Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Take It To The Bank

R.J. Eskow has an interesting take on the apparent metamorphisis of Al Gore's personna and the prospect of his running again for president, comparing it to the primer How To Pick Up Girls:

Many guys put too much emphasis on learning "lines" and "techniques" when they are first starting down the path to success with women ... but the truth is you won't achieve the massive success you desire until it comes from inside of you. You should be totally detached from the "outcome" of any situation with a woman. What that means is that no matter what she says or does, your life goes on the same way. If a woman rejects you, it is no big deal. If a woman goes home with you, it is also no big deal. Try to become the guy who doesn't care either way. This attitude of indifference is magnetically attractive to women.

The same seems to be true of politicians. If winning and losing aren't important to you anymore, if they're just a laugh line ("I used to be your next President"), you become confident, self-contained, and attractive. The key is to be someone, autonomous and integrated, independent of the office you seek.
Be all this as it may, Al Gore will run for president in '08; not only because this bit of psychology is dead-on, but the question inexorably boils down to what Al Gore wants. Presumably it's to correct the misdirection toward environmental disaster into which the world is being steered. And he can only be thinking, "If not Al Gore, then who?"

Who indeed can make America kick its addiction for oil, and with it its massively destructive manifestations? Certainly not the Republicans. They've revealed themselves to be the impediment and not the solution.

Hillary? Are you kidding? Hillary's answer for cleaner air is to ban the burning of flags, what with all the carbon gasses they release into the atmosphere. I mean, c'mon!!

Al Gore knows this, and the Guardian, too, has its suspicions:

It is significant, however, that Mr Gore refuses to go beyond saying that he has no "plans" for such a campaign. "I haven't made a Shermanesque statement because it just seems odd to do so," he has said - a reference to the famous announcement by the civil war general William Sherman, who unequivocally refused to stand in the election of 1884. "If nominated, I will not run; if elected, I will not serve," General Sherman said.
Gore is keeping his powder dry, he knows the American M$M is stilted toward corporate interests, and Gore's campaign to fight Global Warming is anathema to... say, for example, General Electric, owner of NBC -- it, with its slew of chattering righties like Chris Matthews, Tucker Carlson, Tim Russert and Joe Scarborough; all of them, itching to trot out the same old crap about Gore's alleged eccentricities, and as preemptively as they can, even as they now slice & dice his movie An Inconvenient Truth.

Meanwhile, Hillary plays kissy-face with Rupert, and the bet here is Faux News will correspondingly fade out its "Get Hillary" reporting just as it sharpens its re-slander coverage of Gore.

The point being, Gore's playing cagey for a very good reason -- but he will run. He has to. Nobody else can or will do the job only he is in position to do, that is championing the Earth's physical salvation. . . and while doing so, releasing America from the choke-hold as applied by the Oligarchy.

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

America The Beautiful

Graphic Courtesy of Billmon.org

"The Girls Died Screaming"

Saddam is on trial for war crimes committed in his name in a small Iraqi city. In that case, terrorists tied to the party of Al Dawa tried to assassinate the Iraqi leader. In retaliation, Iraqi forces are said to have killed scores of residents after arresting hundreds. So what, exactly, is the difference here? On behalf of President Bush, the U.S. Marines – whose culpability reportedly reaches far up the command – slaughtered dozens. Will the president be put in the dock, surrounded by Dick Cheney, Don Rumsfeld, and the rest? It’s no wonder that in 2001 Bush opposed the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands. That ought not to stop the creation of a war crimes tribunal.

Friday, May 26, 2006

Not To Be Confused With The "Sweet Science"

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg with a nice line:

"Today, we are seeing hundreds of years of scientific discovery being challenged by people who simply disregard facts that don't happen to agree with their agenda," Mr. Bloomberg said. "Some call it pseudoscience, others call it faith-based science, but when you notice where this negligence tends to take place, you might as well call it 'political science.'"

Hope springs eternal; in this case, the GOP mayor of the greatest city in the world representing his party as having no place to go but up.

Righteous... !!

**FFWWWFFFF** >snork< >snork<...
The largest study of its kind has unexpectedly concluded that smoking marijuana, even regularly and heavily, does not lead to lung cancer.
Don't bogart that spliff, dude!

Moral Equivalence Or Moral Relativity?

George Galloway has a reputation that spans the Atlantic; one of irreverence, irrascibility, and just being a highly provocative curmudgeon (some might say "pain in the ass") with a powerful love of the sauce. Personally I find him highly entertaining, particularly when he pastes the likes of Norm Coleman, in that case during the former's testimony before the Senate Sweep-It-Under-The-Rug Committee.

I also like to think Galloway has a little courage too:

The Respect MP George Galloway has said it would be morally justified for a suicide bomber to murder Tony Blair.

In an interview with GQ magazine, the reporter asked him: "Would the assassination of, say, Tony Blair by a suicide bomber - if there were no other casualties - be justified as revenge for the war on Iraq?"

Mr Galloway replied: "Yes, it would be morally justified. I am not calling for it - but if it happened it would be of a wholly different moral order to the events of 7/7. It would be entirely logical and explicable. And morally equivalent to ordering the deaths of thousands of innocent people in Iraq - as Blair did."

It is imagined this bit of intellectual viscera will radiate across the pond as well, lapping our shores in an underlying current.


Thursday, May 25, 2006

American Justice, Not Necessarily An Oxymoron

Kenny Boy takes it up the chute:
The verdict put the blame for the 2001 demise of the high-profile energy trader, once the nation's seventh-largest company, squarely on its top two executives. It came in the sixth day of deliberations following a trial that lasted nearly four months.
Lewis Black said it best about the Adelphia scandal, but I'll wonder aloud here: "I'm surprised their employees didn't rise up and slay them."

And while we're on the subject of justice in America, how goes it with the War Crimes Trial of the Bush Administration in 2010?

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Alert Faux News

There's a fox pup running around my neighborhood. I've seen the little bugger three times now, the second time being the most remarkable. He, or she, was relaxing in the middle of the street until my car pulled up, his eyes glowing back at my headlights. I stopped and waited while he pondered the prospect of my going around. Eventually he upped and skedaddled, likely to laze elsewhere. I've only seen him at night, so if I was to deduce such things I'd say he was nocturnal.

There's no mistaking him for a more domesticated canine, this pup has unusally large, pointy ears as well as a short, needle-like snout. His thick coat has a blondish-reddish hue right down to his bushy tail. I'm no fancier but am fairly well-informed as to breeds of dog -- and this ain't no golden retriever. Curious, this, as my neighborhood is rather suburban, as in Leave It To Beaverish, sleepily interwoven throughout the industrialized edge city of Tysons Corner.

Although, having said that, I do remember having been startled a couple of years back when I was walking down a street in Georgetown on my way to the Watergate Hotel. Coming up from behind I could hear the scritchety scritch of what could only be a dog in full throttle, and which just as quickly scurried past me. It was the size of a beagle, maybe a little larger, but had longer, thicker hair.

Whoa! That was no dog.

I realized just then it was the fox -- or a fox -- one of maybe a few that had "terrorized" the locals, thus making for news over the previous couple of weeks that summer: "What Is a Fox Doing in Downtown DC?"; "Man & Nature Clash", etc. Whatever, I thought, it probably just wanted to check out the more interesting nightlife than what Rock Creek Park had to offer.

