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Tuesday, April 29, 2003
Senators who roll
The US Senate just approved Bush nominee Jeffrey Sutton to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit, on a vote of 52-41. Two Democrats voted for Sutton, although suprisingly one of them was not Zell Miller (D-Turncoat) of Georgia.
The offending two:
Ben Nelson of Nebraska and (I'm so embarassed) California's own Diane Feinstein.
Crap. Even John Breaux voted against him.
Please email them with proper sentiments.
posted by tbogg at 12:24 PM
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It's a WalMart wetdream
Jesse points out that wages are plummeting in Iraq.
The wages of skilled workers were to be cut to $22 (£13.80) a month, those of the unskilled to $10. Graduates and trained professionals, who had been working as translators and drivers for about £1.30 a day, found themselves being paid 50p or less. The effect was immediate: less than three weeks after liberating Iraq’s second-largest city, the British forces had a strike on their hands.
Sounds like a blueprint for the Bush economy.
Without the strike, of course.
posted by tbogg at 10:51 AM
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Non-Sequitur
The anti-criticism shield
posted by tbogg at 10:17 AM
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"simple observation validates these assumptions"
Now that the Santorum debate is subsiding, because everyone who disagrees with him is a hateful anti-Catholic, anti-Christian bigot (and probably a closet fag when you get right down to it), it's time for the religious right to make sure that they have their talking points in order just in case another wingnut Senator accidently slips up and says what he really thinks. For that we turn to the Abiding Truth Ministry:
The Rick Santorum controversy has illuminated a serious problem in the Republican Party: its leaders seem woefully ill-prepared to defend the pro-family position on homosexuality. As an attorney who trains pro-family activists how to debate this issue, I would like to offer my fellow Republicans the following advice.
First, don't dodge the issue in fear of political correctness or pro-"gay" media bias. Stand confidently upon the essential pro-family presuppositions that resonate with people of common sense: 1) normality is that which functions according to its design, 2) the heterosexual design of the human body and the natural family is self-evident, 3) respecting the design of life produces good results (conversely, rejecting that design produces bad results) and 4) simple observation validates these assumptions. No special education or "scientific" study is required.
Failure to articulate the logic of our position cedes the moral and intellectual battleground to the militant "gays," and leaves the impression (even among our own supporters) that we have no reasonable response, other than religious belief, to their attack on family values.
Second, contest the hidden false assumption underlying most pro-"gay" arguments that homosexuality is immutable. We have a strong case on this point since 1) proponents of the "gays are born that way" justification for normalizing homosexuality bear the burden of proof, 2) proof is absolutely necessary due to the severity of social change which is contemplated by their demands, 3) proponents cannot prove that homosexuality is immutable (Indeed, ex-homosexuals can prove that it is not.), 3) if homosexuality is not immutable, then logically it must be acquired (children being the most likely to acquire the condition because of their vulnerability to social conditioning), and 4) society must err on the side of caution, actively discouraging the normalization of homosexuality in order to protect children and others from the possibility of acquiring a homosexual condition with its attendant health risks
Who is passing on these gems of wisdom? That would be noted gay obsessive Scott Lively
...and don't forget: The Nazis were Gay!
(Edited: the pflag article previously linked was noted as a "what if" parody that I missed. Sorry for the confusion)
posted by tbogg at 9:40 AM
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They thought they were in Kentstatistan.
Remember that old line about setting someone free, and if they didn't come back to you, hunting them down and killing them?
Apparently that our policy in Iraq.
One U.S. Army sergeant said he shot at what he saw, "and what I saw was targets. Targets with weapons, and they were going to harm me."
"It's either them or me, and I took the shot, sir, and I'm still here talking to you," he said.
Don't these people know that President Iraqi Liberator is going to call it a win on Thursday? Oh, for those fond memories of pulling down statues and sharing MRE's. It seem like it was just weeks ago......
posted by tbogg at 8:56 AM
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Remember when the US was cool?
From Bathtub Goulash.
We were the fun, rich, good-looking, popular country. We drove the coolest car and had the tasty girlfriend with the big tits and the pool. We hung out with all the other cool countries, but still said hi to Mexico in the hallways (even though he smelled like a spicy sweatsuit). We were the best athlete and played guitar in a shitty band. We would get drunk and prank Russia and do coke on the away bus.
Go read the whole thing.
(Thanks to Chris)
posted by tbogg at 8:41 AM
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“Were safe here. Thank God we’re in a bowling alley Starbucks!”
Well, look what showed up in my email box.
As noted in my post below, the EPA Enforcement Division has been put in the position of becoming roadies for the Christy Whitman Caffeine & Crumpets World Tour (t-shirts available by the concession stands) and a few of the agents don't think too much of it. Well, J.P. Suarez, Assistant Administrator Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance for the EPA wants all the EPA folks to know that he didn't do it, and besides, it's all about 9/11 anyway. Here's the memo that he sent out yesterday:
*********************************************************************************
April 28, 2003
MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT: Correcting the Record: EPA's Role in Homeland Security,
Enforcement, and Protective Security Detail
TO: All EPA Employees
FROM: J.P. Suarez, Assistant Administrator Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
Some of you may have read recent media stories about EPA's involvement in homeland security, enforcement, and protective security detail issues. Here are the facts.
Since September 11, 2001 our government has experienced an enormous increase in the need to protect its citizens from acts of terrorism. Agencies across the government came together and established an effective, strong homeland security presence. EPA responded immediately and continues to play a critical role in homeland protection. EPA's strategic plan for homeland security was held up as a model for other Agencies and Departments. Every EPA program and region has reallocated some of its resources to address important and essential homeland security functions.
EPA's focus since September 11 has been to support our nation's effort at combating domestic threats while at the same time ensuring that enforcement of environmental crimes continues. Homeland security is a critical new aspect of EPA's mission, and we have dedicated resources to support this essential effort. At the same time we continue to achieve significant success in prosecuting environmental crimes in fact, EPA's enforcement numbers in several categories are at an all time high.
Some of EPA's Criminal Investigations Division agents participate on the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Department of Justice's Anti-Terrorism Task Force. Participation on the task forces allows these EPA agents to respond to any domestic incident that may involve a threat to the nation's infrastructure, including drinking water supplies, chemical storage and manufacturing facilities, illegal importation of dangerous or hazardous substances, or other incidents that may require the expertise of an environmental enforcement agent. In addition to homeland security investigations, agents assigned to the Terrorism Task Force also carry traditional environmental crime caseloads.
EPA's enforcement record is outstanding as we continue to aggressively pursue those who pollute.
In 2001 and 2002, EPA's Office of Criminal Enforcement referred 506 cases to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution. In 1999 and 2000, 477 cases were referred. In 2002, enforcement cases resulted in criminal sentences totaling 215 years, and in 2001, the total was 256. These two years represent the two highest years in the last five in EPA's criminal enforcement program The 674 enforcement cases initiated in 2002 was the highest ever in the program.
EPA's Office of Criminal Enforcement, Forensics & Training was delegated the authority to provide protection to the Administrator and Deputy Administrator on September 27, 2001. Prior to this date, protection services were provided by the Inspector General pursuant to the Inspector General Act of 1978. The Criminal Investigations Division staffs Administrator Whitman's protection detail to the extent necessary after an evaluation of both specific and general threats has been made. These professional law enforcement agents are the only officers within EPA with the training to carry out the level of security protection (including carrying firearms and having the authorization to make arrests) required to protect all Cabinet-level officials and to address homeland security incidents.
The level of protection is appropriate in light of the Administrator's significant responsibilities related to environmental
threats and her status as a Cabinet Officer within the Administration. Issues raised regarding personal services are simply not accurate at no time have agents assigned to the protection detail been required to provide personal services for the Administrator. EPA welcomes the opportunity for any employee to raise concerns about the management and direction of any office within the Agency.
The "dos and don'ts list" mentioned in media stories was prepared by EPA's Criminal Investigations Division management. This list was apparently prepared as a checklist to help agents who normally do not provide personal security protection. Neither myself nor Administrator Whitman asked for, or were aware of, such a list. The Enforcement Office has recently compiled a confidential protective services manual for protection service agents. This manual fully defines the functions performed by these agents while they are assigned to protective services detail.
EPA continues to produce significant environmental results for the American people through its enforcement program, as is evidenced by the more than 674 cases initiated last year alone. At the same time, I am also proud to have the many professional enforcement officials who are helping to fulfill the counter-terrorism protection role for the nation following September 11, 2001
*********************************************************************************
There you have it. Mr Suarez don' know nothin' bout no dropping cars off at the airport, looking for cozy bookstores, saving tables at restaurants, or whether "Administrator" Whitman wants chocolate sprinkles or maybe just a dash of cinnamon on her latte. It's all about 9/11 and terrorism.
Based on this memo, should we suffer another terrorist attack, and you don't have the wherewithal to hide out at Offut Air Force Base, I suggest you get yourself to whichever Starbucks Ms. Whitman is bunkered down in.
There is safety to be found there.
And they have Wi-Fi too.....
(Thanks to the nameless EPA employee who passed this along to me)
posted by tbogg at 8:31 AM
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Monday, April 28, 2003
Fear of a black planet no-foam latte
I think the NY Times headline writer kind of missed the subject of the Christy Whitman story. EPA investigators are tracking down Barnes & Nobels and places to get designer coffee for the Socialite Secretary when they should be doing their jobs. But the headline writer says this:
E.P.A. Is Said to Be Concentrating on Terror
If, by terror, they mean losing a good table by the restaurant window.
How come she still has a job?
Oh wait...they're EPA investigators. If they're picking up dry cleaning or rotating her tires, they can't be out tracking down corporate polluters Dick Cheney's friends.
Forget I mentioned it.
Can I buy you a double-non-fat-hazelnut-venti latte, Christy?
posted by tbogg at 11:39 PM
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Shorter Paul Krugman
Poor Paul, he's starting to sound despondent. He knows, and he keeps reminding us, that the Bush administration lies to us all the time, the media passes it along with scarcely a glance, and the public gobbles it up and then goes back to watching American Idol or some other brain anesthetic.
Can't say that I blame him. They say we get the government that we deserve, but they are neglecting the fact that more people voted for Gore than the coward of 9/11. Those people don't deserve this.
posted by tbogg at 11:29 PM
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If this is Tuesday...act compassionate.
George Bush is temporarily slipping into his "compassionate conservative" sweater for the day to shore up the mushy middle. It's AIDS help, this time.
As usual, the devil will be in the details, but Rove will get the headline he needs.
Same as it ever was.....
posted by tbogg at 11:21 PM
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Consistently brilliant.
Whitehouse.org hits a homerun everytime they step in the box. Today is no exception.
I bet Steven Den Beste and Professor Instapundit wish they could get one of these.
posted by tbogg at 1:45 PM
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Councilman is affronted by women's long supple legs, their pert upturned-breasts, those taut buttocks......
Why Your Wife Won't Have Sex With You informs us that the female form is an affront to Charleston, South Carolina City Councilman Wendell Gilliard.
One city councilman says the display is inappropriate in a place frequented by families and surrounded by churches. Councilman Wendell Gilliard says he is ready to take a stand, comparing the activity to the hot-selling "Girls Gone Wild" videos of college students in various stages of drunken undress.
"I've seen them pushing the limit. They have their breasts exposed, their ... rear end exposed, wearing a G-string bikini," he said.
...and I thought the only person in South Carolina who would find this upsetting would be "bachelor-for life" (wink, wink) Lindsey Graham.
posted by tbogg at 9:08 AM
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Scraping the bottom of the Drudge barrel
Matt's going all 'literary' on us these days. First it was the Blumenthal book (see below). Now it's Hillary Clinton's book with the headline:
HILLARY TURNS IT IN! BOOK TO HIT STORES THIS SUMMER...
with the subhead:
Book titles:
Katherine Graham -- Personal History
Hillary Clinton -- Living History
Apparently that bitch, Hillary Klintoon has almost plagiarized and stolen the word 'history' which rightfully belongs to Bill Bryson, Howard Zinn, Dani Shapiro, Mel Brooks, Michael Jackson, Kid Rock, and the History Channel.
I think a $30 million investigation is in order.
posted by tbogg at 8:52 AM
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Sunday, April 27, 2003
Asshat.
Yeah, we're talking Matt Drudge, the hat-wearing assbite of the Internet. As noted on Drudge's site, former White House advisor Sid Blumenthal has a book coming out detailing the Clinton years. Drudge's immediate take on the book is that it isn't being serialized anywhere (as if all books are) and that it " ranked #23,588 on AMAZON's hit parade Sunday night". Of course by the time I clicked on Amazon it was up to 146 Matt has a special reason for trashing the Blumenthal book before it hits the street...because he's in it and (like Matt) it isn't pretty.
For those who don't remember, la Drudge working in conjunction with notorious woman beater John Fund, completely concocted a story that Blumenthal beat his wife. Blumenthal proceeded to sue Drudge who ran safely into the hands of Manuel Klausner, an LA lawyer also associated with Richard Mellon Scaife. With the backing of the Scaife-funded Center for the Study of Popular Culture, Drudge was able to economically swamp Blumenthal, so that the case was dropped. Afterall, where else would Scaife get a wholly-owned rightwing megaphone like Drudge, who works for crumbs and stays bought?
Between now and when Blumenthal's book gets released, expect the usual suspects like Lloyd Grove, Howie Kurtz, and the gang over at Townhall to join Drudge is more smears, snide asides, and pre-emptive attacks on Blumenthal.
That's how the mighty wurlitzer works.
Oh. And go buy the book, just to flip the bastards off.
posted by tbogg at 10:19 PM
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Let's see...we have shuffleboard at 10am and the incest and suicide festivities on the Lido deck right after the lunch buffet
Outside of going to a rave with this guy, what could be more fun than a cruise with Robert Bartley, Jeane Kirkpatrick, Victor Davis Hanson, Paul Johnson and Michael Novak? Yes, it's the Hillsdale College benefit cruise:
Explore the breathtaking beauty of the lands that gave birth to Western Civilization
Savor the elegance of traveling in luxury aboard the BRAND NEW six-star Crystal Serenity
Plumb the rich history of the West and discuss current issues with an extraordinary line-up of speakers
Enjoy royal treatment from the acclaimed staff, whose personalized European service sets the Crystal Cruises apart and above
Share conversation with like-minded people as guests and friends of Hillsdale College
But when you share conversations with those like-minded people from Hillsdale make sure you don't mention George Roche III and his affair with his daughter-in-law.
In November, another right-wing wolf cloaked in family values sheepskin was unzipped to the American public. George Roche III resigned as president of conservative Hillsdale College in Michigan after accusations of a quasi-incestuous relationship with his daughter-in-law, Lissa.
On the morning of Oct. 17, 42-year-old Lissa and her husband, George Roche IV, visited the 64-year-old Roche at the hospital, where he was undergoing treatment for diabetes. With her husband and father-in-law as witnesses, Lissa claimed that she and the elder Roche had been off-and-on lovers for 19 of the 21 years she and her husband had been married. Lissa returned to her campus house after the confession and armed herself with a .38-caliber handgun. She walked out of her backyard and through the college's arboretum to a stone gazebo, a secluded location where students once went to relax, guzzle a few beers or liaise with members of the opposite sex. There, Lissa ended her life.
Boy, those conservatives sure know the meaning of "fun for the whole family". No wonder they scheduled this cruise.
Book your passage now and enter a drawing to apply tanning oil on the tawny buttocks of a glistening and thong-clad Jeane Kirkpatrick.
posted by tbogg at 10:11 PM
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Lean to the left...lean to the right....okay, just lay there.
Like any other 22 year-old who spends her days embalming people and writing obituaries, Amity Cash likes to unwind with a little.... cheerleading.
Some days, she embalms the dead; other times, she comforts the living and helps plan funerals. She drives the hearse. She carries flowers. She types obituaries from the newspaper into the funeral home's records, which is how she found the date and time for BlueCats cheerleader tryouts.
"I was typing in an obituary, and when I flipped it over, I saw the BlueCats ad," Cash said. "I cheered in junior high, high school and college (at Vincennes University), and I really missed it."
She tried out in November, easily making the National Indoor Football League cheer team.
[snip]
"I can smile at work, but I can't be this spirited," Cash said. "When I'm out there dancing, I have to hold myself different. My poise is different."
You don't say?
I always knew there was a connection between cheerleaders and that rictus grin they tend to sport.
posted by tbogg at 9:38 PM
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Please step away from the VCR.....
Sam Heldman has become the source for all that is interesting about Judicial nominee David Pryor and you should be following it here. Of particular note is Pryor's opinion about the All American pursuit of the orgasm (insert Laura Bush asking "the what?" here). Going back to The American Prospect back in December 2000 we read:
As these cases make clear, the sexual revolution did not destroy the old regime. Puritanism (which H.L. Mencken described as fear that someone else might be having a good time) is tenacious; at least, it remains a respected tradition in the federal courts, as Justice Scalia's opinions suggest. Just a few weeks ago, in Williams v. Pryor, a federal appeals court actually upheld Alabama's ban on the sale of sexual devices, in an opinion that is either amusing or appalling, depending on your mood.
A lower federal court had struck down the ban, by declaring it simply irrational. This was, as a matter of law, a highly unusual decision. The requirement that a law must have a rational relationship to some legitimate governmental objective is the most permissive standard of judicial review; its use is usually a signal that a law is about to be upheld. It is only applied to statutes that courts do not consider infringements of constitutional rights (and the lower court in Williams v. Pryor declined to recognize a fundamental right to engage in the private use of sexual devices). The court did find that Alabama had a legitimate interest in banning "the commerce of sexual stimulation and auto-eroticism, for its own sake, unrelated to marriage, procreation, or familial relationships." In other words, sexual pleasure, especially when it involves masturbation, may be banned unless it involves some greater good. Still, the court found the Alabama law arbitrary and irrational, partly because it interfered with "sexual stimulation and eroticism" in the approved context of marital relationships. (Two of the plaintiffs in the Alabama case were married women.)
The federal appeals court reversed this decision--not surprisingly, considering the lower court's reasoning. In applying the rational-relationship test, judges are not supposed to substitute judicial for legislative judgment and invalidate laws that strike them as foolish. So in deciding whether the Alabama law was rational, the appeals court was quite deferential to the state's power to regulate sexual morality. It did not laugh at the state of Alabama's argument that "a ban on the sale of sexual devices and related orgasm stimulating paraphernalia is rationally related to a legitimate interest in discouraging prurient interests in autonomous sex." Instead, with a straight face, the court quoted Alabama's brief approvingly: "[I]t is enough for a legislature to reasonably believe that commerce in the pursuit of orgasms by artificial means for their own sake is detrimental to the health and morality of the State."
This, of course, made me wonder who is going to be the one to confiscate Peggy Noonan's copy of Backdraft.
I sense a SWAT team action sometime in the future.....
posted by tbogg at 9:25 PM
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Boy....isn't that just like a kid?
They get a new toy, play with it for a few days, then totally neglect it. Take, for example, the Virgin Ben.
Posts on 2/20, 3/26, and 4/14. And I do so miss the delightful bon mots over at " Shots from the profoundly unhip".
But it's spring, and young master Shapiro's fancy has surely turned to willing and eager coeds when the next Lord of the Ring movie comes out. I imagine he's already in line...waiting...waiting....
posted by tbogg at 9:11 PM
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But seriously folks......
Funny guy at Fox:
Fox News Vice President John Moody faults the manic-depressive approach: "We maybe made some snap judgments, such as 'This is a cakewalk.' 'Oh my God, we're bogged down.' 'Will we ever reach Baghdad?' 'How did Baghdad fall so easily?' Some networks were a little down at the mouth and ready to declare unilateral surrender." At Fox, Moody said, "there were moments when I wanted to make sure we did not cheerlead," such as barring correspondents from referring to "good guys" and "bad guys."
...but he got over it.
You know, Howie Kurtz may be the only person in journalism who actually believes that Fox is a news organization.
posted by tbogg at 8:59 PM
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Censorship
Project For A New Century Of Freedom has a link and some thoughts on censorship in America.
posted by tbogg at 8:51 PM
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The free speech ghetto
We don't like your kind. We don't want to see you. You have no rights here. Go away or be arrested.
Next time a rightwing yahoo (and is there any other kind?) tells you that people who dissent aren't being censored, tell them about Brett Bursey:
There he was at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport with his antiwar sign. There were the thousands of Republicans gathering to welcome a president. There were the police officers arresting him for trespassing.
The first time this happened was in May 1969, before a visit by Richard M. Nixon. The charges against Mr. Bursey were dropped after the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that if protesters were on public property — as the antiwar demonstrators were — they could not be charged with trespassing.
Last Oct. 24, 33 years later and about 100 yards away, the now graying Mr. Bursey was again arrested for trespassing, this time before a visit by President Bush. The charge was soon dropped.
But last month, the local United States attorney, J. Strom Thurmond Jr., brought federal charges against Mr. Bursey under a seldom-used statute that allows the Secret Service to restrict access to areas the president is visiting. He faces six months in jail and a $5,000 fine.
[snip]
In particular, Mr. Romero said, there is a growing practice of corralling protesters in "free-speech zones," which are often so far from the object of the protest as to be invisible. "It's an effort to mitigate the effectiveness of free speech," he said.
And he does not buy the argument that such zones are necessary to protect the president and other officials. "John Hinckley wasn't carrying an anti-Reagan sign when he shot him," Mr. Romero said.
It was just such a "protest zone" that got Mr. Bursey in trouble last fall. A spokeswoman for the airport said officials there had established a protest area on the verge of a highway, a good half mile from the hangar where the president would be speaking. (Airport police are not sure if anyone actually protested at the official zone, she said.)
Mr. Bursey hoped he and some friends could protest somewhere closer, maybe across the road from the hangar, he said. The police in Charleston and Greenville had been accommodating, he said, when he had asked to avoid the protest zones, which he described as being "out there behind the coliseum by the Dumpsters."
It did not work this time.
"We attempted to dialogue for a while, them telling me to go to the free-speech zone, me saying I was in it: the United States of America," Mr. Bursey said. Finally, he said, an airport policeman told him he had to put down his sign ("No War for Oil") or leave.
" `You mean, it's the content of my sign?' I asked him," Mr. Bursey said. "He said, `Yes, sir, it's the content of your sign.' "
Mr. Bursey kept the sign and was arrested; he said he watched Air Force One land from the back of a patrol wagon and spent the night in the county jail.
During the Civil Rights era people would tell African Americans to go "back you came from". I guess the powers that be could tell Mr. Bursey to go back where he came from, but the America Mr. Bursey came from has been dismantled and boxed up by the Bush administration and they aren't about to let us have it back again.
We need regime change now.
posted by tbogg at 7:48 PM
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Friday, April 25, 2003
That's it for today.....
The wife and I have a hot date tonight to go see her, and afterwards we'll probably do something that Rick Santorum wouldn't approve of ....and it doesn't involve Satchmo, the Wonder Basset.
See you all on Sunday night...
posted by tbogg at 1:09 PM
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Giuliani's dog cowering under the bed.
Rudy Giuliani is only one leg away from completing the Santorum trifecta.
According to CNN, Giuliani is finally going to make an honest woman out of the heavily-banged (I mean hair...but who knows) Judith Nathan. As you may be aware, Giuliani was having an adulterous affair with Ms. Nathan while he was still married to Donna Hanover. Later a judge ruled that Ms. Nathan was no longer welcome to visit Gracie Mansion as long as Mr. Giuliani's children were there, saving them the sight of their father, as the judge put it, "bumping uglies with with that home-wrecking skank-ho" .
It's a little known fact that, prior to his marriage to Ms. Hanover, Mr. Giuliani was a party to an incestuous marriage to his second cousin, Regina Peruggi, for 14 years.
Giuliani now has the option of choosing between bigamy, polygamy, or the "love that dare not bark it's name" to finally earn a raised eyebrow from the stern, unforgiving, but " inclusive" Mr. Santorum.
posted by tbogg at 11:24 AM
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Quagmire update.
But which quagmire?
A firefight near the Pakistan border in Afghanistan's Paktika province killed two U.S. soldiers Friday and wounded several others, including at least one Afghan soldier, U.S. Central Command said.
But...but...but...that was, like, one war ago. We've moved on.
posted by tbogg at 9:37 AM
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From the Philadelphia Inquirer
Tony Auth
posted by tbogg at 9:32 AM
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More on the Chicks
Although I don't agree with everything in the cartoon, I do like how Bush and his advisors are portrayed.
"Thug radio".
Can I get a Insta-pundit "heh"?
Indeed.
posted by tbogg at 9:20 AM
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Hell froze over. Bush invited to join Mensa.
...and David Horowitz's FrontPage actually has something worth reading.
Did the Left Go Too Far on Iraq?
I'm suprised that Horowitz didn't edit out some of the liberal's arguments. Some great quotes:
Jamie, the simple answer to the question you pose about "the Left" is that George Bush has antagonized many people on both sides of the Atlantic so much that they don't trust a word he says and don't believe the claims his leading officials make. In contrast to his promises to be a uniter, not a divider, Bush has pursued a very divisive social and economic policy and has made no concessions at all regarding fiscal, monetary and environmental policy. He has draped himself in religion in ways that most secular liberals--not just "the Left" find most unsettling. His Texas roots are linked to some corporate officials who may soon be behind bars following the Enron scandals, and he seems not to mind in the slightest that his tax cuts will make already existing economic inequalities worse. In Europe, he is reviled for his decisions on the death penalty in Texas, environmental policies and then the Manichean religious rhetoric with which he led the war on terrorism after September 11th.
