Heroes. It's an overused word, applicable to everything from sports stars to teachers to guys in costumes who save lives in the movies to soldiers. Today, there's been a flap between John Kerry (and no doubt all Democrats) and the White House over Kerry's apparent (to Bush Administration) slight on the soldiers fighting in Iraq. To note, Kerry, speaking at a college, said that people who cannot navigate the country's education system "get stuck in Iraq."
To which I would agree. Back when I was about to enter college, I kept asking myself "Why?" With all the armed forces recruiters on campus and calling me on the phone, I felt like I was needed. Plus, I could get money to go to college in a few years, have relevant experience, see the world, get in shape, and serve my country.
But I went to college and got a degree.
But this isn't the point. Tony Snow (aka "Mr Snowjob") shot back at Kerry's remark:
"Senator Kerry not only owes an apology to those who are serving, but also to the families of those who've given their lives in this."
Kerry shot back, saying he was criticizing George Bush, not the "heroes serving in Iraq."
BULLSHIT. He meant what he said. If you don't get an education, one of a few alternatives a youngster has is to enlist. The bullshit part is the line about "heroes."
Is it heroic to do your job? I mean, most of the "kids" serving in the war signed up for the reasons I contemplated. They didn't aim to be heroes. Nor are most of them heroes now. Who have they saved? Allowing yourself to be put in harm's way by others is kind of cowardly, isn't it? Especially if you think the war is wrong, which apparently a lot of soldiers believe. So, why not stand up for your beliefs? What's so heroic about not doing so?
Don't get me wrong. Our men and women serving in Iraq are brave souls, due our respect for surviving under extreme circumstances. But are they heroes?
No. A guy who jumps in front of a bus in order to move a child out of harm's way is a hero.
A woman who puts her neck on the line to save hundreds of others without a voice, she's a hero.
A boy who defies the odds of winning the battle against cancer and becomes an inspiration to other children suffering from disease. He's a hero.
Heroes save others, either directly or indirectly. Martin Luther King was a hero. Men and women who dropped what they were doing to help in New Orleans: They are heroes.
Soldiers "doing their jobs" are not necessarily heroes. They might be under circumstances that call for it, but their presence in the face of danger doesn't make them heroes. It's what you do in the face of danger that makes you a hero.
Sorry. Heroes are few and far between. We mustn't use the term lightly.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Hiatus II
Last night's post, entitled "Hiatus," may have led readers to believe that I am taking a 6-week hiatus; I am not. Merely, I was trying to say that I am having difficulty finding time to post while watching my son.
I will post when time permits. For now, bear with me, check out the links on the right (many good ones, like AmericaBlog and Say No to Pombo), and remember to vote. There are many new challengers who might be better than the incumbents. Let's give the sensible ones a chance.
It doesn't matter the party. The only thing that matters are the people running for office. Use the incumbent's record to decide if he/she is worth your vote. If not, consider his/her challenger.
VOTE or CRY.
I will post when time permits. For now, bear with me, check out the links on the right (many good ones, like AmericaBlog and Say No to Pombo), and remember to vote. There are many new challengers who might be better than the incumbents. Let's give the sensible ones a chance.
It doesn't matter the party. The only thing that matters are the people running for office. Use the incumbent's record to decide if he/she is worth your vote. If not, consider his/her challenger.
VOTE or CRY.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Hiatus
Wow, I took 6 weeks off for "baby bonding time" to, well, bond with my 10-month old. I thought I'd be able to write a significant number of blogs during this time.
NOPE! No time. A 10-month old takes some serious attention! I knew this; I just thought we'd settle into a routine and I could write when he slept. He takes 10-minute naps. Enough said!
NOPE! No time. A 10-month old takes some serious attention! I knew this; I just thought we'd settle into a routine and I could write when he slept. He takes 10-minute naps. Enough said!
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Why Richard Pombo chaps my hide
I apologize for my last few days' worth of posts; they have mostly centered on me telling you that Richard Pombo is a useless Congressman. He's dangerous. He's corrupt. He's a liar. He distorts the record.
He really chaps my hide.
Let me explain a few things. I wholeheartedly am against term limits. I believe them to be the lazy and stupid way to effect change. The voting public decided that they'd be a great idea quite a few years ago here in California. I believe them to be a horrible mistake.
Here's why. Good politicians are kicked out of office prematurely. Bad ones, too (this is good, but redundant). The good ones are usually so turned off by their experience that they just decide to leave politics altogether. The bad ones run for a higher office. It's a natural progression. Their names are known, and name recognition is the single most important thing in winning an election. I am confident that when Joe Citizen goes to the polls, he may not know the entire ballot. Like in school, during exams, he guesses at an answer when he doesn't know who or what he wants to vote for.
Thus, when he sees a name he recognizes, he votes for it.
Now, I used to believe, and still want to believe, that the voting public is made up of rational, thinking, considerate folks.
But the past few election cycles have led me to believe differently.
How can you explain George Bush's terrible approval ratings? His policies and actions haven't changed for 6 years running. He didn't change. The voting public's perception has surely changed. But nothing about the elected official nor his stance, action, or policies have changed. But it's these same people, for the most part, who voted for Bush but who are now suddenly upset with him. It simply doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. You knew from the first term the type of President he was. He hasn't changed!
Nevertheless, I still believe that term limits are a bad idea. The President is limited to 2, 4-year terms. This 'term limit' was imposed after FDR ran, and won, 4 times. I guess people thought that such a run killed him. God forbid that a President die in office doing a great job. If the people want to re-elect somebody 40 times, I have no issues with that.
However, there are problems with this. It's nearly impossible to defeat an incumbent. Rarely is it ever done. At the Presidential level, the last time it happened was in '92 when Bill Clinton beat George H.W. Bush, who had won the '88 election after having been Vice President from 1981-89. Before that, who lost it?
On a percentage basis, the frequency is very low. At the federal level, the percentage is somewhere north of 90%. At the local level, the odds are better for new challengers, though they still face the same challenges. As Guy Molyneux puts it,
The biggest factor in all this is money. Incumbents have an innate ability to raise significantly more funds than challengers. A lot of it has to do with name recognition. But it also has to do with the fact that incumbents are in positions of power and their influence can be bought. "Do me a favor and I will give you money" is the implicit idea. Think it doesn't happen? Wake up! It happens every day. It doesn't take scandals involving Jack Abramoff, Tom DeLay, Duke Cunningham, or Bob Ney to tell you this. Just look at all the pork inserted into unrelated bills. Somebody's paying somebody!
The voting public certainly has the ability to vote for challengers. But, overwhemingly, they don't.
This is why it's especially important to get people who are "on the fence" about an office to look at a) the challenger's qualities and b) the incumbent's record.
It is here where Richard Pombo fails. He is partisan. He is connected to Tom DeLay and Jack Abramoff (he's taken $37000 from Abromoff). He wants to repeal some of the most critical pieces of the Endangered Species Act. He wants the federal government to pay land owners who cannot develop their land millions of dollars, effectively bankrupting the federal agency responsible for payment. He wants to build a federal highway that runs through his and his family's property and be paid millions more than it's worth. He's voted against vital stem-cell research. He's got ties to Indian casinos and the shenanigans involving the Northern Mariana Islands. He pays his family to "consult" him (his wife gets $3000 per month for unspecified services). His pay has risen $40,000 since elected. Has yours?
Just google Pombo. Or, better yet, look him up on Wikipedia. There's enough of a shoddy record on him that he should lose on his record alone. A farm animal should be able to beat him.
But because the voting public is lazy, stupid, or both, he will be re-elected, even if Jesus himself were running against him. Here are some links for those of you who want to learn more about Pombo, McNerney, and the race for the 11th District of California.
Contra Costa Times
Say No to Pombo
Richard Pombo's Official Site
Jerry McNerney's Official Site
He really chaps my hide.
Let me explain a few things. I wholeheartedly am against term limits. I believe them to be the lazy and stupid way to effect change. The voting public decided that they'd be a great idea quite a few years ago here in California. I believe them to be a horrible mistake.
Here's why. Good politicians are kicked out of office prematurely. Bad ones, too (this is good, but redundant). The good ones are usually so turned off by their experience that they just decide to leave politics altogether. The bad ones run for a higher office. It's a natural progression. Their names are known, and name recognition is the single most important thing in winning an election. I am confident that when Joe Citizen goes to the polls, he may not know the entire ballot. Like in school, during exams, he guesses at an answer when he doesn't know who or what he wants to vote for.
Thus, when he sees a name he recognizes, he votes for it.
Now, I used to believe, and still want to believe, that the voting public is made up of rational, thinking, considerate folks.
But the past few election cycles have led me to believe differently.
How can you explain George Bush's terrible approval ratings? His policies and actions haven't changed for 6 years running. He didn't change. The voting public's perception has surely changed. But nothing about the elected official nor his stance, action, or policies have changed. But it's these same people, for the most part, who voted for Bush but who are now suddenly upset with him. It simply doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. You knew from the first term the type of President he was. He hasn't changed!
Nevertheless, I still believe that term limits are a bad idea. The President is limited to 2, 4-year terms. This 'term limit' was imposed after FDR ran, and won, 4 times. I guess people thought that such a run killed him. God forbid that a President die in office doing a great job. If the people want to re-elect somebody 40 times, I have no issues with that.