Alas, no chance of making the Georgetown scene for this little guy. Right behind it, and hot on its heels, a Park Police cop on the sprint as he blew past me, pistol in hand.

"Aw gee," I thought to myself, "poor little fellah!" (No! Not the cop!) I found myself rooting for it to get away when a second cop busted past.

I lost sight of them, then forgot about it. It was when I arrived at the hotel when I heard *CRACK!*, and turned my head in the direction from where I thought I heard the sound.

A long silence. Then *CRACK!*

I read the next day they had cornered the animal up against a building. The first shot got it in the foot. The second put out its lights.

The pup around here doesn't stick around for introductions. I was out for a power walk this evening and saw him about 25 yards in front of me, scritchety scritching across the street and into a bank of tall shrubs along my path. I did an about-face and went home. Not that he wouldn't be more afraid of me than I would be of a small wooded animal looking for a house cat on its own little prowl (one of many reasons, cat lovers, why indoor cats live to be 18, and outdoor cats 1.8), but you never know if it's hungry enough to attempt larger game.

Who needs that?

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Lloyd Bentsen Dies

"Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy!"

I wonder what ran through Dan Quayle's mind when he heard today.
Which reminds me:
Q: What goes thru a bug's mind when it hits your windshield?
A: Its feet!

And come to think of it, doesn't Dubya kinda make Quayle seem - how you say? - "cerebral"?


Not A King, But...

Sent over by Brotherman the Elder...

BRITS REVOKE USA INDEPENDENCE (A Message from John Cleese To the citizens of the United States of America):

"In light of your failure to elect a competent President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective immediately. Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchica l duties over all states, commonwealths and territories (excepting Kansas, which she does not fancy).

Your new prime minister, Tony Blair, will appoint a governor for America without the need for further elections. Congress and the Senate will be disbanded.

A questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed.

To aid in the transition to a British Crown Dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:

You should look up "revocation" in the Oxford English Dictionary. Then lookup aluminium, and check the pronunciation guide. You will be amazed at just how wrongly you have been pronouncing it. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as 'favour' and "neighbour.'

Likewise, you will learn to spell 'doughnut' without skipping half the letters, and the suffix -ize will be replaced by the suffix -ise. Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels -- (look up vocabulary).

Using the same twenty-seven words interspersed with filler noises such as "like" and "you know" is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication.

There is no such thing as US English. We will let Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to take account of the reinstated letter 'u' and the elimination of -ize.

You will relearn your original national anthem, "God Save The Queen". July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday.

You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers, or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you're not adult enough to be independent. Guns should only be handled by adults. If you're not adult enough to sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist then you're not grown up enough to handle a gun. Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous than a vegetable peeler. A permit will be required if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.

All American cars are hereby banned. They are crap and this is for your own good. When we show you German cars, you will understand what we mean.

All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion tables. Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.

The former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have been calling gasoline) -- roughly $6/US gallon. Get used to it.

You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called crisps. Real chips are thick cut, fried in animal fat , and dressed not with catsup but with vinegar.

The cold tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred to as beer, and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be referred to as Lager. American brands will be referred to as Near-Frozen Gnat's Urine, so that all can be sold without risk of further confusion.

Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as good guys. Hollywood will also be r equired to cast English actors to play English characters. Watching Audie MacDowell attempt English dialogue in Four Weddings and a Funeral was an experience akin to having one's ears removed with a cheese grater.

You will cease playing American football. There is only one kind of proper football; you call it soccer. Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American football, but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body armour like a bunch of nancies).

Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an event called the World Series for a game which is not played outside of America. Since only 2.1% of you are aware that there is a world beyond your borders, your error is understandable.

You must tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us mad.

An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from Her Majesty's Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all monies due (backdated to 1776).

Thank you for your co-operation.

A Little eBack'n Forth

One of my Repo acquaintences and I having at it...

Me (5/19): where are the pentagon city fields... ? (for sunday softball)

Him (5/22 *monday*): Next to the Pentagon City Mall - corner of 15th and hayes.

Me: jeez, thanks for the timely timely...

Him (5/23): You emailed me on Friday night, when did you think I'd respond?

Me: uhhh, friday night... ? saturday... ? sunday morning... ?

Him: I'm kidding you of course... but I don't have a computer at home. If only I could find some way to fill my freezer with $100's...

which got me wound up...

Me: right, the dem exception that proves the republican-sale-of-america-to-the-highest-bidder rule... right sen. santorum... ? go ahead, run it by me again...

Him: Hey, I don't think either party can claim exceptions. For every Delay there's a Jefferson -- let's not forget the Wright-Rostenkowski-Clinton legacy. And I didn't even have to start picking on the unions...

Me: okay, you're comparing today with 12-20 years ago... and comparing delay w/jefferson is akin to comparing the sun w/an asteroid... only in this case, were looking at a coupla oblong rocks in space orbiting a multinary star system...

moreover, the dems *never* had corporate whores writing the legislation ON EVERYTHING, or passing around graft checks on the house floor, or abdicated their oversight authority as this administration is systematically converting a republic into what SANDRA DAY O'CONNOR fears is becoming a "dictatorship"...

but while we're still on the most corrupt congress in american history, the dems in their wildest dreams could never come up with "the k st project"...

and clinton's legacy... ? what was that again... ? a blow job... ? excuse me... ?

how many soldiers were killed and/or maimed because of that... ? how many tens, nay, hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians destroyed... ?

does the world despise america because clinton got his knob polished... ?

or were you referring to the clinton legacy of the largest peacetime surplus in world history... ?

gotta get a freakin' grip, friend... meanwhile, i'll have to reload if i'm gonna keep shooting down all the repo talking points...

----------
Footnote: Okay, this guy is a true believer; runs one of those more obscure "Heritage Foundation" wannabes. And of course, he's now on the "Oh yeah! We detest Bush too!" bandwagon. Fair-weather friends they be.

Friday, May 19, 2006

So Long, Joeyyyy... So Long Joeyyy...

Okay, this has me a little giddy:
It just happened. Connecticut Bob just called, and with just under half the votes cast, Ned Lamont forced the primary. 243-512, WOOO HOOO!!!!!
I rather enjoy the thought of what might be going through the minds of Lieberman, Hillary The Whore, and whatever Vichy DLCer there be left, right about now.

It's gonna be fun this primary season.

That Which Does Not Kill You...

I know, I go silent for long periods of time, and then I'm compelled to comment on someone like Britney, a fucking dope if there ever was one, and a George Bush supporter. (All very redundant, yes, I know that too.) Clearly she has her own method in making her kid, uhm, stronger:
Britney Spears' child-care techniques seem to be growing positively "Toxic" - she nearly dropped her 8-month-old son on his head yesterday as she tottered out of a posh Manhattan hotel with a glass in one hand and the tyke in another.
At least the kid's getting his money's worth in entertainment.

Saturday, May 13, 2006

Workin' the Wknd

There's something to be said about living in a bubble. Not very kosher if one is the POTUS, but quite useful it be if one needs relief from the bonehead-in-chief.

Snap-polls by the corrupted WaPo notwithstanding, the corresponding approvals dropping to 29%, while those polled would seem to have no problem, at least preliminarily (i.e., before they had a chance to think about it), w/the NSA data-mining of their phone-calling, illustrates well the bipolar disorder that is the collective American conciousness today.

