brush. This scenario ends up with criminal charges "criminally negligent hunting and reckless discharge of a firearm". How interesting that our Vice President seems completely above these laws.

CITIZEN-TIMES.com: N.C. sheriff's deputy charged in death of teen :

Several members of Long's family were in the courtroom Monday. Long has lived in the area his entire life and is a married father of two children who has taught law enforcement classes at a local community college, McGuinness said.

"He owns a home, but can't live in that home because he has been subjected to death threats. He is widely known, respected and loved in the law enforcement community as well as the general community," the attorney said.

Long cooperated with the investigation and volunteered to testify before the grand jury but wasn't allowed, McGuinness said.

I find this particularly offensive, why is it we can't get competent police officers? And of Course we are all expected to feel sorry for this child killer becuase cops make mistakes. Well screw that, I make mistakes too, they don't end up with dead kids and dogs. We have to hold those we entrust with carrying guns in public to a higher standard. If I screw up a piece of furniture, or a paint job, or even a computer repair, the worst that happens is I lose a little time and money, and the customer has to wait a bit longer until completion. We hold Pilots accountable for their actions, and the airlines accountable for not properly screening its pilots, Why is it that guys carrying guns in public, and the entities they represent not get the same level of accountability?

How many Children and pets do we have to lose before we start demanding some accountability from the police department's themselves? How is it even acceptable to think a game console is worth the use of deadly force? Why is it okay to kill a person's dog, while he protects his owner but if it's a police dog that gets injured it's assault on a law enforcement officer? We must fix this. Our children 's lives depend on it.

Update: Officials rescinded a murder charge Tuesday against a sheriff's deputy accused of shooting an unarmed teenager who authorities believed had stolen video game consoles, after a grand jury foreman said he had checked the wrong box on the indictment paperwork.

According to the article, the grand jury members were shocked to hear the charges had been dropped. This better get fixed or we're going to have some serious problems here in NC.

Where Fundamentalist Views Lead Us

2006-12-11T23:41:00.000-05:00

Is there any question as to why this school equated a 4 year olds affection as sexual misconduct? Is there any question that the referral alone is enough to get the kid thinking that any affection is bad? These people are sick, they have no business running anything, much less government and schools. This is as bad as the outcry over public breast feeding. You'd have to be a Neanderthal to refuse a child food becuase you don't like the container.

Texas child suspended after hugging aide - Education - MSNBC.com:

Tom Delay's New Job

2006-12-11T16:46:00.000-05:00

Malkin vs. Annan - Home - Tom DeLay.com:

I just love Michelle Malkin, who else could get away with such blatant hate speech? Well yeah, Rush and Coulter sure, okay and Savage, ehh there is also Glenn Beck and Laura Ingrahm, hmm come to think of it there are lots of radical Hate mongers around arent there? Anybody have any idea why these folks are allowed to say anything no matter how out of line, yet a comedian uses the 'N' word and he's railroaded?

Obviously Richards was out of line in calling those hecklers names, no matter what those names were. That is in fact what most of us resort to in anger and frustration, you cast out to hurt the other in the basest way possible. That's our basic nature, and few of us manage to get beyond our base urges. I did see that the club where Richards made an ass of himself has also suspended Damon Wayans for repeated use of the word.

Here's my problem with this; Richards, unfunny as he is is a comedian, a job hardly viewed as "serious". Malkin and crew are supposed to be professional political commentators, or at least that's how they portray themselves. I'd fire Richards for his idiocy, and I'd fire the Malkin, Limbaugh, Coulter, Beck and Savage's of the world just as quickly.Why these folks still make money pushing hate I wish I didnt know, but I do. it's becuase American's are full of hate, we hate most of the rest of the world, we hate ourselves and our failings, we hate all the time, because we have forgotten that fear as a motivator only works to engender hate. Well, to be honest we haven't forgotten, the current administration simply doesn't care.

Wow have I been rambling!

This Post is supposed to be about Tom Delay.com, but apparently I've just written about this one post. I do think it's rather funny that this guy now admits that Blogs are a viable grassroots tool, after spending so much time denigrating bloggers. But that's always the way isn't it?

Here's where Tom and Michelle agree:

"Like Kofi Annan knows anything about remaining true to principles? He leaves behind a feckless, corrupted, global bureaucracy incapable of policing the predators in its ranks, unwilling to stand up to evil, and useless in the struggle against terrorism--or any other global threat.

I love that quote. Remove the word global, and it looks just like the current administration, as left behind by Tom Delay and crew.

Isn't it time we got rid of these folks for good?

The Tyranny of Theocracy

2006-12-11T15:58:00.000-05:00

Christianists force conversion on the powerless using your tax dollars | CorrenteWire:

The cells in Unit E had real wooden doors and doorknobs, with locks. More books and computers were available, and inmates were kept busy with classes, chores, music practice and discussions. There were occasional movies and events with live bands and real-world food, like pizza or sandwiches from Subway. Best of all, there were opportunities to see loved ones in an environment quieter and more intimate than the typical visiting rooms.