However, there are problems with this. It's nearly impossible to defeat an incumbent. Rarely is it ever done. At the Presidential level, the last time it happened was in '92 when Bill Clinton beat George H.W. Bush, who had won the '88 election after having been Vice President from 1981-89. Before that, who lost it?
On a percentage basis, the frequency is very low. At the federal level, the percentage is somewhere north of 90%. At the local level, the odds are better for new challengers, though they still face the same challenges. As Guy Molyneux puts it,
Elections are fundamentally a referendum on the incumbent.Challengers face the uphill battle of lesser name recognition, lesser ability to raise money, and the prospect that they really don't matter to the voting public. Rather, the voting public simply decides whether they like the incumbent. If they do, it doesn't really matter how the challenger stacks up against the incumbent. If they don't like the incumbent, then they have to decide how the challenger matches up against the incumbent. The challenger still might lose (read: most likely will lose) because he, in many cases, doesn't have a record to compare to the incumbent's.
The biggest factor in all this is money. Incumbents have an innate ability to raise significantly more funds than challengers. A lot of it has to do with name recognition. But it also has to do with the fact that incumbents are in positions of power and their influence can be bought. "Do me a favor and I will give you money" is the implicit idea. Think it doesn't happen? Wake up! It happens every day. It doesn't take scandals involving Jack Abramoff, Tom DeLay, Duke Cunningham, or Bob Ney to tell you this. Just look at all the pork inserted into unrelated bills. Somebody's paying somebody!
The voting public certainly has the ability to vote for challengers. But, overwhemingly, they don't.
This is why it's especially important to get people who are "on the fence" about an office to look at a) the challenger's qualities and b) the incumbent's record.
It is here where Richard Pombo fails. He is partisan. He is connected to Tom DeLay and Jack Abramoff (he's taken $37000 from Abromoff). He wants to repeal some of the most critical pieces of the Endangered Species Act. He wants the federal government to pay land owners who cannot develop their land millions of dollars, effectively bankrupting the federal agency responsible for payment. He wants to build a federal highway that runs through his and his family's property and be paid millions more than it's worth. He's voted against vital stem-cell research. He's got ties to Indian casinos and the shenanigans involving the Northern Mariana Islands. He pays his family to "consult" him (his wife gets $3000 per month for unspecified services). His pay has risen $40,000 since elected. Has yours?
Just google Pombo. Or, better yet, look him up on Wikipedia. There's enough of a shoddy record on him that he should lose on his record alone. A farm animal should be able to beat him.
But because the voting public is lazy, stupid, or both, he will be re-elected, even if Jesus himself were running against him. Here are some links for those of you who want to learn more about Pombo, McNerney, and the race for the 11th District of California.
Contra Costa Times
Say No to Pombo
Richard Pombo's Official Site
Jerry McNerney's Official Site
Friday, October 27, 2006
Ratbert on the Internet
Sometimes, I feel like this (sometimes the "smart" people and sometimes the not so smart) --
Richard Pombo ad is misleading and doesn't speak to his own record
Richard Pombo, running for re-election in the 11th district of California, just ran an ad last night that speaks only to his opponent's "record," rather than his own (Pombo has been in Congress for over a decade).
As far as I know, Jerry McNerney doesn't have a record. He has only made statements, taken out of context, of course, for the benefit of Pombo's ad.
REPEAL RICHARD POMBO. DO NOT VOTE FOR HIM. VOTE FOR A PROGRESSIVE. VOTE FOR MCNERNEY.
As far as I know, Jerry McNerney doesn't have a record. He has only made statements, taken out of context, of course, for the benefit of Pombo's ad.
REPEAL RICHARD POMBO. DO NOT VOTE FOR HIM. VOTE FOR A PROGRESSIVE. VOTE FOR MCNERNEY.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Are diamonds a boy's best friend now, too?
Lab-created diamonds have same properties as the DeBeers-cartel kind. Maybe prices fall now? Instead of 2 or 3 months' salary, maybe now 2 or 3 days? Wishful thinking, I know. DeBeers is more powerful than OPEC.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
ABC News: 'Simpsons' Halloween 'Horror' Could Hit GOP
The Simpson's will be a parody of that thing that is most humorous -- our government.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
How Safe is Your Election Ballot? by Greg Palast
Interesting read from Greg Palast on cooked elections.
Richard Pombo wants to kill your dog (as long as it's on the Endangered Species list)
The post at the Jump, while tremendously hilarious, is quite sad. It reports that our esteemed US Representative, Richard "Dick" Pombo, is to be the beneficiary of a letter in which the writer, the SCI, pleads for money from its members for the very poor and very poorly received Pombo, who has done everything in his power (along with Tom DeLay and Jack Abramoff) to dismantle the Endangered Species Act.
You see, the SCI, short for Safari Club International, hunts fenced-in animals all over the world. Men with small penises like to kill animals that cannot get away with large caliber rifles and then hang their heads on their walls like trophies. This is why the SCI refers to the animals on its hit list as "trophies."
It's unfortunate that this group, SCI, hides behind "animal conservation" in its pursuit of trophy animals. It's even more unfortunate that members of our government, like acting director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Matthew J. Hogan, are either members of or supporters of SCI. I know hunters around the world beleive that "thinning the herd" is appropriate and essential to the survival of the species (whatever the species) because, in part, mankind, in causing the demise of natural predators, has caused the over population of the species that they seek to hunt and kill.
I believe that hunting some species is beneficial to the species. But when is the last time you've heard of buffalo overpopulation?
It doesn't occur. Same with water buffalo and elephants. And tigers, and bears, and ... the list goes on.
The point of all this is:
You see, the SCI, short for Safari Club International, hunts fenced-in animals all over the world. Men with small penises like to kill animals that cannot get away with large caliber rifles and then hang their heads on their walls like trophies. This is why the SCI refers to the animals on its hit list as "trophies."
It's unfortunate that this group, SCI, hides behind "animal conservation" in its pursuit of trophy animals. It's even more unfortunate that members of our government, like acting director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Matthew J. Hogan, are either members of or supporters of SCI. I know hunters around the world beleive that "thinning the herd" is appropriate and essential to the survival of the species (whatever the species) because, in part, mankind, in causing the demise of natural predators, has caused the over population of the species that they seek to hunt and kill.
I believe that hunting some species is beneficial to the species. But when is the last time you've heard of buffalo overpopulation?
It doesn't occur. Same with water buffalo and elephants. And tigers, and bears, and ... the list goes on.
The point of all this is:
- Under-endowed men like to kill all things with penises bigger than theirs
- Richard Pombo supports these men
- They all want to repeal the Endangered Species Act
Bush: "We have never been 'Stay the course'"
The Bush Administration never ceases to befuddle and confuse the situation to their benefit. They are now saying that they have never been "stay the course." Of course, up is down, left is right, forward is backward, etc.
There are too many quotes from the President and his staff saying exactly "stay the course" that it's ridiculous to even suggest that it's never been said. But since the American (voting) public seems to have the attention span and intelligence of a typical garden gnat, the Bushies think (and are most likely right) that they can pull the wool over our tiny bug-like eyes.
But never fear, Froomkin is at the helm, debunking the Bush myth-makers that "stay the course" has never been uttered by anyone in the White House. More at the Jump.
It's pretty obvious that we're getting a Snow-job here, not to mention a blowjob. It's good to know that Bush and his cronies think we're idiots. The sad fact is that we are, since we've fallen for this too many times.
There are too many quotes from the President and his staff saying exactly "stay the course" that it's ridiculous to even suggest that it's never been said. But since the American (voting) public seems to have the attention span and intelligence of a typical garden gnat, the Bushies think (and are most likely right) that they can pull the wool over our tiny bug-like eyes.
But never fear, Froomkin is at the helm, debunking the Bush myth-makers that "stay the course" has never been uttered by anyone in the White House. More at the Jump.
BUSH: We will stay the course. [8/30/06]
BUSH: We will stay the course, we will complete the job in Iraq. [8/4/05]
BUSH: We will stay the course until the job is done, Steve. And the temptation is to try to get the President or somebody to put a timetable on the definition of getting the job done. We’re just going to stay the course. [12/15/03]
BUSH: And my message today to those in Iraq is: We’ll stay the course. [4/13/04]
BUSH: And that’s why we’re going to stay the course in Iraq. And that’s why when we say something in Iraq, we’re going to do it. [4/16/04]
BUSH: And so we’ve got tough action in Iraq. But we will stay the course. [4/5/04]
It's pretty obvious that we're getting a Snow-job here, not to mention a blowjob. It's good to know that Bush and his cronies think we're idiots. The sad fact is that we are, since we've fallen for this too many times.
Monday, October 23, 2006
Enron's Skilling Gets 24 Years
Finally, some good news on the corporate scandal front: Jeff Skilling, former CEO of former high-flying company Enron, received his sentence today -- 24 years.
Hooray. The little guy wins a little victory.
Now, too bad Skilling cannot reach into the depths of Hell to pull up his cohort, "Kenny Boy" Lay, and make him get sentenced, too.
Lay's sentence was vacated because, well, he vacated Earth. So, technically, Ken Lay was never convicted of any crimes.
And that's a crime in and of itself.
Hooray. The little guy wins a little victory.
Now, too bad Skilling cannot reach into the depths of Hell to pull up his cohort, "Kenny Boy" Lay, and make him get sentenced, too.