[snip]
Did the anti-war left go too far? Well, despite the fact that we had the largest peace demonstrations in American history, we had a war didn’t we? What a strange question! To raise principled questions about whether a war was just and your government is not “going too far.” In fact, I would argue it’s my right and obligation as an American to point out the mistakes my government is making. And, by the way, just because we won the war still doesn’t make it right. This war doesn’t become a better idea just because it was easily accomplished. History is filled with easy wars after all.
I do find it fascinating how people don’t seem to care that WE built Saddam into the frightening power he was until a few weeks ago. We provided him with $40B worth of aid in the 1980s and are responsible for the monster we created. As a historian, I find this puzzling but I guess in the illiterate and ignorant nation that is America today I shouldn’t be surprised. Heck, a huge number of Americans think Saddam was intimately involved in 9/11, an assertion, no matter how many times W repeats it, for which there is absolutely no evidence.
As for the “ends justify the means” arguments advanced both before and after the war, I just can’t sign on to these arguments even now. In fact the most frightening thing is to think back on the lies told to get us into this war. Think about how few of the major arguments made by W and the boys to get us into this war have turned out to be true so far: Where are the WMDs? Where are the Al-Qaeda terrorists? If his military was really so weak, he wasn’t much of a threat to his neighbors, was he? There isn’t much that has been proven true of the cassus belli arguments advanced by the administration in the last few weeks, eh?
I am, of course, glad that Saddam is gone. Who wouldn’t be? I’ve said I’d be glad to see him go since I began blogging about the proposed war in August. It’s a red herring to try and tar those who oppose this war as “anti-American” or, to use Instapundit’s now infamous phrase “objectively pro-Saddam” because that simply isn’t the case. Most of us who were against the war are glad to see Saddam go and to try and tell us that our principled opposition to the war was somehow anti-Semitic or pro-fascist is, quite simply, a load of you-know-what. It’s a question that involves the old McCarthyite trick of guilt-by-association and unworthy of a response. I refuse to be drawn into that bogus discussion.
Of course many Americans may be whistling a different tune about this war in the next few months as our occupation / democracy-building / oil-extracting / empire-building scheme will cost tens of billions of dollars and add greatly to our federal deficit and possibly even be a drag on our economy.
Lots of good reading here, all the more suprising when you consider the source.
posted by tbogg at 9:06 AM
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New to the Hot Links.....
War Words. It's good to have someone stalking Rummy. I like this one. I particularly like this:
"Proverbs for Paranoids 3: If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to worry about answers."
Thomas Pynchon, Gravity's Rainbow, page 251
Brilliant.
posted by tbogg at 8:51 AM
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Thursday, April 24, 2003
That My Lai cover-up experience pays off.
Colin Powell, a man that many Americans used to admire, seems to be covering up for another military assault on civilians:
Secretary of State Colin L. Powell has written a letter to the Spanish foreign minister defending the shelling of the main hotel for journalists in Baghdad that killed two cameramen, including one from Spain, on April 8.
"Our review of the April 8 incident indicates that the use of force was justified and the amount of force was proportionate to the threat against United States forces," Mr. Powell wrote in the letter, dated April 21 and addressed to Ana Palacio, Spain's foreign minister.
[snip]
Repeating that initial explanation, Mr. Powell said a United States tank fired on the hotel in response to "hostile fire appearing to come from a location later identified as the Palestine Hotel."
Journalists who were at the hotel said that they did not hear gunshots coming from the hotel.
The commander of the unit that fired the shell was quoted this week by Le Nouvel Observateur, a French magazine, as saying his tank team acted after spotting the sun's reflection on binoculars believed to have been in the hands of an Iraqi on the hotel's roof. The magazine quoted the commander, Capt. Philip Wolford, as saying he authorized the attack because the team believed that whoever was holding the binoculars was directing Iraqi fire. He also reportedly said that he did not know at the time that the hotel housed journalists.
Lou Fintor, a spokesman for the State Department, said the review that Mr. Powell referred to in his letter was "based on our intelligence, which we never comment on."
You would think they would at least make an effort to get their stories straight.
Here's some info on Powell and My Lai. More here. Bet you didn't know that.
He's always been a "good little soldier".
posted by tbogg at 11:32 PM
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Keeping Congress in the dark
Apparently John Ashcroft, our snake-handling Attorney General, can't get the Justice Department secretive enough. Now Justice Department employees can't talk to Congress without a chaperone:
The Justice Department has directed employees to clear any contacts with Congress with its Congressional liaison office, and Senator Charles E. Grassley, the Iowa Republican who heads the Finance Committee, called the order "an attempt to muzzle whistle-blowers."
The directive, issued on March 27, told officials to inform the Office of Legislative Affairs "ahead of time and as soon as possible — of all potential briefings on Capitol Hill and significant, substantive conversations with staff and members on Capitol Hill."
"We will assist in determining the appropriateness of proceeding with potential briefings," it said.
The directive was issued "in response to a request by the attorney general," Jamie E. Brown, acting assistant attorney general, said in a covering memorandum. The order told employees that liaison officials would almost always "accompany you to briefings" and said "please let us know when you receive a phone call from or plan to place a call to House and Senate staff and members."
Barbara Comstock, director of the Office of Public Affairs at the Justice Department, said the directive simply reflected "longstanding practice of this department, predating this administration." It was intended to coordinate efforts to keep Congress informed, Ms. Comstock said, adding, "It is a way of folks knowing what's going on in our department."
Ms. Comstock rejected Mr. Grassley's contention that the order was intended to silence department officials who wanted to tell Congress of shortcomings in the department. "This doesn't have anything to do with whistle-blowers," she said. "Whistle-blowers have all the protection of the Whistle-Blower Act," which forbids reprisals by supervisors.
Senator Grassley was not the only skeptic. Senator Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont, the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee and a frequent critic of secrecy in the Justice Department, said, "If this was intended to facilitate answers, that would be one thing. But the administration's overwhelming impulse has been to limit the flow of information, and that has made Congressional oversight of this Justice Department a neverending ordeal."
Like his boss, Jesus Johnny A works in mysterious ways...and he's going to keep it that way. It's his country, you just live in it.
posted by tbogg at 11:16 PM
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A serious discussion of something that won't happen
Paul Krugman discusses Gephardt's health care trial balloon. Here's the great quote to remember when discussing Bush's tax cut:
Most Americans were never going to get much of a tax cut, anyway. If all the Bush tax cuts — those actually passed in 2001, and those the administration is now pushing — were fully in effect, they would reduce annual taxes collected per family by about $2,500. But averages can be deeply misleading. When Bill Gates enters a bar, the average net worth of the patrons soars, but that doesn't make everyone in the bar a billionaire.
posted by tbogg at 11:01 PM
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As if the bowtie wasn't enough to make you disregard him
Little Tucker Carlson. Glad he's not on our side. Here's the kind of debate you get from him:
CARLSON: And why won't you answer the simple question, what is wrong with bestiality? Now, I'm asking it; you dismiss it as if it's a joke, but it's not a joke.
SHRUM: I think it is clearly a terrible thing to do to animals who absolutely have no say in this, have no free will, no volition. But if you want to do this, go ahead.
CARLSON: Are you a vegetarian, is that what you're saying?
Remember...it's not a joke. Tucker said so....
posted by tbogg at 10:57 PM
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T-Ball Tom Brokaw
I guess we shouldn't be suprised, Tom Brokaw long ago stopped being a journalist. Now he's just your standard issue talking head with an uncontrollable compulsion for stalking WWII vets. But this interview with the Steely Eyed Rocket Man...egads. Bush hasn't had his leg humped like this since...well, when was the last time Howard Fineman dropped by?
Here are some of the important things T-Ball Tom asked Prince Hal Young Churchill George:
Q Let me ask you about that day that the prisoners were captured. Everything played out on television. There's been probably no more televised event in the history of mankind. Suddenly you look on the screen and from Iraqi television there are five American prisoners of war, including a woman who was a cook, Shoshana Johnson.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I believe that was a Sunday. And it was a tough day. It was a tough day for America, it was a tough day for the Commander-in-Chief, who committed these young soldiers into battle in the first place. Which made their release even more joyous. But war is -- it's tough.
Q Did you make some calls?
THE PRESIDENT: No, I didn't. I've written a lot of letters, but I didn't call any parents then. I prayed for them, but I didn't call.
Q Did you talk to Laura about it? THE PRESIDENT: I did. I talked to Laura a lot during this period of time. She's been a steady source of strength and inspiration and love. You know, any time there's war and a lot of action, a lot of movement of troops and equipment, people are -- there's going to be death. And it's the hardest aspect of this job, frankly, is to know that those lives were lost because of orders I gave.
and this:
Q As you know, there's still a lot of skepticism around the world about American motives in Iraq.
THE PRESIDENT: Right.
Q Why not fold in some of the U.N. inspectors to this effort, not turn it over to them, but make them a part of it? Would that help with the credibility, do you think?
THE PRESIDENT: I think there's going to be skepticism until people find out there was, in fact, a weapons of mass destruction program. One thing there can't be skepticism about is the fact that this guy was torturous and brutal on the Iraqi people. I mean, he brutalized them, he tortured them, he destroyed them, he cut out their tongues when they dissented. And now the people are beginning to see what freedom means within Iraq. Look at the Shia marches, or the Shia pilgrimages that are taking place.
The world will see that the United States is interested in peace, is interested in security and interested in freedom.
Q But it is important to find the weapons of mass destruction, or the evidence that he had a massive program underway, isn't it?
THE PRESIDENT: Yes. I think we will. I'm pretty confident we will.
and then:
Q Were you surprised by the degree of looting that occurred almost instantly?
THE PRESIDENT: No, I wasn't surprised at all.
Q You were not? Why?
THE PRESIDENT: I mean, these were people that hated the regime under which they lived.
Q But they went after hospitals and museums and --
THE PRESIDENT: I don't like that part. And that was the -- you know, the hospitals and museum were the absolute worst part. The good news is, is that the hospitals are now up and running, they've got enough medical supplies to take care of the people that need help. That museum was a terrible incident. I couldn't agree more with people who say we're sorry that happened. We are, by the way, helping find treasure, restore treasure and we'll provide all the expertise and help they need to get that museum up and running again.
and finally:
Q Did your dad talk to you every day?
THE PRESIDENT: No. I check-in with him on occasion but, now, we don't talk every day.
Q How about Barbara, what does she have to say, your mother?
THE PRESIDENT: She's as feisty as ever. She's doing well. She doesn't follow everything in the news and the opinion like Dad does; he's an every word man.
Q Do you seek his counsel? It's a little tricky. Here's your father, somebody that you revered and love, and he's been there before. But at the same time, you're now the President. How do you work that out?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I really don't spend a lot of time hashing over policy with him. He knows that I am much better informed than he could possibly be. He gives me -- our relationship is more of, and our conversations are more along the line of a dad and a son, a dad conveying to his son how much he loves him. Which is important, even at the age of 56 years old it's important.
Q Did you call him the day the statue came down of Saddam Hussein?
THE PRESIDENT: I can't remember.
Q Because that was a memorable day.
THE PRESIDENT: It was. It was.
Q Did you watch all that?
THE PRESIDENT: I watched some of it. As you know, I've got a schedule to keep; I don't have time to sit around watching TV all day long. But somebody -- I think the Ashley or Blake said, the statue, they're about to get it down. They had a guy hammering on it for a while, and I watched the hammering --
Q It took a while to pull it down.
THE PRESIDENT: I watched them hammer. And then they said, they're hooking it up and they've got the crane out there. And I said, well, let me know. They said, well, it's about to come down. So I hustled and then watched it.
Q And what about the Iraqi information minister? (Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: He's my man, he was great. (Laughter.) Somebody accused us of hiring him and putting him there. He was a classic.
Q Al-Sahhaf.
THE PRESIDENT: Al-Sahhaf.
Q He said: we are repulsing them at the airport, this war is just about over. (Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: He was great. (Laughter.)
Q Did you watch him actually? (Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: I did watch some of his clips. You know, a lot of the stuff I get, people come in and report to me -- did you hear what so-and-so said, or, did you see that? So I get a lot of things secondhand.
But in the case of the statue or Sahhaf, somebody would say, he's getting ready to speak, and I'd pop out of a meeting or turn and watch the TV
It goes without saying that on any substantial question, Brokaw allows Bush to bluster his way through with scarcely a peep from Tom.
Got to keep that access, Tom.
Pathetic.
posted by tbogg at 10:34 PM
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Santorum Redux
I linked to this back in March, but considering all the press that Never Had A Blowjob Rick is getting, I thought it might be of interest to those who haven't read it before.
Keep in mind as you read it that the lovely Karen Santorum is now pregnant with their eighth child leaving her little time to file more of the kind of frivolous lawsuits that her husband thinks should be capped.
posted by tbogg at 1:29 PM
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Can I laugh now?...Now?....How 'bout now?
Many bloggers have written about the death of the great Nina Simone (including this one over at Body & Soul) but few, if any, have mentioned the passing of the legendary Charles Rolland "Charlie" Douglass.
Okay. He was the guy who invented canned laughter without which we would never have known when to laugh at something Bob Saget said.
We'll miss you, Charlie.
[cue gentle laughter.... fading into end of show applause........good, that's a wrap]
posted by tbogg at 1:08 PM
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"...comparing homos to child rapers and kin-pumpin' Mormons"
Well, you just knew the folks over at whitehouse.org were going to be all over this like a man on a dog, or whatever it is that Santorum does when his wife is cranking out another baby:
SENATOR SANTORUM: Good morning. I want to thank the President for inviting me to join him today. As you know, recent comments by yours truly, asserting not only that Americans have no Constitutional right to privacy, but also accurately comparing homos to child rapers and kin-pumpin' Mormons, have whipped up Washington's smartypants sodomite elite into a pink-codpiece-chafing snit. And though it seems increasingly likely that I may have suffered a gruesomely damaging self-inflicted political blow, I'm going to hold my ground on this one – just like the snarling little Pennsyltucky froofy dog that I am
posted by tbogg at 12:48 PM
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A lovely letter from lovely Zurich
One of the benefits to all the time that I put into blogging is getting to "meet" people through the blog, many of whom are alternately brilliant or entertaining or just fun to hear from. Thought I would share a very nice e-mail from Andrew in Zurich:
*****************************
Dear Tom
I cycle to work -- 45 minutes each way. (And since it's Switzerland, there is a bike lane the whole way, and nobody ever honks, yells, flips me the bird, etc. for riding my silly little bike on their road.) It was lovely this morning -- sunny, just slightly cool, flowers blooming; a pleasant spring morning. I'm listening to the new Lucinda Williams CD while riding and it was great -- the sublime pleasure of hearing new music that is destined to become a good friend.
Then I get to work and -- as is my habit -- read the papers and skim the blogs. And experience the range of emotions that the news brings these days -- disbelief, anger, confusion, despair ... and so on and so on.
How did this happen? I've only been out of the country for two-and-a-half years and the US today just seems so completely unfathomable.
Anyway, I think that Mario Cocco has a good take on the Euro reaction.
From Tuesday's TSC:
Europeans Are Baffled by Bush's America
I also sense the beginnings of a change in attitudes here about the US. That is, the Euros used to make a distinction between the Administration and the people. In the recent period, the headline for this was: dislike/distrust the Prez and his Administration, (generally) admire/respect the US -- or least the idea of the US (liberty, energy, tolerance, etc.). Gross generalizations, of course, and there is a much longer and more nuanced discussion around the general topic of "Euro attitudes," but I don't have the time or skill to develop it further than this.
I sense that the second part of the headline may be changing. Or at least is being scrutinized. I sense that many Europeans are asking themselves, "Remind me again what it was that I admired about the US? And its people?" The papers here report the poll results, i.e., that 70% of Americans now" support" the war in Iraq and that equivalent numbers "approve" of the Prez's actions and performance. They also watch CNN and, as others have noted, are shocked by the propaganda quality of the reporting. As I talk about "stuff" with my colleagues (mixed group from several different countries), they are very perplexed by all this. And it appears that the distinction between the Administration and the country is beginning to blur. While they recognize that Administrations -- and policies – come and go, they have perhaps clung to the belief that there are certain fundamentals about the US and its people that don't change. Or that don't change much. Now, the comments I hear suggest a concern that the US – as a collection of ideas, values, aspirations, etc. -- is turning into something quite new and different. And something that is very, very scary. There is an apprehension and wariness about the US -- not just the Administration -- that I hadn't seen before.
Yes, the "PACE" flags are ubiquitous in Italy (and are becoming more common here in Switzerland). But I suspect that more and more the message is not directed just at the cabal in Washington, but more generally at the American people.
Early days and this, too, could pass. But it IS starting to feel different.
I don't know if my ramblings are interesting to you .... but I really like your blog and just wanted to, you know, share these thoughts with you.
One other thing: I liked your comment awhile back about your daughter's reading To Kill A Mockingbird. You wrote: Told in the voice of a wise child, it is the tale of being an adult. How we lose things as we grow older and have to find lesser things to fill up the space. This really resonated with me because at the same time my daughter (turns 10 next week) was reading (and re-reading) The Diary of Ann Frank. I was a little concerned that she wouldn't have the emotional maturity for this quite yet, but we've talked about it a lot and she seems to have a pretty good sense of the sorrow -- and joy -- of the story. I mention this because we're leaving tonight for a long weekend in Amsterdam. I'm very much looking forward to taking her to Ann Frank's house, which, if you have not been there, truly is a living bit of history. Incredibly moving. I suspect the experience of fixing the story with the actual spaces in which it took place will be very .... uh, profound? meaningful? the words all seem so banal ... for her. (And later in the spring we hope to make a trip to Verdun so my son can have a similar complement to his recent reading of All Quiet on the Western Front.)
So, yeah, as we grow older, we do have to find lesser things to fill the space. Especially in these crazy times. Like the pleasure of watching my kids learn about -- and hopefully learn from -- history in a very intimate way. And good new CDs. And Manchester United's masterful 4-3 defeat of Real Madrid in last night's Champions League match. (Totally brilliant. If you can catch it on cable or get a copy, highly recommended. Ronaldo is awesome early on, then Beckham comes in late and steals the show.) And my great good fortune to be living in a small, affluent, heavily armed, widely bike-laned and staunchly neutral land.
Sorry again for the rambling. Quiet at work and probably drank too much coffee.
Best regards,
Andrew
posted by tbogg at 12:04 PM
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What a difference a headline makes...
Remember his headline form Drudge yesterday:
TEARS ON TV: DIXIE CHICKS EXPLAIN BUSH BASHING
making it sound like the Dixie Chicks were getting all weepy and apologetic to the Steely Eyed Rocket Man.
Here's today's CNN's headline on the same story:
Chicks defiant with interview, nude cover
Band defends antiwar sentiments, cites concerns about safety
Hmmmm. That sounds slightly different....
posted by tbogg at 11:15 AM
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"The banal secret about our most hyper-moralistic politicians is they generally have dirtier minds than the rest of us"
Matt Bivens:
(Santorum):"The idea [now holding sway] is that the state doesn't have rights to limit individuals' wants and passions. I disagree with that. I think we absolutely have rights because there are consequences to letting people live out whatever wants or passions they desire."
Time was when the Republican Party stood, rhetorically anyway, for people shouldering their own risks, reaping their own rewards, and paying the consequences of living out their wants or passions. That's too tolerant, however, for the born-again-Bush Republicans: People must be sheltered from perceived personal failures by a government that "absolutely" has the right to know what's going on in your bed room and to "limit" your pursuit of happiness. In Santorum's world, those who cheat on their spouses would be hauled in for questioning; while only eternal vigilance would protect America's Labrador Retrievers from being violated by their owners. That's sick. A man like that has no business in government.
posted by tbogg at 10:39 AM
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The party of compassion
Barry over at Bloggy wants to remind us of how Republicans view gays.
posted by tbogg at 9:01 AM
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Coming soon to a rodeo grounds near you.
It’s the All Hat, No Battle Tour™.
The Ruffriders of the Swinging D, three country superstars, none of whom ever served in the military that they so bravely salute. Join Darryl Worley, Toby Keith, and Clint Black as they sing songs of jingoism and vengeance while looking like they're posing for gay cowboy porn.
They’re young...they’re butch...and they wear hats.
posted by tbogg at 8:37 AM
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Wednesday, April 23, 2003
Let's not forget about Dale Petrosky
When last seen, the Baseball Hall of Fame President and former Reagan Administration liar was making a pathetic attempt at apologizing to Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon after undergoing a metamorphosis from "obscure ass" to National Ass of the Week . Strange as it may seem, Petrosky actually gets paid for, well, doing HOF Presidenting stuff. Who pays him?
We do:
Congress' doling out $90,000 to Fort Worth's National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, $350,000 to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and $750,000 to the Baseball Hall of Fame prompted one Arizona lawmaker to suggest a Pork Barrel Hall of Fame.
Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., was so put out by his colleagues -- many fellow Republicans -- that he blasted them for earmarking the funding in the $397.4 billion spending bill Congress approved Thursday.
"I've got nothing against cowgirls, rock and roll or baseball, but why are my tax dollars paying for their halls of fame?" Flake asked. "This would be laughable if it wasn't so serious."
[snip]
The $750,000 for the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y., was offered by Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, the powerful chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. The congressman who represents the district, Rep. Sherwood Boelhert, R-N.Y., was unaware of the provision beforehand, his press secretary said, and a spokesman for the museum did not know of the funding
Your tax dollars at work.
Thanks to soundbitten for the link.
posted by tbogg at 10:46 PM
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So much for Operation Iraqi Freedom
What? Do they think this is a democracy or something?
BAGHDAD, Iraq, April 23 — The American military moved today to strip Baghdad's self-appointed administrator of his authority and warned Iraqi factions not to take advantage of the confusion and the political void in the country by trying to grab power.
Lt. Gen. David McKiernan, the commander of ground forces in Iraq, issued a proclamation putting Iraq's politicians on notice, saying, "The coalition alone retains absolute authority within Iraq." He warned that anyone challenging the American-led authority would be subject to arrest.
Freedom's just another word for you ain't ready for it yet.
Meanwhile....
Ever hear the expression "he could f*** up a wetdream"? Here's America screwing up giving away money:
By the time angry Iraqis called the town councilmen liars and the councilmen began shouting at their American and British sponsors, it was clear that the U.S. attempt to deliver dollars to unpaid Iraqi government workers was not going well.
The idea was simple enough. The Bush administration, to buy time and goodwill, would pay $20 to Iraqis who have gone without salaries since the war to overthrow Saddam Hussein began five weeks ago. The cash would help the wheezing economy and boost faith in the U.S.-led occupation.
But nothing worked out as planned today in the southern port town of Umm Qasr. The giveaway was abandoned, and the U.S. money caravan retreated with its cargo of $130,780 in small bills.
[snip]
The first part of the mission went well: The cash arrived under U.S. guard in neat bricks of ones, fives and tens. U.S. officials chose the allotment after reasoning that the smaller bills would be easier to spend. But they were soon informed by Iraqis that single dollar bills are difficult for average people to use. Iraqis in Umm Qasr, it emerged, are most likely to change the dollars for Iraqi dinars, the currency in use before the war. And because money-changers prefer bills that are larger and more portable, a $20 bill is worth 25 to 50 percent more on the informal currency market than 20 $1 bills.
"All right, we learned a lesson," Buck Walters, head of the U.S. postwar effort in southern Iraq, told an Iraqi official as they studied a black footlocker containing the bills.
All workers in Umm Qasr who worked for the government or the many government-controlled industries were entitled to a payment of $20, using rolls active when the war began. The new town council, which volunteered to fill a power vacuum after the Baath Party government fell, decided that payments would take place simultaneously at six different schools.
But the council members forgot to choose people to keep records and hand out the cash. Then they came up with 210 more names than the Americans had. After the Iraqis huddled, exactly 210 names disappeared. Lt. Col. Peter A. Jones, the British commander who has been pressing the Iraqis to handle matters themselves, reported to Walters, "Democracy in action, sir, 210 people have been taken off the list."
Such unanticipated delays kept men in trousers and women in black head-to-toe robes waiting at the schools in 90-degree heat for money they had been told they would receive today. After helping to count the money into six piles, a British soldier did a quick calculation and reckoned it would take 29 hours to empty the largest box of cash if a worker claimed a payment every 30 seconds.
It was after 1 p.m. when the well-guarded motorcade reached one school, only to find the worst of two worlds. Not enough people were present to justify setting up a table, but those who showed up were furious. Tensions rose on both sides of the gate as the outsiders blamed the town council and the council blamed the foreigners.
Call them the Coalition That Couldn't Shoot Straight.
posted by tbogg at 10:05 PM
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Another supporter of Santorum
I don't dispute that individual fairies may be fine folks. But, I am offended by any effort that attempts to equate faggitude with normalcy or to attack anyone who is unwilling to make such a comparison. Fairies are deviant perverts, always eager to spread their sexual preferences to clean, fresh meat.
Fairy practices are not normal, fairies are not normal. No level of protest, mincing, or bitching will change that. Politicians who are fairies or are afraid of fairies and, therefore, try to argue that faggitude is equal to normalcy are just flat out wrong.