But the only way an inmate could qualify for this kinder mutation of prison life was to enter an intensely religious rehabilitation program and satisfy the evangelical Christians running it that he was making acceptable spiritual progress.

Nice huh? A captive audience, bribery, Christian oppression, and all paid for by your tax dollars. Makes you proud to be an American doesn't it?

Oh but that's not all:

In video, military Christianists use uniform to proselytize, admit putting loyalty to country third on the list | CorrenteWire:

A military watchdog group is asking the Defense Department to investigate whether seven Army and Air Force officers violated regulations by appearing in uniform in a promotional video for an evangelical Christian organization.

In the video, much of which was filmed inside the Pentagon, four generals and three colonels praise the Christian Embassy, a group that evangelizes among military leaders, politicians and diplomats in Washington. Some of the officers describe their efforts to spread their faith within the military.
Anybody else have a problem with that? I sure do. this is the main reason:

“I found a wonderful opportunity as a director on the joint staff, as I meet the people that come into my directorate,” Air Force Maj. Gen. Jack J. Catton Jr. says in the video. “And I tell them right up front who Jack Catton is, and I start with the fact that I’m an old-fashioned American, and my first priority is [1] my faith in God, then [2] my family and then [3] country. I share my faith because it describes who I am.”

How is it in the United States best interest to have Generals who put their job (defending America) as their 3rd priority? This is as ridiculous as putting experts on the Soviet Union in charge of Middle East Policy, though you would think they at least would recognize that a war in Afganistan is a bad idea, after all the USSR bankrupted itself trying that very thing.

Test Post

2006-12-11T02:03:00.000-05:00

Just a test folks, trying some new software.

Monday Procrastination

2006-12-04T11:57:00.000-05:00

From the Crooks and Liars blog round-up:

Our 'liberal media' ignores domestic terrorism, while trumpeting faux controversies, defending rank assholery, and winking at plain insanity. Meanwhile, ABC, CNN, FOX and the rest are all safe havens for belligerent bigots and pathological liars. I am heartily sick of the utter uselessness of the grotesquely dubbed Mainstream Media.

That's a heck of a round up isn't it?

I love the first link, the connection to Harris is hardly damning from her end, but the fact that both she and this fellow who sent the white powder are both nuts and both from florida suprises me not in the least. I grew up in Ft. Lauderdale, I know my views tend to the extreme and occasionally unpopular, but I'm not quite that crazy. What is it do you think that they put in the water down there?

The Funniest thing I've seen in a while

2006-12-02T15:11:00.000-05:00

Fear

2006-12-02T12:16:00.000-05:00

What is the most obvious outcome of 6 years of total republican control of Washington?

Fear.

"I can't believe any of you are sick enough to have agreed for one second with anything I said," he told his audience on the AM station 630 WMAL (http://www.wmal.com/), which covers Washington, Northern Virginia and Maryland

"For me to suggest to tattoo marks on people's bodies, have them wear armbands, put a crescent moon on their driver's license on their passport or birth certificate is disgusting. It's beyond disgusting.

"Because basically what you just did was show me how the German people allowed what happened to the Jews to happen ... We need to separate them, we need to tattoo their arms, we need to make them wear the yellow Star of David, we need to put them in concentration camps, we basically just need to kill them all because they are dangerous."

Of course Sean Hannity says fear is a great motivator, I've heard him say it over and over again on his radio show, that it is a legitimate political tactic. He's right of course, fear is almost guaranteed to motivate anyone. But it is not legitimate unless you want to create a Nazi Germany in America.

I'm not in any way surprised that during 6 years of nothing but scare tactics in place of politics has created this type of idiocy, but I am more than a little disappointed. I am disappointed not only with the Government that pushes the fear, but also with the citizenry who fall prey to such obvious tactics.

On a different subject, I've had a stomach virus these last two days, it's absolutely hideous. I haven't managed to eat anything, and yesterday it was all I could do to stay in the same room I was painting. At the end I just had to give up on working and called it a day at 3 pm, though I still didn't manage to make it home until almost 7 pm, with all the errands and running around I had to do just to keep from having to work today. Thankfully, I am considerably better today, my stomach still hurts, i still cant manage to bring myself to eat anything, but at least the pain is manageable. Last night it was all I could do to get up every hour or so to use the bathroom. Today I have already managed to walk the dogs, clean up the tools I did a crappy job of cleaning last night, and reorganized my carving sets so everything is handy. I still feel like I should go do some work, especially as I'm only in moderate pain, but I'm afraid to deal with the paint fumes, I might not be able to handle it, and the only other thing i have lined up right now is pouring a couple foundations for decks (repair really- the decks are built, I have to excavate them, pour footers and then jack them back up so they are level again. It's amazing how much of the work I do is just cleaning up the crappy jobs other people have done.

Hope you all have a better day than I am having.

Congress to look at voting problems

2006-12-01T01:51:00.000-05:00

It's about bloody time.

The sheer amount of voting irregularities in Florida alone call for a full investigation.