Lay's sentence was vacated because, well, he vacated Earth. So, technically, Ken Lay was never convicted of any crimes.
And that's a crime in and of itself.
Friday, October 20, 2006
Ads accuse Dems of not protecting kids - Yahoo! News
You had to know that this was going to happen...Republicans getting out the ads before the Democrats, beating them to the punch yet again.
And it's really juicy because the ads accuse the Democrats of that very thing that the Republicans are clearly guilty of: Not protecting children.
After all, it's the Repubs that let Mark Foley loose for years; rather than deal with the problem, they turned their heads.
Now that the Dems opened up a can of worms for the Repubs, you'd think the Dems would have the upper hand.
Of course, they don't. They didn't act, yet again, and have failed to capitalize on this serious breach of the public confidence.
Poor, poor Democrats. They need some scum-sucking pig producers to publicize the putrid behavior exibited by the Republicans. But they'll never learn.
Take a look at the Election projections above. The Dems are clearly going to win the House. But are they? What will happen (i.e., what negative ads will appear?) in the next 2-3 weeks that turns the tide for the Republicans against the Democrats?
Time will tell. But I bet the Dems blow it again. I am telling myself this so that my mind can prepare for another letdown.
And this will be a big letdown because there's NO WAY that the Dems should lose.
But they will.
And it's really juicy because the ads accuse the Democrats of that very thing that the Republicans are clearly guilty of: Not protecting children.
After all, it's the Repubs that let Mark Foley loose for years; rather than deal with the problem, they turned their heads.
Now that the Dems opened up a can of worms for the Repubs, you'd think the Dems would have the upper hand.
Of course, they don't. They didn't act, yet again, and have failed to capitalize on this serious breach of the public confidence.
Poor, poor Democrats. They need some scum-sucking pig producers to publicize the putrid behavior exibited by the Republicans. But they'll never learn.
Take a look at the Election projections above. The Dems are clearly going to win the House. But are they? What will happen (i.e., what negative ads will appear?) in the next 2-3 weeks that turns the tide for the Republicans against the Democrats?
Time will tell. But I bet the Dems blow it again. I am telling myself this so that my mind can prepare for another letdown.
And this will be a big letdown because there's NO WAY that the Dems should lose.
But they will.
Grocery clerk charged in stadium hoax - Yahoo! News
Moron!
Unfortunately, the youth always seem to learn things the hard way. Doing hard time might be in this guy's future.
I think he might be better served having to do community service work or something else as an alternative to doing time in prison, but, hey, he did scare the bejesus out of a lot of people. That's what terrorism is all about.
He may have had unintended consequences, but what consequences might one expect by threatening people with bombs? Clearly, this guy either meant to scare people or he didn't. If he didn't mean to scare anybody, you have to ask:
WHAT WAS HE THINKIN'? Only one way to describe this guy:
MORON!!!
Unfortunately, the youth always seem to learn things the hard way. Doing hard time might be in this guy's future.
I think he might be better served having to do community service work or something else as an alternative to doing time in prison, but, hey, he did scare the bejesus out of a lot of people. That's what terrorism is all about.
He may have had unintended consequences, but what consequences might one expect by threatening people with bombs? Clearly, this guy either meant to scare people or he didn't. If he didn't mean to scare anybody, you have to ask:
WHAT WAS HE THINKIN'? Only one way to describe this guy:
MORON!!!
Country singer Keith Urban enters rehab - Yahoo! News
If this isn't testimony that marriage is bad for a man's health, I don't know what is!
Seriously, we wish you the best, Keith and Nicole.
I first saw Keith quite a few years ago (with my wife!) in Monterey, California. He was an opening act for Toby Keith. He rocked the place. I knew then that he would be a star.
I even talked to him off stage. He was then, as he most likely is now, a really nice person. He was very personable and outgoing and kind.
So, even though I don't know him, I feel like I do. I have followed his career since that day and can only wish him the best.
He got the best when he married Nicole. I hope that they can make their marriage last.
Again, best of luck!!!
Seriously, we wish you the best, Keith and Nicole.
I first saw Keith quite a few years ago (with my wife!) in Monterey, California. He was an opening act for Toby Keith. He rocked the place. I knew then that he would be a star.
I even talked to him off stage. He was then, as he most likely is now, a really nice person. He was very personable and outgoing and kind.
So, even though I don't know him, I feel like I do. I have followed his career since that day and can only wish him the best.
He got the best when he married Nicole. I hope that they can make their marriage last.
Again, best of luck!!!
Hannity to Democrats: "[S]tay home on Election Day ... for the sake of the nation"
Let me go on record here:
SEAN HANNITY IS A COMPLETE IDIOT AND A WASTE OF DNA.
Okay? There, I said it. There is nobody dumber, more hostile, more arrogant without the talent to back it up than Sean "I'm a bitch" Hannity.
It's too bad his parents didn't believe in birth control. I seriously do not like this guy. I betcha he got his ass kicked regularly in school OR he kept his pie hole shut back then because he knew he'd get a whuppin' (like most big talkers, he's all hat and no cattle).
SEAN HANNITY IS A COMPLETE IDIOT AND A WASTE OF DNA.
Okay? There, I said it. There is nobody dumber, more hostile, more arrogant without the talent to back it up than Sean "I'm a bitch" Hannity.
It's too bad his parents didn't believe in birth control. I seriously do not like this guy. I betcha he got his ass kicked regularly in school OR he kept his pie hole shut back then because he knew he'd get a whuppin' (like most big talkers, he's all hat and no cattle).
Republican hypocrisy on morals and family values
This one is great. It shows the ridiculousness of Republican rhetoric when it juxtaposes Newt Gingrich's harping on Nancy Pelosi's "values" when the Newt himself apparently has no values.
Survivor of retired gay Congressman not entitled to survivor's benefits
The most telling part of this article is the last one:
Not much one can say about the ridiculousness of this decision.
Nevertheless, Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) who pled guilty last week to conspiracy charges and faces up to 10 years in prison for taking bribes will receive about $29,000 a year from his pension for the rest of his life - even while he is in prison.
Not much one can say about the ridiculousness of this decision.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Double your money
But there's a catch: Donate here and a kindly Democrat will match your contribution.
I suggest you contribute to Jerry McNerney, opponent of corrupt Dick Pombo. You see, Richard Pombo is a co-conspirator with Jack Abramoff and Tom DeLay. He ranks as one of the Top 20 Most Corrupt Members of Congress. He really needs to lose.
McNerney is way behind Pombo in campaign funds. Incumbents usually are way ahead. This is why they keep winning. It's time to vote the loser Pombo out of office. He wants to dismantle the Endangered Species Act, he wants to profit off his farm land in the San Joaquin valley by running a federal highway through it, and he's taken vacations on the public dime.
I suggest you contribute to Jerry McNerney, opponent of corrupt Dick Pombo. You see, Richard Pombo is a co-conspirator with Jack Abramoff and Tom DeLay. He ranks as one of the Top 20 Most Corrupt Members of Congress. He really needs to lose.
McNerney is way behind Pombo in campaign funds. Incumbents usually are way ahead. This is why they keep winning. It's time to vote the loser Pombo out of office. He wants to dismantle the Endangered Species Act, he wants to profit off his farm land in the San Joaquin valley by running a federal highway through it, and he's taken vacations on the public dime.
Kansas -- 9 candidates have switched from Republican to Democrat -- Do you smell something?
Not a case of "If you can't beat, them, join them."
Rather, it's a case of "When you beat them, join them." Something tells me this is all smoke and mirrors to get Regressives elected either way: Win or lose.
Rather, it's a case of "When you beat them, join them." Something tells me this is all smoke and mirrors to get Regressives elected either way: Win or lose.
Calif. candidate denies sending letter
Yeah, right, he didn't do it. Bet he's an alcoholic before the end of the month...
Judge: File sharing legal in Canada
This is a big deal. A Canadian judge has ruled that file sharing is legal in Canada. Since the Internet is a global network, how will this ruling affect file sharing in America (or anywhere else)?
If a person puts up a file in Canada, and I download it in America, clearly, I have broken an American law. But how to enforce it?
If a person puts up a file in Canada, and I download it in America, clearly, I have broken an American law. But how to enforce it?
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Work for a living? Top 20 tips for survival
1 Never offer to make coffee
2 Ignore all emails
3 Get yourself noticed
4 Remember that less is more
5 Treat appraisals as auditions for panto
6 Get up to speed with the jargon
7 Be nice to PAs
8 Try not to upset anyone
9 Manage without bosses
10 Steer clear of paper
11 Don't drink under the influence of work
12 Dress up not down
13 Never answer a phone
14 Cycle to work
15 Refuse to go to conferences
16 Ignore consultants
17 Find the right person
18 Leave networking to trawlermen
19 Learn to recycle reports
20 Steer well clear of all meetings
The explanatory commentary following each of the above tips is hilarious. I love this guy! I will be making a trip to the library to find some of his books.
2 Ignore all emails
3 Get yourself noticed
4 Remember that less is more
5 Treat appraisals as auditions for panto
6 Get up to speed with the jargon
7 Be nice to PAs
8 Try not to upset anyone
9 Manage without bosses
10 Steer clear of paper
11 Don't drink under the influence of work
12 Dress up not down
13 Never answer a phone
14 Cycle to work
15 Refuse to go to conferences
16 Ignore consultants
17 Find the right person
18 Leave networking to trawlermen
19 Learn to recycle reports
20 Steer well clear of all meetings
The explanatory commentary following each of the above tips is hilarious. I love this guy! I will be making a trip to the library to find some of his books.