And, for fairies and their political "friends" to argue that I don't have the righht to express such an opinion is also wrong
-From Free Republic
Remember.....
The Republican Party: Come for the racism…stay for the homophobia™
posted by tbogg at 9:55 PM
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Going where no Ben has ever gone before
I guess it had to happen. The Virgin Ben weighs in on the whole Santorum debacle:
Gay rights and the end of American morality
Where do you draw the moral line regarding sexual behavior? Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), a Catholic, draws the line at homosexuality. Regarding a pending Supreme Court case on the Texas state sodomy law, Santorum told the Associated Press: "If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual (gay) sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything."
This statement was directly in line with the Judeo-Christian values upon which this country is based. Gay and lesbian activist groups immediately attacked him
[snip]
This issue comes down to the conflict between Judeo-Christian morality and arbitrary morality. The gay-rights advocates I interviewed were forced to admit that their logic gives bigamists and polygamists the right to pursue their lifestyle legally. Their stated moral boundaries changed during the course of our conversations.
While there can be a reasoned debate about whether the state has business legislating sexual activity, there can be no doubt that any moral system condoning homosexuality must also let other, less widely accepted sexual practices through the door. If that fluid, careless amalgam of values based on feelings and personal logic ever takes precedence, America will suffer the fate of ancient Rome.
Leaving aside the fact that we don't live in a theocracy (yet), the Virgin Ben immediately confuses subjects like bigamy and polygamy with sex, something I needn't remind you Ben is intimately not acquainted with. Carrying the argument further we have to assume that Ben figures the main feature and benefit of marriage is specifically for the readily availability of sex.
Boy, is he in for a suprise.....
posted by tbogg at 9:29 PM
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Just a reminder....
DRUDGE REPORT editor Matt Drudge is set to make a rare public appearance on Wednesday, April 23, 2003 at Philadelphia's University of the Arts.
In a freewheeling downtown discussion on internet and news trends, Drudge will be introduced by university professor of humanities and media studies, Camille Paglia.
One likes girls...the other doesn't.
I'll buy a copy of Big Lies for the person who hits either one of them with a pie.
posted by tbogg at 4:15 PM
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Thank the deity of your choice for editorial cartoonists
Danziger
Sargent
Toles
and let's not forget the Boondocks
posted by tbogg at 4:11 PM
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This just in....
Greens are still stupid.
Far from being chastened by the way life has turned out under Bush -- the U.S. launched on neo-imperial expansionism and a massive military buildup, civil liberties under wide assault, deficits soaring and government programs being slashed, and the influence of the Christian right being demonstrated in everything from judicial appointments to Pentagon prayer meetings -- many Green Party officials still cling to their line that there's little difference between Republicans and Democrats. "I've never been so disgusted in my life as seeing how the Democrats contributed to going to war in Iraq," says Medea Benjamin. "They simply capitulated, with the leadership telling the party that they should vote for Bush's war resolution to get the whole Iraq thing behind them. It was a repeat of the Florida debacle, where the Gore campaign refused to let their supporters take to the streets. They told Jesse to go home -- I was there, I was flabbergasted! They're not interested in activating people, they're interested in raising money."
Some even advocate running Greens against progressive Democrats, as the California Green Party is considering doing against Barbara Boxer in next year's Senate race. "It can push the campaign dialogue away from the right, by making left-wing Democrats run to the left," says Robinson.
As for running a Green Party candidate for president in 2004, Robinson admits that "Bush has certainly given me pause; in fact I think Greens everywhere are thinking about it." But in the end, she says, it's more important to build the party than to defeat Bush -- and to do that, the Greens need to run a national campaign. "If we didn't run a presidential candidate, our organizing efforts would be set back years," says Robinson, who divides her time between the Green Party and law school at the University of Michigan. "Under state election laws, you need to field a candidate to maintain your line on the ballot. Running a national race also gives you invaluable exposure. If we didn't run a candidate next year, it would just confirm in voters' minds their suspicion that we're simply a different shade of Democrat."
But some high-profile Greens, like Medea Benjamin, are clearly more torn over 2004. "I wonder if we would have gone to war under Gore. I certainly think we would have had a better chance of stopping it. Seeing what Bush is doing to this country and our standing in the international community, I'm having great dilemmas about the next race. Never before have I felt the need for a multiparty system, but never before have I felt so afraid of another Republican presidency. I'm stunned by how extremist the Bush presidency has become on foreign policy. We never could have predicted this."
It's gotta be the hemp. I blame it on the hemp.....
posted by tbogg at 10:39 AM
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No. It's not the Onion. It only reads like the Onion.
I have to give Roger Ailes a ton of credit for turning up this nugget:
William F. Buckley Jr.’s latest novel, Getting It Right, is set in the upheaval of the 1960s. The Cuban missile crisis has brought the Communist threat to within miles of the United States, and extremist movements roil the American Right.
Two college students, Woodroe Raynor and Leonora Goldstein, meet in the fall of 1960. They embark on separate paths: Woodroe goes to work for the indiscriminately anti-Communist John Birch Society, while Leonora becomes a novitiate in the libertarian-objectivist cult of novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand. But a singular romance blooms as they make their way through a tumultuous era, navigating the political fault line that would change American history.
Woodroe, a former Mormon missionary to Austria, has experienced firsthand the workings of Communist repression, and has the bullet wound to prove Soviet tenacity. Through his eyes, we see how anti-Communism defined American politics, and how Communist-in-every-bed extremists nearly defeated their own cause.
Leonora, meanwhile, works at the feet of the brilliant, resourceful, and imaginative Ayn Rand. Through her, we witness how sexual passion shaped Rand’s movement.
Along the way, Buckley takes us into John F. Kennedy’s Oval Office as the president wrestles with Castro, the Soviet Union, and his domestic opponents in the GOP. We are at Oxford, Mississippi, when student riots overwhelm the city following the court-ordered integration of Ole Miss. We go into backroom meetings with Barry Goldwater as he fights for the presidency, dogged by demands that he disavow the radical conservatives. And, along with the Warren Commission, which is probing the assassination of President Kennedy, we enter a bizarre world of domestic political intrigue.
Buckley sweeps us along, as we meet and mingle with some of the towering figures of that age, from Robert Kennedy to Richard Nixon, from General Douglas MacArthur to the blustering General Edwin Walker. There is a glimpse of a bright young economist named Alan Greenspan, and of an energetic young journalist named Bill Buckley.
Getting It Right has all the Buckley trademarks—wit, passion, and a heady view of political life. It is a riveting story and an original contribution to the history of postwar America.
I sooooooo want a copy of this. Does anyone have a review copy? I need it. I want it. I must have it.
And there is this: Woodroe Raynor and Leonora Goldstein
Remind anyone else of Hubbell Gardner and Katie Morosky?
Nah.....
posted by tbogg at 9:43 AM
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Wait until the royalty check start rolling in....
Taking a cue from perky widow/entrepreneur Lisa Beamer of Let’s Roll™ fame, I went ahead and trademarked the following before the Republicans have a chance to hold their Presidential Nominating Convention Coronation in New York.
The Republican Party: Come for the racism…stay for the homophobia™
I figure I can retire on the t-shirts sales from Rick Santorum’s office alone.
posted by tbogg at 9:31 AM
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Take the Fredo challenge....
David Limbaugh, the lamprey of the Limbaugh family, tries to defend accusing anti-war protestors of being un-patriotic:
We've heard a lot of bellyaching from liberals in the past few months about the "unfair" questioning of their patriotism. Aside from the merits of the charge, it occurs to me that liberals are finally getting a taste of their own medicine.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not childishly invoking "turnabout is fair play" or "what is good for the goose is good for the gander." But the Left's hypocrisy is quite pronounced here.
For as long as I can remember, I've witnessed the Left's assertions of moral superiority. They've forever labeled conservatives as reactionaries and themselves as progressives; they've smugly contrasted their compassion with our heartlessness, their egalitarianism with our racism. Their attacks have been categorical and based on our beliefs more than our actions, saying, in effect, that conservatives, by virtue of their conservatism , are morally inferior creatures.
In those cases where conservatives have arguably impugned the patriotism of certain liberals -- such as the Hollywood types -- they have done so on a case-specific basis. They haven't impugned liberals across the board just because large pockets of liberals have uttered indefensibly shrill and often pathetically conspiratorial criticisms of America's motives and policies during wartime.
...and speaking of "indefensibly shrill":
"Tim Robbins, who thinks he can say any thing at any time . . . I have a question: How is it that Tim Robbins is still walking free?"
-Rush Limbaugh
posted by tbogg at 9:21 AM
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The Churchill of West Georgia College
Frank Gaffney says:
The speech former House Speaker Newt Gingrich delivered Tuesday at the American Enterprise Institute may be one of the most important foreign-policy addresses by a former national leader since Winston Churchill warned in March 1946 that "an iron curtain has descended across the [European] Continent."
[snip]
Like Churchill, Gingrich is not only an accomplished public-policy practitioner. He is also a serious student of history. That being the case, the former Speaker appreciates — as did the former British prime minister — the challenges of understanding the import of historical trends as they are happening.
Yet, in his withering critique of Colin Powell's State Department, Gingrich has correctly identified a flaw every bit as ominous for the present era as was an earlier generation's sanguine postwar view that "Uncle Joe" was still an ally and partner for peace: the hostility the diplomats of Foggy Bottom feel for President Bush's international agenda and, not surprisingly, their chronic failure to advance it effectively on the world stage.
Wait a minute...I thought George W Bush, the Steely Eyed Rocket Man, was Churchill? Or is he Prince Hal this week? I'm not sure. I didn't get this weeks Rove-agram. Maybe Howard Fineman will fax me his...
posted by tbogg at 9:03 AM
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Hi. My name is Jonah. Wanna buy a magazine to keep me off the streets and out of gangs?
Pudgy mamma's boy, Jonah Goldberg is earning his keep over at NR.
One of the most frequent comments we hear from our readers is how grateful they are for the ammo we provide them for arguments with liberal classmates, co-workers, and infuriating in-laws. Well, as Tommy Franks likes to say: “Speed kills — the enemy.” And that’s why we’re announcing our version of Special Forces National Review. The key to special ops is to move fast, pack light, and deliver a hell of a lot of firepower. In that spirit, we’re announcing National Review Express. This is an abridged, e-mail version of National Review. The big 1-2 punch comes with the cover story and the lead editorial from every issue. But for the door-to-door fighting and stealth combat with liberal opponents there are special-use features as well.
For just pennies a day you can make sure that Jonah will attend a nice summer camp where he can get some fresh air and maybe lose a few pounds. Won't you please help?
posted by tbogg at 8:55 AM
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Hitting all the right notes
The NY Times MoDowd pretty much covers everything today, from Rummy to Rove to Newt to dead baby fetishist Rick Santorum. Then there is the WMD's:
Administration officials have whispered other fears to reporters — that some of the weapons of mass destruction may have been removed to sell on the terrorism black market, accelerating the proliferation they had hoped to prevent. Or that Saddam loyalists are sneaking back into the government, waiting for the Americans, with their short attention spans, to pull out.
Quick. Someone run the film of the statue coming down.
USA! USA! USA!
posted by tbogg at 8:35 AM
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Tuesday, April 22, 2003
"To us, he encompasses suavity,"
From cheesy " news" operation:
"You are so cute and intelligent."
"I believe he is the first bald man I have ever been attracted to!!!"
No, these are not accolades for Bruce Willis, rather excerpts from fan mail to White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer posted on the Web. Not since the heady days of mini Adonis George Stephanopoulos has a presidential spinmeister received such attention from the ladies.
"My friend and I have our own 'club' for Ari and are big fans!" wrote two girls from Washington State on Ari Fan Club, one of several sites devoted to Fleischer. "He is just very comforting and ... nice. He is so eloquent and trustable! We are definitely fans of Ari! ... We're two teenage girls with a political icon crush! Strange? Yes! But he's a cool guy!"
The site, which features a decidedly pro-White House, anti-Susan Sarandon sentiment, includes a tribute page to Fleischer, which blasts "My Country 'Tis of Thee" while a Web surfer can meditate on a photograph of a curly-locked young Ari.
To really cheesy website (danger...turn down your sound):
"Well, I get up at about five in the morning and have breakfast for about an hour where I read the newspapers. I get in to the office at about 7 o'clock, 7:15, and I meet with my staff to go over any issue that we see in the newspapers that could present a problem for the administration.
Then I go to senior staff meeting at 7:30 and have a couple of more staff meetings to help me prepare for the gaggle. And then I do the gaggle."
Oh...and don't miss this admonition at the bottom of the site:
All emails sent to ProBush.com are monitored by the U.S. Government
Your tax dollars at work.
posted by tbogg at 2:18 PM
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Bush picks up HUGE endorsement
The "Hollywood left" is waving the white flag. President "Fantastic Guy" snags the all-important Ricky Schroder endorsement:
Schroder, who is not shy about his conservative views, also met with President Bush during his brief D.C. stint. "He's a fantastic guy, let me tell you that," Schroder said. "I told him I wanted to help him get reelected."
I believe that this puts President(sic) Bush only a Franklyn Seales and a Jason Bateman away from the coveted Silver Spoons trifecta.
Karl Rove is still in heavy negotiations with Saved by the Bell's Mark-Paul Gosselaar, and Dustin Diamond who played the hilarious, yet sensitive, Screech.
posted by tbogg at 1:34 PM
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Stranger Dr. Laura
I was out this afternoon and had the extreme, almost orgasmic, pleasure to hear Dr. Laura on the radio. Between the shrill hectoring and the constant interrupting of her fans, she managed to squeeze in plugs for her new children's book: Where's God?. Needless to say, my nipples hardened at the thought of yet another Dr. Laura kids book, following in the steps of " Yes Deryk. That's Mommy Up On the Pornsite" and the recent bestseller " Look What Happens When You Don't Call Your Mother" which contained this timeless opening paragraph:
“Mother died today. Or maybe yesterday, I don’t know. I had a telegram from home: ‘mother passed away. Funeral tomorrow. Yours sincerely.’ That doesn’t mean anything. It may have been yesterday.”
posted by tbogg at 12:58 PM
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Good news....
We're at 2077 signatures.
I think that's more than the number of people who saw Reindeer Games. I know it's more than those who saw Bounce.
Interesting to note that IMDB lists Affleck in the original movie-version of Buffy the Vampirer Slayer as "Basketball player #10". Who knew that his career had peaked?
posted by tbogg at 10:08 AM
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Schools for scandal
Roger Ailes (not the evil one) used a bit of Den Bestian logic the other day to point out that I might be Scott Peterson.
I'm not, of course. At least I don't remember my career counselor mentioning "fertlizer salesman" as a career option.
But in the interest of disclosure I should point out that next year my daughter will be going to the same high school that Scott Peterson went to, and that I went to the same high school that David Westerfield, murderer of Danielle Van Dam, went to. My brother was on the wrestling team with Westerfield, a team that also included Mike Martz, coach of the St Louis Rams.
The high school that my daughter will be attending all produced last years AL Cy Young award winner Barry Zito, possible NL Cy Young award winner Mark Prior, WUSA star Mandy Clemens, and PGA pro Phil Mickelson who has never won a major.
...and a bunch of doctors and lawyers and restaurant owners and guys who sell cars who don't kill their wives and unborn kids.....
posted by tbogg at 9:30 AM
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Now that the war is over.....
Where, oh where are the WMD's?
Do you think John Ashcroft will find time to track down domestic terrorist Eric Rudolph?
Did you know the Bush administration is going to create 1.4 million jobs?
What's going on with Jeffrey Skilling and Ken Lay? You remember Enron, don't you?
Does it seem right that George Bush is going to use the 9/11 anniversary of the death of three thousand people on his watch, to launch his campaign?
Are you going to spend any time watching Laura Schlessinger spend more time in one evening talking to Larry King about her mother than she actually spent talking to her mother in the year before she died alone and unnoticed by her daughter?
Why is notorious chickenhawk and adulterer Newt Gingrich allowed to be a part of the Pentagon advisory committee? Does Rick Santorum know this serial fornicator is calling the shots?
Did you see Prof. Instapundit wash his hands and change the subject all at the same time?
Does anyone really care about this?
And did you know that asking yourself questions and then answering them is a perfectly acceptable way of avoiding the ugly truth?
posted by tbogg at 9:00 AM
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Monday, April 21, 2003
All butched up
If you are attending the NRA's Annual Meeting and Shootapalooza™ in Orlando this week, remember to leave your "manhood" back at the hotel if you're planning on attending the Toby Keith concert Friday night. While Florida recognizes most state's conceal carry laws, they don't allow guns in the Orange County Convention Center.
Kinda takes the fun out of a Keith concert if'n you can't shoot yer gun in the air after he sings "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (Angry American)".
And is it just me that finds a certain amount of gay subtext on Keith's website? You be the judge:
TOBY FLAMES BIG TIME!
Toby was the busiest artist in Nashville when he took home three Flameworthy "Flame" awards on the CMT broadcast Monday night. "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (Angry American)" was the video vehicle for Toby's awards for "Video of the Year", "Male Video Artist" and "Cocky Video".
Kind of gives new meaning to Pull My Chain. Oh, and here's the image Toby (nice butch name that it is) hopes you don't remember.
Hey. I report....you decide.
posted by tbogg at 11:29 AM
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Oh Florida....
Al Kamen has a few interesting notes from Florida, the Banana Republic State:
Bush replied April 8, thanking Steve for his inquiry. "I enjoy reading letters from students who live all over our great country," he began. (After all, Pennsylvania is a crucial state for anyone with presidential aspirations.) "To help you with your research paper on the Electoral College, I have forwarded you [sic] letter to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) in Washington, D.C. The DNC will have all the information you need on The Electoral College, how it works, and examples. You may also contact that office at (202) 863-8000.
"Please give my best regards to your family, teachers and friends," Bush wrote. "I wish you great success with your term paper and encourage you to study hard and make good grades. Best wishes for a bright and successful future."
What is going on here? How is it possible that Bush's office would refer Steve to the DNC and not the Republican National Committee? This has to be some Democrat-inspired setup, yes?
posted by tbogg at 8:51 AM
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Ask Andy
That would be Andy Card...not the Pope of Provincetown.
posted by tbogg at 8:24 AM
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Sunday, April 20, 2003
Hey Joe....secular democracy begins at home
Joe "Never Gonna Be President" Lieberman:
Sen. Joe Lieberman, a Democratic presidential candidate, praised the U.S. military performance in Iraq but urged the United States to accelerate its postwar reconstruction efforts.
"We've got to work hard to win the peace" in Iraq and transform the nation's political structure into a "representative, democratic government," Lieberman told CBS's "Face the Nation" news show. "Obviously, we don't want this to turn into a theocracy.
Theocracy here....and here...and here....and here...and here
posted by tbogg at 7:46 PM
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Have Jesus turn down my bed and leave a mint on the pillow
This is vaguely disturbing:
6 U.S. lawmakers live in house subsidized by religious group
WASHINGTON – Six members of Congress live in a $1.1 million Capitol Hill town house that is subsidized by a religious organization known as the Fellowship, tax records show.
The lawmakers pay low rent to live in the stately red brick, three-story house on C Street, two blocks from the Capitol.
It is maintained by the group, also known as the Foundation, which aims to bring together world leaders and elected officials through religion.
The Fellowship hosts receptions, luncheons and prayer meetings on the first two floors of the house, which is registered with the Internal Revenue Service as a church.
The six lawmakers – Reps. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn.; Bart Stupak, D-Mich.; Jim DeMint, R-S.C.; Mike Doyle, D-Pa.; and Sens. John Ensign, R-Nev., and Sam Brownback, R-Kan. – live in private rooms upstairs.
Rent is $600 a month, DeMint said.
[snip]
Its tenants dine together once a week to discuss religion in their daily lives.
"We do have a Bible study," said DeMint, a Presbyterian who asked to move into the house less than a year ago when there was a vacancy. "Somebody'll share a verse or a thought, but mostly it's more of an accountability group to talk about things that are going on in our lives, and how we're dealing with them."
Few in the Fellowship will talk about its mission.
Okay. It's actually a lot disturbing.
posted by tbogg at 7:12 PM
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Blame Canada.... With all their hockey hullabaloo...
Not content with being a garden variety racist:
We'd save lives because Mexican wetbacks, whatever you want to call them, the coyotes -- they're not going to do what they're doing now, so people aren't going to die in the desert.
or a failed comedian-type racist:
Members of the "Best Men," as the sixth-to-eighth-grade boys in the program are called, were delayed getting onstage to perform a lip-synced rendition of the Four Tops standard "Reach Out (I'll Be There)." O'Reilly ad-libbed: "Does anyone know where the Best Men are? I hope they're not in the parking lot stealing our hubcaps."
Bill O'Reilly has decided that those Molson-swilling, hockey-loving, Neil Young-producing, Canadians had better watch their ass or...well, let's let the No Spin-Meister shake his own little peepee at the Great White North:
Oh, Canada, what the heck is going on?
In a staggering display of in-your-face defiance, the Canadian government now says it will not turn over any members of Saddam Hussein's crew, should they eventually show up in Canada, to the USA - including the evil dictator himself!
Canadian Minister of Defense John McCallum bluntly told the world that his government would only give Saddam to the World Court in the Hague.
This non-provoked belligerence comes after Prime Minister Jean Chretien gleefully pilloried the Bush administration over fighting Iraq every chance he got.
[snip]
In response, President Bush has cancelled his May trip to Ottawa and it would be wise not to send him an autographed picture of the Montreal Canadian hockey team anytime soon.
That's because Montreal fans recently booed the National Anthem before a match with the New York Islanders causing some angst among American hockey fans who are not generally known for being too accepting of that kind of display.
But it doesn't end there.
When a group of Boston kids went up to Montreal to play in a peewee hockey tournament, they were not only taunted by the Canadian kids, but also by the referees. Eh?
My question is this:
Do the Canadian people have any idea how close they are to serious pain here?
"Serious pain"? I don't remember anything in Bill's bio about being in the WWF.
[snip]
So I am giving the haughty Jean Chretien one more chance because I have always liked and respected the Canadian people.
I am not going to travel north this summer but I'm not boycotting Canadian products as I am with France.
But hear this Mr. Prime Minister:
One more cheap shot, one more unnecessary taunt, one more insult directed at the USA by you or your minions, and I'll give you a very accurate long range forecast.
It's gonna get mighty cold mighty fast west of the St. Lawrence.
Chretien's response was "William O'Reilly peut me souffler"
Too bad Bill is boycotting anything French. He'll never know.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Speaking of boycotts, drop Vermont Teddy Bear's Public Relations Manager Nicole L'Huillier an email and ask her why they advertise on the website of a racist, and remember.... be nice about it, because you get more bears with honey than.....
posted by tbogg at 6:40 PM
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Shorter Prince of Darkness
Bob Novak informs us that:
Republican Senators see the judicial wars are turning into a no-win for their own ambitions
Ahmad Chalabi is Rumsfeld's kind of guy, and Rummy doesn't give a rat's ass what Powell thinks.
Pete Fitzgerald got tired of being pushed around by Republican pissants and is going to leave them a hole they probably won't be able to fill.
Mentioned Bill Frist without reminding us that he is a world-renowned surgeon and candidate for sainthood.
Pointed out that the NRA is fond of circular firing squads.
All that, in one short column.
posted by tbogg at 5:47 PM
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Take the skinheads rolling, take them rolling....
Bush does not plan to reach Washington until Monday afternoon, so the annual Easter Egg Roll on the White House lawn will be presided over by Lynne V. Cheney, wife of Vice President Cheney. The White House announced earlier this month that the event would be closed to the public for security reasons and that only military families would be allowed. About 12,000 are expected.
After the eggroll Ms. Cheney was expected to explain to the children how most eggs eventually would hatch to become productive chickens while a few aberrant ones became lesbian chickens who refused to lay and spent their days playing softball and listening to the Indigo Girls.
Child psycholgists and grief counselors were standing by...
posted by tbogg at 5:31 PM
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Wacky Catholic schoolgirl humor
Before my daughter took of on her Spring Break vacation to Palm Springs, she left me with this:
A boy who attended public school continually struggled with his grades and it was suggested to his parents that they might want to move him to a private school where he would get more attention. They eventually decided upon a local Catholic school and moved him in mid-semester. When report cards came out at the end of the semester, his grades showed extraordinary improvement, particularly in math where he had always been a D student. His parents were very pleased and sat him down to talk about his remarkable turnaround. They asked him:
"Do you think the teachers are better?"
"Not really."
"Are the classes easier?"
"Nope."
"Well, are you getting extra help?"
"Nah."
"We don't understand. Why have your grades improved so much? What's the big difference?"
To which he replied:
"Well, from the first day I entered the classroom and I saw that guy nailed to a plus sign, I knew they meant business..."
posted by tbogg at 5:17 PM
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Contrast and compare
Drudge Headline:
KERRY MISSES MASS. SOLDIER'S FUNERAL FOR SAN FRAN FUNDRAISER
For those keeping score at home please see this graphic compliments of All Hat No Cattle.