So I enter my bubble, cruising down the highway in my good gas-mileage set of wheels, turn to a music station w/minimal chatter from DJs or newswonks, and I think about seeing my family this Mem-day wknd up in PA as we celebrate my niece's graduation.

I have excellent siblings, and I like their kids. And they are the only reason I would go to fight an external threat, real or faith-based. I'm not some fool-romantic caught up in God or country; not anymore. Fool me three times... Go to hell!

Jesus! I'm all over the place this morning...

Back in the bubble... !! Hmmmhmmhmmm... La la la...

Monday, May 08, 2006

Who Said It?

“The interesting thing about [George Washington] is that I read three or four books about him last year. Isn't that interesting?”...
Was it:

A) Rocket J. Squirrel... ?

B) Dave, the 'tard who hangs out by the waterfront... ? or

C) George W. Bush, President of the United States... ?

... not a trick question...

Saturday, May 06, 2006

Hillaryous

In case the former first lady doesn't actually read the blogs, Markos posts in the Post:
Just as we crazy political junkies glimpsed the viability of the candidacy of an obscure governor from a small New England state three years ago, today we regard Hillary Clinton's candidacy as anything but inevitable. Her obstacles are big, and from this vantage point, possibly insurmountable.
I'm telling you right now, it's gonna be Al Gore...

Reformed Souls

Not to be confused w/re-formed souls, Jeff Gannon beat Tom Cruise to the punch, announcing publicly that he, Gannon, is indeed a 3-dollar bill. Get used to it!
Yet perhaps the most stunning of Gannon's comments was his assertion that he supports "outing" gays who live one life and vote another. Gannon – who himself was "outed" as a former sex worker without his consent – said that he supported the outing of erstwhile Virginia Congressman Ed Schrock (R-VA), who resigned in disgrace after Rogers posted tapes of him soliciting gay sex on the Internet.
Let us hope, then, that just as the drunk pushes the 12-step, or the smoker, only 5 days off a 23-year habit, might have it, Gannon carries with his new agenda a zeal that puts a real hurtin' on the remaining closeted, pillow-biting bastards.

Friday, May 05, 2006

Not So Strange Bedfellows

eMail Received (and beware these flaming liberals):

Dear Friend,

Provide Jim the resources to win. Contribute Today!

Today, I ask you to join me in supporting Jim Webb's campaign for U.S. Senate.

Jim has dedicated most of his adult life to issues surrounding our national security. He has never backed away from a fight, whether it has been in combat, or in the all-important political arena in which our nation's future is being resolved. In addition, as a Vietnam veteran I have always been grateful to Jim for the thousands of hours he has spent, pro bono, helping those who served in Vietnam. He is just the kind of leader the Senate needs.

I would like nothing more than to work side-by-side with Jim Webb in the U.S. Congress. But to do this, Jim must win the June 13th primary, and what is sure to be a bruising general election against George Allen.Please provide Jim the resources he needs to win in June and this November. Contribute today!

http://webb.bluestatedigital.com/page/m/1du6akebvln/Y9ca0e

I spent 37 years in the Marine Corps, joining military service during the Korean and Vietnam Wars. I've represented the people of Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district since 1974. I've dedicated my entire life to public service, to fighting for the issues to ensure our country is safe.

As some of you may know, I have been very critical of the war in Iraq. The Administration has pursued bad policy wrapped in an illusion.

And Jim called it before most of us. He wrote the first article in a major newspaper, five months before the war, predicting exactly what was going to happen if we invaded Iraq. Imagine what the debate would have looked like in the Senate if Jim Webb had been there instead of George Allen.

Because we in Congress are charged with overseeing the safety of our sons and daughters when the president sends them into battle, it is our responsibility, our obligation to speak out for them.

It's time to add Jim to ongress.

Contribute today. Give Jim the funds he needs to get his message out to all Virginians.

http://webb.bluestatedigital.com/page/m/1du6akebvln/Y9ca0e

Jim Webb, through his charisma and leadership, can bring a wide array of voters back to the Democratic party. Thank you for helping him.

Sincerely,

Congressman John Murtha

Contribute today!

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Stephen Colbert: Super Hero

Looks like Colbert's performance last Saturday night is going to stick in the media craw for a while, now that the moribund M$M is getting around to defending itself. Adding these two bits as illustrative of my attitude:

from Salon:

Colbert's deadly performance did more than reveal, with devastating clarity, how Bush's well-oiled myth machine works. It exposed the mainstream press' pathetic collusion with an administration that has treated it -- and the truth -- with contempt from the moment it took office. Intimidated, coddled, fearful of violating propriety, the press corps that for years dutifully repeated Bush talking points was stunned and horrified when someone dared to reveal that the media emperor had no clothes. Colbert refused to play his dutiful, toothless part in the White House correspondents dinner -- an incestuous, backslapping ritual that should be retired. For that, he had to be marginalized. Voilà: "He wasn't funny."
and from James Wolcott:

A note about the Stephen Colbert monologue at the Correspondents' Dinner that Elisabeth Bumiller seems to have slept through face-down in her entree. No question the stint played better on TV than it did in the room with C-SPAN cutting to gowned lovelies in the audience with glaceed expressions and tuxedo'd men making with the nervous eyes, but to say he "bombed" or "stunk up the place" (Jonah Goldberg's usual elegance) is wishful thinking on behalf of the wishful thinkers on the right, who have nothing but
wishful thinking to prop them up during the day.

I know what bombing looks like. It looks like Don Imus when he did a standup monologue before President and Hillary Clinton, and went over so badly that sweat broke out in rivulets down his face and in parts unseen. What triggered the perspiration cascade was a sexual innuendo about how Clinton rooted for his favorite football team by yelling, "Go baby!" at the TV, which Imus remarked was probably not the first time he had voiced such a giddyup--an allusion to Clinton's poontang exploits, if you'll pardon the expression. Imus gave such a crass performance and caused such embarrassment to himself and everybody in the room that there were calls for apologies and he was in danger of being as contaminated as Whoopie Goldberg and Ted Danson briefly were after their unfortunate blackface episode.

See, that was Colbert's mistake. He didn't slip in any smutty lines. Had he done so, his standup would have been impossible to ignore as the Fox News hotheads would have one into full outrage mode to defend the honor of Laura Bush and her virgin ears. Instead, Colbert was cool, methodical, and mercilessly ironic, not getting rattled when the audience quieted with discomfort (and resorting to self-deprecating "savers," as most comedians do), but closing in on the kill, as unsparing of the press as he was of the president. I mean no disrespect to Jon Stewart to say that in the same circumstances, he would have resorted to shtick; Colbert didn't. Apart from flubbing the water-half-empty joke about Bush's poll ratings, he was in full command of his tone, comic inflection, and line of attack. The we-are-not-amused smile Laura Bush gave him when he left the podium was a priceless tribute to the displeasure he incurred. To me, Colbert looked very relaxed after the Bushes left the room and he greeted audience members, signed autographs. And why wouldn't he be? He achieved exactly what he wanted to achieve, delivered the message he intended to deliver. Mission accomplished.

I saw it. I didn't find it especially funny either. It was, however, brilliant!

Stephen Colbert had a captive audience of precisely those responsible for the world's current discomfiture... and he made them uncomfortable. Up to the moment he took the stage, they were well fed, sufficiently liquored, and insufferably full of themselves. And he handed them a full-length mirror, with which to observe their glorious selves.