The War on Drugs

2006-11-22T23:02:00.000-05:00

Look closely, you're going to be seeing a lot more of this type of thing in the next few years unless we start restraining these violent searches. No one has the right to break down a door in this type of situation, a no-name warrant with no idea who is even in residence, what kind of lousy police work is that? Our Cities arent a war zone, though the police certainly seem to think so, and Citizens shouldnt have to put up with this sort of thing.

Woman, 92, Dies in Shootout With Police - New York Times

Charges Sought Against Rumsfeld Over Prison Abuse

2006-11-12T14:34:00.000-05:00

This is an interesting bit of news, I wonder what the chances are of them trying these cases in absentia? It would be an interesting verdict to be sure, and it would effectively confine these folks to a virtual house arrest (at least within the US) assuming of course that we didnt extradite them to Germany for the trials, which I think is highly unlikely even if we find them guilty of this ourselves in our courts. As a country we tend to look down on all other governments, whether it's deserved or not.

TIME.com: Exclusive: Charges Sought Against Rumsfeld Over Prison Abuse

Mehlman: icon of hypocracy

2006-11-10T13:22:00.000-05:00

AMERICAblog: A blog for a great nation that deserves the truth

Florida? tell me it aint so!

2006-11-09T19:49:00.000-05:00

More voter irregularities, please can we toss the e-voting machines now?

Dist. 13 voting analysis shows broad problem

Diebold Disaster Redux?

2006-11-09T19:44:00.000-05:00

More evidence of faulty voting machines, Lets just throw these monsters out and start from scratch, okay?

Diebold Disaster Redux?

The New Secretary of Defese?

2006-11-08T14:58:00.000-05:00

Dr. Gates is Bush's choice to replace Rumsfeld, I have to admit, He appears to be the best qualified candidate for any position Bush has ever announced. My only worry is that he is a Bush loyalist, which in itself speaks to the same old quasi-nepotism this administration just cant seem to shake.

He was implicated and questioned in the Iran Contra debacle, but to my recollection not charged, which looks to me like cronyism, but I'm admittedly jaded on this issue.

One more thing, why are all these historians majoring in Russian and Soviet history? How exactly does that help our democracy?

Dr. Robert M. Gates - President - Biography

It's About Time

2006-11-08T14:39:00.000-05:00

While I couldnt care less as to an individuals choice in religion, I find myself overjoyed to finally have a Muslim in Congress.

Why you might ask? Simple, There will be no more Rhetoric about how terrorists are all muslims... blah blah blah. Instead we will have Instead we will have even the most bigoted representatives watching their tounges to avoid getting dressed down on the floor for denigrating others.

Now if we can just get an atheist, a Sikh and a Pagan (of any type), we, might actually get some equality of ideals. Apologies to any other religion not mentioned or represented.

Minnesota Democrat becomes first Muslim to win seat in Congress: Herald Tribune

Thank You America!

2006-11-08T14:10:00.000-05:00

Today has proven to me once again that while we as americans slip occasionally and let the wrong folks drive us down dead end roads, there is always the hope of a new driver and pit crew. Eww I just used a nascar analogy, I have been living in the south too long.

I would have preffered to lose more incumbants, but those we dumped were a damned good start. Another election cycle like this one and we can break the back of political corruption. For a little while at least.

A special thanks is in order for the Voters of WNC 11th congressional district, who voted out Charles Taylor and even more important locally, Bobby Medford. We now have a chance for a clean and professional Sheriffs Dept, and maybe some of our local folks wont have to worry about getting shot by under-trained scared kids, who have no business carrying a firearm in public.

We can always hope.

Thank you again for voting america, once again our democratic ideals prove their value. Now if we can just clean up the morons yapping away on tv.

Buncombe elects a new sheriff

After a nasty battle, Shuler takes Taylor down

BBC NEWS | Americas | US votes in crucial mid-term poll

2006-11-07T14:56:00.000-05:00

BBC NEWS | Americas | US votes in crucial mid-term poll

Mo. elections chief in election dispute - Yahoo! News

2006-11-07T14:52:00.000-05:00

Mo. elections chief in election dispute - Yahoo! News

CNN.com - CNN Political Ticker

2006-11-07T14:51:00.000-05:00

Here comes the corruption!

CNN.com - CNN Political Ticker

Poll worker charged with assaulting voter

2006-11-07T14:50:00.000-05:00

I am not really very suprised, this election is getting pretty nasty, what with the robo-calls and voter intimidation, one could almost long for the days when mobs of southern whites blocked blacks from voting, at least that was done in the clear light of day.

Poll worker charged with assaulting voter

Haggart: Icon of Conservative Hypocracy

2006-11-05T12:31:00.000-05:00

Please forgive me, I have tried to ignore the recent hypocracy in the news of Pastor Haggart's indescretions. I have tried to put it aside recognizing that all gay bashers are indeed either actively homosexual or struggling daily with homosexual urges. I have witheld comment hoping let this issue pass especially as it involves two adults.