School bans tag for fear of liability from children getting hurt
This story pretty much sums up what is wrong with America today: Fear of nothing causes stupid people to take stupid actions.
When I was a kid, we played a game called "smear the queer." Now, we didn't know what "queer" meant, we thought it was the dude with the football that we were supposed to tackle.
And tackle we did during recess. Tag, freeze tag, softball, and 9-square were all games we played during recess.
Dodge ball was a school-sponsored rainy day game we played inside the gymnasium. The point is that kids play. They rough-house. It's a part of growing up.
Apparently, America has grown soft. This is why we get so riled up when it comes to talk of terror.
When I was a kid, we played a game called "smear the queer." Now, we didn't know what "queer" meant, we thought it was the dude with the football that we were supposed to tackle.
And tackle we did during recess. Tag, freeze tag, softball, and 9-square were all games we played during recess.
Dodge ball was a school-sponsored rainy day game we played inside the gymnasium. The point is that kids play. They rough-house. It's a part of growing up.
Apparently, America has grown soft. This is why we get so riled up when it comes to talk of terror.
Bush tough talks North Korea
The latest from Andy Borowitz --
"The message is clear: the United States has a thesaurus and we're not afraid to use it."This is about as far as we're gonna get with this one, unless Rove's October surprise is a surprise ("Surprise, we've got no army or money!") attack on the 2nd leg of axis of evil.
Dilbert: Sadness means not enough coffee
For me, it means I need a Dew, which I gave up a few years ago (and all caffeine), but once in a while, I have one. Let's me know that I am still in control of it :)
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Molly Ivins on Iraq, AGAIN
As always, Molly Ivins has written a great piece on the Iraq war. The gist of it is, it sucks, but don't despair, because it can always get worse. Key points in the article:
- This war is just like Vietnam
- 655,000 (estimated) Iraqi civilians have been killed
- Many retired Generals oppose this war and are beginning to speak out
- The Bush administration is obviously hiding something when they only release 3 pages out of a 30-page report put together by the nation's intelligence agencies
1 Watt: Appliances and electronics on standby power still consume a LOT of energy
arstechnica posted an informative article on power usage by electronic gear in standby mode. Great read for those of you who a) want to save money, b) want to save the world, a few watts at a time, and/or c) hate to waste energy just because. More at the
US Representatives who have missed more than 10% of their votes
The following is a slightly different list of slackers in the US House of Representatives (as compared to the last list that was comprised of the top 7 slackers in the Senate). These are losers who apparently think that doing 90% of their job is okay.
Good luck in finding a "real job," guys and gals. No boss I know will accept you being absent once every ten days. Nobody in the "real world" gets 37 sick days, at least in America.
- Lane Evans
- Jim Davis
- Ted Strickland
- Ernest Istook
- Harold Ford
- Luis Gutiérrez
- John Lewis
- Juanita Millender-McDonald
- Donald Payne
- John Sweeney
- Jim Nussle
- Leonard Boswell
- Corrine Brown
- Henry Hyde
- Rubén Hinojosa
- Patrick Kennedy
- Michael Oxley
- Alcee Hastings
- Pete Sessions
- Silvestre Reyes
- Katherine Harris
- Mario Diaz-Balart
- Pete Stark
Good luck in finding a "real job," guys and gals. No boss I know will accept you being absent once every ten days. Nobody in the "real world" gets 37 sick days, at least in America.
Top 7 Slacker Senators
With my newfound tool at the Washington Post, I have found the following list (at the Jump):
Senators and the # of votes they've missed. I'd say those at the top of the list, say, missing 10% or more votes, should get one if not two things:
The next list on its way is for US Representatives.
Senators and the # of votes they've missed. I'd say those at the top of the list, say, missing 10% or more votes, should get one if not two things:
- a pay cut
- fired
- Jay Rockefeller
- Jon Corzine
- Daniel Inouye
- Joseph Biden
- John McCain
- Trent Lott
- Joseph (Eeyore) Lieberman
The next list on its way is for US Representatives.
Washington Post Congressional Vote Database
Here's a great link at the Jump to the Washington Post's Congressional vote database. See how your elected officials voted. Do you agree with their vote? Is your district and/or state being well-represented by your elected officials?
If not, vote them out. They are there to represent you, not to disregard your wishes and cast votes contrary to yours.
At the very least, your elected officials should represent how your district or state would vote collectively. If they vote otherwise, they're not doing their job. So fire them! How do you do that? You vote for somebody else. If enough people care and vote this way, eventually, your elected official will have heard his/her constituents loud and clear when you boot their butts out of D.C.
If not, vote them out. They are there to represent you, not to disregard your wishes and cast votes contrary to yours.
At the very least, your elected officials should represent how your district or state would vote collectively. If they vote otherwise, they're not doing their job. So fire them! How do you do that? You vote for somebody else. If enough people care and vote this way, eventually, your elected official will have heard his/her constituents loud and clear when you boot their butts out of D.C.
McGraw bucks conservative country image
Finally, a country music star who's NOT a freakin' regressive Republican! Yay!
And he packs a powerful punch -- talented singer, the chicks dig him, he's got a beautiful wife and he's a family man. Not to mention that he's a good actor. His recent criticism of how the Katrina aftermath has been handled (he's a native of Louisiana, his wife, Faith Hill, is a native of Mississippi) is one of the few celebrity condemnations of how it's all been handled.
And you get the feeling that he's not grandstanding. He seems like a genuinely caring person. We need more like Tim and Faith.
And he packs a powerful punch -- talented singer, the chicks dig him, he's got a beautiful wife and he's a family man. Not to mention that he's a good actor. His recent criticism of how the Katrina aftermath has been handled (he's a native of Louisiana, his wife, Faith Hill, is a native of Mississippi) is one of the few celebrity condemnations of how it's all been handled.
And you get the feeling that he's not grandstanding. He seems like a genuinely caring person. We need more like Tim and Faith.
Monday, October 16, 2006
Dennis Hastert on kissing babies and asking for their email addresses
Funny because it's probably true. How did a fat pig like Hastert get to be one of the most powerful men in America? He's a crappy speaker, he's unattractive, he's stupid, and he makes poor decisions.Who did he blow to get his job?
Pombo bill could bring him benefits
One of my least favorite politicians, Richard Pombo of Tracy, California, is in the news today. In fact, there's a frontpage headline on a bill that he's trying to get passed in the Senate (he's in the House, ironically chairman of the House Resources Committee, charged with oversight and setting policy on matters like natural resources and Native Americans).
This bill has been winding its way through Congress for a couple of years now. Essentially, it's a bill that seeks to provide landowners a "market rate" for land that they own but cannot develop in any way due to federal protection under the Endangered Species Act. This would essentially bankrupt the Department of Fish and Wildlife, the federal entity that would be responsible for paying the landowners for non use of their land (kind of like how the Department of Agriculture pays farmers NOT to grow corn). If that department goes belly-up, which other federal departments are likely to follow?
Pombo and his family own a lot of agricultural land in San Joaquin County, smack dab in the middle of the state of California. I remember seeing the "Pombo" signs in the Central Valley while traveling with my family to visit relatives in Modesto and surrounding areas. His name is recognizable in the area as anybody's. He's in the back pocket of Jack Abramoff, Tom DeLay, and John Doolittle, some of the most corrupt political insiders and politicians around today.
Here's an interesting fact about how the Bush administration, under the watchful guidance of people like Pombo, cares about our environment and its inhabitants:
This bill has been winding its way through Congress for a couple of years now. Essentially, it's a bill that seeks to provide landowners a "market rate" for land that they own but cannot develop in any way due to federal protection under the Endangered Species Act. This would essentially bankrupt the Department of Fish and Wildlife, the federal entity that would be responsible for paying the landowners for non use of their land (kind of like how the Department of Agriculture pays farmers NOT to grow corn). If that department goes belly-up, which other federal departments are likely to follow?
Pombo and his family own a lot of agricultural land in San Joaquin County, smack dab in the middle of the state of California. I remember seeing the "Pombo" signs in the Central Valley while traveling with my family to visit relatives in Modesto and surrounding areas. His name is recognizable in the area as anybody's. He's in the back pocket of Jack Abramoff, Tom DeLay, and John Doolittle, some of the most corrupt political insiders and politicians around today.
Here's an interesting fact about how the Bush administration, under the watchful guidance of people like Pombo, cares about our environment and its inhabitants:
Federal officials have added an average of 9.5 species a year to the endangered list under President Bush, compared with 65 a year under President Bill Clinton and 59 a year under President George H.W. Bush. They have designated as "critical habitat" only half the acreage recommended by federal biologists. And they are transferring key decision-making powers from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to other agencies with different priorities.That's a pretty big drop off.
Harold Ford vs Bob Corker for US Senate seat vacated by Presidential dope -- I mean hope -- Bill Frist
I watched "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," where one of George's stories was about the Senate race for the seat being vacated by video doctor and sometimes Senator Bill Frist. This race is being run by Democrat Harold Ford and Republican Bob Corker. Both are sensible guys. There's just something about Ford's demeanor that engenders himself to people. I cannot say the same for Corker. He seems more like a whiney dick.