It was a catharsis. And pity -- or revile (take your pick) -- the ones who didn't "get it!"

A Democratic Revolution?

Charlie Cook is considered in these parts as the preeminent analyst and forecaster for all political races in America today:

To take over [the Senate in '06], Democrats must win the open seat in Tennessee, where the winner of the August 3 Republican primary will face Democratic Rep. Harold Ford. If Republicans hold Tennessee, they hold the Senate. If they have a truly horrible night and lose Tennessee, they lose the Senate.

But should the GOP's chances of picking up the open seat in Minnesota be dismissed so casually? Yes, even though Republicans have an excellent candidate in Rep. Mark Kennedy. And the same is true for the party's chances in Washington state, where the GOP is fielding a formidable challenger to Sen. Maria Cantwell. The fact is, if the political environment is so anti-Republican that five incumbents lose, then the GOP won't be able to gain ground in any Senate race. So, under the Republican apocalypse scenario, the Senate comes down to Tennessee.

The Real America

Holy Cow! An enlightened jury:
A federal jury has decided that al-Qaida conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui will receive a sentence of life in prison for not telling investigators what he later claimed to have known about the September 11, 2001 attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center.

After seven days of deliberation, the jury informed the court that it had come to its decision earlier this afternoon. The unexpectedly long duration of juror debate was read as an indicator that Moussaoui may have been spared death.
Of course, the cynic would say he was spared death precisely because he had wished for it. Even so, it's a statement about America where the rod is spared, and for which I can take a little pride in my country. S'been a while...

Net Neutrality

Rep. Ed Markey of Massachusetts states precisely the issue at hand if the Repos and DINOs take the Internet away:
Do we really have to wait till these corporate giants divide and conquer the open architecture of the Internet to make that against the law? These telephone company executives are telling us that they intend to discriminate in the prioritization of bits and to discriminate in the offering of "quality of service" functions - for a new fee, a new broadband bottleneck toll - to access high bandwidth customers. We cannot afford to wait until they actually start doing that before we step in to stop it.
Markey: proof positive that real Dems still live.

Monday, May 01, 2006

And The Reviews Are In

If you hadn't heard by now, Stephen Colbert fucking scorched Dubya and the media elite to their faces at the Correspondent's (or as the Ex- liked to call it: The GroupJerk) Dinner Saturday night.

The Traditional Media is doing their level best to ignore his brilliant performance, but it's only a matter of time. E.g., Didn't see it yet (as I catch the midnight rerun), but I'm betting Olberman'll have a piece on it. Meanwhile, here's a sampling:

Crooks & Liars (w/video)...
The Raw Story...
Salon (so watch the freakin' commercial, this one's worth it)...
Think Progress (relaying the humorless Faux News input)...
Whiskey Bar (by way of HuffPo)...
DailyKos...

for starters...

Of course, the funniest part in all this was the Republicans were sidling up to Colbert during the meteoric assent of his program The Colbert Report.

Think they'll shy away a little now?

WWJD

Wow! I thought I was keen of mind at 15 (give or take the usual adolescent brainfart).

No way I was this saavy...

Friday, April 28, 2006

Prescient Am I

Saw this headline: 10 States Sue EPA Over Global Warming...

Thought to myself, "Bet they're all Blue States!"

Le'see now:
  • New York - yep!
  • California - yep!
  • Connecticut - yep!
  • Maine - yep!
  • Massachusetts - yepper!
  • New Mexico - yep! (although their voters were screwed over by their eVoting system - Or do you really believe it just a coincidence that John Kerry lost every freakin' district w/e.machines in that state?)
  • Oregon - uh huh!
  • Rhode Island - bluest yet!
  • Vermont - whaddya think, Brotherman the Elder?
  • and Wisconsin - and there y'go, Russ Feingold!

    All filed the lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
Progressives wanna breathe clean air. Is that so wrong, you red-state bastards!!??

Saturday, April 22, 2006

Freedom Spreads Back

I count this as no small victory:
President Bush's visit to Stanford University's Hoover Institution was quickly moved to another location after more than 1,000 protesters converged around the Hoover tower.
Viva la Revolucion... !!

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Off Rum

Josh Marshall pretty much nails it on Donny Boy:
With Rumsfeld, or any other cabinet secretary, there's a related problem -- the importance of which has, I think, not been fully appreciated or aired. If Rumsfeld goes, you need to nominate someone else and get them through a senate confirmation. That means an open airing of the disaster of this administration's national security policy. Every particular; all about Iraq. Think how much they don't want that ...
Laser precision there, Josh. Bullseye!

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Oh No He Dittn't... !!

Tom Cruise makes me miss Michael Jackson:
TOM Cruise yesterday revealed his latest bizarre mission..to eat his new baby's placenta.

Cruise vowed he would tuck in straight after girlfriend Katie Holmes gives birth, saying he thought it would be "very nutritious".

The Mission Impossible star, 43, said: "I'm gonna eat the placenta. I thought that would be good. Very nutritious. I'm gonna eat the cord and the placenta right there."
Just shared this with a colleague. "You know," she mused, "it probably is very nutritious. Animals do that all the time in the animal kingdom. Cats and dogs do it mid-birth to sustain and fortify themselves... "

I sensed a 'but' coming along and prompted, "But... ?"

"But that's nasty!"

----------
Update: Jon Stewart said on The Daily Show last night that Cruise is now saying it was meant in jest, even as major dailies were printing it as news. Particularly so, Stewart grinned widely as he pondered the position Cruise is in having to repeatedly deny he meant it.

Monday, April 17, 2006

Joe Blow

Oh goody goody!! The tea leaves in Connecticut are readin' poorly for Mr. Mashed Potato-Face (Okay, okay, it's personal. I used to be a news anchor for WELI in New Haven back in the early 90s, and had my own little run-in w/the neo-con schmuck.):
Joe Lieberman's best friend Colin McEnroe and AP Capitol Reporter, Susan Haighs, were on WTIC's Beyond the Headlines on Sunday and they explained why everyone should take Ned Lamont's campaign very seriously. They also go into why Joe's running scared and threatening to run as an independent (here's a hint: it's becasue there's a VERY good sign that Lamont will beat him in the primary).

Go Ned!

The Greatest Place In The World

Fenway Pahk on Patriots Day!!!



Mark Loretta wanted to feel the whole celebration, even the fun-filled pounding that comes from teammates at the plate after a game-ending home run. Loretta hit a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Boston Red Sox, saved by Kevin Youkilis' hustle, rallied past the Seattle Mariners 7-6 Monday in the annual Patriots Day game.

"I've never experienced it before at any level -- Little League, high school or college level," he said. "Just complete euphoria. You kind of have to take a step back and think `is the game really over?'"

Loretta's shot landed in the Monster Seats, where moments earlier many fans turned around to watch the women's leader of the Boston Marathon running through Kenmore Square.

Part of my thrill of this is being an old Fenway vet, having seen the likes of Yaz, Pudge Fisk, and El Tiante in their heyday, giving us our daily thrill. Remind me to tell you the one about Opening Day in '77!! Where me & Brotherman the Younger skipped school to sit in the bleachahs...

Nowhere else does this happen in America (well, maybe >cough!< Yankee Stadium). And today, as it's described by a player heretofore unexperienced with the Fenway atmosphere, like it was the World Series. Here it is, only April! Throw in the Marathon, and it's a bloomin' dream, where one moment you're in one place, and the next you're somewhere else entirely.