I can no longer keep silent. I saw this slideshow today and noticed that this indeed does include injuries to children: rockymountainnews.com

I've seen the interview with Haggart in his car, his wife closest to the camera looking long suffering and very uncomfortable. But what I didnt see was Haggarts children in the back seat, and thaty the reporter asked Haggart to answer questions away from his children before beginning questioning him, which he refused. Obviously he was using his wife and children as Human Sheilds to protect himself against telling the truth, or even having to listen to difficult questions. Those poor children, Imgagine the life they must lead, an obviously gay father who preaches against homosexuals on a daily basis. Look at the poor boy sitting directly behind his mother, that child certainly looks disturbed, if not pathologically damaged already. May their community help them, their father is a lost cause.

C.I.A. Wants Prison Tactics Secret - New York Times

2006-11-04T17:54:00.000-05:00

This is a very interesting article, especially if you are actually fluent in english. Check out this bit:

Such disclosures “would put our allies at risk of terrorist retaliation and betray relationships that are built on trust and are vital to our efforts against terrorism,” Ms. Dorn wrote.

If you didnt notice, SHe is saying , quite plainly I think, That publically disclosing CIA secret prison interrogation methods would prove we've been lying to our closest allies (and all americans) as to our treatment of prisoners, and that allowing it to be known would destroy these trust based relationships.

Interestingly enough, this admission alone proves our government is not to be trusted with it's current administration in power. Vote them out folks, all incumbants, get rid of them. Next election, vote them out again, keep voting them out until somebody starts doing the job right. Then we can talk about possible encumbancy again. but they all have to go. Every officeholder on both sides of the aisle, get rid of them.
C.I.A. Wants Prison Tactics Secret - New York Times

hey look! More fake anthrax mailings too get everybody scared again.

Here's an interesting peice on oversight, just in time for elections too, wonder if it will make it into the news cycle?

It's cold out there today, windy too, I just cleaned up all the leaves yesterday and the yard is covered in them already. I have been thinking about buying a leaf shredder/vac, a big one. but it would mean actually breaking down and building a mulch bin, so far I've just been making piles back in the woods and turning them occasionally, but if I get a shredder/vac, I'll need to do a better job of it. I'm just a bit lazy when it comes to doing stuff like that. I probably have enough scrap wood laying around to make one , but I would rather get a stack of old pallets and make a few standing side by side, it would be a lot less work than actually building the whole thing from scrap wood.

Attytood: How the 101st Fighting Keyboarders (and Rick Santorum and George W. Bush) are helping Iran get the nuclear bomb

2006-11-03T12:06:00.000-05:00

You've just got to love the irony dont you? (that's sarcasm by the way.)

The documents, roughly a dozen in number, contain charts, diagrams, equations and lengthy narratives about bomb building that nuclear experts who have viewed them say go beyond what is available elsewhere on the Internet and in other public forums. For instance, the papers give detailed information on how to build nuclear firing circuits and triggering explosives, as well as the radioactive cores of atom bombs.

Experts worry that the documents could have been very helpful to a rogue state trying to assemble a nuclear weapon.

Especially Iran:

Ray E. Kidder, a senior nuclear physicist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, an arms design center, said “some things in these documents would be helpful” to nations aspiring to develop nuclear weapons and should have remained secret.
A senior American intelligence official who deals routinely with atomic issues said the documents showed “where the Iraqis failed and how to get around the failures.” The documents, he added, could perhaps help Iran or other nations making a serious effort to develop nuclear arms, but probably not terrorists or poorly equipped states. The official, who requested anonymity because of his agency’s rules against public comment, called the papers “a road map that helps you get from point A to point B, but only if you already have a car.”

Attytood: How the 101st Fighting Keyboarders (and Rick Santorum and George W. Bush) are helping Iran get the nuclear bomb

Worth A Look

2006-11-03T11:58:00.000-05:00

These guys certainly dont need my plug, but here it is none the less.

I found this here, and as I read Americablog just about every day, I figured some of you might like to take a look, assuming you havent already.

It really is a shame all these conservatives are melting down so quickly, but then everything happens faster these days.
AMERICAblog: A blog for a great nation that deserves the truth

Winter Patriot: Who Is Hijacking Your Internet Service? And Why?

2006-11-02T13:18:00.000-05:00

This is a brilliant piece showing how simple it is to see how the feds are spying on us, or at least some of us.

Check it out.

Winter Patriot: Who Is Hijacking Your Internet Service? And Why?

and you thought Deibold was bad

2006-11-02T12:57:00.000-05:00

just push the yellow button, and change the election all by yourself.

Black Box Voting : 10-31-06: Reports from the front lines -- Citizens find critical security issue with Sequoia

vote on paper, and vote early. There are simply too many problems with voting machines.

I voted yesterday, I voted against every incumbant in my election, and wrote in a school board candidate. I wish more write-ins were available, but they only get approved for some elections.

I didnt have any trouble voting, as I've mentioned before we're using paper ballots due to the decertification of the electronic voting machines, so there were no touch-screen glitches to worry about locally. But I have got to say, I've rarely seen a more confusing ballot.

Sample Ballot

The partisan portion of the ballot was fine, but the local elections, the school board and the district court judges were a bit vague if you ask me. If you were to go in unprepared for the local choices, I think you might not understand what your choices are. I walked in with a list of who I was voting for, something I spent a few days putting together. I strongly suggest it to anyone, do your research on the candidates, make your decisions and write them down to take to the polls. Dont let something as silly as nervousness or badly formatted ballots change your intended vote.