Ford, if he wins, will be the first black Senator from a southern state since Reconstruction, so says the story. That is simply mind boggling. Are people in the South such politically retarded creatures that they haven't bothered to take seriously any black candidates? Or are there no black candidates? Is the specter of slavery so shockingly scary still?
Simply incomprehensible.
Ford, if he wins, will be the first black Senator from a southern state since Reconstruction, so says the story. That is simply mind boggling. Are people in the South such politically retarded creatures that they haven't bothered to take seriously any black candidates? Or are there no black candidates? Is the specter of slavery so shockingly scary still?
Simply incomprehensible.
Bush's Rose Garden stump (chump?) speech
Margaret Carlson wrote a piece for bloomberg.com about President Bush's latest speech, in the Rose Garden. According to Ms. Carlson, the speech didn't go over too well.
These guys are accountable to no one.
Bush came to office with contempt for the Clinton way. He ended shipments of fuel to North Korea, bilateral talks and the construction of nuclear power plants. Bush sees himself as proven right in this scenario by the fact that North Korea behaved in kind, withdrawing from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, expelling inspectors again and resuming its nuclear weapons program.Bush's operational tactics only served to piss off Kim Jung Il, whereas Bill Clinton made lemonade when he was handed lemons. Interesting how the Bush Administration has blamed Clinton for troubles in both Iraq and North Korea.
These guys are accountable to no one.
The Mac Wars: "Technology adviser" buys a Mac, hates it, writes about it, gets flamed
This is a little offtopic. It's not about politics, conservatism, progressives, or anything like that. It's about technology. Got it off digg.com. Very insightful (and funny!) article where some hack "technology adviser" paid $5k for a Mac, hated it, wrote about it, and got flamed by a guy named Wil.
Very funny. I especially like Wil's summary of the "points" made by the technology adviser (aka Larry Bodine -- don't EVER take ANY advice from this guy -- he's about as dumb as Jessica Simpson).
Very funny. I especially like Wil's summary of the "points" made by the technology adviser (aka Larry Bodine -- don't EVER take ANY advice from this guy -- he's about as dumb as Jessica Simpson).
Saturday, October 14, 2006
New Definitions of Republican and Democrat
I often here "Republican this" and "Democrat that." Or "conservative this" and "liberal that." But rarely do I hear really representative words describing the actions and attitudes of today's two party system. Namely, "regressive" and "progressive."
It is in this vein that I think Democrats needs to re-define themselves. Most, but certainly not all (Joe Lieberman comes to mind), Democrats could be called "progressive" while most, but again not all, Republicans could be characterized as "regressive." I will try to explain in this post and others what I mean.
First, Democrats are often times disparaged by their Republican foes with the negative-sounding term, "liberal." "Liberal" today means left wing nut. It means somebody who doesn't embrace the values of the "common man." Generally, "liberals" are anybody against the Average Joe; they're East or West Coast elitists who know better than their constituents what is right and wrong for the public.
The right wing nuts, the Republicans, have run a successful campaign on a) defining liberalism and b) associating thier political enemies as such.
However, if one takes a different perspective, that of how people behave rather than what they believe in, one could couch the differences between Democrats/liberals and Republicans/conservatives as really the difference between "progressives" and "regressives."
Progressive means forward-looking. It means looking at the current state and seeking ways to improve it. It also means something very specific with respect to taxation: It means that as your income rises, your marginal tax rate on each successive dollar you earn is taxed at a higer rate. Put another way, poorer people pay a low tax rate and richer people pay a concomitantly higher tax rate.
In each of the above cases, most Democrats can be classified as progressives. They look at Social Security, for example, and search for ways to make it better. Contrast this with Republicans, or regressives, who look at Social Security, and rather than attempting to make it better, they propose killing the beast.
Same goes for the Constitution. Progressives look at the current state of affairs, realizing that the Constitution was a) a framework and b) made by men who had no way to foresee the future. They seek to modify, if ever slightly, the Constitution such that it keeps up with society as society progresses, while regressives tend to hold the Constitution as not only a "universal law" but an unfailing one at that. "Strict Constructionists of the Constitution" is what the Republicans bandy about all the time. Chief Justice Roberts, and Justices Alito and Scalia are considered to be of this ilk: All Republican-nominated and coddled.
As alluded to a bit earlier, progressives also tend to favor a progressive tax structure. An example of a regressive tax is something like sales tax on food. Since a poor person spends a higher proportion of his income on food than luxury goods (like yachts), a tax on food is regressive. It "penalizes" the poorer worker more than it does the richer worker. On the other hand, a luxury tax is a progressive tax in a similar but opposite way.
The payroll tax is a regressive tax. The more money you make, the less effective tax rate you pay, since there's a cap on income at which you stop paying taxes.
In all of these tax cases, and many more, progressives clearly believe that richer folks should pay a higher tax rate than poorer folks.
To sum it all up, Democrats need to a) lay out a framework whereby the terms "progressive" and "regressive" are juxtaposed in terms of good and bad, and b) define themselves as progressives and their opponents as regressives. Finally, Democrats need to show specific examples in specific matchups against their opponents of how they're progressive while their political enemies are regressive.
Simple to say, much, MUCH harder to do.
It is in this vein that I think Democrats needs to re-define themselves. Most, but certainly not all (Joe Lieberman comes to mind), Democrats could be called "progressive" while most, but again not all, Republicans could be characterized as "regressive." I will try to explain in this post and others what I mean.
First, Democrats are often times disparaged by their Republican foes with the negative-sounding term, "liberal." "Liberal" today means left wing nut. It means somebody who doesn't embrace the values of the "common man." Generally, "liberals" are anybody against the Average Joe; they're East or West Coast elitists who know better than their constituents what is right and wrong for the public.
The right wing nuts, the Republicans, have run a successful campaign on a) defining liberalism and b) associating thier political enemies as such.
However, if one takes a different perspective, that of how people behave rather than what they believe in, one could couch the differences between Democrats/liberals and Republicans/conservatives as really the difference between "progressives" and "regressives."
Progressive means forward-looking. It means looking at the current state and seeking ways to improve it. It also means something very specific with respect to taxation: It means that as your income rises, your marginal tax rate on each successive dollar you earn is taxed at a higer rate. Put another way, poorer people pay a low tax rate and richer people pay a concomitantly higher tax rate.
In each of the above cases, most Democrats can be classified as progressives. They look at Social Security, for example, and search for ways to make it better. Contrast this with Republicans, or regressives, who look at Social Security, and rather than attempting to make it better, they propose killing the beast.
Same goes for the Constitution. Progressives look at the current state of affairs, realizing that the Constitution was a) a framework and b) made by men who had no way to foresee the future. They seek to modify, if ever slightly, the Constitution such that it keeps up with society as society progresses, while regressives tend to hold the Constitution as not only a "universal law" but an unfailing one at that. "Strict Constructionists of the Constitution" is what the Republicans bandy about all the time. Chief Justice Roberts, and Justices Alito and Scalia are considered to be of this ilk: All Republican-nominated and coddled.
As alluded to a bit earlier, progressives also tend to favor a progressive tax structure. An example of a regressive tax is something like sales tax on food. Since a poor person spends a higher proportion of his income on food than luxury goods (like yachts), a tax on food is regressive. It "penalizes" the poorer worker more than it does the richer worker. On the other hand, a luxury tax is a progressive tax in a similar but opposite way.
The payroll tax is a regressive tax. The more money you make, the less effective tax rate you pay, since there's a cap on income at which you stop paying taxes.
In all of these tax cases, and many more, progressives clearly believe that richer folks should pay a higher tax rate than poorer folks.
To sum it all up, Democrats need to a) lay out a framework whereby the terms "progressive" and "regressive" are juxtaposed in terms of good and bad, and b) define themselves as progressives and their opponents as regressives. Finally, Democrats need to show specific examples in specific matchups against their opponents of how they're progressive while their political enemies are regressive.
Simple to say, much, MUCH harder to do.
Weldon faces probe on daughter's deals
Another Republican in legal trouble? Say it ain't so!
I predict that before this one's all said and done that Rep Curt Weldon will plead guilty and immediately follow up said guilty plea with an admission that he's an alcoholic.
They're all doin' it.
I predict that before this one's all said and done that Rep Curt Weldon will plead guilty and immediately follow up said guilty plea with an admission that he's an alcoholic.
They're all doin' it.
Freddy Fender died today
I know most of you probably have never heard of Freddy Fender, but his music found me when I was just a kid growing up in the country, where the only music that I'd ever heard was "country music."
He only had two memorable hits, if my memory serves: "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights" and "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" but he left an impression on a young kid from a small town.
He was 69 and had experienced quite a few health problems, including kidney and liver transplants. He also served some time for marijuana possession. I don't write many nice things about George W. Bush, but here's one (and probably the last): Bush wrote a letter to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce that most likely got Fender a star on the Hollywood Walf of Fame. Thank you, Mr. Bush.
May you rest in peace, Baldemar Huerta.
He only had two memorable hits, if my memory serves: "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights" and "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" but he left an impression on a young kid from a small town.
He was 69 and had experienced quite a few health problems, including kidney and liver transplants. He also served some time for marijuana possession. I don't write many nice things about George W. Bush, but here's one (and probably the last): Bush wrote a letter to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce that most likely got Fender a star on the Hollywood Walf of Fame. Thank you, Mr. Bush.