God, but I miss Boston in the Spring!!

Saturday, April 15, 2006

Shovels Full Of Shovelling Jesus

shovel shovel... shovelling jesus... jesus... shovelling... jesus shovel jesus shovel... shovel... shovelling jesus... shovel jesus jesus shovelling... shovel shovel... shovelling jesus... jesus... shovelling... jesus jesus... shovel... shovelling jesus... shovel jesus jesus shovelling... shovel shovel... shovelling jesus... jesus... shovelling... jesus jesus... shovel... shovelling jesus... shovel jesus jesus shovelling... shovel shovel... shovelling jesus... jesus... shovelling... jesus jesus... shovel... shovelling jesus... shovel jesus jesus shovelling... shovel shovel... shovelling jesus... jesus... shovelling... jesus jesus shovel jesus shovel jesus... shovel... shovelling jesus... shovel jesus jesus shovelling... shovel shovel... shovelling jesus... jesus... shovelling... jesus jesus... shovel... shovelling jesus... shovel jesus jesus shovelling... shovel shovel... shovelling jesus... jesus... shovelling... jesus jesus... shovel... shovelling jesus... shovel jesus jesus shovelling... ad nauseum...

Friday, April 14, 2006

Blah Blah Blah...

Am now on "say anything" mode, if for no other reason than to push Cheney's visage further down the page.

What can I say but that I'm speechless after Dubya's vote of confidence in Rummy. Or maybe Karl Rove told him he'd be putting his vote of confidence in all the rummies of the world... by proxy, say... one of those AA things y'gotta go thru.

Except, uhm, Dubya never went to AA...

To be continued, I reckon...

Thursday, April 06, 2006

The Grass Is Riz

Here's the deal: I start my day with the sports pages religiously, for I have reached an emotional critical mass when it comes to current world and political events, and I don't need to start my morning in an ill frame of mind. That and the mere sight & sound of anything Dubya makes me want to puke. So contrary to what you may surmise from the readings on display here, I do not consider struttin' down the avenue with the taste of bile in the back of my throat as a cool way to meet chicks. Well, not really.

You'll perhaps understand, then, if I wonder whether there isn't something especially malevolent afoot whenever I see this bastard stalking me (like Death in Final Destination) while I would be otherwise deluded to distraction within my recreational realm; in this case, at a ballgame where he's to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. When this happens, I fantasize I'm the catcher. I imagine Dubya tossing his usual politician's limp-dick offering, then turning to wave, like the self-absorbed, oblivious pap-smear he is, to a rising cacophany of boos. It's right when he's not looking when I pretend further the runner's going! and -- Oops! -- I fire one off the pitcher's noggin... eliciting, of course, a wild roar from the crowd.

Not that I could ever let go the position of news-junkie, my raison d'etre, I'm just letting it go for now.

Meanwhile, I've renewed excitation for the Carmine Hose of Beantown, specific to last night's performance by their young horses, Beckett & Papelbon. Picked up the rookie closer-come-lately in my Fantasy Draft, concurrently though just before the fact he was brought in to close out Texas. I was hoping he'd be in the rotation by May, particularly so as I'd picked up Keith Foulke (Oy!) a coupla rounds earlier. Much better to have a stud starter & closer than a stud closer & a broken down middle-man, but, oh well, reckon I'll have to scan the waiver wire.

Lovin' the game in any case, especially if Sunday is a gorgeous sunny afternoon when Sundloff & I tool up to Bal'mer for O's/Sox -- Woo hoo!!

And if you're waiting for it, know that it'll be a while before you see Dubya at Fenway. Now there's a crowd, Gahd Bless 'em, that hasn't been properly vetted.

Sunday, April 02, 2006

Opening Nite

Baseball fans will insist this is the first day of spring ("spring-training" references notwithstanding). The Indians are in Chicago tonight to take on the World Series champ Pale Hose.

And that's another Bark: Not only is the World Series played only at night now, where baseball's single most poetic beauty is its timeless play under the summer sun, but now its Opening Day is Opening Night! Bah! Money has no heart or soul.

Anyways, I'm more interested in the goings on w/the Old Towne Team, and was reading Edes' column in today's Globe, particularly enjoying this bit:

And a true ''Who's on first" story, as related by Tony Jackson of the Los Angeles Daily News. Dodgers reliever Hong-Chih Kuo's best friend in the organization is minor league infielder and fellow Taiwan native Chin-Lung Hu, who was walking across the clubhouse when veteran center fielder Kenny Lofton spotted him.

''Hey Kuo, who's that guy you been hanging out with?" Lofton said.

''Hu," Kuo said.

''The guy you been hanging out with," Lofton said.

''Hu," Kuo repeated.

''That guy I saw you with yesterday," Lofton said.

''Hu," Kuo said yet again.

Finally, laughing Dodgers prospect Matt Kemp explained it to Lofton.

Reality-based

Admiring of Bill Maher's HBO program Real Time as I am, I cannot help but get mightily annoyed when he becomes hyper-solicitous of his Republican or Repo-sympathizing guests, or when he pets them reassuringly after they've elicited howls of protest, either from their co-panelists or the audience, to their Bush-apologist bullshit.

Having produced my own talk show on Public Access television back in the 90s, I fully understand the difficulty of bringing in types who would not be well received by the raucous folk who people his audience and would consequently be reluctant to participate. But Maher often goes overboard walking in their shoes or shooshing his audience when they rightly applaud progressive points well made. Moreover, he steadfastly continues to intellectualize "the big picture" of the Iraq debacle, often agreeing with the neocons when they assert their plan of stabilizing the Middle East as working, even though it'll take decades.

I too have wondered about and could easily convince myself the big picture will have a happy ending, even as I'll never buy today's mess as something the bastards anticipated. And then I look at the news of the day and at the people running the show, and my skepticism -- nay, cynicism -- is reinforced (see below).

As for Maher, all is forgiven when he "kids the President," which, along with his New Rules, makes Real Time worth the time.

----------

Was winnowing my email this fine Sunday morning and came across a note, forwarded by Brotherman the Elder back on February 1st. I share it now as I am slowly learning the tricky HTML eccentricities of blogger.com, and, of course, the content here is still quite timely, and likely will be for as long as History is properly recorded:

Alberto Gonzales spoke before law students at Georgetown today, justifying illegal, unauthorized surveillance of US citizens, but during the course of his speech the students in class did something pretty ballsy and brave. They got up from their seats and turned their backs to him.

To make matters worse for Gonzales, additional students came into the room, wearing black cowls and carrying a simple banner, written on a sheet.

And, as one of the people on the panel said:

"When you're a law student, they tell you that if you can't argue the law, argue the facts. They also tell you if you can't argue the facts, argue the law. If you can't argue either, apparently, the solution is to go on a public relations offensive and make it a political issue; to say over and over again 'it's lawful', and to think that the American people will somehow come to believe this if we say it often enough.

"In light of this, I'm proud of the very civil civil disobedience that was shown here today." - David Cole, Georgetown University Law Professor

It was a good day for dissent.

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

NPR Early Tomorrow

eMail from the Ned Lamont campaign:

I just wanted to drop you a quick note that Ned's race for the Senate will be the topic of a story tomorrow (March 29) on National Public Radio's Morning Edition. The piece, by David Welna, is scheduled to air at 6:20 a.m. and again at 8:20 a.m. Please note the time may change.