More Voting Irregularities

2006-11-02T03:28:00.000-05:00

paper folks, vote on paper.

KFDM-TV Channel Six News

ABC News: Govt. Tells Singles No Sex Till You're 30

2006-11-01T12:28:00.000-05:00

The Feds tell you when you can have sex, (after marriage) and if you're gay you cant marry, so no more gay sex.

So apparently it is our governments job to say who can have sex and when they can have sex. How long till they tell you what positions are acceptable? How long until they start prosecuting?
Is this really the direction you want for your country?

ABC News: Govt. Tells Singles No Sex Till You're 30

MiamiHerald.com | 10/28/2006 | Glitches cited in early voting

2006-11-01T12:24:00.000-05:00

and the problems begin...

MiamiHerald.com | 10/28/2006 | Glitches cited in early voting

vote on paper if you can. remove all incumbants.

EPA Closes Principal EPA Chemical Library

2006-10-31T11:54:00.000-05:00

Atlanta Journal-Constitution | EPA Closes Principal EPA Chemical Library

Considering the ongoing accounts of cover-up over the air quality at the WTC site, this seems pretty damning. got an accountability problem? just close down access to the information that saves lives.

Welcome to neo-con land, the nazi themepark.

Operation enduring chaos: The retreat of the coalition & rise of the militias

2006-10-28T23:57:00.000-05:00

Independent Online Edition > Middle East

Yet, ironically, the death squads are the result of US policy. At the beginning of last year, with no end to the Sunni insurgency in sight, the Pentagon was reported to have decided to train Shia and Kurdish fighters to carry out "irregular missions". The policy, exposed in the US media, was called the "Salvador Option" after the American-backed counter-insurgency in Latin America more than 20 years ago, which led to 70,000 deaths and countless instances of human rights abuse.

Why is it the leaders who never seem to learn the lessons of history?

With the suspension of habeas corpus, we are all in jeapordy of these types of crimes, please vote early, and vote out all incumbants.

An Appeal for Redress

2006-10-25T22:15:00.000-05:00

An Appeal for Redress

May our brave soldiers succeed where the rest of us have failed so miserably.

MyDD :: Direct Democracy for People-Powered Politics

2006-10-24T22:13:00.000-05:00

MyDD :: Direct Democracy for People-Powered Politics

I thought this was an interesting idea, a bit odd maybe, but interesting none the less.

An upside is that there are lots of good links here too.

Dirt on the smear merchants:

Jon Kyl Rick Renzi J.D. Hayworth John Doolittle Richard Pombo Brian Bilbray Marilyn Musgrave Doug Lamborn Rick O'Donnell Christopher Shays Vernon Buchanan Joe Negron Clay Shaw Bill Sali Peter Roskam Mark Kirk Dennis Hastert Chris Chocola John Hostettler Mike Whalen Jim Ryun Anne Northup Geoff Davis Michael Steele Gil Gutknecht Michele Bachmann Jim Talent Conrad Burns Jon Porter Charlie Bass Mike Ferguson Heather Wilson Peter King John Sweeney Tom Reynolds Randy Kuhl Robin Hayes Charles Taylor Steve Chabot Jean Schmidt Deborah Pryce Joy Padgett Melissa Hart Curt Weldon Mike Fitzpatrick Don Sherwood Lincoln Chafee Bob Corker George Allen Frank Wolf Mike McGavick Dave Reichert

GOP Donors' Personal Data Disclosed

2006-10-12T13:19:00.000-05:00

You've got to hand it to these folks, they dont care who they offend or endanger.

October 11, 2006 - The New York Sun

Only a bigot would equate a religion with a race, it comes from years of hating jews and the ignorance of how these things actually work cross-culturally. Granted I am pretty anti-religion myself, but that goes for all of them, not just one I happen to favor.

Pope Benedict: Faith and Reason

2006-10-10T12:50:00.000-05:00

I've been looking for the text of the Pope's speech that so angered many muslims. I have at long last found it:

Faith and Reason

The bit that got everyone so riled up was in paragraph 3:

In the seventh conversation-controversy, edited by Professor Khoury, the emperor touches on the theme of the jihad (holy war). The emperor must have known that surah 2, 256 reads: "There is no compulsion in religion". It is one of the suras of the early period, when Mohammed was still powerless and under threaten. But naturally the emperor also knew the instructions, developed later and recorded in the Qur’an, concerning holy war. Without decending to details, such as the difference in treatment accorded to those who have the "Book" and the "infidels", he turns to his interlocutor somewhat brusquely with the central question on the relationship between religion and violence in general, in these words: "Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached". The emperor, after having expressed himself so forcefully, goes on to explain in detail the reasons why spreading the faith through violence is something unreasonable. Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul. "God is not pleased by blood, and not acting reasonably is contrary to God’s nature. Faith is born of the soul, not the body. Whoever would lead someone to faith needs the ability to speak well and to reason properly, without violence and threats... To convince a reasonable soul, one does not need a strong arm, or weapons of any kind, or any other means of threatening a person with death...".