May you rest in peace, Baldemar Huerta.
Friday, October 13, 2006
Are all politicians stupid? Or just most of them?
This Arizona state lawmaker emailed some propaganda about a 1950s federal program for deportation (called "Operation Wetback") from a white supremist group called the "National Alliance."
What a fool. Not only is he obviously smoking something (or he's an alcoholic), he's a jerk, a bigot, a bafoon.
Congratulations. You've made a lot of people's lists for "Dumbest Politician of the Year."
What a fool. Not only is he obviously smoking something (or he's an alcoholic), he's a jerk, a bigot, a bafoon.
Congratulations. You've made a lot of people's lists for "Dumbest Politician of the Year."
Justice Department publicity stunt just in time for November elections
These guys will never cease to offend and amaze -- Alberto Gonzalez's Justice Department has announced a federal grand jury indictment of Adam Gadahn, for treason. Mr Gadahn has appeared in Al Qaida videos.
I guess Arnold Schwarzennegger is a traitor too, since he appeared in a movie about destroying all of civilization.
Am I saying that Gadahn should be left alone? No. He's an American citizen in bed with the enemy. Is he a traitor? Perhaps.
It's the timing I'm questioning here. After all, he's been "making videos" since 2004. Shouldn't the Justice Department have indicted him then?
I guess Arnold Schwarzennegger is a traitor too, since he appeared in a movie about destroying all of civilization.
Am I saying that Gadahn should be left alone? No. He's an American citizen in bed with the enemy. Is he a traitor? Perhaps.
It's the timing I'm questioning here. After all, he's been "making videos" since 2004. Shouldn't the Justice Department have indicted him then?
Talk about Exploitation -- Woman "kidnaps" son four times for ransom
In my last post, I alluded to the fact that I thought Madonna had exploited the Malawi boy she just adopted, as well as his family and his country.
But this one takes the cake today. The lady at the Jump held her son ransom 4 times and got over $1 million for his "kidnapping."
Unbelievable. Not only is the woman an exploiter of her own child, but her husband is as dim-witted as possible.
But this one takes the cake today. The lady at the Jump held her son ransom 4 times and got over $1 million for his "kidnapping."
Unbelievable. Not only is the woman an exploiter of her own child, but her husband is as dim-witted as possible.
Madonna gains custody of Malawi boy -- Is this legal?
Does anybody care about Madonna anymore, or for that matter, the world's children?
Madonna and her husband (name unknown (not really)) "adopted" a Malawi boy recently. But, according to Malawi law,
What's even more astonishing to me is that the child has a father (yet the boy lived in an orphanage!) who, by all news accounts, is able-bodied and capable of caring for the child. He is very poor, as is most everybody in Africa.
Couldn't Madonna have given the boy's family some money instead?
Madonna and her husband (name unknown (not really)) "adopted" a Malawi boy recently. But, according to Malawi law,
Malawi law does not allow for inter-country adoptions, and generally requires people who want to adopt to spend 18 months being evaluated by Malawian child welfare workers.I guess every rule or law has exceptions, especially if your new mom is richer than the Queen of England.
What's even more astonishing to me is that the child has a father (yet the boy lived in an orphanage!) who, by all news accounts, is able-bodied and capable of caring for the child. He is very poor, as is most everybody in Africa.
Couldn't Madonna have given the boy's family some money instead?
"We do not have a smoking cow at this point now"
I don't know whether this story is funnier because it's a follow-on to previous stories I've written about here and here or because of the quote in the title --
"We do not have a smoking cow at this point now"
Nevertheless, it seems that the E. coli found in spinach that caused a mild panic to the vegetarians of the world was precipitated by cows: The same exact strain of E. coli found in the spinach was found in nearby cows.
"We do not have a smoking cow at this point now"
Nevertheless, it seems that the E. coli found in spinach that caused a mild panic to the vegetarians of the world was precipitated by cows: The same exact strain of E. coli found in the spinach was found in nearby cows.
End of British / US relations?
The story at the Jump
probably won't put a chill on British / US relations, but it should put a sober thought in the minds of Tony Blair's administration.
According to a British coroner, ITN (a British television network) reporter Terry Lloyd was killed by US forces. The circumstances around his death are cloudy at best, due to the always unforseen and mysterious goings-on during war time operations, but it's clear, according to the coroner, that US forces did in fact kill the reporter.
I know things get really crazy during war; I am so lucky that I don't have to serve. It's still a draft-free military (though I suspect not for long, since we seem hellbent on fighting Iran, North Korea, and Syria before 2009) and I am thankful for that. I am also "fortunate" in that with the bad knees and suspect back that the armed services wouldn't want me -- I am a liability.
However, this latest story, which actually originated at the beginning of the Iraq war, might be the straw that breaks Blair's back, though he doesn't have much to lose since he's quitting politics soon.
Time will tell.
probably won't put a chill on British / US relations, but it should put a sober thought in the minds of Tony Blair's administration.
According to a British coroner, ITN (a British television network) reporter Terry Lloyd was killed by US forces. The circumstances around his death are cloudy at best, due to the always unforseen and mysterious goings-on during war time operations, but it's clear, according to the coroner, that US forces did in fact kill the reporter.
I know things get really crazy during war; I am so lucky that I don't have to serve. It's still a draft-free military (though I suspect not for long, since we seem hellbent on fighting Iran, North Korea, and Syria before 2009) and I am thankful for that. I am also "fortunate" in that with the bad knees and suspect back that the armed services wouldn't want me -- I am a liability.
However, this latest story, which actually originated at the beginning of the Iraq war, might be the straw that breaks Blair's back, though he doesn't have much to lose since he's quitting politics soon.
Time will tell.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Scott Adams, aka Dilbert, is in over his head
Dilbert's creator, Scott Adams, to whom I have attributed many a post, has recently written a column on his blog, about his being in over his head on just about every success he's ever had. This is a story worth reading for just about everybody.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Greg Palast on how George Bush gave North Korea "the bomb"
Shocking story over at gregpalast.com about how the United States turned its head and let Pakistan give North Korea all the plans and raw materials for making an atomic weapon. Why did the US turn its head?
Because the money that paid for the research and transfer of the nuclear property led directly to Saudi Arabia.
If there's one thing we don't do, it's question the Saudis. They're so forthright and honest, not to mention of the highest integrity. It doesn't matter that 16 of the 19 hijackers on September 11, 2001, were Saudis. It also doesn't matter that they control the price and production of oil, something near and dear to the hearts of the leaders of the world, Bush & Cheney.
Because the money that paid for the research and transfer of the nuclear property led directly to Saudi Arabia.
If there's one thing we don't do, it's question the Saudis. They're so forthright and honest, not to mention of the highest integrity. It doesn't matter that 16 of the 19 hijackers on September 11, 2001, were Saudis. It also doesn't matter that they control the price and production of oil, something near and dear to the hearts of the leaders of the world, Bush & Cheney.
Cheney drops the S-bomb on Woodward
Long known as a hothead in the Capital, VP Dick "I'm a Big Dick" Cheney reportedly blasted Bob Woodward and his new book, State of Denial, and, frustrated, called Woodward's book "bullshit."
George Allen nominated (by me) for Jackass of the Year
Virginia senator George Allen (written about on this blog before) has broken the rule of holes: When you're in a hole, stop digging. Allen keeps digging. More at the Jump.
It seems that those stock options he neglected to tell the Senate about because they were "worthless" weren't so worthless. Well, worthless maybe to him. But to the Average Joe, $1.1 million isn't something to sneeze at. Imagine how much better your life could be if only you had $1.1 million extra laying around. Most of us would have exactly $1.1 million.
But this guy, a purported Presidential candidate, cannot be bothered with a paltry sum of the likes of $1.1 million. Shame on us for thinking that so little means so much.
It seems that those stock options he neglected to tell the Senate about because they were "worthless" weren't so worthless. Well, worthless maybe to him. But to the Average Joe, $1.1 million isn't something to sneeze at. Imagine how much better your life could be if only you had $1.1 million extra laying around. Most of us would have exactly $1.1 million.
But this guy, a purported Presidential candidate, cannot be bothered with a paltry sum of the likes of $1.1 million. Shame on us for thinking that so little means so much.
Monday, October 09, 2006
Google buys YouTube for $1.65 Billion
Yes, that's Billion with a capital B! I can only imagine how the 67 employees of YouTube feel today (split equally, which I am sure it is NOT, that represents $24 million per employee).
Congratulations to YouTube and Google. Sad day for Yahoo and Microsoft. Now, they'll have to make a deal with somebody to make it look like they're still relevant.
Congratulations to YouTube and Google. Sad day for Yahoo and Microsoft. Now, they'll have to make a deal with somebody to make it look like they're still relevant.
4 days after agreement, US cuts off North Korea's economy
I think Kim Jong Il is as crazy as any other dictator; I am sure readers of this article agree.
However, is his madness, at least in part, driven by our treatment of him rather than the other way around? The article at the Jump tells a story of our undercutting of an agreement made between N Korea and the US -- did this betrayal lead the crazy dictator down a path that we're currently on?
After all, when a country gets its lifeblood supply cut off (i.e., its economy or its flow of money), it doesn't have a lot of wiggle room. This measure has been met with a countermeasure: that is, Kim Jong Il has countered economic sanctions by the US with a threat to further develop nuclear weapons.