In the bizarro Republican world, missing a funeral for a scheduled fundraiser is a higher crime than going AWOL during a real war.
posted by tbogg at 5:02 PM
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MSNBC, CNN, Comedy Central
It's really sad when you have to go to Comedy Central for "fair and balanced" news. But there is good news to be found there:
Unlike other late-night comedy shows, which safely go for cheap laughs by dissing Saddam, The Daily Show has recaptured the pre-9/11 sensibilities that prevailed about Team Bush before the attacks encased him in Teflon. The studio audience howls and applauds in delight at Stewart's irreverence. Its core audience (73 percent) is the coveted 18-to-49 demographic. And here's some cheering news: More people (4 million) tune in to The Daily Show in a given week than watched Fox news at the height of the war (3.3 million).
[snip]
As part of his assault on the triumph of right-wing PR, Stewart reserves special derision for Fox News. After making fun of Iraqi state TV as a mere government mouthpiece, Stewart asked, "Imagine a government that has an entire TV station to lay out its agenda." He then aired Fox footage, after which he appeared to be hypnotized, chanting, "Must support war, tax cut good." In another show, he noted, "This war has truly belonged to Fox. Not only did they start it...they managed to offer fair and balanced coverage." We then saw Fox footage of a soldier saying hi to his family and closing with, "You're watching Fox News." Stewart couldn't believe it: "They've got soldiers doing station IDs!" He then played a montage Fox aired of the "sights and sounds...of operation Iraqi Freedom," which showed massive bombs exploding in Baghdad accompanied by appallingly sentimental New Age piano music. "That was real," Stewart confirmed in disbelief. "Sounds like our troops have liberated a Yanni concert."
posted by tbogg at 4:24 PM
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Roll away the stone
Well, it's Easter, so it seems apropos that I return today, arising from my sepulcher (a lovely three-story with a bay view and a Spanish tile roof) to bring blessings upon those who spend their workdays reading blogs instead of exploring the mysteries of Excel or MS Word for which they will receive a paycheck as well as diminishing healthcare benefits. Amen.
First thing first...Cal Pundit has moved here, to calpundit.com, so please adjust your bookmarks accordingly. Kevin has his own domain name which is something that I intend to do, just as soon as hotcheneyonchenyaction.com becomes available. Cal Pundit also now has comments...which I will never have. I like making people rage against the monitor with no recourse...
Moving on.....
Now that the war is over, it seems President Rove's Puppet can get back to work pretending that he cares about the average non-working stiff:
On the economy, the aim is to get an “A” for effort, lower expectations for a swift recovery and blame any lingering lethargy on the war on terrorism. Asked about the biggest political threat Bush faces, chief of staff Andrew Card said: “Jobs, jobs, jobs.” Rebuilding Iraq may help (if Bechtel and other contractors hire Americans). On background, though, officials argue that the public has a “reasonable” view of what Bush can accomplish in wartime. Signing another tax cut into law remains crucial. To sell it, administration leaders have fanned out across the country, less to pressure wavering senators than to spin voters in key 2004 swing states. As for Bush himself, he soon may reprise his “regular folks” events, chatting with carefully vetted civilians about their everyday concerns.
Dick Cheney can get back to hiding documentation that proves he and the energy companies are connected at the wallet.
Additionally, First Lady Laura Bush and Second Lady Lynne Cheney can quit pretending they care about the fighting men and women in the Middle East and resume the heavy responsibilities of their official "pet" causes. Laura Bush (who had once amusingly considered taking up the issue of teenage alcoholism) will again hit the road to promote literacy, while Lynne Cheney will continue her efforts to call attention to the scourge of vaginal dryness.
posted by tbogg at 4:13 PM
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Thursday, April 17, 2003
1745 and counting...
We got us a grassroots movement here.
Pass it on to your friends.
Do it for the children.
posted by tbogg at 2:12 PM
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Couldn't pass on this.
Sharon Bush
By the way....when does the official trashing of Sharon Bush begin? If I were her, I wouldn't plan on visiting any Arkansas motor lodges in the near future.
posted by tbogg at 8:50 AM
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Wednesday, April 16, 2003
Just checking in....
Couple of little things.....
Suckful has moved to here.
...and be sure to go to the Daily Kos for the Draft Clark petition. Clark is a very compelling possibility as a candidate and might even be smear-proof, not that the Republicans and their media lapdogs (that means you, Kurtz and Fineman) won't try.
Also, a good post over at Body and Soul.
And I know it's not nice to pick on kids, but really, somebody needs to address
this kid who shows us the dark side of homeschooling. Does RM Scaife know that Joe Farrah is blowing his money on shit like this? I'd make fun of him....but I'm on vacation.
Oh yeah. Melissa Etheridge's new "partner" is kinda hot. Which is only appropriate for a songwriter who can't get through a song without using the words "hot, "fire", or "burning".
Tammy Lynn reminds me of Melanie Griffith without the sock-monkey lips.
posted by tbogg at 4:43 PM
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Tuesday, April 15, 2003
Time for my Spring Break
It's time for me to take a little time out to attend to other things I need and want to do. At least until next Monday. Maybe longer...who knows.
I'm halfway through three different books and I want to finish them and move on. When I have an extended amount of time to read, I'm reading Philip Roth's The Human Stain. At night, when I don't know how long I'll stay awake, I'm reading Anthony Lane's Nobody's Perfect. When I'm stuck in traffic or waiting in the car for some reason, I'm reading a copy of Bruce Chatwin's In Patagonia that I keep in the glovebox.
Being a compulsive book-buyer I have Robert Stone's Bay of Souls, Russell Bank's Cloudsplitter, Richard Kramer's Joe DiMaggio: The Hero's Life, The Selected Stories of Philip K Dick, and Greg Palast's The Best Democracy Money Can Buy all sitting on the "read me, dammit!" shelf.
Seven hundred pages of John McPhee's Annals of the Former World can also be heard screaming "I'm not going to be ignored!". Nicholas Shakespeare's biography of Bruce Chatwin sits next to the McPhee, muttering under it's breath, while The First Man by Albert Camus sighs and waits and waits.
So I have my work cut out for me.
Earlier today I mentioned At Play in the Fields of the Lord as recommended reading. Here's a few more books that I strongly recommend for various reasons (avoiding the obvious ones):
The Origin of the Brunists...Easily the best work of fiction that I have ever read. Hands down.
Underworld
Collected Fictions of Jorge Luis Borges
Winners and Losers
The Fatal Shore
Edwin Mullhouse: The Life and Death of an American Writer 1943-1954 by Jeffrey Cartwright
Becoming a Man : Half a Life Story
Going After Cacciato
A Massive Swelling
Continental Drift
and Attack Of The Snow Goons
If you decide to read any of these (and you really really really should read Origin of the Brunists) remember to purchase them either at an independent bookstore or, if you must use Amazon, get them through Atrios, The Hamster, or any other like-minded blogger.
And remember...there's going to be a quiz.
One last thing...as you know I have a petition up here regarding J-Lo and her boy-toy du jour. Because of it, I received the following e-mail which I hope you will find as amusing as I do. Enjoy:
i did not sign this petition....i think who ever puts this much effort into something that will clearly go nowhere should get a life.....and on top of that....stop being such a hater....oh..and one more thing...think about it.....if youre so convinced that these people hold no talent...why do i know who they are yet ive never heared of you....
kirby
Bless his sloping little forehead....
See you all next week...
posted by tbogg at 9:09 PM
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Sit, Ubu, sit.
President George Bush shows Tony Blair how high he wants him to jump.
posted by tbogg at 3:42 PM
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Life imitating art...and not in a good way
As I was reading this in Salon:
Stanley serves as pastor at Atlanta's First Baptist Church, a 15,000-member congregation, and is the founder of In Touch Ministries, which claims to broadcast his sermons in 14 languages to every country in the world, and which, according to Americans United for Separation of Church and State, has $40 million in assets. Since Stanley founded In Touch in 1974, he has not shied from using his ministry's resources to bring his voice to bear in the political arena. His most recent example of activism came in February when he delivered a sermon titled "A Nation At War," placing him among a minority of mostly Evangelical Christian leaders to endorse Bush's plans for an attack on Iraq.
[snip]
Though Stanley's bellicose sermon targets an American audience, it was almost certainly heard across the Arab world, as his sermons are translated into Arabic by In Touch and beamed from Benghazi, Libya, to Tehran, Iran, each week by satellite TV and radio. But while Saddam maintained his iron grip, In Touch could broadcast to Iraq only by shortwave radio; now that the regime has fallen, the ministry could be presented with a bevy of opportunities. The opportunity for broadcast expansion in postwar Iraq is "phenomenal," says Don Black, vice president of communications at In Touch. "It would be one of our goals to be able to have a platform to tell the truth as we understand it, as any communicator should have the right to do."
Even before victory has been formally declared, In Touch is just one phalanx in an army of Christian soldiers who see Muslim Iraq as an extraordinary new marketplace for their theology. Already, churches and ministries on the religious right are poised to send in missionaries and to amp up broadcasts to the region. Like advance troops before the invasion, some U.S. military officials in Iraq have already staked out the country as a natural place to spread the Christian Gospel.
I started thinking about this.
If you haven't read it, you probably should.
posted by tbogg at 2:56 PM
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That letter of recommendation from Neil Bush probably helped
Joe Conason points out that Ahmed Chalabi is a BushCo kind of guy.
His friend Richard Perle, the influential Defense Department adviser, notes that Mr. Chalabi, a very wealthy man with an American education and British citizenship, "could have lived comfortably without spending a day on the effort to liberate Iraq."
That last remark is surely true. Just how Mr. Chalabi came to be fixed so comfortably remains a matter of grave concern in neighboring Jordan. Eleven years ago this week, he was convicted in absentia on more than 30 counts of embezzlement, theft and fraud after the mysterious crash of Petra Bank, a large financial institution he founded and ran in Amman. (In some profiles, this episode is described discreetly as his "controversial past.") By the time he fled, Jordan’s central bankers were trying to uncover what had happened to about $300 million in missing deposits.
[snip]
Among the doubters is the impeccably conservative journalist Arnaud de Borchgrave, author of a thoroughly unflattering Chalabi profile for the Washington Times last December. Quoted in that article is the "widely respected" former governor of the Jordanian central bank, who said that after a full examination of Petra’s books, he concluded that "they had been cooked and that Ahmed Chalabi was the master cook …. Chalabi was one of the most notorious crooks in the history of the Middle East."
I'm not even suprised anymore.
posted by tbogg at 2:24 PM
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Professor Glenn says:
IS THERE A DICTATOR, ANYWHERE, WHO HASN'T SHAKEN JACQUES CHIRAC'S HAND? And recently?
Probably not. But then some dictators have a different way of reaching out and touching someone.
But thanks for asking.
posted by tbogg at 1:33 PM
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Onward Christian soldiers....but not you ragheads over there.
Not that this has the trappings of a Crusade or anything, but....
Pentagon Muslims Angered by Rev. Graham Invitation
Muslims at the Pentagon (news - web sites) are incensed by what they say is an insensitive invitation to evangelist Rev. Franklin Graham, who has called Islam an "evil religion," to preach on Good Friday at the Defense Department.
In letters to the Pentagon chaplain's office, Muslim office workers complained strongly about Graham's plans to lead prayers on Friday, one of the most religious days in the Christian calendar.
The Muslim employees urged officials to find a "more inclusive and honorable" religious leader to replace Graham, son of the Rev. Billy Graham and head of a Minneapolis-based evangelist association in his father's name.
Army spokesman at the Pentagon, Lt. Col. Ryan Yantis, told Reuters on Tuesday that Graham was invited several months ago to deliver the homily at the Good Friday service and that the chaplain's office would not rescind the invitation.
"We are in a balancing act between accommodating the interests and requests of many faiths and we will do our utmost to keep that balance in mind in providing religious support to workers in the Pentagon," said Yantis.
Don't those Muslim Americans know that they're a defeated people?
Does John Ashcroft know that there are Muslims working at the Pentagon?
Of course he does......
(Thanks to Jeff)
posted by tbogg at 1:26 PM
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He's just one Karl Rove away from the Presidency
Poor, hapless Rodney King.
Rodney King, whose videotaped beating led to the deadly 1992 riots in Los Angeles, was hospitalized with a broken pelvis after he lost control of his sport utility vehicle while weaving through traffic at 100 mph and crashed into a house, police said.
Considering another person's history of driving under the influence, being so pissed off at his wife that he drove his car into the garage wall, and a history of drug use, there is no reason why King shouldn't be able to put this all behind him and become President one day.
Supreme Court willing, of course.
posted by tbogg at 1:13 PM
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I wouldn't go putting that on the old resume....
They say confession is good for the soul. Good to see that President Osama's Saddam's Assad's Nemesis is fessing up:
The president sought to answer skeptics in Congress and in the public who fear ballooning deficits.
“In two years’ time, this nation has experienced war, a recession, and a national emergency, which has caused our government to run a deficit,” he said
Yeah. It's been a great two years under BushCo. Not like those eight years of peace and prosperity under the President who got blowjobs from someone other than Howard Fineman. Too bad the Steely Eyed Rocketman didn't remember that the deficit was also caused by an ill-advised tax cut, but then, that would defeat the purpose of today's speech for another tax cut.
posted by tbogg at 12:57 PM
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Hollywood officially announces it's "out of ideas"
'Knight Rider' coming to big screen
The 1980s television series "Knight Rider" and its crime-busting, talking car are revving up for the big screen.
The drama starred David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight, owner of the high-tech Pontiac Trans Am known as K.I.T.T. The car's voice was supplied by William Daniels.
The film is planned as an action comedy, Daily Variety reported Monday.
Somehow I didn't think it was going to be a Merchant/Ivory production....
posted by tbogg at 9:55 AM
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Happy Birthday
...to the Rittenhouse Review. One Year Old.
Meanwhile...in Philadelphia it's 67 degrees. In San Diego it's 54.
But we have fish tacos.
posted by tbogg at 9:39 AM
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Red Line riders
Amy over at Rubber Nun shares a few moments spent with the unholy spawn of Ann Coulter and Peggy Noonan.
posted by tbogg at 9:33 AM
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Either this is a joke...or this guy worked for Enron
Steven E. Landsburg makes the case for looting over at Slate.
In Iraq, the main looting ended when the coalition troops arrived. Sure, there's been some pilfering of food, appliances, medical supplies, and historical relics. But by the standards of a country whose rulers have routinely expropriated billions in oil revenue and seized whatever property struck their fancy, walking off with a jar of peanut butter and a fridge is more petty mischief than looting.
Even if you insist on calling it "looting"—in which case, I have no idea what word you'd use for the depredations of the old regime—the question remains: What, exactly, is wrong with it?
I honestly don't know if he's serious or not.
posted by tbogg at 9:30 AM
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Looks like all the players are in place
From the New York Times:
A White House envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, told delegates that the United States has ``no interest, absolutely no interest, in ruling Iraq.''
Participants included Kurds, Sunnis and Shiites from inside the country and others who have spent years in exile. American officials invited the groups, but each picked their own representatives.
``It's critical that the world understand that this is only the fledgling first meeting of what will hopefully be a much larger series of meetings across Iraq,'' said Jim Wilkinson, a spokesman at United States Central Command, in Doha, Qatar.
Wilkinson link via Digby, who has lots of stuff you should be reading.
posted by tbogg at 9:12 AM
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Tin soldiers and Nixon's Bush's coming
No More Mr. Nice Blog points out that Kent State is opening a satellite campus in Iraq. The US Military is acting accordingly:
At least 10 people were killed and scores wounded in shooting in Mosul, a hospital doctor said, as other witnesses alleged US troops had opened fire.
"There are perhaps 100 wounded and 10 to 12 dead" following the shooting near the local government offices in a central square, Dr Ayad al-Ramadhani said Tuesday at the emergency department of the city hospital.
Three witnesses questioned by AFP and casualties who spoke to hospital staff said US troops had fired on the crowd which was becoming increasingly hostile towards the city's new governor, Mashaan al-Juburi, as he was making a pro-US speech....
Apparently the freedom we brought to Iraq isn't that one that contains the right to dissent.
posted by tbogg at 9:01 AM
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Modifying behavior through gentle persuasion and the threat of death.
Nothing quite gets the chickenhawk's testosterone oozing like a little victory and a little bloodshed...other's blood, mind you. Take Frank Gaffney...please. Here's a nice little piece of twisted logic:
The Bush Administration is obliquely serving notice on Syria that it could be the next country liberated in the war on terror. Mr. Bush's critics at home and abroad are horrified at the possibility that this conflict might take such a turn. If they wish to avoid such a step, however, they should learn a signal lesson from the now-nearly-accomplished liberation of Iraq: War is more likely to be made unnecessary if would-be critics support the President, than by their opposing him. (my emphasis)
And here's proof that the whole Middle East is just one big Skinner Box to the nonfighting neocons:
Should the Syrians fail to end such hostile activity forthwith, the United States and a coalition of the willing should bring to bear whatever techniques are necessary -- including military force -- to effect behavior modification and/or regime change in Damascus, as well. By so doing, freedom stands to get a two-fer: liberating both Syria and Lebanon, the country Hafez Assad rapaciously colonized in the mid-1970s and that Damascus has brutally dominated ever since, despite a formal, international commitment to relinquish it some twenty years ago.
Few steps would do more to create an opportunity for a real, just and durable Arab-Israeli peace than to accompany the liquidation of Saddam's support for suicide bombers and other forms of terror with the elimination of the Syrian/Lebanese base of operations of and much of the support for Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), which Attorney General John Ashcroft has described as "one of the most violent terrorist organizations in the world." The region's transformation -- and its hopes for a more peaceable future -- could be decisively advanced if behavior modification and/or regime change were to follow in Iran and Saudi Arabia.
It should come as no surprise that there will be other fronts in the war on terror. As George W. Bush made known shortly after September 11, 2001, this is a global conflict that will take years to wage. With luck, by making an object lesson of Iraq to other enemies in that war and by garnering the broadest possible support for doing so, we can accomplish the conditions required for the Free World's victory without further resort to large-scale military operations.
War everlasting......
posted by tbogg at 8:49 AM
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Savor it like bloodied candy, we will!
A little dose of Mark Morford to start off your morning:
There was never a shred of doubt the U.S. would "win" Shrub's vicious little war. The world's richest superpower, the most deadly and potent high-tech military on the planet, all aimed at a pip-squeak, ragtag nation whose bedraggled, barely trained military was but a fraction of what it was 10 years ago, when we wiped most of them out in a week. Oh yeah, we bad.
It was never a contest. It was only a matter of time. It is, basically, a fierce and bloody U.S. steamrolling that hit a few unexpected speed bumps. And we've still got a long, difficult way to go.
But we have taken Baghdad and the regime has fallen, the headlines scream, as if this is something unexpected or miraculous or blessed, and not, as most astute observers have been saying all along, a bittersweet inevitability, a desperately volatile power prize for the Shrub regime to wield over neighboring Arab nations like a bloody hammer.
posted by tbogg at 8:28 AM
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Things I know, didn't know, and wish I didn't know
Lloyd Groves is just a wealth of info this morning:
I already knew that Bill O'Reilly was a racist:
Emceeing Saturday night's Best Friends rock-and-roll gala at the Marriott Wardman Park -- which raised $800,000 for the 15-year-old charity benefiting inner-city schoolchildren -- the Fox News Channel star was trying to fill dead air during a lull in the entertainment.
Members of the "Best Men," as the sixth-to-eighth-grade boys in the program are called, were delayed getting onstage to perform a lip-synced rendition of the Four Tops standard "Reach Out (I'll Be There)." O'Reilly ad-libbed: "Does anyone know where the Best Men are? I hope they're not in the parking lot stealing our hubcaps."
Many in the audience -- which included Cabinet secretaries Tommy Thompson, Gale Norton and Mel Martinez, Mayor Tony Williams and business types Fred Malek and Jim Kimsey -- apparently didn't hear about the hubcaps amid the hubbub. A witness spotted attendee Bo Derek's jaw dropping, and yesterday she confirmed that she did hear it, but declined to comment further. Channel 9 anchor Andrea Roane was overheard murmuring: "Unbelievable."
I didn't know that Sidney Blumenthal had a book coming out. Of course it was okay for Michael Kelly to trash Blumenthal, but apparently Blumenthal can't return the favor since Kelly went and got himself killed:
But the buzz around town is that "The Clinton Wars" will contain an unflattering portrait of Blumenthal's nemesis Michael Kelly, whose life was celebrated last Friday in an emotional Washington memorial service.
The 46-year-old Kelly, a Washington Post columnist and Atlantic Monthly editor-at-large, was killed in Iraq on April 3 -- too late for Blumenthal to revise or soften his book in light of Kelly's death.
Blumenthal -- a former Washington Post reporter who clashed with Kelly when both worked for the New Yorker during Clinton's first term -- declined to comment yesterday. The book is still under wraps. But the two were widely known to have disdained each other.
"I worked with Blumenthal at the New Yorker and didn't like him," Kelly wrote in a 1998 Washington Post column in which he derided Blumenthal as "formerly a journalist cum amateur Clinton knife artist." A January 2000 Boston Magazine profile of Kelly by Blumenthal pal David Brock -- timed to Kelly's becoming editor of the Atlantic -- recounts that he accused Blumenthal of "reporting back to the Clintons on the New Yorker's internal deliberations. Blumenthal hotly denied this." Brock quoted Blumenthal: "I have no idea why Michael Kelly behaves the way he does."
Lastly, I could have gone one hundred years without knowing that Larry King was in a Victoria's Secret helping his wife pick out things:
The CNN talkmeister and his wife, Shawn King, made the scene yesterday at Victoria's Secret at Georgetown Park, chatting up the sales staff as they shopped for sexy underwear. "They seem really happy and they're really nice," saleswoman Adrienne Williams told us. "He was helping her pick out underwear. I asked if they needed help. They said, 'No, we have it all covered.' " They spent $56 on "six mesh thongs -- pink, blue, yellow -- all the new spring colors," Williams said
On behalf on the whole civilized world, I'd like to say, "Ew".
posted by tbogg at 8:20 AM
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Monday, April 14, 2003
The buck stops over there somewhere.
Many thanks to Media Research Center's resident Sex Machine, Brent Baker for providing to this wonderful exchange between Tim Russert (who plays a journalist on TV) and Donald Rumsfeld (who's really a "big picture" kind of guy.)
During the April 13 Meet the Press, Russert inquired of Rumsfeld: “Let me turn to the situation, the non-military situation, if you will, in Iraq and that is the whole issue of looting. This was the scene with the Museum of Antiquities, which housed treasures dating back thousands and thousands of years from the beginning of civilization. And it was ransacked and destroyed, about 170,000 items. The head of the museum said, 'Our heritage is finished.' What happened there? How did we allow that museum to be looted?
Rumsfeld: “'How did we allow?' Now, that’s really a wonderful, amazing statement. No, let me-”
Russert and Rumsfeld tried to yell over each other: “But, how are we-”..
Rumsfeld: “-just say a word, here.”
Russert: “No, no. Wait, wait.”
Rumsfeld: “Wait a minute. Wait a minute.”
Russert: “No, let me be precise, 'cause it’s an important point.”
Rumsfeld: “But we didn’t allow it. It happened. And that’s what happens when you go from a dictatorship with repressed order, police state, to something that is going to be different. There’s a transition period, and no one is in control. There are periods where, there was still fighting in Baghdad. We don’t allow bad things to happen. Bad things do happen in life and people do loot. We’ve seen that in the United States. It’s happened in every country. It’s a shame when it happens. I’ll bet you anything that if they, when order is restored, and we have a more permissive environment, that there will be opportunities to ask people to return some of those things that were taken. We’ve already found people returning supplies to hospitals.”
Russert: “What the heads of the museum will say is that they actually asked for the U.S. to help protect it, and that the U.S. declined. Is that accurate?”
Rumsfeld: “Oh, my goodness. Look, I have no idea. We’ve got troops on the ground, and who do you know who he asked, and whether his assignment that moment was to guard a hospital instead? Those kinds of things are so anecdotal. And it always breaks your heart to see destruction of things.”
No wonder the press loves him. He's such a straight shooter.
posted by tbogg at 3:21 PM
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Behold the Lord, Jesus Christ, who tries so hard to get our attention
Well this caught my attention. Here are step by step plans to fight Planned Parenthood by those who would deny a woman the right to make a choice about her own body.
Interesting reading.
Oh. And who runs STOPP?
James W. Sedlak
Jim and his wife, Michaeleen, reside in Stafford, Virginia. They have three grown children and ten grandchildren. Jim holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physics from Manhattan College (Bronx, NY) and a Master of Science in Industrial Administration from Union College (Schenectady, NY). He is a Third Degree member of the Knights of Columbus, Council 7877, Stafford, Virginia.
and Edward E. Szymkowiak
Ed started his pro-life activities while in college, volunteering at Birthright in Ithaca, N.Y. In 1988 he became a volunteer at Birthright's office in Woodhaven, N.Y. In 1989, as member of Operation Rescue, Ed experienced police brutality and imprisonment at the West Hartford II rescue in Conn. In 1995, he lost a teaching job after opposing Planned Parenthood workshops aimed at his students at the Sullivan County Alternative School in Liberty, N.Y.
Ed, with his wife Linda, also served as a Natural Family Planning instructor. They reside in Spotsylvania, Va. with their five young (naturally planned!) children. Ed holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in government from Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from the State University College of New York in Fredonia, and a Master of Science degree in secondary mathematics education from the State University of New York in Binghamton. He is a Second Degree member of the Knights of Columbus.
Between Jim and Ed they have eight children. The have eight children...they didn't personally give birth to eight children.