It seems rather obvious to me why and Moslem would be upset by this. The pope was completely out of line in qouting that particular conversation by Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologus . Not only was it completely unnecessary, it adds nothing to the dialog, and instead demonizes an entire religion becuase of the actions of the few.

His point (overall) is that the exercise of faith requires logic (his word is logos "reason and word") and that god acts only with logos. The focus being that god then acts in accordance with his own rules. The problem is, his representation of Moslems then continues by embracing the most fundamentalist of Moslem dictates, ones wholly rejected by the majority of Moslems, just as the majority of Christians condemn the acts of the crusades (which in fact goes directly to the point of violence and forced religion that the pope accuses all Moslems of adhering to.)

I try to acvoid passing judgement on any issue without the full story, and I have held off condemning the Pope's speech until I had seen it in its entirety.

Pope Benedict displays the kind of self deception and ignorance of his faith and the Moslem faith by putting forth veiwpoints such as this, he either purposefully enrages all Moslems, or does so with callous disregard for the very point he seems to be trying to make.

While I often found myself at odds with the pronouncements of Pope John Paul, he was very obviously a man of considerable reason and a penchance for using the power of words to help bring people together, something I would certainly consider Logos. This Pope Benedict is no John Paul, and his ideas seem undeniably influenced by his childhood in the Hitler Youth, as he displays the same kind of callous disregard for others that was so prevelant in the Nazi mindset. I hope this guy doesnt last too long as pope, the world deserves better. Catholicism deserves better. Christians in general deserve better, and without a doubt, Moslems the world over deserve a real apology.

Fox News: changing reality so republicans dont have to

2006-10-09T23:51:00.000-05:00

I watch Fox News, not because I like it, but becuase I find it important to know what they are feeding thier sheep.

So what are they feeding them?

Nothing honest, lets just start there shall we? Mark Foley is a Republican. Fox must really think its veiwers are stupid, but I gotta admit, I havent seen any indication they are wrong.

If you hadnt noticed, Chaffee is a Republican, while his opponent Whitehouse is a Democrat. Then again, with 50% vs 39%, I might want to lie about it too.

Does freedom of speech extend to lying your ass off?

I'll grant you that the only type of folks that fall for this kind of thing are those 30% who never look anything up, never question authority, and are often fundamentalist religionists. But you've got to be a real ass to lie to those folks, they wont lie to you, they may be flat wrong on most everything, but they are generally decent people.

As Fox has just celebrated it's 10th year of propaganda, I suppose this is par for the course.

Rush Limbuagh Joins the Cut and Run Crowd

2006-10-03T22:47:00.000-05:00

Truth Detector: El Rushbo's Take on Bob Woodward's Book

This guys audience must be completely brain dead not to catch stuff like this.

Notice his "new" idea for iraq is to follow Murtha's plan, oh, except he doesnt mention that bit, he just spells out murtha's plan and say's these are just new idea's he's coming up with.

See what all those drugs do your mind?

Doctored Photos?

2006-10-02T03:35:00.000-05:00

Lobbyists: Sports Tickets and Springsteen—The E-Mail Trail - Newsweek Periscope - MSNBC.com

I dont know who's responsible or why, I dont see that it is even relevent since certainly rove and his assistant have walked next to each other before... but why fake a photo?

It is pretty obviouly manipulated in some fashion... look at Susan Ralston's left shoulder, and the big giveaway... the bizzare shadow patterns. Like I said, it really doesnt seem material... but why do it? why not just put up 2 face shots? maybe that would be too remnicient of mugshots...thouhg far more apropriate.

Once Upon a Time...: Suffering and Death in a World of Empty Gesture, Form and Symbol (I): Among the Living Dead

2006-10-02T02:04:00.000-05:00

Once Upon a Time...: Suffering and Death in a World of Empty Gesture, Form and Symbol (I): Among the Living Dead

Read this, I can only aspire to such eloquence. It may be long, but it is completely spot on.

sigh

2006-09-29T23:26:00.000-05:00

Foley Interviewed About Page Last Year; Democrats Not Told

Lets face it, you already know what I'm going to say.

aside from that, get rid of all incumbants.

Spotlight:

2006-09-28T22:55:00.000-05:00

Unclaimed Territory - by Glenn Greenwald: The legalization of torture and permanent detention

Today all of the United States of America should be weeping.

No longer are we a country who runs under the rule of law, once the president signs this bill, we will be a fascist state, detaining anyone we please forever without the basic right of haeas corpus.

May we somehow find a way to reverse this.

Spotlight:

2006-09-28T22:51:00.000-05:00

Whiskey Bar: Help is on the Way

If you hate America, despise the Pentagon and want to see the U.S. war machine humbled in Iraq and Afghanistan, then you have to love what the Cheney Administration and its most obedient servants in Congress are doing to the Army.
So what the hell was Chavez complaining about? These guys may be the most effective anti-imperialists on the planet.

hehe... read it, it'll be worth it.