I think that we have certainly not helped reduce this issue, but, rather, we have hastened it. And the world suffers for it. All because we needed a third party for our "axis of evil" message.
However, is his madness, at least in part, driven by our treatment of him rather than the other way around? The article at the Jump tells a story of our undercutting of an agreement made between N Korea and the US -- did this betrayal lead the crazy dictator down a path that we're currently on?
After all, when a country gets its lifeblood supply cut off (i.e., its economy or its flow of money), it doesn't have a lot of wiggle room. This measure has been met with a countermeasure: that is, Kim Jong Il has countered economic sanctions by the US with a threat to further develop nuclear weapons.
I think that we have certainly not helped reduce this issue, but, rather, we have hastened it. And the world suffers for it. All because we needed a third party for our "axis of evil" message.
Olbermann goes off on President Bush
MSNBC's Keith Olbermann's recent rant on President Bush and his administration is a gutsy move by the former ESPN star anchorman of Sports Center. Read more at the Jump.
The thought that comes to the forefront, however, is not what Olbermann's words say (we've all heard the criticism before, in slightly different terms).
It's the fact that he's still on the air! I can't believe he's not in Gitmo yet. One day, he'll be turn up missing. Or, he'll end up on Fox as a lobotomied stand in for the always missing Alan Colmes.
The thought that comes to the forefront, however, is not what Olbermann's words say (we've all heard the criticism before, in slightly different terms).
It's the fact that he's still on the air! I can't believe he's not in Gitmo yet. One day, he'll be turn up missing. Or, he'll end up on Fox as a lobotomied stand in for the always missing Alan Colmes.
Kids need playtime
A recent report by the American Academy of Pediatrics proclaims that kids need more time for play. Contrary to all of us with kids who think they can develop uber-smart kids by sending them to music classes, yoga, martial arts, and other "extra-curricular" activities, this report says kids can harness their creativity and learn to learn better by simply playing.
So, next time Johnny comes over to ask Susie if she can come outside to play, tell Susie to put away her trombone and go outside. It's good for her.
So, next time Johnny comes over to ask Susie if she can come outside to play, tell Susie to put away her trombone and go outside. It's good for her.
Iraq Panel may differ from Bush
Well, it's about time! James Baker, Bush I chief of staff and longtime Bush friend and loyalist, who heads up the Iraq Panel, has said that the panel may differ from President Bush's "stay the course" strategy.
I do believe that the article suggests that a change might occur in as little as 3-4 months. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
I do believe that the article suggests that a change might occur in as little as 3-4 months. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
"Shotgun" rules
From the department of "I didn't know that" comes the Shotgun Guide, a list of rules for calling "shotgun."
I especially like rule #6 under Section II, Special Cases:
I especially like rule #6 under Section II, Special Cases:
In the instance that one of the occupants is too wide or tall to fit comfortably in the back seat, then the driver may show mercy and award Shotgun to the genetic misfit. Alternatively, the driver and other passengers may continually taunt the poor fellow as they make a three hour trip with him crammed in the back.
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Hundreds of Iraq police fall ill at meal -- It was the lettuce
Their wives insisted they eat it. I'm just guessing.
Lettuce recalled -- E. coli
Need there be more proof that vegetables are evil? My wife tells me to eat my vegetables, that they're good for me.
In the past, all I could say is, "Yes, dear."
Now, I can say, "I'll eat vegetables if you want me to die."
If she insists, I am going straight to a divorce lawyer. I don't need that.
In the past, all I could say is, "Yes, dear."
Now, I can say, "I'll eat vegetables if you want me to die."
If she insists, I am going straight to a divorce lawyer. I don't need that.
George Allen didn't disclose stock options
Maybe all Georges who are former governors and wish to be President "forget" to dislose stock dealings with the SEC? This George claims he made no money on the stock options he exercised, so no harm, no foul.
But doesn't it matter that its illegal not to make such disclosures? Surely, the common man would pay some severe fines, if not serve time for illegal insider trading and/or non-disclosure. Even "uncommon women" (Martha Stewart) would (did) serve time for failing to take the proper measures.
But doesn't it matter that its illegal not to make such disclosures? Surely, the common man would pay some severe fines, if not serve time for illegal insider trading and/or non-disclosure. Even "uncommon women" (Martha Stewart) would (did) serve time for failing to take the proper measures.
Friday, October 06, 2006
Another Enron exec gets a light sentence
Paula Rieker, who pleaded guilty to insider trading while at the now-bankrupt megaloconglomerate, got 2 years' probation. She faced up to 10 years in prison. She sold stock before a gigantic loss was reported.
Another Enron scoundrel beats the system. Crime does pay. Very well. (Don't let the kids read this last paragraph -- it will ruin your years of awesome parenting.)
Another Enron scoundrel beats the system. Crime does pay. Very well. (Don't let the kids read this last paragraph -- it will ruin your years of awesome parenting.)
Australian man attempted to drive 310 miles, in reverse
"They" say that when you flush the toilet in Australia that the water spins the other way 'round. I guess this guy took that thought to another level: He tried to drive 310 miles in the Australian outback in REVERSE!
When his transmission failed and wouldn't allow him to proceed in forward gears, he tried reverse. And it worked! He went a whole 12 miles before the police stopped him for reckless driving.
When his transmission failed and wouldn't allow him to proceed in forward gears, he tried reverse. And it worked! He went a whole 12 miles before the police stopped him for reckless driving.
Rice flight delay disrupts UN talks on Iran
Question is, was it deliberate? Did Condi Rice have a delayed flight so that there couldn't be much discussion over whether the UN should do something about Iran?
On a slightly different note, remember when we liked Iran? Wasn't that long ago.
On a slightly different note, remember when we liked Iran? Wasn't that long ago.
President Bush uses signing statements to usurp Congress
Bush is at it again with his excessive use of signing statements to poke Congress in the eye by telling them what he will and will not obey in newly-passed laws.
More on outsourcing: UK credit card numbers sold from Indian outsourcing firms
This add additional insight to the last story about safety and security concerns at outsourcing companies. Read more at the
Outsourcing is not the rage it once was
Click on the Jump to get a brief overview about a topic near and dear to us all: Outsourcing.
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Larry Kudlow: Step aside, speaker Hastert
Even Larry Kudlow has come down on Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert. Read it all at the
Breast enlargement patients skipped out on doctor before paying
Now the doctor wants his money. So he's provided pictures of the women's naked breasts to police in the hope that law enforcement can track the women down.
Oh, to be a German cop right about now. "Excuse me, ma'am, can I see your boobs?"
Oh, to be a German cop right about now. "Excuse me, ma'am, can I see your boobs?"
Celebrity poop: Malibu septic tanks might be leaking into the Pacific Ocean
THIS SOUNDS LIKE A SHITTY PROPOSITION:
Malibu officials are determined to get to the bottoms of its celebrity inhabitants. You see, leaking septic tanks might be causing sewage to leak into the Pacific Ocean, which might be causing increased bacteria levels in the water. This is an environmental hazard that must be resolved.
So, the city of Malibu is prepared to take water samples, trace it back to the source, via DNA, and make the property owner(s) responsible for the mess to pay up.
Malibu officials are determined to get to the bottoms of its celebrity inhabitants. You see, leaking septic tanks might be causing sewage to leak into the Pacific Ocean, which might be causing increased bacteria levels in the water. This is an environmental hazard that must be resolved.
So, the city of Malibu is prepared to take water samples, trace it back to the source, via DNA, and make the property owner(s) responsible for the mess to pay up.
The war is over -- here's $20 million for a party
THIS JUST IN: Congress has given the Pentagon authorization to spend $20 million on a giant party to celebrate the winning of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Several questions come to mind:
Government run amok.
- Who put this in the defense spending bill?
- Who voted for it?
- If this is what winning a war looks like, what does losing look like?
- Does this include commemorative jet fighter flightsuits with giant codpieces and an enormous "Mission Accomplished" banner in every city?
Government run amok.
Condi Rice: The CIA never told me about the al-Qaeda threat in July 2001
Oh, but wait, George Tenet himself told Rice about the emminent threat. She just forgot about that meeting. Apparently, she forgot as soon as it happened because it's obvious that neither she, nor anybody else in the Bush administration, did anything about it.
"I don't know that this meeting took place..." Jump.
I hope it feels good to have the metaphorical blood of thousands on her hands. It must keep her warm at night. That, and all that Chevron oil she surely owns.
"I don't know that this meeting took place..." Jump.
I hope it feels good to have the metaphorical blood of thousands on her hands. It must keep her warm at night. That, and all that Chevron oil she surely owns.
Beersex: The coolest web site EVER?
This might be the coolest web site ever, though I am not sure how their ranking algorithm works. I am referring mostly to the extremes of the scales: I think people would buy beer and give it away to get to have sex with some of the hottest entrants, while there may be no quantity of beer on this earth to get somebody -- anybody -- to have sex with some of the less attractive participants.
It's funny, too, because there are celebrities put up on the site and it's really amazing how they rank (quite low, actually).
More at the
It's funny, too, because there are celebrities put up on the site and it's really amazing how they rank (quite low, actually).
More at the
Daily Show viewers smarter, better educated than O'Reilly Factor viewers -- Duh!