Aldon

Tell Joementum, "JoMama!!"

Fish In A Barrel

Brotherman the Elder sent this to me this afternoon:

On The Bible and The Constitution

On Wednesday, March 1st, 2006, in Annapolis at a hearing on the proposed Constitutional Amendment to prohibit gay marriage, Jamie Raskin, professor of law at American University, was requested to testify.

At the end of his testimony, Republican Senator Nancy Jacobs said: "Mr. Raskin, my Bible says marriage is only between a man and a woman. What do you have to say about that?"

Raskin replied: "Senator, when you took your oath of office, you placed your hand on the Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution. You did not place your hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible."

The room erupted into applause.

Goddamn right!!

James Webb For U.S. Senate

eMail received from the former Republican Navy Sec'y:

Dear Friend,

At a time when our nation is facing serious challenges at home and abroad, George Allen is more focused on his political career than he is on his job representing Virginia in the Senate. I don't know about you, but I cannot think of even one example of true leadership on national issues from Senator Allen in the five crisis-filled years we Americans have experienced since he took his seat.

And yet, according to the New York Times he seems…bored. "It's too slow for me," he told a reporter. Maybe that's why Allen is spending so much time these days thinking about running for president. His heart is not really in the job.

If Allen wants to run for president, more power to him. But Virginia deserves a full-time senator. That's why Jim Webb is running for the Senate. He understands the serious challenges facing Virginia and the nation, and he will go to work every day focused on using his position to improve life for the people of this state.

Support Jim Webb for Senate today. Help us meet our fundraising goals by the March 31st deadline.

http://www.webbforsenate.com/contribute/

Iraq is on the brink of civil war, and Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons. The Chinese have embarked on a vast program of military expansionism. Al Qaeda is probing our defenses, looking for a way to deliver another devastating attack. With some of the nation's most sensitive military and intelligence installations located in Virginia, we are on the front lines of the war on terror.

That's exactly why we need Jim Webb in the Senate. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, a much decorated Marine in Vietnam, a former Assistant Secretary of Defense and Secretary of the Navy, Jim is also a world-traveled journalist and author who has seen first-hand the issues our governmental leaders must deal with. Jim has spent his career focused on national security. His first book, written when he was only 28, was about national strategy. He was a journalist in Beirut when the U.S. Marines were deployed there in 1983. He covered our troops in Afghanistan for Parade Magazine in 2004. His experience and vision are exactly what we need to help protect the American people at home and our vital interests abroad.

Give Virginia the experience it needs in the Senate. We're less than 60 hours from the end of quarter fundraising deadline. Please rush a contribution to Jim today!

http://www.webbforsenate.com/contribute/

And most importantly, Jim Webb is a leader, from his earliest days as a Marine rifle platoon and company commander in Vietnam. He has never been afraid to speak his mind, including speaking truth to power. He recognizes that leadership involves making tough decisions, and that it requires backbone, vision and courage in the face of harsh criticism.

Unfortunately, George Allen appears to be little more than a rubber stamp for the president. He supported George Bush 96% of the time in the Senate. That may make sense if you are trying to please voters in a Republican presidential primary, but not if you are trying to represent Virginia. It's time to put Virginia first again. We need a thoughtful, independent leader, not one busy thinking about his next job.

Donate to Jim's campaign before Friday's deadline.

http://www.webbforsenate.com/contribute/

With your support, we can give Virginia the strong leadership it deserves: a senator who will be on the job, everyday, working for the people of this state.

Sincerely,

Steve Jarding
Senior Advisor
Webb for Senate

P.S. The momentum on our campaign continues to grow. Today, General Wesley Clark endorsed Jim's campaign for U.S. Senate! Join General Clark and support our campaign today!

Contribute today!

Monday, March 27, 2006

Requiem For A Dink

More has been said elsewhere, and said better, but I wanted to offer just a couple of thoughts on the shortlived career of Ben Domenich at the Washington Post:

1) Had he been hired by the Washington Times, nobody would have heard about it; and 2) is it me or is he, like, a parallel-universe clone of George W. Bush, i.e., a pampered, privileged, snot-nosed, self-absorbed, self-righteous, and right-wing little asshole, who, in this reality-based universe, is little but a legend in his own mind?

Taking him down on the merits, then, was expediant, highly-proper and a such a delightful pleasure, an experience akin to voiding your inflamed gastro-intestinal tract of last-wednesday's stale burrito.

And...

Making it as public as it was... Might that have saved the future lives of hundreds-of-thousands, as similarly would, say, the summary arrest and prosecution of a certain air-national guard officer jack-off who went AWOL some 34 years ago?

Saturday, March 25, 2006

Go You One Better, Natalie...

Just so you know, we're ashamed the President of the United States is from the United States.

Go Dixie Chicks!! (check out the new tune)...

We Hold These Truths To Be Self-Evident

This goes hand-in-hand with the whiny little shits who grow up to become conservatives:
In other words, if you are an American Christian, you are more likely to support torture than if you are an atheist or agnostic.
Of course the whinies will dismiss Andrew Sullivan's conservative street creds due to his sexuality.

But I'm sold.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Pay Per eMail?

Noises are being made on whether AOL might start blocking email or might make people pay to send email thru AOL. I glumly admit to having paid too little attention to the matter, resigning myself to the depressing conclusion of an inevitably ham-fisted corporate takeover of what may never again be a freely accessible internet. Now I'm hearing Yahoo! is considering the same thing, which shook me from my slumber, for I do do Yahoo!

But not true... ! Or so indicates a forwarded email I received today:
From: "Luke Wolter" ...@yahoo-inc.com
Subject: RE: Yahoo question
Date: Wed, 22 Mar 2006 09:26:08 -0500

This is false. We have no policies in place to block any email accounts from our Groups property, especially Gmail.

Furthermore, I can't imagine a business reason why we would ever do this in the future. At Yahoo! we respect our customers above all else and never forget that they come to us by choice. We share a personal responsibility to maintain our customers' loyalty and trust.
Uh huh! Was "respect" for its customers the reason Yahoo! capitulated to DOJ's demand for its search-engine records (i.e., who's looking up what) without a fight?

And dig the wording here: "I can't imagine a business reason... " Well now, how about profit? If AOL does it, then Hotmail falls in line, how long before Yahoo! and Google agree to agree? This smells of a politician who says he has "no plans to run for higher office" the day before he announces he's running for higher office.

Hold on to your genitals, folks, if you like your 1-horse cable service, yer gonna love corporate-controlled, anti-trust waived, monopolized internet service and its ever-more cheesily commercialized content.

Coming to a monitor near you!

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Wrapping The Mind Around

Maddening as the Dem's so-called strategy for retaking Congress from the evil-doers is, I just had a moment of clarity about it -- or perhaps it was madness, and is that dependent upon the particular alternative-reality i find myself inhabiting? I believed, for the moment, the strategy to be correct, that is if one can define it as some kind of political jiu jitsu. This imagined plan is predicated on keeping the Republicans front & center and under the kleig lights, while offering them ever more rope with which they can only become hopelessly entwined and left twisting in the wind. Meanwhile, the Dems play understudy, just offstage and ready to assume the lead role when the time comes.

For the longest time, I thought it madness, and will doubtlessly again. The method is too familiar and sickeningly typical of this invertibrate species known as Democrat, the very same species that has no natural defenses and is now running in dwindling numbers.