Harris faces decision on past donations - Orlando Sentinel : State News Harris faces decision on past donations - Orlando Sentinel : State News

2006-09-24T17:42:00.000-05:00

Harris faces decision on past donations - Orlando Sentinel : State News Harris faces decision on past donations - Orlando Sentinel : State News

Poor Katherine, she just cant avoid being funded primarily by criminals. This whole giving the tainted money to charity thing isnt a bad idea on the surface, but when so many of the associated crimes have included false charity orginizations and crooked money laundering schemes, one would hope she gives to a well established charity, like habitat for humanity or the red cross.

I dont think any of this matters much, she wont win unless the vote is corrupted through hacked deibold machines, or the majority of liberals in her district just dont vote, unlikely since all signs point to them being rather pissed about the last few elections.

I havent had much of a chance to post recently, I've been pretty busy with all my new clients, it's nice to be busy of course, but it's hard to get any free time when you work so many hours, I've barely kept up with reading the news, so I know I've missed some good stuff.

I'm hoping I'll have some more time to post tomorrow, and maybe I will if it keeps raining. Right now I have to feed the dogs, they are staring at me and moaning, occasionally looking funny at the cat...

Republicans, reaping what they've sown

2006-09-15T13:12:00.000-05:00

Rep. Ney Agrees to Plead Guilty - washingtonpost.com

You've just got to love these guys, deny everything until you finally plead guilty, and then blame alcohol for accepting bribes and conspiracy. Somehow I dont see a drinking problem causing you to turn traitor, or making you introduce legislation benefitting the guys bribing you. Of course since these "Christian Coalition" republicans have no morality or sense of decency, this type of thing is all too commonplace. When will voters realize these "god-fearing" republicans are really only fear peddlers out to make a buck at the expense of everyone else, it doesnt matter if you die in their quest for money and power, so long as you dont point out their illegality, immorality, or utter lack of competence. Becuase if you do, you're just helping the terrorists.

10 Miami journalists take U.S. pay

2006-09-09T17:49:00.000-05:00

This is of course only the tip of the iceberg. Armstrong Williams and these other propagandists will soon be joined by the tv personalities that are also involved, assuming we can manage to force some accountability back into washington. Vote out all incumbents!

MiamiHerald.com | 09/08/2006 | 10 Miami journalists take U.S. pay

Frist medical license renewal questioned - Yahoo! News

2006-08-29T22:30:00.000-05:00

Frist medical license renewal questioned - Yahoo! News

I'm posting this becasue I'm sure it will be attacked in the press.

This is why you have to read everything you sign, lots of people are guilty of it, lets face facts here though, Frist isn't a practicing physician, would you let him operate on you? I didnt think so.
The license allows him to write prescriptions for family and freinds though and that's handy. It also sounds good, Senate Majority Leader Dr. Bill Frist. It's quite the mouthful.

It's really not a big deal though, nor was the silly media frenzy over that freak obsessed with the Ramsey murder. I heard some talking head say they would be irresponsible if they didnt report on the dissapearance of a little girl, but that's hardly the point this many years later is it? nor does it explain the continued lack of coverage of black and hispanic children that go missing. There's a serious lack of morality in any society that only worries about the missing white people.

Speaking of white people and their continued inferiority complex, check out this article from The Nation:

As much as it pains me that our nation has come to this again, it is rather funny watching the conservatives shoot themselves in the foot as if they are begging not to be re-elected.

On a less political note, LiveScience.com is reporting that there is no single God Spot in the brain, researchers are so odd, apparently there was a theory that there was a single area of the brain that when stimulated allowed communication with god. A sort of spiritual G-spot if you will. heheh... Still the article is worth reading as it's quite short, thouhg pretty scientifically wishy washy.

Hey remember all the ranting Orielly was doing about the failing ratings of msnbc and cnn? (granted it was mostly aimed at Olbermann) Well look at the newest ratings

Funny that, fox dropped 7 % overall, but 28% during prime-time, ouch. Everyone else is up, though Fox is still numerically dominant, 28 percent from primetime means advertisers are going to be dropping like flies, expect to see more religious music and Home Security devices and first aid kits getting air time.

Anybody else watching Eureka? It's not what I would call intellectual or anything, but it's just kind of a fun science fiction show, it's got all the social qualities sci-fi is generally known for while also giving some interesting plotlines and decent effects. Anyway, its not bad, I've been enjoying it.

Senate moves to give Bush more power to wiretap

2006-08-29T14:40:00.000-05:00

The Raw Story | Senate moves to give Bush more power to wiretap

Yay! though I've posted on it before here it is again for your continuing enjoyment:

The destruction of your civil rights and the further degredation of the US Constitution! Wee!

I cant wait to see what they are going to for an encore.

Hussein forced to watch 'South Park'

2006-08-28T23:26:00.000-05:00

I think this is probably one for the Most Ridiculous file, but it is probably cruel at the least. I happen to like the movie, but I'm not so vilified in it as he is. Forcing me to watch it repeatedly would have me pissed off after a few showings, I doubt he has more patience than I do.

Digital Spy - Movies - Hussein forced to watch 'South Park'

Troops in Iraq: 72% Say End War in 2006

2006-08-28T12:51:00.000-05:00

via Zogby International

So what do you think? 72 percent of those actually involved think we need to get out, 1 out of 4 say get out now... why do the Troops hate america?