Contribute to Planned Parenthood here.
posted by tbogg at 11:18 AM
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Crowd counts
From tinfoilhelmets via bartcop.
posted by tbogg at 10:58 AM
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Have the infidel twins bathed and brought to my tent.
In a better world this could have been a match made in heaven.
The Baghdad palace of Saddam Hussein's oldest son Odai is revealing more about his so-called "playboy" lifestyle.
Reporters said they've seen pages of downloaded pornography, expensive liquor, cigars, guns and ammo magazines, and love letters from girlfriends.
The palace itself is adorned with ornate gold and gilt fixtures, lighting and furniture.
There were also some unusual discoveries in Odai's palace.
In addition to finding a lot of liquor, electronics, Cuban cigars and porn -- U.S. soldiers say they found pictures of President George W. Bush's twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara Bush.
They say the pictures were hanging in one of Odai Hussein's gymnasiums.
Captain Ed Ballanco said soldiers took those pictures down.
I'm sure never in her wildest drunken moments did Jenna ever think that she would become stroke material for Son of Saddam. On the other hand, the going rate for Jenna pictures in the Texas Penal System is a pack of smokes and Dr. Pepper.
Also, thinking about the "downloaded pornography, expensive liquor, cigars, guns and ammo magazines" made me wonder what Odai's log-in name was over at Free Republic. Talk about hitting your demographic.....
(Thanks to Nina)
posted by tbogg at 10:52 AM
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Media whores
Today's Doonesbury.
posted by tbogg at 8:07 AM
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Sunday, April 13, 2003
The two headed thing that is J-Lo/Ben...
Hey. 748 signatures so far. Not bad.
On another note, reader Steve points out that writer/director Kevin Smith disputes the Jersey Girl story from below:
Yeah, use the Enquirer as a source. That's always smart.
I know it's only a gossip piece, but gossip or not, I thought I'd state for the record, that we have not re-shot, nor do we have plans to re-shoot, scenes for "Jersey Girl." Ben and Jen's chemistry in the flick is the exact opposite of zero. I'm not desperately (or even casually) rewriting dick. Both test audiences seemed to get why the two characters were together quite well. And there's no $3 million being spent. There - you now have it from a credible source.
I'd heard they were playing that Enquirer game on Stern the other day and this "Jersey Girl" $3 million re-shoot crap came up as a true story. I assumed (wrongly, I guess) that anyone who really gave a shit knew that it was "Gigli" that had done re-shoots, not "Jersey Girl."
Now I'm seeing this isn't the case.
In her (or his) haste to attack and damn Ben and Jen's relationship in any way possible (because it catches the interest of a news-reading public whose attention would be better spent on the war abroad), MSN's unfortunately named BeatBox Betty has dragged our flick into a spot of mud, alleging problems where there are none. I know she (or he) is only a gossip hound, but I'd ask that, in the future, she (or he) at least try to contact someone involved with a production she (or he) plans to besmirch, rather than lazily take her cues from the likes of a tabloid.
While I'm at it, though, I'd also like to point out that all this "Gigli" stuff is crap too. I've seen the flick with a test screening audience, and I haven't heard laughter like that in a movie theater since "American Pie" (or "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back"). And, mind you, the laughter was WITH, not AT, the movie.
Much as I hate to disappoint BeatBox, both movies seem like they're going to do just fine - quite like Ben and Jen's relationship.
Regardless, next time you're writing a story, even if it is for a gossip sheet, how about simply picking up a phone and doing a little research? Just because you've been reduced to the lowest rung on the ladder of journalism (manufacturing news where there really isn't any), it doesn't mean you have to conduct yourself like an asshole, know-nothing.
There you have it. Or not.
By the way, apropo of Kevin Smith. If there is a more over-rated writer-director (other than Spike Lee) than Smith, I haven't heard of them.
posted by tbogg at 11:41 PM
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Two bloggers walk into a bar....
Jim over at Rittenhouse informs us that a bunch of Philadelphia bloggers got together to for a meet and greet Saturday night. Apparently there is an impressive number of Philadelphia-based bloggers, caused, no doubt, by the high concentration of smart people combined with truly shitty weather that keeps them inside, thinking and seething.
Now me, I'm not much of a social person myself. Recently I had to attend a parent's get-together that I didn't really want to go to. When my daughter asked why I was going when I didn't want to, my wife jumped in and pointed out that " Your dad is only going to find out which people he's not going to like." While somewhat accurate, I added that I was also going to see which ones I could make fun of after we left. When it comes to socializing, Dominick Dunne, I'm not.
Fortunately being based in San Diego doesn't seem to have situated me in a hotbed of blogging. In fact I only know of two others. The captain of the USS Clueless, Steven Den Beste and Matt Hoy of Hoystory. Unless I'm kidnapped and forcibly delivered to a Magic: The Gathering convention held at the Mission Valley Christian Ministry, I think the odds are pretty slim I'll ever meet either one of them.
I got no complaints.
posted by tbogg at 11:13 PM
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Gonna be a slow week.
Maybe this will give me some time off, but I'm running out of my favorite pundits to harangue. First Michael Kelly goes and gets himself killed. Then Peggy Noonan decides to take time off to write her dementia opus: If I Can't Have the Pope, A Fireman Will Have To Do. Now Andy Sullivan, completely worn out from winning the war against Rainesian-inspired Islamofacism, is going to take the week off for "Spring Break" and ponder the amazing parallels between his life and George Orwell's.
This just leaves me with The Virgin Ben, who penned this remarkable statement last week:
The United States has achieved an important step in the war against terror: overcoming our own aversion to civilian casualties in order to achieve victory.
The kid would have fit in quite well at My Lai.
posted by tbogg at 10:44 PM
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Tom Toles
posted by tbogg at 10:16 PM
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Priming the pump
Any Iraqi connection to 9/11? Nope.
Any connection to Al Qaeda? Nope.
Find any weapons of mass destruction? Nope.
Hmmmmmm?
Let's get Syria!!!!!
The Bush administration and the Syrian government over the weekend traded allegations on whether Syria possesses weapon of mass destruction, and whether Syria is harboring fleeing members of Saddam Hussein's regime.
President Bush, in remarks to reporters, said "We believe there are chemical weapons in Syria" and that the Iraqi neighbor "needs to cooperate" with the United States and its coalition partners.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said in a TV interview that Syria had been busing fighters into Iraq for a while, but coalition forces turned them away.
He also said "there's no question" that members of Saddam's regime fled to Syria.
"Syria's been on the terrorist list for years," Rumsfeld said.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Colin Powell said in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation that, "Syria has been a concern for a long period of time. We have designated Syria for years as a state that sponsors terrorism.
We have always been at war with Syria.
When it comes to fulfilling the dreams of Richard Perle, Paul Wolfowitz, Dick Cheney, and Donald Rumsfeld, 9/11 couldn't have turned any better if they had flown the planes themselves.
No wonder they let it happen.
posted by tbogg at 10:09 PM
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Saturday, April 12, 2003
But it's not about oil.....but it's not about oil.....
Apparently looting hospitals and schools is okay, because, you know, "stuff happens". But some things are more precious than others.
U.S. forces reopened two strategic bridges Saturday in the heart of Baghdad and crowds of looters surged across - taking advantage of access to new territory that had not already been plundered. U.S. forces did nothing to stop them.
A firefight erupted Saturday evening outside the Palestine Hotel, where many journalists are based, by the Tigris River. Marines were running tree-to-tree as heavy machine gun fire and explosions could be heard near the river.
And the Information Ministry was on fire after being looted, according to Abu Dhabi television.
Iraqis expressed increasing frustration over the lawlessness that has gripped the capital since the arrival of U.S. troops and the fall of Saddam Hussein. Looters ransacked government buildings, hospitals and schools, and trashed the National Museum, taking or destroying many of the country's archaeological treasures.
[snip]
Looters were also seen coming out of the Foreign Ministry carrying office furniture, TV sets and air conditioners. Children wheeled out office chairs and rolled them down the street.
U.S. soldiers stood by at the presidential compound as looters some 400 yards away hauled bookshelves, computers and sofas from the Planning Ministry. Bands of men with tools plundered cars nearby for wheels or other parts.
"The Americans have disappointed us all. This country will never be operational for at least a year or two," said Abbas Reda, 51, an engineer and father of five.
"I've seen nothing new since Saddam's fall," he said. "All that we have seen is looting. The Americans are responsible. One round from their guns and all the looting would have stopped."
U.S. Army troops and armor blocked access to the main palace grounds. The Oil Ministry also seemed intact with a heavy U.S. military presence inside. Also intact were some of the power installations, power stations and power grids
But it's not about oil.....
posted by tbogg at 10:54 AM
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They're Republicans...hypocrisy is in their blood.
Looks like Baseball Hall of Fame's Dale Petroesky can be pretty flexible when it comes to politics at the Hall. It just depends on whose politics. According to Buzzflash:
BuzzFlash has learned that Petroskey hasn't always been so concerned about politics entering into the Hall of Fame's official programming. In fact, BuzzFlash.Com has unearthed a January 17th, 2002, Cooperstown Hall of Fame news release in which Petroskey announces the appearance of Ari Fleischer -- Yes, that Ari Fleischer -- at a National Baseball Hall of Fame lecture series on February 2 of last year.
In the news release, Petroskey glowingly praises Fleischer and details his political accomplishments. Petroskey writes that he is "thrilled" to welcome Fleischer for his Cooperstown lecture. Most significantly, Petroskey boasts that audience members will "hear his [Fleischer's] perspective on life in the White House and the current political scene which of course includes the war on terrorism." So much for keeping politics out and the war on terrorism out of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Now we could be generous and say that Petroskey, as a former press secretary, was just extending a "professional courtesy" to a fellow weasel press secretary, but we're not feeling generous this morning.
H'e a liar and a hypocrite and he should be fired.
(thanks to Bill)
posted by tbogg at 10:01 AM
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Non Sequitur
posted by tbogg at 9:46 AM
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Friday, April 11, 2003
NY Times further erodes the "impact and power"
Looks like Howell Raines' Times is intentionally trying to get under Sullivan's skin:
The images of smiling children and cheering crowds in Iraq have been overtaken by a new, much more disturbing portrait of anarchy and fear. Looters, who began by going after the offices and homes of Saddam Hussein's henchmen, have moved on to stores, warehouses and even hospitals. At one site, thugs dragged away heart monitors and baby incubators. A prominent cleric returned from exile only to be murdered in one of Shiite Islam's holiest shrines. Frightened citizens have barricaded themselves in their homes in some places, or have begun shooting suspected robbers.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was understandably defensive but stunningly off message yesterday when he claimed: "Freedom's untidy. And free people are free to commit mistakes, and to commit crimes." That was not the vision of freedom the Bush administration was selling when it began this enterprise, and it is not necessarily one the Iraqi people would welcome.
Military officials have reason to be reluctant about performing police duties. Their troops are trained to fight a war, not to arrest bank robbers or stop muggings. They are unfamiliar with Iraqi culture and do not speak Arabic. There are bound to be threatening and unpleasant incidents, and the Arab world is likely to see American street patrols as the first step in a new American dictatorship.
But there is no alternative for the American military other than to restore order. It must police the streets, and above all make Iraq safe enough for humanitarian aid workers to bring in food, water and medical supplies, and it must work to restore electrical and water utilities. The military, which has performed so brilliantly during the war, is going to have to take up this second, and perhaps harder, challenge. This is not only its obligation under international conventions, but also a necessary step in the dismantling of Mr. Hussein's reign of terror.
The most worrisome part of the current crisis is that it seemed to take the American troops somewhat by surprise. Washington apparently presumed that it would be possible to remove Mr. Hussein and his associates while leaving civic structures intact. So far, that has not happened, and the bureaucratic and law enforcement services in Iraqi cities have melted away. From the beginning, the chief concern about the Iraqi invasion has not been the Pentagon's ability to prevail on the battlefield, but the Bush administration's ability to plan for the day after victory. So far, nothing has happened to alleviate that concern.
Why aren't they still writing about pulling down the statue? They're ruining the moment.
posted by tbogg at 10:50 PM
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Bush and Co....a limited liability corporation.
Just working for the Commander in Chief.
When American tanks opened fire on a car driving up Highway 1 on Baghdad's southern outskirts in the dusk of Monday evening, it was only one of hundreds of such incidents in the war in Iraq that changed the life of an Iraqi family in an instant.
But that moment also changed an American life, that of Cpl. Jeff Mager, 22, of Chicago, a gunner on an Abrams tank that carries the legend "Bush and Co." on its barrel.
Guarding an expressway overpass a few miles from Baghdad's international airport, the tank crew was waiting tensely for an Iraqi counterattack by massed suicide bombers promised by Saddam Hussein's top officials after American troops seized the airport last Friday.
Corporal Mager had fired some of the cannon shells that struck the Toyota sedan and other vehicles running up a slipway toward the overpass. He had seen the two men in the front seat of the silver gray Camry die in an explosion of blood and steel. But until this morning, he could not be sure who had been killed.
Then at about 10 a.m. today, Corporal Mager learned something about what he and the other tank crews had done that many soldiers in faraway wars, shooting at uncertain targets, remain blissfully unaware of. He and the other tank gunners had killed two Iraqi civilians, he was told, brothers who ran a family tannery that sold half-finished leathers to luxury fashion houses in Italy.
He learned, too, that incidents like the one at the overpass, in which hundreds of Iraqi civilians have been killed, however inadvertently, have generated a wave of bitterness that is eroding some of the gratitude that has swept Iraq for the American forces' role in ending 24 years of grimly repressive government by Mr. Hussein. How such confrontations are resolved is critical to how the American presence in this country will be viewed.
Hey. Like Rummy says "Stuff happens."
posted by tbogg at 10:36 PM
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Dale Petroesky strikes out.
Looks like Baseball Hall of Fame's Dale Petroskey bit off more than he could chew:
Sportswriter Roger Kahn has canceled an appearance at baseball's Hall of Fame after the museum scrubbed a 15th anniversary tribute to the film "Bull Durham" because of the anti-war stance of its stars.
Kahn sent a letter to Hall of Fame President Dale Petroskey on Thursday to protest the Cooperstown, New York, museum's snub of Tim Robbins (news) and his longtime partner, Susan Sarandon (news).
"By canceling the Hall of Fame anniversary celebration of "Bull Durham" for political reasons, you are, far from supporting our troops, defying the noblest of the American spirit," wrote Kahn, who was to speak there in August about his new book.
"You are choking freedom of dissent. How ironic. In theory, at least, we have been fighting this war to give Iraqis freedom of dissent. But here you, through the great institution you head, have moved to rob Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon and (writer-director) Ron Shelton (news) of that very freedom."
Petroskey, a former aide to President Ronald Reagan (news), had told Robbins in a letter that he canceled the April 26-27 event because "as an institution, we stand behind our president and our troops in this conflict."
Kahn's 17th book, "October Men," is about the 1978 New York Yankees. He is best known for "The Boys of Summer," about the Brooklyn Dodgers of the 1950s. That 1972 book has sold about 3 million copies.
If you're not really into baseball you have no idea how embarassing it is to the Hall to have Kahn cancel on them. Along with Mark Harris, he is one of the more beloved writers about the best damn sport in America. This one is going to leave a mark. Most baseball fans believe that Bull Durham is the most accurate film about the game, making Petroskey's stand a real slap in the face to true fans. While we can all write letters and call the Hall to complain, Kahn's stand is a real shot across their bow.
Good for him.
And for those who think that Eight Men Out is the better baseball film...it's a great movie, but it doesn't have this line:
"Dont' try to strike everybody out. Strikeouts are boring, besides that, they're facist. Throw some ground balls - it's more democratic." - Crash Davis in Bull Durham
More on Petroskey:
The baseball Hall of Fame president insisted Friday he was not politically motivated when he canceled a "Bull Durham'' celebration because of anti-war criticism by co-stars Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon, and said he had only one regret.
"I wish that the reasoning had been better articulated so it could have been better understood,'' Dale Petroskey, a former official in the Reagan administration, said from his office at Cooperstown, N.Y.
"What we were trying to do was take politics out of this,'' he said. "We didn't want people to espouse their views in a very public place, one way or another. The Hall isn't the place for that.''
" I wish that the reasoning had been better articulated so it could have been better understood"
Gee, Dale, didn't you use to be a former Press Secretary? The reasoning was "articulated" correctly...and you were wrong.
What a snivelling dumbass.....
posted by tbogg at 10:19 PM
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Hiding behind the First Amendment
When it comes to great comic relief in Congress there is no bigger clown than the apoplectic JD Hayworth (he's the potential stroke candidate on the left) of Arizona .If you've never seen him on TV you're really missing out. Imagine Mike Ditka having a massive cerebral hemorrhage...but funny. That's JD. The good people of the Arizona's 5th Congressional District in their wisdom thought the local news sports guy was the just kind of guy they wanted representing them in Congress based on his ability to intone important imformation like "The Diamondbacks lost a heartbreaker today, falling to the Reds 3-1 at the Bob...". As they say, you get the government that you deserve...
That's why I particularly enjoyed his letter to Lee Bollinger of Columbia University demanding that Bollinger fire assistant professor Nicholas DeGenova over his comments about the American military. I particularly enjoyed this quote from his letters to his "colleagues" asking them to sign too:
While Columbia President Lee Bollinger chided DeGenova for his comments, he is apparently not going to take any further action. Instead, he hides behind academic freedom and the first amendment, saying that, “Assistant Professor Nicholas DeGenova was speaking as an individual at a teach-in. He was exercising his right to free speech.”
Which prompts this question: So what? The question is not whether DeGenova has the right to make idiotic comments - he surely does as do we all - but whether he has the right to a job teaching at Columbia University after making such comments.
JD...the Patron Saint of Idiotic Comments
posted by tbogg at 1:38 PM
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The fact that you have a face built for radio and are untalented and obscure never entered into the decision
According to Drudge (yeah, I know):
Los Angeles-based talkradio sensation Phil Hendrie Thursday night charged that his passionate pro-war views may cost him a TV sitcom that has been in development at NBC.
Hendrie announced on his nationally-syndicated show that his war stand could result in a liberal Hollywood backlash against him and his current TV pitch.
"We did the pilot last week," Hendrie revealed. "Listen, everyone at NBC was great. From top to bottom. It has been a dream. But I am on the air everyday. I feel vulnerable expressing my pro-war point of view... Someone could ring up someone and say, 'Well, we're not going to do business with you.'"
"I am thinking outloud. Listen. Nobody at NBC has never said to me, don't express your political opinions. But if Janeane Garofalo is saying she is paying the price and not getting work [at ABC] for her anti-war views, it is just as valid for me to say what I am saying. And the anti-war point of view is much more popular in the entertainment industry."
Bear in mind, Hendrie hasn't actually been told his pilot wouldn't get picked up, regardless of his war views. Just that it might not be picked up. And you have to wonder what network wouldn't jump at hilarious hijinks like this:
Scribe Peter Tolan ("Analyze That") has been tapped to create an NBC sitcom vehicle for syndicated radio personality Phil Hendrie.
Tolan will pen the project, which stars Hendrie as a former city cop who moves to a gated community, where he encounters the crazy residents as its new head of security.
"The idea is essentially that we're creating for the TV viewing audience a slice of the new hyper America," Hendrie said. "In this post 9/11 era the world has changed. The new need is for absolute freedom and quality of life and absolute security."
Hendrie, who's known for creating and voicing wild characters on his KFI-based nighttime talker "The Phil Hendrie Show" pacted with the Peacock and NBC Studios earlier this year to build a primetime series. Separately, Tolan had landed a pilot script commitment at NBC.
Show will focus on Hendrie's character, who has recently remarried a woman with a sketchy past and a 14-year-old kid. Besides Hendrie's encounters with the weird local folk, the project will also revolve around his attempts at trying to forge a new family.
And let's not forget Hendrie's Hollywood good looks. And he's a fine figure of a man too.
And don't miss out on his droll and witty takes on world events. My favorites are:
Pizza Hut, France
Another Frog business to boycott
McDonald's France
See, the Frogs eat this slop too so screw them.
Congressional Medal Of Honor
Congressional Medal of Honor stories. Awesome. Your dick will shrink...
Stop...stop...you're killing me......I'm in the throes of a good old-fashioned Glenn Reynolds: " heh".
posted by tbogg at 1:16 PM
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MSNBC to carry first PrimeTime female orgasm live.
Tonight on Hardball.
Friday: Peggy Noonan
The latest on the progress of Coalition troops, plus presidential speechwriter Peggy Noonan on why George W. Bush is the right leader for America.
It's going to look a lot like the deli scene in "When Harry Met Sally"... except it won't be faked.
(Thanks Rob....I think)
posted by tbogg at 12:11 PM
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Sullivan thinks looting is "justice"
JUSTICE: "Among the attacks that had a strong political edge were those on the German Embassy and the French cultural center, both in east Baghdad. Few Iraqis were unaware, in the weeks preceding the war, that France and Germany were leading international efforts to force President Bush into accepting an extension of United Nations weapons inspections here, and to delay military action against Mr. Hussein. The French and German buildings were stripped of furniture, curtains, decorations, and anything else that could be carried away. At the French cultural center, where looters burst water pipes and flooded the ground floor, books were left floating in the reading rooms and corridors, and a photograph of Jacques Chirac, the French president, was smashed. French reporters said the French Embassy, also on the Tigris's east bank, appeared to have been spared because it remained under the protection of French military guards. The German Embassy was unprotected."
Wow. No wonder he can't keep a job in the mainstream press.
posted by tbogg at 11:45 AM
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Maybe they should have sent Lindsey Graham...
He could have "networked"
RNC Chief Draws Flak for a Meeting
Marc Racicot, chairman of the Republican National Committee, met last month with the gay rights group Human Rights Campaign -- the first time, it appears, that an RNC chief has addressed a gay organization. And that has left some of his party's conservatives fuming.
"When you meet with a group that holds values that are antithetical to those of your base, you're sending the signal that your base is being taken for granted or is not respected -- that's what Mr. Racicot has done here," said Robert Knight, director of the Culture and Family Institute, a think tank associated with the conservative Concerned Women for America. "It would be like Al Gore meeting with the John Birch Society."
posted by tbogg at 11:08 AM
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"At least that's what I've heard...."
Micky Kaus:
Car/sex metaphors are unavoidable, so let's get right to today's: Front-wheel drive cars are like bad sex. Rear-wheel drive cars are like good sex.
posted by tbogg at 10:58 AM
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Meanwhile....in the war for good taste:
The scoop on the latest, name-changing film from Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck is that in addition to having an identity crisis, it's just plain bad. Tough Love has had its name changed from Gigli, had its release date pushed back four or five times and had a $5 million rewrite after test audiences were left unimpressed. In fact, the original ending had Ben's character dying, but since audiences hated that, the studio had to re-shoot a new ending.
A quick review of the plot and it's easy to see why folks have freezer burn over this puppy. In a nutshell, Ben plays a lowlife thug named Gigli who kidnaps the mentally retarded brother of a federal prosecutor to save his mobster boss from incarceration. Staked-out in his apartment with his kidnapee, Gigli's soon joined by Ricki (Lopez), a gorgeous lesbian gangster who's sent in to assist. But as time goes by (and your life force drained from you) -- his feelings for Ricki grow, (and she of course, falls for him) and then they become concerned for their prisoner... blah, blah, blah.
Some say the fact that J.Lo and Ben met on set may be the only positive thing to come out of filming, while others claim that too is a sham. I'm betting both go straight to video. But wait, there's more! Reports are also coming in that Ben and Jen's romantic chemistry is zero onscreen. Nada. Zippity-doo-dud. According to the National Enquirer, producers of their other new flick Jersey Girl are desperately rewriting love scenes because test audiences don't get why their characters are even attracted to each other! Price tag for re-shoots? A hefty $3 million. The cost of having Ben and Jen turn up the chemistry meter? Priceless.
...and let's not forget this.
(Thanks Jon)
posted by tbogg at 10:19 AM
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If it weren't for "upskirt photography" most Republicans wouldn't have a date on Saturday night"
What does tort reform have to do with "up-skirt" photography? Well, if you're a Republican, everything.
Political infighting appears to have killed legislation that would make it illegal to film up women's skirts.
So-called "up-skirt" photography gained attention last year when the state Supreme Court ruled that, though "disgusting and reprehensible," filming up women's skirts isn't illegal because the state's voyeurism law was too broad and the photography took place in public.
Lawmakers in Olympia vowed to approve legislation that would withstand court scrutiny, and the House unanimously passed an up-skirt photography bill. But Senate Majority Leader Jim West, R-Spokane, has stalled the measure because its sponsor won't consider a proposal to limit medical malpractice awards.
[snip]
Rep. Pat Lantz, D-Gig Harbor, introduced legislation to make up-skirt photography illegal. In fact, the legislation was the second bill introduced in the House and the first bill to pass out of a House committee in early January.
Despite passing out of the House, the bill has since stagnated in the Senate by direct order of West.
West said he ordered all of Lantz's bills to be held until Lantz, chairwoman of the House Judiciary Committee, heard legislation on medical malpractice reform, which Lantz has refused to do.
The Washington State Medical Association has spent almost $150,000 lobbying the Legislature to place a monetary cap on the damages malpractice victims could sue over. The House had been pushing for a more limited approach. West said limiting malpractice judgments was one of his most important issues, and that's why he refused to hear Lantz' bill.