Meanwhile, the Republicans cannot possibly keep screwing up.

And yet they do.

And gahd bless 'em for it.

Even so, I'd rather see an organized and progressive mob assaulting the White House gates with fire, catapults, and a battering ram, and for no other reason than to have cause to pound my chest with a primordial yowl.

Meanhile, I'll take an understated pleasure in the efforts of the lone ranger unmasked: Russ Feingold and his censure motion. It's a time-bomb... and well-timed it is. Watch now as the people pass by in slow-motion, as the fuse slowly burns. I expect a neat little explosion and pray it brings the walls of mendacity down around their heads.

And then I woke up...

... And They Is Us

From Salon:
As Knight Ridder reported Sunday, Iraqi police say that U.S. soldiers last week executed 11 people, including a 75-year-old woman and a 6-month-old infant, after raiding a house where an al-Qaida suspect was captured. Knight Ridder says that such accusations are "commonplace" in Iraq, and that most "are judged later to be unfounded or exaggerated." This one is different, Knight Ridder says, "because it originated with Iraqi police, and because Iraqi police were willing to attach their names to it." The report, a copy of which Knight Ridder has obtained, says: "The American forces gathered the family members in one room and executed 11 persons, including five children, four women and two men. Then they bombed the house, burned three vehicles and killed their animals." The military said today that it is investigating the allegations.

Monday, March 20, 2006

Headline Of The Day (and the day's still young)...

By way of The Raw Story:

"Study Confirms: Whiny Kids Grow Up To Be Conservatives"

This is news?

5 Years Is All It Took

It's come to this says PM Carpenter:
Yes, Iran, of all nations, is now talking to the U.S. like an exasperated but conscientious Dutch uncle. Said one of that nation’s diplomats on Thursday, “I think Iraq is a good testing ground for America to take a harder look at the way it acts. If there’s a determination in America to take that hard look, then we’re prepared to help.”

How embarrassing.
Indeed.

From *Rocky Horror* To *Bull Durham*

I've alway kinda dug Susan Sarandon:
"I find Hillary to be a great disappointment," the lefty actress tells More magazine. "She's lost her progressive following because of her caution and centrist approach. It bothered me when she voted for the war. There were brave people who didn't. She's not worse than other politicians, but I hoped she would be better. What America is looking for is authentic people who want to go into public service because they strongly believe in something, not people who are [just] trying to get elected."

Friday, March 17, 2006

Take It To The Bank

Speculation on the Rocket at career's end:
Roger Clemens was a loser in what might have been the final start of his outstanding career, and Mexico eliminated Team USA from the World Baseball Classic.
What?? A Texan getting beat by the Messicans??

He'll be back. If he wasn't coming back before, he sure as Hell is now.

Madness Indeed

Don't know which is nuttier: Dubya's re-assertion of pre-emptive warfare or my winning the pool with Kansas and/or Boston College.

Let that be a lesson to you... er, two lessons: 1) never bet on college basketball while drunk; and 2) never elect a drunk for president.

I mean, Jeeeezus!!

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Gary Hart: America Could Lose Its Army

If one can remember, this is the guy whom the Reaganites were most afraid of in the then projected '84 general election -- not Walter Bleepin' Mondale. Refreshing nonetheless to get a dose of reality-based analyses on the goings on in the world, if only periodically, and wondering wistfully what might have been.

Meanwhile, back at the Baghdad ranch:
The character of warfare and violence is being transformed. The warfare of the future is not World War II, or even Korea or Vietnam. It is Mogadishu and Fallujah -- low-intensity conflict among tribes, clans, and gangs. We are not prepared for that kind of warfare.

The United States is in danger of finding combat forces trapped in a civil war that they cannot prevent, control, or win.

America's army is in danger, and that danger is possibly just around the corner.


Imagine Dubya the Boy King exhibiting any semblance of coherence with respect to Iraq.

And come to think about it: Donna Rice turned out to be a Christian fundamentalist, didn't she? . . . Those bastards!

Monday, March 13, 2006

Wasn't Specter The Bad Guys in The Old Bond Films?

Josh Marshall's tag on the following had me thinking:

It was coming to this. Responding to Sen. Feingold, Sen. Specter is now arguing on the floor of the senate that FISA is unconstitutional. Ergo, President Bush couldn't have been violating the law becuase it's not valid law.

Quite a way for Specter to end his career.

Lest we forget, Arlen Specter was on the Warren Commission, which, some would have you believe, white-washed the investigation of JFK's assassination. Assuming for the sake of argument that this is true, it would seem, then, Sen. Specter has come full circle.

The Bigger Picture

You hear stories of how coastal animals will book to higher land, well before a man can realize a tsunami's about to crash on his head; same thing with earthquakes, the animals start to freak even though the tremors are as yet humanly imperceptable.

Well the Brits are pulling out 800 soldiers from Iraq:
The reduction constitutes a 10 per cent decrease in numbers and marks a reduction from the high point of 10,000 British troops in Iraq in October 2003.
What the story doesn't address, if even speculatively, are the ramifications, by way of Iran's response to an attack on their nuclear facilities by the U.S. and/or Israel. The Brits, stationed primarily in the southern part of Iraq and along the Persian border, are most vulnerable in this scenario and would easily sustain the greatest number of coalition casualties, and is why the British government has been quietly, although steadfastly, resisting U.S. machinations toward expanding its hostilities in the Middle East.

Could this, then, be a harbinger of things to come?

Maher D Har Har...

Bill Maher again:

New Rule: Stop saying "Brokeback Mountain" lost Best Picture because of a homosexual backlash. The only homosexual backlash in Hollywood involves an actual homosexual literally hitting you on the back with a lash. Besides, if "Brokeback Mountain" taught us anything, it's that there's nothing wrong with coming in number-two.

Oh, are we still on?

Saturday, March 11, 2006

First Thing We Do Is Feed These "Christians" To The Detroit Lions

I.e., if'n we ever get back in power. Good to know, Nahhmy, Heavnews, et al., Sandy baby is now in the "radical" camp. Think maybe she, like, totally regrets her vote in Bush v. Gore?

Yesterday's news; here's today's mind blower:
Merck's vaccine had been shown to be completely effective against most strains that cause cervical cancer, with few side effects. But the Christian right seemed to view the vaccine as a license for promiscuity.
Yer Throat Culture of Life, on yer tax dollar, hard at work.

Friday, March 10, 2006

Thought 4 A Day

... And Chuck Gutenson has it:
We realize that Americans are humans and, as such, are subject to the same corruptions as any other human. As long as we fail to see the "myth of redemptive violence" and the errors of American exceptionalism, we are likely doomed to repeat the errors of Iraq, though, of course, in different forms. Let us pray for a genuine repentance, and, given my own commitments, particularly for those who claim to be followers of Jesus and, yet, have been beguiled by neoconservatism.

Thursday, March 09, 2006

Study Break

Me & Chontos renewing the licenses online. More hours than expected.

Ooo! Pizza delivery is here.

Back atcha!

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

The Etymology Again?

Guy used to say to me: "Can't talk now, I'm up to my ass in alligators!"

Now I'm, like, "Ohhhhohhhh!"

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

What HE Said

Not a big fan of Leno's, but...
On Bush's Presidential Library: "$300 Million - That's Almost $150 Million Per Book"...