Fundamentalist Government killing you so the terrorists dont have to.

2006-08-25T21:44:00.000-05:00

The Raw Story | EPA scientist says agency hid dangers at ground zero from first responders, others

This has been one of the more obvious coverups involving the incident on 9-11-01. It's about time someone spoke up, but how many have long term illnesses related with just this one aspect of the disaster?

Myself, I hope this is just a trickle of water seeping through the dam of secrecy, the flood of truth cant be far behind.

Bush falls despite fear tactics

2006-08-17T13:58:00.000-05:00

Zogby International

Zogby International places Bush's Job approval rating at 34%.

Rove has been working overtime to make democrats and those opposing the Iraq debacle look "weak on terror" ( isnt it better to be weak on terror? who wants to proclaim strong terror backing?) or in some way helping the terrorists.

It's good to see more americans are waking up.

Of course it might have something to do with the idiocity of certain Republicans campaigns...

Harris wouldnt know the truth if she were molesting it, and she is, constantly.

Maybe George Allen's blatantly racist remarks towards the one non-white in attendance has something to do with it. Maye not, but I'm betting the constant protestations over what he "really" meant dont help any.

Perhaps it has something to do with prepackaged propaganda and the media conglomerates who allowed them to be aired unattributed.

There is always the possibility that women are finally revolting over airline indignities like this particular insanity. This begs the question, How would security know? Does flying on a plane these days mean getting felt up by TSA screeners? I'm so glad I have no need to fly commercial airlines.

Perhaps the constant demonizing of the press as liberal, while the press dutifully reports every republican talking point as if it were news is getting a bit wearing even to the least self aware of us. Personally I like the complaint that the press never gives us the good news about iraq, Every talking head and news reporter I've seen happily parrots anything the republicans say, maybe they should just start telling us what that good news is. You can bet the press will report it.

Then again, when conservatives like Joe Scarborough start asking "Is Bush an Idiot?" Maybe there really is a change of perception going on.

Happily, our inneficient and often classist judicial system is finally getting around to doing its job, We can only hope Congress takes heed and starts doing it's job as well. I'm not suggesting anyone hold thier breath. Especially since most of our representatives look something like this.

This has been a busy week for me, and I've not had much time to read the news much less post on it. I've been doing a good bit of babysitting during the day and a heck of a lot of sanding and carving at night. Watching a 23 month old boy is certainly a full time job, I'd fogotten how much work it can be, but so far as jobs go, it's probably the most satisfying. Every day he gets better at everything he does, I wish I were so adaptable. Less interestingly, it appears my immunity to poison ivy has finally broken down, I've definately blistered in several spots, though it doesnt really itch, it is a bit painful, luckily the worst of it is on my right wrist and most of those nerve endings are dead in any case. I am a bit suprised none of it is on my legs, I have been treading through all that for weeks wearing shorts, I guess maybe I only got what I did from the actual roots of the ivy, that would explain why its on my wrist and not all the places I had been brushing against the actual plant.

I'm being a bit lazy today, I need to go fix a storm door I installed badly (not too badly, but it was the first unnassermbled door I'd ever hung). I generally try to buy prehung doors for exteriors, but I have to admit these Larson doors are very nice, you gotta love the retractable screen. Anyway, it just needs a bit of a trimming and some caulk. I will get to it as soon as I'm done reading here.

I hope everyone's had a good week!

Dont you just love archived video?

2006-08-15T17:40:00.000-05:00

I almost always miss Olberman's show, but I did see it last night. It was definately worth it.

This was probably the highlight:

These Incompetent's cant keep track of anything

2006-08-13T01:39:00.000-05:00

DesMoinesRegister.com

Theft of government laptop in Doral puts 133,000 Florida residents at risk: South Florida Sun-Sentinel

2006-08-10T16:46:00.000-05:00

While I've at times been at odds with the Sentinal's reporting, i still read it even though i no longer live in Fort Lauderdale, My grandmother worked for the paper as have many of my high school contemporaries, so it's nice to peruse the articles and remember old freinds and see how they have changed over the years.

Onto the subject:

Why is it that this administration is so lousy at keeping track of our personal data?

This bit is infuriating to me as an IT guy:

The laptop was protected by a password, though it was not encrypted because the DOT was completing a computer upgrade, Zinser said.

Some experts say a password is not enough.

Uh... Do you think? Windows passwords are easier to get past than any other OS, and how much would you like to bet it hasnt got the latest security patches in any case?

The government is lousy at following its own procedures at any time, something I am well aquainted with having bought several lots of computer and electronic equipment from both Federal, and state governments and the military. Hard drives are supposed to be securely wiped using the DOD algorythm, but I have found dozens of hard drives with data still on them, most were just proceedural documents and acquisition data, but I've also seen personnel data and internal correspondence. I always wiped them of course, I have no use for that stuff, I bought that equipment to use, not to find out classified information.

The incompetence is apalling.

Theft of government laptop in Doral puts 133,000 Florida residents at risk: South Florida Sun-Sentinel