"I was trying to put pressure on her," he said.
Lovely.
posted by tbogg at 9:47 AM
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In the future
everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes have their own blog.
Billmon, formerly of the Daily Kos, has his own blog now.
Whiskey Bar
So many blogs to read...so little time.
Check him out.
...also added to the Hot Links:
Suckful
Neal Pollack
Oliver Willis
Soundbitten
Alas, a Blog
Mac Diva
Quit your job...read blogs.
posted by tbogg at 8:25 AM
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"It's not that there won't be some truth to these stories"
Which pretty much describes an average day over at Sullivan's blog. But he's talking about the New York Times. You know, those guys who won't employ him anymore? Here's what he has to say:
THE COMING SPIN: You can see it now. Chaos. Looting. Disorder. Losing the peace. It's not that there won't be some truth to these stories; and real cause for concern. The pent-up fury, frustration and sheer anger of three decades is a powerful thing, probably impossible to stop immediately without too much force. And the last thing we want is fire-power directed toward the celebrating masses. The trouble is that they could become the narrative of the story, especially among the usual media suspects, and erode the impact and power of April 9. By Sunday, or sooner, you-know-who will probably have a front-page "news analysis" that will describe the joy of liberation being transformed into the nightmare of a Hobbesian quicksand of ever-looming cliches.
It may come as a suprise to Sullivan that it is the job of newspapers to report.... the news. What is happening now in Iraq is.... the news. For Sullivan, history and news stopped with the stage-managed pulling down of Saddam's statue. In his world, everything that follows is just reporters trying to 'harsh his mellow'.
Life would be so much easier if after the fall of Baghdad, which still has yet to happen, we could just say "...and they lived happily ever after. The end." but in the real world things don't happen that way. Not even for the blog Pollyannas.
posted by tbogg at 8:17 AM
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More proof it's all a game
55 Card pick-up
The U.S. military has issued a most-wanted list in the form of a deck of cards, and Saddam Hussein is the ace of spades in the pack of 55 top figures in his toppled regime.
The cards, with pictures of the most-wanted figures, were distributed to thousands of U.S. troops in the field to help them find the senior members of the government. The names also were being put on posters and handbills for the Iraqi public, Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks said.
Collect 'em and trade 'em
posted by tbogg at 8:04 AM
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Hope is not a plan
Paul Krugman rightly points out that the Bush administration is like a child who gets bored with a new toy.
One has to admit that the Bush people are very good at conquest, military and political. They focus all their attention on an issue; they pull out all the stops; they don't worry about breaking the rules. This technique brought them victory in the Florida recount battle, the passage of the 2001 tax cut, the fall of Kabul, victory in the midterm elections, and the fall of Baghdad.
But after the triumph, when it comes time to take care of what they've won, their attention wanders, and things go to pot.
The most obvious example is Afghanistan, the land the Bush administration forgot. Most of the country is back under the control of fundamentalist warlords; unpaid soldiers and policemen are deserting in droves. (Remember that the Bush administration forgot to include any Afghan aid in its latest budget.)
President Hamid Karzai's brother, Ahmed Wali Karzai, told an Associated Press reporter: "It is like I am seeing the same movie twice and no one is trying to fix the problem. What was promised to Afghans with the collapse of the Taliban was a new life of hope and change. But what was delivered? Nothing. Everyone is back in business."
The same pattern can be seen on the economic front. President Bush won a great triumph in 2001 when he pushed through a huge tax cut — claiming that his plan was just the medicine to cure the economy's ills. What has happened since?
The answer is that things have gradually fallen apart. There was one quarter of good growth, early in 2002 — and there were cries of triumph over the policy's success. After that, however, things went steadily wrong. Growth was too slow to create jobs: at the end of 2002, after a year of "recovery," fewer people were working than at the end of 2001.
And in the last two months the situation has deteriorated rapidly. In February and March the U.S. economy lost 465,000 jobs, bringing the total job loss since the recession officially began in March 2001 to more than two million.
At this point the employment decline has been bigger, and has gone on longer, than the slump that took place during the first Bush administration. And there's no sign of an upturn: new claims for unemployment insurance are still running well above the level that would signal an improving labor market.
posted by tbogg at 7:58 AM
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Thursday, April 10, 2003
Onion or Free Republic?
First, I think it is soooo important to support our troops 100 percent! All of them are sacrificing their lives for us, and we need to bolster their morale and show them we care, so that later on they don't scream at us for our spare change like the Vietnam War veterans.
Give up?
posted by tbogg at 4:12 PM
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Size matters
Kevin over at CalPundit gives a pretty classic example of
" Wagging the Dog".
I guess we shouldn't be too suprised by this. After all, the media has been humping Bush's leg for the last two years.
posted by tbogg at 3:40 PM
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White like me all of us
Barbara Cubin, the whip-smart Congresswoman from Wyoming, ran into a bit of flack over these comments she made on the floor :
The chief drama of the day turned out to be a dispute over a remark by Representative Barbara Cubin, Republican of Wyoming, while she was discussing a proposed amendment allowing a lawsuit against a dealer who sells a gun to someone who "uses or is addicted to illegal drugs."
Gun makers and dealers have long argued that they cannot be expected to recognize on sight which customers are dangerous, and that trying to do so would expose them to other kinds of lawsuits for illegally discriminating against people based on how they look or where they live. Ms. Cubin began to make that argument by mentioning her two adult sons.
"They're blond-haired and they're blue-eyed," she said. "One amendment said we couldn't sell drugs to anybody that was on drugs or had had drug treatment or something like that. Well, so does that mean if you go into a black community, you can't sell any gun to any black person? Or does that mean if my sons, because they look like — " whereupon she was interrupted by Representative Melvin Watt, Democrat of North Carolina.
Mr. Watt, who is black, asked that she be punished for inappropriate language. But his proposal was defeated, largely on party lines. Ms. Cubin later apologized on the floor for her remark.
Now we all know that there are not a lot of African Americans in Wyoming, so Ms. Cubin most likely draws her perception of them from TV (which is probably why she was always saying "Gimme some skin, Huggybear" to JC Watts). And if you need to see evidence of Wyoming's diversity, you need go no further than her official website (provided by Jesse over at Pandagon). A visit to her photo page will immerse you in the diverse amd colorful world of Ms Cubin that includes white, pale white, eggshell white, cream, bleached flour, whitish-pink, chalk, Dick Cheney's soft white underbelly, translucent white, and ghostly white.
She does exibit a lovely rictus smile, though.
posted by tbogg at 1:51 PM
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At the Masters
They might just as well have taken a "Hell No, We Ain't Forgettin'!" sticker off the back of a pick-up and wrote it up purtier as a template for the etching on the statue on Broad Street downtown that speaks to the time in the long-dead past when the "Masters" came into being.
The "Masters," and all horrors its name implies, was born akin to the statue that honors the Confederacy on Broad Street downtown. Its etching says, "No Nation Rose So White and Fair, None Fell So Pure and Free of Grime."
[snip]
For example, for years, the unwritten, understood rule at Augusta National and the "Masters" was, golfers were white, and caddies were black, and never the twain should meet otherwise. There was even a written Caucasians-only restrictive covenant that wasn't officially struck until 1961. Very odd in a way, because the whole place is crawling with blacks and women. I mean, literally crawling with them. But between the "Masters" and "Gone With The Wind," a semblance of honor could be regained for the Old South. It wasn't all bad. Some of it was ever so grand ...
[snip]
Lee Elder shakily stepping up to the first tee box was the first black man to play -- officially play --at Augusta National in the "Masters," in 1975.
Tiger Woods was not even born by then. In fact, if you look at it, he was born on December 30 of that same year, so he would have been conceived about the time of the 1975 "Masters," in which Clifford Roberts dryly shook hands with Lee Elder, and unbeknownst to him at the time, inspired Earl Woods, not to join a club, but to embrace his wife Kutilda. Now, not half a lifetime later, Tiger Woods is the "Masters" tournament's great champion of champions; his brown skin and the hint of epicanthic fold at his eyelids did not stop Life from happening, even out of chaos.
...and Tiger Woods won't say anything.
I guess he needs the money.
posted by tbogg at 1:02 PM
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From the White House
PRESIDENT BUSH EXTENDS A HEARTFELT RADIO OLIVE BRANCH TO IRAQ'S PROUD POPULATION OF NEWLY-LIBERATED, SOON-TO-BE-CHRISTIAN, PETROLEUM-PUMPIN' EUNUCHS
Secondly, I want to thank the statue-defacers among you. When we're handing out the Freedom PB&J's, we'll remember your opportunistic ass kissing. Watching you on the TV made Laura and me so proud to be the newly-ordained Emporer and Empress of the Arabiac World. The way you managed to stir up nearly 500 people in a city the size of Los Angeles, then cheer so telegenically as my Marines just happened to be tearing down the only Saddam statue in the shadow of the hotel where the Pentagon put all the TV reporters and their cameras. That was golden. Well done. Why, people here in the US have completely forgotten that we haven't even had time yet to plant, then "uncover" any of those nasty old weapons of mass destruction that my daddy gave Saddam in the first place!
posted by tbogg at 12:30 PM
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Tort reform in North Carolina
Dr. John Faulkner did not have the time or the inclination to rally at the legislature with 1,700 of his colleagues Tuesday. For one thing, his schedule was full. The family physician had household chores and the daily hubbub that five children create with school, homework, lessons, practices. And, as he has done for the past 10 months, he had to care for his wife, Joan.
His wife was the other reason he was not marching with the doctors to call for a cap on medical malpractice lawsuits. Joan Faulkner was badly burned last June when a cauterizing tool ignited oxygen that was being pumped into her nose during a routine procedure in an operating room.
Her top lip was melted off; her face, neck and chest suffered second- and third-degree burns that will require numerous reconstructive surgeries. After a three-week hospitalization, she was released to begin a new life coping with constant pain, numbed by powerful medications that sap energy and drive. She once tended to the children with delight and precision, but she now cedes all but a few tasks to her husband.
The couple, who live in North Raleigh, have filed a lawsuit in Franklin County Superior Court against Franklin Regional Medical Center, its corporate owner and the doctors who performed the procedure. Efforts to reach hospital officials were unsuccessful.
Because Joan Faulkner, 44, stayed at home, she is not eligible for economic damages calculated on lost earnings. And under the bill supported by the state's doctors, the value of her pain and suffering would be $250,000 or less.
"It's an insult," John Faulkner said. "If you can cap my wife's pain and suffering, we'd be delighted. But until you can cap my wife's pain and suffering, you shouldn't cap what it's worth. That's for a jury to decide."
posted by tbogg at 12:07 PM
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If life was fair they would have to remake Reindeer Games first.
Sign early, sign often.
posted by tbogg at 11:41 AM
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Goofy still mulling over offer to play the President.
From reader Alice:
ABC, owned by Disney and the home of the nauseating show Are You Hot? The Search for America's Sexiest People, is now airing a "reality" show that follows the lives of soldiers in Afghanistan and the northern Arabian Sea. Profiles from the Front Line oozes with potentially misguided patriotism and is filled with CNN-worthy sound bites. Most alarmingly, the show exists in a gray area between documentary and entertainment.
For example, in the premiere episode's opening credits, a commander readying the troops lectures on Iraq's leader: "Saddam Hussein is a criminal and a thug." Not many people would argue with this commander's assessment of the Iraqi dictator, but this statement is given right after an image showing troops in Afghanistan, implying that there is an inherent connection between the terrorist attacks of September 11 and Saddam Hussein.
Many of the soldiers seem to echo Bush's cowboy-style rhetoric towards the "war on terrorism." The same commander who described Saddam Hussein as "a thug" said, while speaking to a group of soldiers being deployed to the Arabian Sea, "How dare they fly the aircraft into the World Trade Towers? How dare they fly the aircraft into the Pentagon?" However, just exactly who "they" are remains unclear. As in Bush's recent press conference and State of the Union address, a link between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda is implied but, of course, never proven or substantiated with any evidence.
It's a small-minded world after all
It's a small-minded world after all
It's a small dumb world.........
posted by tbogg at 11:35 AM
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As predicted here....Trent Lott promoted to hall monitor.
As I pointed out on Tuesday, Trent Lott has done such a good job as parking monitor, he's been kicked upstairs to Official Senate Hall Monitor.
Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) raised new concerns yesterday about the lack of preparedness on the part of his fellow senators in the event of a terrorist attack.
At a Rules Committee hearing with new Senate Sergeant at Arms Bill Pickle and his predecessor, Alfonso Lenhardt, Lott asserted that senators do not know how to protect themselves in an emergency.
“I’ve found since 9-11, it’s still not clear to me what happens after the first step,” said Lott, chairman of the committee. “I think the people in this room are pretty well-prepared. The problem here is us, the senators. We resist listening. We don’t want to go to that kind of meeting.”
Declaring that “we are the weak link in this chamber,” Lott urged Pickle to make it a priority to brief senators.
Lott also insisted the Senators have their Hall Passes available in case they are questioned on the way to the "little boys room".
posted by tbogg at 11:08 AM
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Colonial TV debuts
The U.S. and British leaders launched a new TV service into Iraq on Thursday with a pledge to Iraqis that they would control their own future once the "nightmare" of Saddam Hussein was over.
"You deserve better than tyranny and corruption and torture chambers... Your nation will soon be free," President Bush said in a pre-recorded message.
"The nightmare that Saddam Hussein has brought to your nation will soon be over," he added.
The messages from Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair were being beamed into Iraq via a new Arabic TV network, produced by the U.S. and UK governments, called Nahwa Al-Hurrieh or "Toward Freedom."
Due to be launched Thursday afternoon with the messages, it will be broadcast for one hour a day from a U.S. Air Force plane flying over the country, providing news and "coalition public service announcements," British officials said.
Followed by reruns of Friends, Seinfeld, The Benny Hill Show, and infomercials for the Pan Partners Pancake Maker
posted by tbogg at 10:54 AM
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Don't forget to stop the Axis of No Talent.
Sign here.
Do it for the children.
posted by tbogg at 9:58 AM
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War coverage
Footage of statue being pulled down
Footage of statue being pulled down
Footage of statue being pulled down
Footage of statue being pulled down
Footage of statue being pulled down
Footage of statue being pulled down
Footage of statue being pulled down
Footage of statue being pulled down
Footage of statue being pulled down
Footage of statue being pulled down
Footage of statue being pulled down
Four Marines Said to Be Wounded in Suicide Bombing in Baghdad
Footage of statue being pulled down
Footage of statue being pulled down
Footage of statue being pulled down
Footage of statue being pulled down
Footage of statue being pulled down
Footage of statue being pulled down
Footage of statue being pulled down
Footage of statue being pulled down
Footage of statue being pulled down
Footage of statue being pulled down
posted by tbogg at 9:54 AM
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This must be those limits to freedom the Big Inning President was talking about...
Beware of Conservatives who preface their comments with "In a free country such as ours, every American has the right to his or her own opinions..." because they are leading up to telling you what you can't say.
Case in point:
The Hall of Fame president, a former official in the Reagan administration, canceled a 15th anniversary celebration of "Bull Durham" because of anti-war criticism by co-stars Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon.
Dale Petroskey sent a letter to Robbins and Sarandon this week, telling them the festivities April 26-27 at Cooperstown, N.Y., had been called off.
[snip]
Instead of commemorating the movie, the Hall canceled the celebration in a letter sent Tuesday to the scheduled participants.
"In a free country such as ours, every American has the right to his or her own opinions, and to express them. Public figures, such as you, have platforms much larger than the average American's, which provides you an extraordinary opportunity to have your views heard -- and an equally large obligation to act and speak responsibly," Petroskey wrote.
"We believe your very public criticism of President Bush at this important -- and sensitive -- time in our nation's history helps undermine the U.S. position, which ultimately could put our troops in even more danger. As an institution, we stand behind our President and our troops in this conflict."
[snip]
In his letter, Robbins said he'd been looking forward to "a weekend away from politics and war." He said he remained "skeptical" of the war plans and told Petroskey he did not realize baseball was "a Republican sport."
"I am sorry that you have chosen to use baseball and your position at the Hall of Fame to make a political statement," Robbins wrote. "I know there are many baseball fans that disagree with you, and even more that will react with disgust to realize baseball is being politicized.
"To suggest that my criticism of the President put the troops in danger is absurd. ... I wish you had, in your letter, saved me the rhetoric and talked honestly about your ties to the Bush and Reagan administrations."
Robbins signed his letter with a reference to an old World Series champion: "Long live democracy, free speech and the '69 Mets -- all improbable, glorious miracles that I have always believed in."
posted by tbogg at 9:29 AM
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Dittoheads are even stupider than they sound on the radio
Some Rush Limbaugh listeners don’t know a joke when they hear it.
Earlier this week, Limbaugh gave a tongue-in-cheek report saying that the fact-challenged Iraqi Minister of Information was bragging that Saddam Hussein’s forces had invaded New York’s Shea Stadium and was moving on to Broadway so they could get tickets to all the hot shows. Some in his audience took him seriously.
One called a New York television station and began berating the network for not reporting this information, and another contacted Limbaugh and blasted him for divulging info that might help terrorist sleeper cells in the U.S.
“Folks, my father always warned me to be careful, because people believe everything I say on the radio,” Limbaugh says on his Web site. “He was right.”
posted by tbogg at 9:08 AM
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Wednesday, April 09, 2003
"I don't mind a parasite. I object to a cut-rate one."
Via RubberNun and Sysiphus Shrugged I came across a horror story of another kind:
Real-life lovers Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are set to appear in a remake of the classic love story Casablanca - marking their third on-screen collaboration.
The engaged Hollywood superstars will take on the roles made famous by Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in 1942.
A friend of the impossibly good looking duo says, "They are overjoyed. It is the chance for them to show their talents together."
Their first two on-screen appearances together Tough Love and Jersey Girl will both be released this autumn.
My first thought was truly Conrad-esque: 'The horror! The horror!', but then I moved on and just became aggravated (which, as my wife would tell you, is my normal state when combined with a smirk). The more I thought about it the more it, well... pissed me off. That these media creature/things who, based on previous performances, obviously took the short bus to acting class, think they can take a grand old film like Casablanca and remake it in their images. And I have to be honest, I like Casablanca, but it's not in my Top Ten. But just the idea of Ben Friggin' Affleck playing Rick Blaine is enough to make John Ashcroft stop believing in God. And I don't even want to think about the spectacularly multi-untalented J-Lo reprising the role of Ilsa. Although the film has yet to be cast, the idea that Matt Damon could play Renault and Freddie Prinz Jr could end up as Victor Lazlo would be enough to conjure up all the elements required to make: The Perfect Crap Storm.
Normally I would just move along and try to ignore the inevitable media blitz, but that would be wrong. I would be remiss if I didn't try to do something, anything to avert this tragedy before it happens. But what to do...what to do? Since I'm not a member of the Green Party I lack their street theater savvy as well as the requisite skills to construct an enormous papier-mâché puppet, the likes of which have shamed so many evil corporate criminals into becoming solid Earth-conscious citizens with more than a passing interest in hemp. So...I started a petition, because nothing says " I'm mad as hell and so are all these other people, so you better do something about it, Buster!" like a petition.
You can find the petition here...unless, of course, Petition Online is just a quisling for the dominant entertainment paradigm (which is a real cool sounding slur if you ever get a chance to use it).
Remember, if you don't sign, J-Lo and Ben win, and then you’re just a running dog lackey for the dominant entertainment paradigm and posterity will hate you, or at the very least won’t ask you over to watch Buffy reruns.
It’s your choice.
posted by tbogg at 7:21 PM
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Bow down before the one you serve.
You're going to get what you deserve
According to the Presidential Prayer Team's Kid's Page:
"Every great movement of God can be traced to a kneeling figure."
In the case of this report, it looks like the kneeling figure is Howard Fineman, and he isn't praying:
Throughout this dark time, I nagged my White House sources, trying to glean what little I could about the president — his mood, his orders, state of mind. A few outsiders not in position to know (and who loathe his war policy for various reasons) spread word that he had grown snappish and weary. I think they were wrong. My sense is that he burrowed deeper into himself (and ran extra miles on the treadmill), steadily monitoring the war but never losing faith (or sleep) about his momentous decision to take out Saddam with a U.S-U.K coalition.
Why such confidence? I’ve written a lot about it. As a family, Bushes think they are born to lead. This particular Bush relishes decision-making. He picks people he trusts and trusts them to make the right call. He tends not to sweat the details, thereby avoiding the ups and downs of any one hour or day. His religious faith gives him a disciplined belief in the rightness of his cause. All the spin about his dedication to diplomacy notwithstanding, this is a guy who is more than comfortable at war. He likes the role of commander in chief. He’s more comfortable in it than any other presidential mode. The fall of the Twin Towers, it turns out, found a man in the White House who likes the idea of leading troops in battle.
[snip]
Militarily, even the president’s harshest critics would have to call the war a success. But, for his part, Bush never took public issue with any of the nay-saying. He let it all play out. He stayed largely out of sight except for a series of quick forays to American military installations. The aim was twofold: to inspire the young troops and (though the White House didn’t say so) to inspire the president. It is, after all, a mutual admiration society. From top to bottom, the U. S. military loathed his predecessor, Bill Clinton. They seem genuinely to adore Bush. I saw this on a Thanksgiving trip I took with him to Fort Campbell, home of the 101st Airborne. When he arrived to speak to a sea of Screaming Eagles, they literally were screaming. The president, wearing a bomber jacket for the occasion, beamed like a man in his element. It was like a rock concert, star and audience as one.
If Howard was wearing a blue Gap dress when he wrote this, we wouldn't even need a DNA test on the big stain. Some things in life aren't a mystery.
posted by tbogg at 6:27 PM
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Elissa Lowe of Kettering, Ohio. You're my hero.
Copied over from MWO (because they don't have links):
Horse:
Actually, Peggy Noonan may have been correct (for once) for suggesting that Dubya's biography "...suggests a kind of reverse Abraham Lincoln." She simply didn't carry the analogy far enough. Permit me to elaborate...
Lincoln: born into modest, rural circumstances
Bush: born into wealth and privilege
Lincoln: minimal formal schooling; considerable self-education
Bush: considerable formal schooling; minimal self-education
Lincoln: gifted orator who wrote his own speeches
Bush: incapable of speaking coherently without the aggressive intervention of speechwriters and teleprompter
Lincoln: skilled debater in open, public debate
Bush: mediocre debater in limited, moderated debate
Lincoln: accepted political opponents into his cabinet
Bush: surrounded self with sycophants and cronies - isolated political opponents
Lincoln: "...with malice toward none"
Bush: "...Axis of evil"
Lincoln: despised by Confederates
Bush: adored by neo-Confederates
Lincoln: humble, compassionate
Bush: arrogant, contemptuous
Lincoln: reviled war profiteers
Bush: enables war profiteers
Lincoln: faced the public and accepted criticism as part of the job
Bush: retreats from the public and reacts angrily to criticism
Lincoln: desperate to prevent war
Bush: desperate for war
Lincoln: attempted diplomacy to avert war
Bush: used diplomacy as an attempt to legitimize war
Lincoln: honored by the liberated slaves
Bush: highly unlikely to be honored by the "liberated" Iraqis
Lincoln: limited war time suspension of civil liberties
Bush: expanded "war" time suspension of civil liberties
Lincoln: refused to label secessionists as traitors
Bush: does nothing to discourage the labeling of anti-war activists as traitors
I could go on, but I think the point is made...
posted by tbogg at 12:42 PM
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Things that make you say "heh"
I love this post over at Unfogged.
Matthew Battles is the kind of reader a blogger needs. I posted a while back about being annoyed at the proliferation of "heh" as a comment. I tried to be kind and didn't mention the originator and chief culprit. But Mr. Battles has caught him out and has the data to prove it.
posted by tbogg at 12:30 PM
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EXECUTIVE ORDER #9066-B
From the President:
Brave citizens of America – today our perfect country finds itself besieged by yet another in a seemingly endless stream of murderous foreign invaders. This time, instead of mad dog Arabiacs, commusexuals, or hippy pacifists – all of which remain clear and present dangers to your fear-induced, Mastercard-fueled Wal-Mart impulse shopping sprees – the threat comes from the land of the savage yellowman: Red China.
My team of Christian Scientists has just given me a brief, comprehensive, and totally factual briefing on SARS – Sexfiend Asian Reckoning Syndrome. This terrible disease – which we now know beyond a shadow of a doubt is linked to the rampant Asiatic fetish for indiscriminately sodomizing panda bears – has infected hundreds of people worldwide. Worse yet, it has actually killed a slender fraction of the total number of worthless Iraqazoid civilians whose executions I've personally presided over and guiltlessly cheered.
posted by tbogg at 9:06 AM
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Democrats hate Hispanics women
Too bad Priscilla Owen didn't come from Honduras.
Senate Democrats yesterday blocked a prompt vote on President Bush's nomination of Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla R. Owen to a federal appeals court but stopped short of saying they will attempt to prevent her confirmation.
National Review's Byron York must be in a quandry about this since he's been Miguel Estrada's bitch for the last few months. Torn between two nominees...feeling like a fool...shilling for both of them is breaking all the rules.....
posted by tbogg at 8:37 AM
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Hallmark frantically trying to get cards to market.
President Bush designated Wednesday as a day of national recognition for former U.S. prisoners of war and pledged to work for the safe return of Americans captured in the Iraq war.