Sidebar, Yerronner

For you defense atty's out there (and u know who u r), who may've not known:

"Any piece of equipment that is used to test something in the criminal justice system, the defense attorney has the ability to know how the thing works and subject its fundamental capabilities to review," said Flem Whited III, a Daytona Beach attorney who is a nationally recognized expert on DUI defense.

Having to do with breathalyzers and "implied consent" laws, wherever they be. And - Oh yes! - if you've been photographed, by mounted cameras, running a red light, and the camera manufacturer doesn't present hisself in court the day you contest... ? It applies.

Anarchy 101...

Mark Your Calendars

It occured to me yesterday that 3 months hence, the date will be 6/6/06...

I predict Dubya will commence his bombing campaign on Iran that day.

Monday, March 06, 2006

Another Day

So the doctor says lay off the caffeine, and I'm, like, "yeah, sure!"

But then the new admin starts bringing in this gourmet fresh-ground, and has this nasty habit of brewing pots big enough to kill three elephants. The shit smells gooooood. And I'm sitting at my desk catching wafts of it from down the hall. Very distracting, that.

It ain't right!

So I bring in some decaf fresh-ground shit to cut it. But the admin doesn't use it, no good for me when I'm in 10-6 instead of 8-4, and she's always in at 9.

And this morning I find a gold aluminum-wrapped truffle - yah, gourmet chocolate - sitting in front of my keyboard. What can I say, the chicks dig me! Yeh, I'm adorable when my heart palpitates.

At least I hope it was a chick.

Oh to be young again.

Saturday, March 04, 2006

World Baseball Classic

Okay, I'm gettin' kinda stoked about the WBC:
Team USA is loaded in the infield -- with Derrek Lee at first base, Young at second, Derek Jeter at shortstop and Rodriguez at third -- and extremely deep in the bullpen. On any given night, Brad Lidge, Huston Street, Joe Nathan or Chad Cordero could be called on to close.

Because of injuries and defections, Team USA doesn't have much depth in the starting rotation. Jake Peavy will start the opener against Mexico on Tuesday, and Martinez will load up on left-handers against Canada's predominantly lefty-hitting lineup in Game 2 on Wednesday. Willis will start and be followed by Al Leiter, with Colorado's Brian Fuentes also expected to pitch out of the bullpen.

Roger Clemens will work two innings in an exhibition against the San Francisco Giants on Sunday in Scottsdale, then start Friday against South Africa in what looks like a world-caliber mismatch.
Nutshell for you MORs: the Dominican team has, well, a fucking awesome line-up; and I mean one that may dwarf the 30s American League All-Star teams -- you know, Ruth? Gehrig? Jimmie Foxx? Hank Greenberg? Or maybe I'm just a heretic. Meanwhile, Venezuela has the the pitching w/superstud Johan Santana as the marquis feature.

Caught a little of the China/Korea match-up last night. Uhm, don't think so! Although China makes the Red & Gold combo work. That and they have Bruce Hurst as pitching coach; he who would have been the '86 Series MVP were it not for Bob Stanley and a certain Bucknerian brain fart. Meanwhile, looks like Japan exposed Taiwan -- uhh, 'scuse me: Chinese Taipei -- as overgrown little leaguers. Then again, we already knew their little leaguers were overgrown.

Clearly the Asian battle is all Japan & Korea, leaving China & Taipei wondering if they'll ever be ready for rookie ball.

Projected WBC Champs: Venezuela or the Dominican Republic.

USA? Not!

The World Baseball Classic could be big in the coming decades.

Friday, March 03, 2006

Joementum 24/7

Wow! Howie Klein doesn't let up on the creep from Connecticut.

So What's The Point?

Here's what bugs me most about Dubya's disregard for the FISA law:
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic.
Meanwhile Bush issues these presidential findings, effectively dismissing any law passed by Congress, especially the one pertaining to the goings-on at Gitmo:
U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler said in a hearing yesterday that she found allegations of aggressive U.S. military tactics used to break the detainee hunger strike "extremely disturbing" and possibly against U.S. and international law. But Justice Department lawyers argued that even if the tactics were considered in violation of McCain's language, detainees at Guantanamo would have no recourse to challenge them in court.
You gotta love it -- or not -- that when it'll come down to brass tacks, the Bushies at Justice will almost certainly dismiss whatever a federal judge has to say against their right to party. And were the right-wing religious thugs in robes on 1st St NE, DC, to suddenly reexamine their fetish for executive privilege and say, "Oh hey, that ain't Constitutionally kosher!" you gotta believe Dubya would thumb his nose at them too.

And there it is! The oath of office, and the utter pointlessness of it.

By the way, what exactly does constitute a "domestic enemy"?

Whoooo coulditbeeeee... ??

I remember when I was in the National Guard back in the early 80s, I would engage in a hypothetical (because there was a lot of time on our hands those weekends -- the good ol' days) and contended that if the president declared martial law, we -- the U.S. soldier, reservist, guardsman, cub scout, what-have-u -- would instantly be freed from our contract and our oath to defend the Constitution... because when martial law is declared, the Constitution is suspended! Of course, on the flip side, we'd be obliged, arguably, to take up arms against the president (or governor) who declared martial law.

The enlisted personnel loved that shit. Not so much the company commander: "What're you, lookin' for a loophole!? Shaddap!!"

Something liberating in thinking as an anarchist...

Uhm, not to be confused with the anti-christ...

Anyway, Bush, as did Nixon, believes it's not against the law for the president to break the law. Now I don't care if he did go to Harvard and Yale on a legacy, that, and he, are just plain fucking wrong.

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Another Well Said

... and well received; Normon Solomon, author of War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death, addressing Bush's now fabled gall, this time in laying a wreath on Mahatma Gandhi's grave:
In an important sense, it's plausible to envision Bush as a lover of peace and even an apostle of nonviolence -- but, in context, those sterling invocations of virtues are plated with sadism in the service of empire. The president of the United States is urging "peace" as a synonym for getting his way in Iraq. From Washington, the most exalted vision of peace is a scenario where the occupied no longer resist the American occupiers or their allies.

The world has seen many such leaders, eager to unleash as much violence as necessary to get what they want, and glad to praise nonviolence whenever convenient. But no photo-op can change the current reality that the world's most powerful government is also, by far, the most violent and the most dangerous.

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Good Question, That

I'd reached my conclusions before the man announced his candidacy for Governor, but I like the way Garrison Keillor phrases it:
Do we need to impeach him to bring some focus to this man's life?
Uhh, yeah... ?

Bed Time For This Bonzo

The HAMster is serving up some weird & wild stuff again.

From Beyond The Grave

Frank Zappa apparently was a modern-day Nostredamus. Must see TV from 1986, courtesy of Crooks & Liars:
Zappa: The biggest threat to America today is not communism; it's moving America towards a fascist theocracy and everything that has happened during the Reagan administration. Is steering us right down that pipe.

Zappa: When you have a government that prefers a certain moral code derived from a certain religion and that moral code turns into legislation to suit one certain religious point of view and if that code happens to be very, very right wing almost toward Attila the Hun.

Lofton: Well then you are an anarchist. Every form of civil government is based on some kind of morality, Frank.

Zappa: Morality in terms of behavior-not in terms of theology.
Apparently Rickie Lee Jones, isn't a fan of Joementum neither. [Link courtesy of Firedoglake].