Those idiots at Fox, whose only good idea was airing The Simpsons, couldn't count on their viewers knowing how to pour piss out of a boot if the directions were on the bottom.
...According to CNN, Nielsen Media Research statistics show that when directly compared with O'Reilly Factor viewers, "Stewart's viewers are not only smart, but more educated than O'Reilly's."Read more at the
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Mark Foley on Bill Clinton / Monica Lewinsky affair
Mark Foley had this to say about Bill Clinton when the Ken Starr report on his affair with the Big Lewinsky came out:
I guess he's saying that he didn't have any potential, which I guess is about right.
"It's vile," said Rep. Mark Foley, R-West Palm Beach. "It's more sad than anything else, to see someone with such potential throw it all down the drain because of a sexual addiction."
I guess he's saying that he didn't have any potential, which I guess is about right.
Molly Ivins on the torture bill
Talk about hitting the nail on the head! Molly hits a homerun with her latest journalistic endeavor in her article about the torture bill. There are many great nuggets to be found in the piece, but here are a few of the really illuminating ones:
Leading by example. That's rich.
Nazis. Need I say more?
In July 2003, George Bush said in a speech: "The United States is committed to worldwide elimination of torture, and we are leading this fight by example. Freedom from torture is an inalienable human right. Yet torture continues to be practiced around the world by rogue regimes, whose cruel methods match their determination to crush the human spirit."
Leading by example. That's rich.
I'd like those supporting this evil bill to spare me one affliction: Do not, please, pretend to be shocked by the consequences of this legislation. And do not pretend to be shocked when the world begins comparing us to the Nazis.
Nazis. Need I say more?
Monday, October 02, 2006
Hastert, GOP coverup of Foley affair
DailyKos has this to say about the GOP coverup of the Foley affair:
Sounds about 100% right.You know, this is a very basic issue. The House leadership knew about -- and covered up for -- a child sex predator inside their very building. There's no goddamn "spin" that's going to make that go away. And in talking with other parents, I have to tell you -- anyone who is a parent is out for blood on this one. We can "disagree" over whether or not America should torture prisoners. We can "dispute" whether or not the President should be allowed to classify American citizens as "terrorists" based only on his own say-so, and lock them away without evidence or trial. We can "argue" over whether or not Tom DeLay's money laundering and the money laundering that has a goodly portion of the rest of the Republican House locked in ongoing scandal and indictment was only accidentally criminal, or astonishingly criminal.
But in the end, at the end of it all, you don't FUCKING COVER UP FOR A CHILD SEX PREDATOR. No. Matter. What.
What part of that do these people still not understand? I'm straight-up serious, here -- how do you get to the point where you are that depraved, that you think a man soliciting sexual information and meetings from sixteen year old kids over the internet -- and meeting them in person -- is "just another scandal"? Tony Snow? Brit Hume? Any of you folks, you wanna take that one on?
Hastert had better figure out damn quick that the rest of the country isn't messing around on this one. I don't know exactly how he got his GOP-style version of "morality" so twisted and decomposed that even this doesn't faze him, but he had better at least have the common sense to stand the hell out of the way.
GOP tainted with pedophiles, hypocrits, money grabbers, and partisan protectionists
I don't know where to start. I think it might take me 10,000 words to make a small dent in the total corruption exhibited by the majority in Congress (in case you live under a rock, or in a cave, that means Republican).
From money laundering to preferential treatment of lobbyists to bribes to backroom deal-making to pedophilia and its cover ups, this Congress has been befallen by incompetent leadership. Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the House, must go. Vamoose. Leave the building. He's a disgrace. He was a disgrace before the latest outbreak of Republican shenanigans, but this solidifies his fate.
Make no mistake, he probably will not resign, nor will he be faced with a public dismissal. He most likely will stay. I hope to heavens that he is dismissed when the Democrats take control of the House. I just don't have a lot of faith in a) the Democrats' ability to form effective campaigns for contested seats and b) the American voting public's sensibility about the gravity of what is taking place here. How can I? Slightly more than half the country believed that Bush was better than John Kerry to lead our country in the last election. Up until very recently, most people thought that Bush was fighting the good fight against terrorists. And it's okay to spy on me because "I'm not doing anything wrong."
I just don't have any faith in my fellow Americans. If you voted for Bush in 2004, you are on my list of people I'd most like to expel to Syria. If you voted for DeLay, Hastert, Foley, Doolittle, Pombo, or a host of other Republican scoundrels, please take the next CIA plane to Gitmo. You are not an American.
America was founded based upon the ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Our founders fled England because of the absence of those ideals. The constitution is supposedly a document of principles that are self-evident.
Well, nothing is self-evident any more. I thought that we, as American citizens, had the right to participate in peaceful protests, to voice our disagreement with our elected leaders, to have the ability to fire our elected leaders by not voting for them again. But I think I've got it all wrong.
America is not about these things any more. It's all about defeating "radical Islam" and "terrorists," winning the "War on Terror," beating back regimes that don't subscribe to our ways ("You're either with us or against us"), taking pre-emptive military action against supposed threats, and imprisoning people based on "guilt by association."
And, if you're in power, you can feed at the public trough, proposition little boys, and get sweet golfing vacations in Scotland.
This country is screwed. And it's forever totally screwed if it doesn't get off its collective ass, vote for the right people, and stand up to this repressive, totalitarian political machine called the GOP. I am about up to here (standing with hand far above forehead) with the bullshit of the stupid, unethical cheats running this country (into the ground).
From money laundering to preferential treatment of lobbyists to bribes to backroom deal-making to pedophilia and its cover ups, this Congress has been befallen by incompetent leadership. Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the House, must go. Vamoose. Leave the building. He's a disgrace. He was a disgrace before the latest outbreak of Republican shenanigans, but this solidifies his fate.
Make no mistake, he probably will not resign, nor will he be faced with a public dismissal. He most likely will stay. I hope to heavens that he is dismissed when the Democrats take control of the House. I just don't have a lot of faith in a) the Democrats' ability to form effective campaigns for contested seats and b) the American voting public's sensibility about the gravity of what is taking place here. How can I? Slightly more than half the country believed that Bush was better than John Kerry to lead our country in the last election. Up until very recently, most people thought that Bush was fighting the good fight against terrorists. And it's okay to spy on me because "I'm not doing anything wrong."
I just don't have any faith in my fellow Americans. If you voted for Bush in 2004, you are on my list of people I'd most like to expel to Syria. If you voted for DeLay, Hastert, Foley, Doolittle, Pombo, or a host of other Republican scoundrels, please take the next CIA plane to Gitmo. You are not an American.
America was founded based upon the ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Our founders fled England because of the absence of those ideals. The constitution is supposedly a document of principles that are self-evident.
Well, nothing is self-evident any more. I thought that we, as American citizens, had the right to participate in peaceful protests, to voice our disagreement with our elected leaders, to have the ability to fire our elected leaders by not voting for them again. But I think I've got it all wrong.
America is not about these things any more. It's all about defeating "radical Islam" and "terrorists," winning the "War on Terror," beating back regimes that don't subscribe to our ways ("You're either with us or against us"), taking pre-emptive military action against supposed threats, and imprisoning people based on "guilt by association."
And, if you're in power, you can feed at the public trough, proposition little boys, and get sweet golfing vacations in Scotland.
This country is screwed. And it's forever totally screwed if it doesn't get off its collective ass, vote for the right people, and stand up to this repressive, totalitarian political machine called the GOP. I am about up to here (standing with hand far above forehead) with the bullshit of the stupid, unethical cheats running this country (into the ground).
Alcoholism claims another GOP victim
Another Republican congressman has claimed that all of his personal problems can be attributed to his alcohol dependency issues. Mark Foley, former US Representative from Florida, resigned his post last week amid revelations that he not only sent salacious emails to government pages, but that he also instant messaged said pages with even sicker language.
And this guy was in charge of the Congressional Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus! How's that for totally screwed up?!
And this guy was in charge of the Congressional Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus! How's that for totally screwed up?!
"I strongly believe that I am an alcoholic and have accepted the need for immediate treatment for alcoholism and other behavioral problems."Does this suggest that he's entered into a sexual predator prevention/rehab program, too?
Bush pushes through new anti-terrorism law
It's a scary time in the USA. It is becoming more dictatorial all the time. The most recently-passed "anti-terrorism" bill confirms this. Anybody can be construed as an enemy combatant, thereby leaving it to the President of the United States to make that determination.
No trial, no evidence, no witnesses, just perhaps a blog posting like this one can get you (i.e., ME!) in a heap of trouble, and there's no guarantee that knowing a bunch of judges or lawyers or having an air-tight case can keep you out of Gitmo.
It's time to really start thinking about alternative living arrangements, perhaps New Zealand or Canada...not that I want to leave my house, the place I was born, the place up until very recently I was proud to call home.
For a better-worded article about this same topic, click here to get to William Rivers Pitt's eloquent piece.
No trial, no evidence, no witnesses, just perhaps a blog posting like this one can get you (i.e., ME!) in a heap of trouble, and there's no guarantee that knowing a bunch of judges or lawyers or having an air-tight case can keep you out of Gitmo.
It's time to really start thinking about alternative living arrangements, perhaps New Zealand or Canada...not that I want to leave my house, the place I was born, the place up until very recently I was proud to call home.
For a better-worded article about this same topic, click here to get to William Rivers Pitt's eloquent piece.
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