"These brave men and women in uniform follow in the footsteps of these former POWs who placed country above self to advance peace in a troubled world," Bush said in the proclamation he issued Tuesday.
Seven U.S. soldiers are POWs in Iraq, and U.S. officials are trying to determine their location. The Pentagon says it is holding more than 7,000 Iraqi POWs.
Bush's proclamation declares April 9 to be "National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day."
"As we honor our former POWs, we are reminded of our current POWs, captured in Operation Iraqi Freedom," the declaration said. "We will work to secure their freedom, and we pray for their speedy and safe return."
Republican pollster Frank Luntz pointed out that POW Recognition Day tested well with focus groups, much better in fact than "Offut AFB Hidey-Hole Day" and "Give A Deserter A Break Day".
posted by tbogg at 8:29 AM
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I didn't get a "harrumph" out of that guy....
In the world according to Andy, Tom Friedman and Maureen Dowd have failed to properly throw themselves at the feet of the God Annointed President Backbone:
You have to ask yourselves what it would take to get Tom Friedman and Maureen Dowd to say anything, anything, positive about this administration and the military force they have just wielded so expertly. Dowd, who simply cannot understand the gravity of the situation we have been in these past couple of years, writes with astonishing glibness: "We were always going to win the war with Iraq." Oh, really? I don't remember her saying such a thing before. In fact, all I remember is her constant carping about and lambasting anyone in this administration prepared to take responsibility for the threats to this country's security. Now, in a Johnny-Apple instant, she's on to the next carp.
Friedman, Dowd, and Apple. The Sullivan Trifecta. What do they have in common? They all still have their jobs at the NY Times. Andy doesn't.
Not that he's bitter or anything.
That damn Howell Raines.
***Added: By the way, I love this comment over at No More Mr. Nice Blog (which I would link to except for the fact that Blogger sucks again). Steve writes:
Sullivan really needs to dial it down. He's become like one of those annoying hypersensitive car alarms that go off in a strong gust of wind.
posted by tbogg at 8:19 AM
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Meanwhile, in that other place that is not a quagmire...
The U.S. military said 11 Afghan civilians were killed Wednesday by U.S.-led coalition bombing in eastern Afghanistan.
SEVEN OF those killed were women, said Douglas Lefforge, a U.S. military spokesman at Bagram air base north of Kabul, who added that a civilian man was also wounded when a bomb dropped by coalition aircraft landed on a house on the outskirts of Shkin near the Pakistan border early in the morning
We're good at liberating countries, but we need a little work on what to do afterwards.
posted by tbogg at 8:04 AM
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Something in the air
If you woke up this morning feeling that America just got a little stupider... you were right.
Released yesterday.
posted by tbogg at 8:01 AM
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Tuesday, April 08, 2003
Food, folks and fun----omigoddidyouseethose!!!!!...
Parent upset about students' trip to Hooters
A trip to Hooters Restaurant isn't appropriate for Signal Hill School students and the superintendent who took them there should know it, a student's parent said Monday.
Joni Quaas -- whose 13-year-old daughter was among the seventh- and eighth-graders who dined at the Springfield restaurant -- said she plans to bring her concerns to the Signal Hill School Board meeting at 5:30 p.m. today.
"I really feel strongly that it's not a healthy place to bring girls," Quaas said. "You don't let people get away with things like this."
Signal Hill School District 181 Superintendent Darrel Hardt took 26 seventh- and eighth-grade boys and girls to Hooters in Springfield while there for a two-day Junior National Beta Club Convention. The Beta Club is a service organization for students who maintain good grades.
Choosing the restaurant was a decision made out of concern for the safety of the kids, Hardt said.
Most of the restaurants in the area were located on the other side of a four-lane road from the hotel where the group was staying. Hooters was the only restaurant within walking distance that was inexpensive and could accommodate the 26 students, he said.
"We did it for the right reasons," said Hardt, who is set to resign as superintendent later this year. "We did it simply because of the safety of the kids."
[snip]
No parents were notified that the trip to Springfield would include a visit to the local Hooters, Quaas said. She found out when her daughter had pictures from the trip developed, including a photograph of an eighth-grade boy standing on a chair while Hooters waitresses danced and sang "Happy Birthday."
"It's inappropriate," Quaas said. "Everybody knows what Hooters is all about."
Considering these kids were a part of a good grades "service organization" (nerds) I'm willing to guess this is the best thing that ever happened to them. I think Joni Quaas needs to lighten up a bit.
posted by tbogg at 4:13 PM
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Todays Non Sequitur
Pregnancy.
(Thanks to Kim)
posted by tbogg at 3:15 PM
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"...a monumental photographic opportunity for those of you in the press who haven't died in my war."
I feel very much at home here in Northern Ireland. These folks are drinkers and Protestant. Just like my family, only these guys are as poor as Mormon hookers, live in ugly little row houses and speak with weird accents that make them sound ignorant as Hell. Neverthemore, these good people have proved that they can get along peacefully with those Pope-kissing boozehound Catholics – just like we are going to get along with that grab-bag of human trash that lives in the country next to Iran that Exxon-Mobile just signed a hundred-year lease on.
posted by tbogg at 1:31 PM
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But it's not a quagmire....
The 101st Airborne Division's battalion — fighting since Sunday with the First Brigade of the Army's Third Infantry Division — advanced methodically from the international airport, about a mile and a half from here, expanding the Army's control on the western side of the city and bringing its troops ever closer to those now in the city's center.
"We're expanding and squeezing," said Maj. Frank McClary, the operations officer of the First Brigade's 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment.
Despite the presence of the division's tanks into the center of the city, where intense fighting continued today, Major McClary expressed doubt that the pockets of Iraqi fighters would be suppressed soon.
"Tactically-wise, it's going to be going on for a long time," he said, as blasts of cannon fire from Bradley fighting vehicles reverberated around him. The Iraqis that they are encountering, he said, still have rocket-propelled grenades. "Personally, I think it's going to be going on until we leave this country."
posted by tbogg at 12:45 PM
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Your daily dose of Sullivan.
Andy sez:
Three weeks. Under 100 American casualties, half of which came from accidents. No use of tactical WMD. Extraordinarily targeted bombing; exceptionally light force; oil wells intact; Israel secure; Turks kept at bay. War is terrible, of course. It may flare up again for a while. There's still a chance of last-minute atrocities. And every civilian casualty is a tragedy. But it's beginning to look as if this was an amazing military campaign, something of which the American and British people - and their governments - can be deeply, deeply proud.
Here are some things for Andy to be "proud" of:
He can be proud of this.
and this
and this
posted by tbogg at 12:28 PM
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"...and tell helmet-head over there to quit changing the radio stations while he parks my car."
If Trent does a good job with the parking garage, they're going to let him become a hall monitor next.
In how-the-mighty-have-fallen news, we just got the memo from Senate Rules and Administration Committee Chairman Trent Lott (R-Miss.), who lost his job as majority leader over last year's Strom Thurmond gaffe. "Beginning April 1, garage parking stickers for the 108th Congress will be affixed to cars listed on the garage parking assignment forms which were previously submitted by your offices," writes Lott, who once set the agenda of the World's Greatest Deliberative Body. But lest anyone think he's lost clout, Lott warns in his missive to "All Senate Garage Permit Holders": "Please note that only one vehicle per person may be parked in the Senate Garage at any time. . . . Violations will result in revocation of garage parking privileges." Message received, senator!
posted by tbogg at 9:23 AM
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Advertisements for my cowardly myself.
David Horowitz never stops trying to prove his "street cred" to an uncaring world and in doing so, reveals himself to be one of the more obtuse and self-promoting people wandering the planet.
When I was a college radical and anti-war activist forty years ago, I was quite the intellectual and (in my estimation) cautious and sober. Though I became an editor and then co-editor of the leading radical magazine of the Sixties, Ramparts, I never threw a rock during the entire era. I never joined a radical sect and never went to Communist Cuba or North Vietnam, which were then the meccas of the radical faith. Although I was a founder of an organization called the “Vietnam Solidarity Campaign,” I never fooled myself that the Communist state that would result from an American defeat would be a “rice roots democracy,” the way Tom Hayden and other leaders of the “New Left” movement proclaimed.
Nonetheless, before the era was over, I was lured by my desire to do humanitarian good and to further the cause of social justice into working with the Black Panthers, a group of radical gangsters who in 1974 murdered a friend of mine (the mother of three children) and a dozen other individualss(sic) besides. The project I had become involved in with the Panthers was building an elementary school.
From the vantage of the political and cultural left, my activities with the Black Panthers were neither marginal or extreme. At the time, the Panthers were icons of the progressive intellectuals, symbolizing strong black leaders who were standing up for their “oppressed” community. The entire liberal culture supported them. Leading cultural figures like Garry Wills and Murray Kempton were writing praises of the Panthers in the New York Times Sunday magazine Kempton even compared their leader Huey Newton to Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther in the Times’ august pages. To this day The New York Times, The Washington Post and other pillars of the American political culture, celebrate the Panthers – the murderers of my friend and a dozen others – as icons of the “social struggle.”
Fortunately, the Panthers disintegrated in the early Seventies, dragged down by their criminal activities, internecine battles and the sordid brutality of their leaders, Huey Newton and Eldridge Cleaver. Before he died, Cleaver told a Sixty Minutes audience, “If people had listened to Huey Newton and me in the Sixties, there would have been a holocaust in this country.” Many radicals, among them Cleaver’s most prominent promoter – Los Angles Times columnist Robert Scheer -- looked forward to that holocaust and actively encouraged it. The Panthers were the “noble savages” of liberal compassion, symbols of the injustice that America was said to be inflicting on American blacks.
In his own words, Horowitz tells us that he was a "college radical and anti-war activist" and "quite the intellectual" (…really, now? What happened?) but David never really got all that involved, and in fact, seems to go to great lengths to disassociate himself with his past, because, you know, everyone else was doing it (“ The entire liberal culture supported them. Leading cultural figures like Garry Wills and Murray Kempton were writing praises of the Panthers in the New York Times Sunday magazine Kempton even compared their leader Huey Newton to Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther in the Times’ august pages”). Long story short....David is finally confessing to being a dilettante with a side order of victimology (“ in 1974 murdered a friend of mine”…which he never stops mentioning).
So what is the purpose of Horowitz’s confession? Why to trash Rachel Corrie, of course.
How many American college students and antiwar activists have been seduced by these poisonous elements at work in our society? It is difficult to know. But one who has already paid for it with her life is Rachel Corrie, a 24 year old undergraduate at Evergreen College in Olympia Washington, who has become known as the “Saint of Rafiah,” the name of the West Bank town where she died. Evergreen is one of the many leftwing campuses in America, whose values have been turned so upside down by tenured leftists that it recently featured convicted murderer Mumia Abu Jamal as its commencement speaker. (He spoke via tape).
Rachel Corrie began her activist career as a member of the Olympia Movement for Justice and Peace, an organization formed directly after the 9/11 attack on America to oppose an American military response. Its members feared that, “America would retaliate by bombing some of the poorest and most oppressed on earth, the Afghan people.” Their Marxist view of the world is captured in one of the Movement’s favored slogans: “Corporate Globalization Equals Imperialist Domination.”
It was not long after she joined the Olympia Movement that Rachel Corrie was burning an American flag in the name of social justice. It was logical step for her to gravitate to an organization that would demonstrate her commitment to the cause. Through her contacts in the antiwar movement she joined the International Solidarity Campaign, whose purpose is to recruit young Americans to become human shields for Palestinian terrorists. The Solidarity Campaign’s ties to terrorism became inescapable eleven days after Rachel Corrie’s death when an elite anti-terror unit of the Israel Defense Forces captured a senior Islamic Jihad terrorist, Shadi Sukiya hiding in its offices in Jenin.
Rachel Corrie was sent by International Solidarity to a town called Rafia in the Gaza Strip to obstruct Israeli Defense Forces conducting anti-terror operations. She sat down in front of an Israeli military bulldozer, and – according to an American eyewitness -- was inadvertently killed when the machine whose driver could not see her, ran over her. This Sunday, the New York Times Magazine – the same magazine that once celebrated the murderer of my friend by the Black Panthers– had a tribute to Rachel Corrie, to her humanitarian goodwill. The article was called “One Last Sit-In,” to wrap the halo of Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement around her pro-terrorist activities. The Times article summarized the news reports of Corrie’s death in these words: “23-year-old peace activist from Olympia, Wash., crushed to death by an Israeli Army bulldozer as she tried to block the demolition of a physician’s home in Gaza.”
You see, if Rachel Corrie had been offered the opportunity to hear the sage words of “former radical” and putative “intellectual” David Horowitz, who has made a career out of complaining that student bodies won’t pay him to speak on their campuses, she would be alive today, looking forward to life as a whiny, bloated, sweaty sell-out who never put anything on the line, who merely dabbled in left-wing circles until the opportunity came along to cash in with the help of a rightwing sugar-daddy.
I mean, what are ideals, compared to a monthly check personally signed by Richard Mellon Scaife?
Money for nothing and your self-loathing is free.
posted by tbogg at 8:57 AM
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Don't know much about nothing at all
According to Tapped, Candace de Russy isn't about to let some little things like facts get in the way of a good rant.
WHAT ELSE DID SHE GET WRONG? In this otherwise unremarkable and cliched National Review article on leftists in the academy, Candace de Russy states that one school of radicals:
"[E]nvisages an international political monolith with which to replace America and indeed all of liberal democracy in the West. These yearnings are embodied in a doctrine called “transnational progressivism,” which is gaining prominence in law schools, for example, at Princeton and Rutgers."
Tapped don't know about this whole "transnational progressivism thing," which from her description sounds goofy and marginal. But we do know that Princeton doesn't have a law school.
Ms. De Russy was recently appointed to the Board of Visitors of the U.S. Air Force Academy by President George W. Bush where we assume she will oversee their school of Dentistry.
posted by tbogg at 8:03 AM
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Monday, April 07, 2003
Pulitzers awarded today.
Peggy Noonan shot down again. Colbert King of the Washington Post, on the other hand, won. From his latest:
Meanwhile, back here on the home front, we're all still about lining up behind our own racial and ethnic groups, defining ourselves by our disagreements and making it a trial to be human.
This week's examples of what I'm talking about: Jennifer Gratz and Ed Kwiatkowski.
First, Gratz, who was Topic A at the Supreme Court a few days ago. She wanted to attend the University of Michigan in 1995 along with thousands of others. It turns out that 4,000 applicants were ultimately granted admission to the university. Alas, Gratz, who had a good SAT score and grade-point average, was not one of them. In fact, more than 1,500 students with grade-point averages and SAT scores lower than Gratz's got into the school. Those 1,500 students, by the way, were not beneficiaries of affirmative action; they were admitted on the basis of other admissions criteria that awarded extra points on a 150-point admissions scale to ensure that a broad and diverse array of talented students attend the university.
Gratz apparently was okay with that, because she didn't kick up a fuss about the 1,500 students with lower scores and grades who got in ahead of her. But then she learned about other students with lower scores and grades who got in because the university awarded them 20 points on the 150-point scale. The difference between the 1,500 students with lower scores and grades than Gratz and the others with lower scores and grades is that the latter group -- minorities -- were beneficiaries of affirmative action.
It seems that Gratz, who is white, could graciously lose out to white students with lower grade-point averages and test scores. But losing out to similarly situated African Americans and Latinos was just too much to take.
Second place to them? Pass the smelling salts.
So she sued.
Go read the rest.
Dave Horsey wins the prize for Editorial Cartooning. I like this one.
Meanwhile Noonan steadily works on her Pope John Paul II book, Humping the Shoes of the Fisherman: Faith, Hope, and Sexual Hysteria
That sucker's got Pulitzer written all over it....
posted by tbogg at 1:46 PM
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The dinner went fine until the banana flambé was served.
Then the hooting turned into terrified shrieks.
In case you missed it, and if you have a real life, you probably did, the Media Research Center held their annual " DisHonors Awards: Roasting the Most Outrageously Biased Liberal Reporters of 2002" on Thursday March 27th at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. Held in the plush Australopithecus Room just down the hall from the room where the Omni Shoreham stores the urinal cakes, it was a night of gaiety (the straight kind) by Conservatives from all around the country who joined together to laugh at each others strained attempts at humor instead of their usual sitting at home in a pair of loose sweatpants watching Friends while indulging in self abuse. Like this guy.
Notable Conservatives (two words not often used together) who made appearances included Cal Thomas, Laura Ingraham, Sean Hannity, and Ann Coulter. John Fund was supposed to be a presenter but instead spent the evening slapping his girlfriend around in the parking structure. Just like last year. Entertainment was provided by washed-up cracker band, The Charlie Daniels Band, who played their one hit song six times before stumbling off-stage and back into obscurity.
The highlight of the evening, besides the Kate O'Beirne/Phyllis Schlafly Astroglide Wresting Smackdown, was the award for the Quote of the Year, this year delivered by Bill Moyers:
“The entire federal government — the Congress, the executive, the courts — is united behind a right-wing agenda for which George W. Bush believes he now has a mandate. That agenda includes the power of the state to force pregnant women to surrender control over their own lives. It includes using the taxing power to transfer wealth from working people to the rich. It includes giving corporations a free hand to eviscerate the environment and control the regulatory agencies meant to hold them accountable. And it includes secrecy on a scale you cannot imagine.
“Above all, it means judges with a political agenda appointed for life. If you like the Supreme Court that put George W. Bush in the White House, you will swoon over what’s coming. And if you like God in government, get ready for the Rapture....”
“So it’s a heady time in Washington, a heady time for piety, profits and military power, all joined at the hip by ideology and money. Don’t forget the money....”
“Republicans out-raised Democrats by $184 million and they came up with the big prize: monopoly control of the American government and the power of the state to turn their radical ideology into the law of the land. Quite a bargain at any price.”
— Bill Moyers’ commentary on PBS’s Now, November 8.
Proving once again, that you can be both biased and absolutely correct at the same time. Afterwards, according to the MRC:
Following the presentation of the awards, attendees saw replays of three of the five winning quotes: ABC's David Wright claiming “it is impossible to say whether” the 99.96 percent vote for Saddam Hussein is “a true measure of the Iraqi people’s feelings,” ABC's Barbara Walters proclaiming that “if literacy alone were the yardstick, Cuba would rank as one of the freest nations on Earth,” and Bill Moyers denouncing conservatives for acquiring “monopoly control of the American government and the power of the state to turn their radical ideology into the law of the land.”
Then, as a picture of each nominee was displayed, audience members were asked by MRC President L. Brent Bozell to hoot, holler and applaud to indicate their preference so that he, along with Cal Thomas, Laura Ingraham and Ann Coulter (Sean Hannity had left to do his FNC show), could decipher the audience's preference.
Just like in previous years the "hooting" was accompanied by some feces throwing and "banging of sticks on the table" but was mostly confined to Michelle Malkin's table where she had spent most of the evening demanding to see the busboy's green cards.
Afterwards select attendees retired to L. Brent Bozell's salon where they enjoyed brandies, cigars, and the oral attentions of a latex-clad Ann Coulter wearing a Howell Raines mask.
No arrests were reported.
posted by tbogg at 1:18 PM
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Florida orders Ann Coulter quarantine.
It's bad enough that Florida has to contend with hurricanes, crazy Cuban ex-pats, Disney World, drug addicts with hair issues, and Rush Limbaugh befouling their beaches...now, as noted before, Ann Coulter is coming to town. Yes, the Horsefaced Woman of the Apocalypse is riding into town bearing her special kind of illness.
According to The Courier-Mail the dreaded respiratory disease known as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is spread by chlamydia.
South Beach males wishing to bag a bony shiksa with man hands are advised to "watch their asses".
You've been warned.
posted by tbogg at 11:30 AM
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Massive political mis-calculation about to occur...please stand by.....
By agreeing to meet Blair in Belfast, Bush is taking the boldest step of his presidency into the conflict in Northern Ireland, and blending in a set of issues that complicates his 25-hour trip.
Former President Clinton made three trips to Northern Ireland, the most of any U.S. president. Clinton’s envoy, former Sen. George Mitchell, led the Belfast negotiations that produced the British province’s Good Friday peace accord of 1998.
Bush has shown less interest, delegating the business of following Belfast developments to a senior State Department official, Richard Haass.
Blair, a stalwart ally in Bush’s war with Iraq, hopes presidential backing will strengthen his hand when he publishes his government’s new Northern Ireland plans by Thursday, the fifth anniversary of the Good Friday pact. A senior administration official said Bush’s very presence in Northern Ireland was meant to signal Bush’s backing for Blair’s blueprint.
Bush and Blair drew Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern into their talks on Northern Ireland, inviting him to a lunch on Tuesday afternoon.
The location of the summit, Hillsborough Castle outside Belfast, shields Bush and Blair from the kind of mass anti-war protests that have engulfed London and other European cities. Still, members of Sinn Fein, the political arm of the Irish Republican Army, plan to demonstrate against the war outside the castle.
Northern Ireland’s Social Democratic and Labor Party criticized the idea of mixing Iraq war planning with Northern Ireland peacemaking.
“I cannot disguise my personal unhappiness at this, given my own opposition to this war and my concern for the integrity of our own peace process,” said Mark Durkan, leader of the moderate, mainly Roman Catholic party.
Considering that President Steely Backboned Rocket Man with Eyes is about as popular in Europe as SARS, what exactly is Blair thinking? I predict the talks regarding Northern Ireland will start to detriorate within moments of Bush refering to the people of Ireland as "Irelanders".
Meanwhile the "Irelanders" are preparing a warm welcome for the Leader of the Free World.
posted by tbogg at 11:04 AM
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Saddam never forgave Janeane for Mystery Men....
Soundbitten on why celebrities caused us to go to war with Iraq.
Because someone has to take the blame for Operation Inigo Montoya.
posted by tbogg at 10:32 AM
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Walking with the nun.
Amy over at Rubber Nun on war-protesting this weekend, anarcho-syndicalist-trustafarians, and horse poop.
Just another day in Chicago.
posted by tbogg at 9:03 AM
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Collect 'em, and trade 'em
Have you ordered your Psychedelic Republicans trading cards yet? Why not?
I'll trade you two George Bush's and a Jeb for a Clarence Thomas.
posted by tbogg at 8:56 AM
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A beautiful mind...a black ugly soul
According to Jimmy Breslin, via MWO, Barbara Bush (not the drunken First daughter, but the brood mare mother of President Dim Son) had this to say:
The following is from an immensely interesting transcript of Barbara Bush on an ABC-TV morning show. She was asked if she and her husband, the former president, watch television.
"He sits and listens and I read books because I know perfectly well that - don't take offense - that 90 percent of what I hear on television is supposition, when we're talking about the news. And he's not, not as understanding of my pettiness about that. But why should we hear about body bags and deaths and how many, what day it's going to happen, and how many this or what do you suppose? Oh, I mean, it's, not relevant. So why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that? And watch him suffer."
I guess we now know from which side of the family the unelected fraud acquired his wonderful way with words.
posted by tbogg at 8:17 AM
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Sunday, April 06, 2003
Just in time. To put America asleep again.
Hootie and the Blowfish are back again.
Yeah. I'm not interested either.
posted by tbogg at 11:42 PM
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More on Kelly...not by me.
I said last week that I would pass on writing anymore about the late Michael Kelly, but old friend Will emailed me this and I thought I would pass it on as a contrast to all the Saint Mike columns flooding the media.
Is it too late to get one more word in on Michael Kelly? Here's what he wrote in the Washington Post last September, about Al Gore's speech to the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, at which Gore dared challenge the wisdom of former Governor Bush's Iraq policy:
“It distinguished Gore, now and forever, as someone who cannot be considered a responsible aspirant to power. Politics are allowed in politics, but there are limits, and there is a pale, and Gore has now shown himself to be ignorant of those limits, and he has now placed himself beyond that pale.
“Gore's speech was one no decent politician could have delivered. It was dishonest, cheap, low. It was hollow. It was bereft of policy, of solutions, of constructive ideas, very nearly of facts -- bereft of anything other than taunts and jibes and embarrassingly obvious lies. It was breathtakingly hypocritical, a naked political assault delivered in tones of moral condescension from a man pretending to be superior to mere politics. It was wretched. It was vile. It was contemptible. But I understate.”
Look Who's Playing Politics
What irony (not that Kelly would appreciate it) that if Gore were President, Kelly would probably still be alive. Still wretched, vile, and contemptible, but alive.
posted by tbogg at 11:36 PM
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My loss is journalism's gain
Peggy Noonan, the whirly-twirly Stevie Nicks of conservative journalism, is going to take some time off to work on her dementia opus on Pope John Paul II, giving her editor, James Taranto, time to recuperate and rebuild his shattered career. But she has left us, and generations to follow, a parting column to ponder, parse, dissect, and marvel at in the dark Noonan-less days to come. (Journalism grad students will cry to the heavens "Why?", but God, as usual, won't want to get involved.)
Because there is so much Peggy-ness here ( much more than one man can handle), I thought I would just share my favorite mangled syntax, gibbering theo-patriotic babble, and post-sanity daddy worship. Enjoy it...or not.
Our young troops love their country. That is why they are where they are. It has had me thinking a happy thought, about the success with which our country, for all its troubles the past few decades, has continued to communicate to new generations the simple idea of the goodness of loving America. They have picked up the sheer exuberant joy of understanding a thing and, because one understands it and because it is good, loving it, and then acting on that love to the extent that you would fight for it, you would even die for it.
****************************
Twenty five years ago at CBS News a major network star said to a newsroom friend of mine, who still wore his pin, "I wish I could wear one of those." But, he explained, it might be "misinterpreted." My friend thought, but did not say: Yes, it would be interpreted in a way that suggested you love your country. How terrible.
The network star feared he would be considered biased in favor of America. My friend thought, as he later told me privately, that the star damn well ought to be biased in favor of it. America had given him everything he had, all his riches and fame, because America gave him the liberty to use to the utmost all the gifts he'd been born with. America guaranteed the freedoms he now and then referred to so blithely in his elegant reports. America was a more just and kind place, and an infinitely more humane one, than any of the dictatorships, communist governments or banana republics that network stars spoke of in those days with such delicate understanding and consideration.
American journalists still fear that, being called biased in favor of America. So do intellectuals, academics, local clever people who talk loudly in restaurants, and leftist mandarins of Washington, Los Angeles, New York, and other cities. For all cities have them.
****************************
But there was always another America, and boy has it endured. It just won a war. Its newest generation is rising, and its members are impressive. They came from a bigger America and a realer one--a healthy and vibrant place full of religious feeling and cultural energy and Bible study and garage bands and sports-love and mom-love and sophistication and normality. It was full of ambition, of the desire to start here at point Z and jump there to point A, and all within one generation. It was populated by an utterly practical and yet romantic and highly spiritual people.
****************************
Is this corny? Too bad. It's beautiful to see Americans stand up and embrace their patrimony and go forth into the world with faith. And none of this is unconnected to our president. George W. Bush has given our soldiers something to be proud of, something they can understand and respect. He is, now, after all he's been through the past two years, Mr. Backbone. He has demonstrated to a seething and skeptical world that America can and will stand and fight for a cause, see it through, help the tormented and emerge victorious.
It is important who he is. George W. Bush is an American of the big and real America. He believes in it all--in the vision of the founders, in the meaning of freedom, in the founding and enduring ideas of our country. He believes in America's historic insistence on humanity and not inhumanity in war, and he appears to have internalized the old saying that "one man with courage is a majority."
I used to wonder if George W. Bush's biography didn't suggest a kind of reverse Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was born in low circumstances and rose with superior gifts. Mr. Bush was born in superior circumstances and rose with average gifts. And yet when you look at Mr. Bush now I think you have to admit--I think even clever people who talk loudly in restaurants have to admit--that he has shown himself not to be a man of average gifts. Backbone is not an average gift. Guts are not an average gift. The willingness to take pain and give pain to make progress in human life is not an average gift.
All in all these are amazing qualities in a political figure, and in a president. There's a headline for you: America appears to have a president worthy of its people.
...and you thought only Hunter Thompson wrote while on acid.
posted by tbogg at 11:20 PM
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Friday, April 04, 2003
Tomcattin' with the Fergu-meister
Many thanks to the newly returned Roger Ailes for pointing out that it takes more than a few trinkets and a couple of drinks to get a Republican laid:
In his dark suit, knotted tie and official congressional ID pin on his lapel, Republican House member Mike Ferguson looked out of place at the Rhino Bar and Pumphouse, a Georgetown saloon popular with college kids.
"He shouldn't have even been at the bar," 21-year-old Georgetown University junior Michelle Mezoe told us. "He and his group" – two unidentified staffers, also wearing suits – "stuck out like sore thumbs."
Yesterday Mezoe accused the congressman, a 32-year-old married father of three representing New Jersey's 7th District, of grabbing her in the wee hours Wednesday morning. She said Ferguson removed his ID pin and handed it to her, saying she could keep it if she would "come back and have a drink with me." Mezoe said she refused to return it unless Ferguson apologized for his "disrespectful" behavior. An apology was not forthcoming.
[snip]
Mezoe said the incident began around 1 a.m. as she strolled past Ferguson, who was leaning against the bar on the second floor. She said Ferguson, a Georgetown alum, grabbed her by the arm and pulled her toward him, introducing himself as a member of Congress. He pulled out his congressional ID card, she said, and pointed to his pin. "That's special," she said sarcastically. "Yes, it is special," he replied earnestly, she said.
"He came across as very arrogant, as though he was invincible," Mezoe said. "He appeared older, slightly balding, not someone I wanted to talk to*. . . . It was very obvious I was a student and not someone to sit down and talk politics with over a late-night drink. I don't think he was interested in my political views." (*Ouch...that's gonna leave a mark)
Mezoe told us that as last call was announced, Ferguson gave her the pin – which she attached to her shirt. When she declined Ferguson's offer to "come back" for a drink, Mezoe continued, Ferguson demanded his pin back. According to Mezoe and other witnesses, she refused to return it unless he apologized, and walked away.
A Ferguson staffer tried to change her mind. "This guy in a suit came up and said, 'I'm sorry, it's my fault. I brought him here and got him drunk, and that's why he's behaving like this.' He asked for the pin and started stroking my hand. I told him, 'If you think you're helping the situation, you are sadly mistaken.' "
Then, Mezoe added, a young jeans-wearing woman, who seemed to be with Ferguson's group, approached and tried to remove the pin by force, grabbing at her chest. The attempt was unsuccessful. Finally, Mezoe said, she was granted a brief audience with the congressman as his aides stood close by. "What is your perspective on what happened here?" she asked. "You stole my pin and you won't give it back," he answered. To which Mezoe replied: "How old are your children, Congressman Ferguson?"
Mezoe said the staffers immediately interposed themselves between her and their boss. "You have offended the congressman," one informed her, she said.
There's lots more. Go read it.
Oh. And here's the party animal himself walking with the family while imaging what it would be like to bag a co-ed for a little rough sex.
Here he is with his hand on Sonia Ghandi's ass.
Here he is sizing up the action.
Here he is asking Alan Greenspan if Andrea Mitchell is a moaner or a screamer.
Here's Ferguson getting a "time out" for peeking in the girls' bathroom at Christy Whitman Elementary.
posted by tbogg at 4:12 PM
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The last word on Kelly...by me
The Kelly Moratorium is over. Not content to try and turn Jessica Lynch into Cassie Bernal by way of Audie Murphy, the Mighty Wurlitzer has decided to turn Kelly into a combination of Ernie Pyle, HL Mencken, and, of course, the Man Who Almost Saved Us From Clinton's Penis. Besides the Upper West Side Gothic of Peggy Noonan as seen below, we have the following:
Media Research Center
Howard Kurtz
Miguel Estrada's cabana boy, Byron York
Rod Dreher
Satan's momma's boy, Jonah Goldberg
James Spader's body double, Rich Lowry
Kathryn Jean Lopez wrote a bunch of stuff about him too, but, like most of her writing, it's not even worth the muscle twitch to click on it.
posted by tbogg at 2:42 PM
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Noonan on Kelly
Okay. We're all sad about Michael Kelly's untimely death... but come on.....:
I knew him as most people did, through what he wrote. I'd met him and admired him easily, but the Michael I read I loved. And so today, without a particular right to, I feel heartbroken. When the news broke, Mencken biographer Terry Teachout expressed with concision what I felt and had not been able to articulate: "This is horrible, horrible news--[Michael] had evolved into a great force for journalistic good, not just as regards this war but in general, and his death will leave a black hole in the sky."
"I was in complete shock. I just sobbed." That's how a close friend of Kelly's described getting the news, by phone. She didn't want me to use her name. She is a former worker in the network-news vineyards and a close friend of Kelly's who'd known him for 15 years, and she wanted to make sure he'd be spoken of in a way that was true. I asked her for her sense of Kelly's special place in journalism, and her answer conflated the personal with the professional. Understandable. All that he was as a professional came from who he was as a person, as an intellect and a personality and a soul.
She said, "He was brave. And he was a warrior. He would take on anything if he believed it was right."
You mean he was willing to pay a price for where he stood? I asked.
"Yes. He refused to be part of the conventional wisdom. He was never part of the pack." She paused. "That's what drove people crazy, that they couldn't classify him. But he was willing not to be liked."
Good thing, as a life of honesty is a life of controversy, and Kelly seemed constitutionally an honest man.
[snip]
Kelly went to The New Republic, where he was no doubt hired for his independence and brilliance and then rather obviously canned for his independence and brilliance, in that case for showing disgust with Bill Clinton and Al Gore. He landed at National Journal and got a weekly column at the Washington Post.
He summed up his final judgment on Bill Clinton in a column a few years later, when he responded to another journalist's assertion that Bill Clinton was "unique." Yes, said Kelly. "What comes across as the most important source of Clinton's uniqueness as president is the nearly unbelievable degree of his essential unfitness to be president -- his profound immaturity, his pathological selfishness, his cynicism, above all his relentless corruption."
Oh, did I mention that she thinks Kelly should be buried at Arlington?
He remains will come home now soon enough, and I hope what comes home is met with an honor guard, for he has earned it, and a flag, for he loved his country, and a snapped salute, for that is one way to show respect. And maybe it would be good if this son of Washington--born there, educated there, drawn to its great industry, politics and the reporting of it--were to find his final rest nearby, among those who fought with distinction for America. Michael Kelly went at great peril to be with U.S. troops, and he fell among US troops, while trying to tell the story of U.S. troops. So perhaps his final rest should be with U.S. troops, in Arlington, where we put so many heroes.
I would like to give Peggy the benefit of the doubt since she tossed this one off in about four hours, but even if she had four weeks we would have seen the same finished product. The column has that certain Noonan-cy that we have come to both fear and mock. If you saw an insane person on the street waving a pair of scissors around, you would call the police. What do you do with a crazy woman with a word processor?
posted by tbogg at 2:13 PM
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Colonel Bogey's poodle
Billmon, who is filling in over at the Daily Kos, makes a great film analogy, and I'm a sucker for film analogies.
...and speaking of film...Fry's has Mulholland Drive on DVD for $9.99 this weekend.
Cool.
posted by tbogg at 1:44 PM
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Kerry's Democratic stock just went up.
MWO has the latest on the War Hero vs. The Chickehawks.
Great quote:
Kerry dismissed the criticism Thursday at a meet-the-candidates dinner in Atlanta, saying, "I don't need any lessons in patriotism or in caring for America from the likes of Tom DeLay." He rejected the criticism in stronger terms on Friday.
"If they want to pick a fight, they've picked a fight with the wrong guy," he said. ...
" I watched what they did to Max Cleland last year," Kerry said. "Shame on them for doing it then and shame on them for trying to do it now."
If the next election isn't about domestic issues, and even if it is, a Kerry/ Wesley Clark ticket could be a Republican nightmare. Two decorated war heroes, one from the northeast the other from the south. Kerry's money. A very articulate and poised Clark. That's enough to give El Presidente Borracho the shakes and VP Halliburton some serious angina.
Here's a good bio on Clark.
posted by tbogg at 1:04 PM
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Meanwhile in the "not-a-quagmire"....
Afghanistan. You know, the other war we're fighting? Taliban? Osama bin Laden? The guys who helped Saddam blow up the twin towers?
Heavy pounding by U.S. fighter aircraft drove Taliban holdouts from their mountain hideout, where cleanup crews today found a transit camp and a staging ground for hit-and-run assaults by the hard-line religious militia group and its allies.
"We discovered a base with tents, food, weapons. It was here that Taliban coming from Pakistan would stay before moving out to other parts of the country," said Fazluddin Agha, district police chief of Spin Boldak.
U.S. air support launched from Bagram air base pounded the Tor Ghar mountain range, where about 60 Taliban fighters were dug in after fleeing a border village during fighting a day earlier.
[snip]
Evidence is mounting in the southern regions of Afghanistan that the Taliban is reorganizing and has found an ally in Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a rebel commander who has been labeled a terrorist by the United States and hunted by its troops.
"Six months ago their attacks were sporadic. But today there is a new organization to the Taliban," Kandahar's 2nd Corps commander, Khan Mohammed, said at the sprawling compound where Taliban supreme leader Mohammed Omar once lived.
But it's not a quagmire. Andy Sullivan (Barca-lounger Orwell), Glenn Reynolds (Tennesee Phil Spector) and David Limbaugh (Cape Girardeau Fredo) said so.
And they have Fredo's six years in the Nattional Guard to back it up.
So there.
posted by tbogg at 11:53 AM
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The resolute, focused, determined steely eyed President sheds a tear...no rust reported
President Steely Eyed Family Man met with the widow of a fallen Marine.
President Bush, a father who watched his twin daughters grow up, met twin 6-week-old girls Thursday whose father never will.
The babies were among about 20 family members of Marines lost on the battlefield in Iraq that the president and first lady consoled during a visit to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
The meeting was private, but one administration official who was present provided some details of a gathering that the official described as "tearful" at times.
The official said the president told family members, "You're an inspiration" and "a tower of strength." He sought to comfort those left behind by telling them their loved one "is in heaven."
Each family was then given an American flag and the coveted Croix de Pennzoil medal for bravery in the face of Administration Cowardice.
posted by tbogg at 10:54 AM
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Holy Crap.
Michael Kelly killed in Iraq
I've made fun of Michael Kelly many times here, but this is really sad. I know that Kelly has two sons and a wife back in Boston and I feel badly for them.
In a column back in October of last year he wrote:
Further, the inescapable logic of "chicken hawk"-calling is that only military men have standing to pronounce in any way on war -- to advocate it or to advocate against it. The decision not to go to war involves exactly the same issues of experiential and moral authority as does the decision to go to war. If a past of soldiering is required for one, it is required for the other. Chicken doves have no more standing than "chicken hawks." We must leave all the decisions to the generals and the veterans.
I am myself not technically a "chicken hawk," as I was, thank God, a few years too young to serve during the Vietnam War and too old and too untrained to be of any military use during the next significant war, the Persian Gulf War of 1991. But I suppose I fit the spirit if not the letter of the slur. I am certainly now a hawk, and during the Vietnam years I was certainly a dove. What changed me was in fact experience of war -- but not as a soldier.
I covered the Gulf War as a reporter, and it was this experience, later compounded by what I saw reporting in Bosnia, that convinced me of the moral imperative, sometimes, for war.
In liberated Kuwait City, one vast crime scene, I toured the morgue one day and inspected torture and murder victims left behind by the departing Iraqis. "The corpse in drawer 3 . . . belonged to a young man," I later wrote. "When he was alive, he had been beaten from the soles of the feet to the crown of the head, and every inch of his skin was covered with purple-and-black bruises. . . . The man in drawer 12 had been burned to death with some flammable liquid. . . . Corpses 18 and 19 . . . belonged to the brothers Abbas . . . the eyeballs of the elder of the Abbas brothers had been removed. The sockets were bloody holes."
That was the beginning of the making of me as at least an honorary "chicken hawk." After that, I never again could stand the arguments of those who sat in the luxury of safety -- "advocating nonresistance behind the guns of the American Fleet," as George Orwell wrote of World War II pacifists -- and held that the moral course was, in crimes against humanity as in crimes on the street corner: Better not to get involved, dear.
I don't know how to describe the sadness and irony of this man dying in this war that he so whole-heartedly supported.
(Added: Someone over at Atrios called what I'm feeling conflicted grief, which is the feeling you have when someone you don't like dies. I think that's a pretty accurate term. For the record, I won't ever feel that for Tom DeLay)
posted by tbogg at 9:20 AM
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"It's a crazy world right now," Williams explains. "May as well wear a crazy hat."
Time magazine has a good article on Lucinda Williams that you should go read. I know that Eric Alterman has been mentioning her as of late (going so far as to mention her in the same breath with Brrrruuuuuuuce) and I second his endorsement of her. While she is being compared to Springsteen and Dylan, it would be safer and more accurate to compare her to Neil Young. Simple, yet powerful lyrics and a voice that's not exactly shiny and new.
Pick any of her CD's, she's so good you can't miss. I'm a particular fan of the song I Envy the Wind from the Essence CD. It's flat out gorgeous.
posted by tbogg at 9:04 AM
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Karl will get the tip...and there's a little something for you in the envelope under your plate (wink wink nudge nudge).
Noted independent thinker and George Orwell's funk soul brother, Andrew Sullivan is already explaining away his " My Lunch with Karl" moment because, you see, well, he always has lunches.
The New York Times has commissioned another piece designed to attack the administration's journalistic supporters. The first, by Jim Rutenberg, was an attempt to gloat over conservatives' alleged belief that this war would be a "cakewalk." (I wonder if the Times would ever ever run a piece about those journalists who recently claimed that a "quagmire" was imminent.) The second by David Carr is designed to portray non-lefty journalists as stooges of the administration. It'll probably appear tomorrow. Carr's scoop is that yesterday, a bunch of us hacks had lunch with Karl Rove at a public restaurant in downtown DC. Organized by National Review's Kate O'Beirne, these off-the-record lunches are regular events, and, although no material can be used, they are a good way to sense the mood in the administration, ask tough questions, talk candidly and so on. Most political magazines organize such lunches - at The New Republic, we used to have them all the time. In fact, such off-the-record lunches with senior politicians are a Washington fixture. But watch the Raines spin. Just a heads-up.
No. You spin first, Andy. And later, share with us the "mood of the administration" without using the following words:
There is an approved list of adjectives White House officials employ when asked to describe the president's mood these days. "Let's see," a senior Bush adviser mused out loud recently as he sat in his West Wing office. "What are the words we use? Resolute. Focused. Disciplined. Determined. And steely, of course."
Look for Andy to describe President Steely Eyed Focus Man as a "groin-grabbingly good" President.
You heard it here first.
posted by tbogg at 8:31 AM
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Thursday, April 03, 2003
As expected...
The top three Republicans in Congress sharply criticized Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry on Thursday for saying that the United States, like Iraq, needs a regime change.
In a speech Wednesday in Peterborough, N.H., Kerry said President Bush so alienated allies prior to the U.S.-led war against Iraq that only a new president can rebuild damaged relationships with other countries.
[snip]
House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., released a statement that said in the midst of war, the nation should pull together to support the troops and commander in chief.
"Once this war is over, there will be plenty of time for the next election," the statement said. "But the war is not yet over, and we still have much work to do to rid the world of Saddam Hussein and his brutal regime."
Sen. Bill Frist, R.-Tenn., the senate majority leader, said the statement called into question Daschle's fitness for presidential office.
"Free and open discourse is one thing, but petty, partisan insults launched solely for personal political gain are highly inappropriate at a time when American men and women are in harm's way," Frist said in a statement.
House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, released a statement calling Kerry's words "desperate and inappropriate."
"America before New Hampshire," DeLay said.
For those keeping score at home:
Dennis Hastert:
Hastert spent the first 16 years of his career as a government and history teacher at Yorkville High School, and it also was there that he met his wife, Jean, a fellow teacher. In addition to teaching, he coached football and wrestling and led the Yorkville High School Foxes to victory at the 1976 Illinois State Wrestling Championship; later that year, he was named Illinois Coach of the Year. Hastert, a former high school and college wrestler himself, was inducted as an Outstanding American into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma in 2000. In 2001, the United States Olympic Committee named him Honorary Vice President of the American Olympic movement.
Born on January 2, 1942, Hastert is a 1964 graduate of Wheaton (IL) College where he earned a bachelor's degree in economics. He attended graduate school at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, where he earned a master's degree in the philosophy of education in 1967. Hastert lives in Yorkville, Illinois along the Fox River with his wife and their three Labrador retrievers. They have two grown sons, Joshua and Ethan, both who live and work in Washington, DC. Whenever he can find free time, Hastert enjoys attending wrestling meets, going fishing, restoring vintage automobiles, carving and painting duck decoys
Bill Frist:
Born and raised in Nashville, Frist graduated in 1974 from Princeton University where he specialized in health care policy at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. In 1978 he graduated with honors from Harvard Medical School and spent the next seven years in surgical training at Massachusetts General Hospital; Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, England; and Stanford University Medical Center. He is board certified in both general surgery and heart surgery.
In 1985 Frist joined the faculty at Vanderbilt University Medical Center where he founded and subsequently directed the multi-disciplinary Vanderbilt Transplant Center, which under his leadership became an internationally renowned center of multi-organ transplantation. In addition to performing over 150 heart and lung transplant procedures, Frist has written more than 100 articles, chapters, and abstracts on medical research and three books: Transplant, which examines the social and ethical issues of transplantation and organ donation; Grand Rounds in Transplantation; Tennessee Senators, 1911-2001: Portraits of Leadership in a Century of Change; and When Every Moment Counts, a guide on bioterrorism.
Tom DeLay:
"Clutching a pole topped by a drooping American flag, 22nd District two-termer Tom DeLay launched into a rather implausible defense of Dan Quayle, an Indiana senator freshly picked by George Bush as his presidential ticket partner...DeLay seemed to feel the issue applied personally to him, and perhaps it did. He had graduated from the University of Houston at the height of the Vietnam conflict in 1970, but chose to enlist in the war on cockroaches, fleas and termites as the owner of an exterminator business, rather than going off to battle against the Vietcong. He and Quayle, DeLay explained to the assembled media in New Orleans, were victims of an unusual phenomenon back in the days of the undeclared Southeast Asian war. So many minority youths had volunteered for the well-paying military positions to escape poverty and the ghetto that there was literally no room for patriotic folks like himself. Satisfied with the pronouncement, which dumbfounded more than a few of his listeners who had lived the sixties, DeLay marched off to the convention. "Who was that idiot?" asked a TV reporter who arrived at the end of the media show. When he was told the name, it drew a blank. DeLay at that time was a national nobody, and his claim that blacks and browns crowded him and other good conservatives out of Vietnam seemed so outlandish and self-serving that no one bothered to file a news report on the congressman's remarks..."
John Kerry
John Kerry was born on December 11, 1943 at Fitzsimmons Military Hospital in Denver, Colorado, where his father, Richard, who had volunteered to fly DC-3's in the Army Air Corps in World War II, was recovering from a bout with tuberculosis. Not long after Sen. Kerry's birth, his family returned home to Massachusetts.
A graduate of Yale University, John Kerry entered the Navy after graduation, becoming a Swift Boat officer, serving on a gunboat in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. He received a Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat V, and three awards of the Purple Heart for his service in combat.
One of these four is not like the others......
posted by tbogg at 9:24 PM
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Going out on a limb.
New York Times headline:
Bush Praises Troops During Visit to Marine Base
It's considered bad form to criticize them when you yourself have a history of desertion and cowardice.
After reciting some of the war crimes the Hussein regime has been accused of, the president went on, "In stark contrast, the citizens of Iraq are coming to know what kind of people we have sent to liberate them. People of the United States are proud of the honorable conduct of our military, and I'm proud to lead such brave and decent Americans."
...from the Presidential Gameroom at Camp David which is just down the hall from Jenna's Blacklight Freakout Room*.
(*courtesy of whitehouse.org).
More on the speech here.
posted by tbogg at 3:21 PM
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I was sad because I had no shoes, until I met a teenager who had no Pilates studio.
When you review Jim Carrey's ex-wife's petition for an increase in child support (courtesy of the Smoking Gun) you may not be sure who to feel sorry for.
Head shaking and eye-rolling permitted.
posted by tbogg at 3:14 PM
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A liar named Sue
Atrios points out that Steno Sue Schmidt is making stuff up again.
Front page too.
posted by tbogg at 2:56 PM
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Remember to visit...
The Smirking Chimp.
Toss 'em a few bucks while you're at it.
Because, although making fun of George Bush is fun for the whole family...it isn't cheap.
posted by tbogg at 2:24 PM
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American apocrypha
Michael Finley had a good post up a few days ago regarding the Vietnam era myth about protestors spitting on returning soldiers. We've all heard this story of the war weary vet returning to an ungrateful nation only to be called a "baby killer" and then spit upon at the airport. Of course, like the Richard Gere/gerbil story that my cousin's best friend's sister who works at UCLA Medical swears is true....nobody really knows or fesses up to being involved, or is able to prove it. Thus it becomes part of the "this proves my point because I heard somewhere that...." lexicon of the fact and position challenged.
Which brings us to the "Saddam's men kidnapped their husbands" van story noted below. L.T. Smash, who is an "on-the-ground" source for the housebound I'd-be-fighting-if-it-wasn't-for-this-pilonidal-cyst warbloggers is perpetuating the story based on the "word on the street":
He's referring to an incident in Iraq, where a large van attemted to run a Coalition checkpoint. The soldiers at the checkpoint opened fire, killing several women and children aboard. It's been all over the news here.
"Yes. It is very sad."
"Do you know what happened?" He's going to tell me.
"What?"
"Saddam's men kidnapped their husbands. They said they would kill them if the women did not drive through the checkpoint."
"That's horrible."
"Yes. Saddam is a very bad man. You must kill him." He is angry.
"We will get him," I promise
Of course, he runs a disclaimer:
I don't know if what this man told me is what really happened. Rumors about atrocities in Iraq spread like wildfire amongst the local population.
Then diminishes it:
But I wouldn't be surprised if it were true.
That's the word on the street from here.
...and the couchbound freedom fighters unleash a torrent of their bodily fluids with a grunt of satisfaction because if coincides with their suspicions and it was...oh...so...good. Several tissues and a cigarette later, they file away the "Saddam's men made me do it" story because this one is a lot more fun to tell to the guys down at the Sip N' Suds later on, than about about the two years that they spent as a supply clerk at Ft. Dix.
There you have it. Apocrypha made easy.
posted by tbogg at 1:18 PM
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Our long national nightmare is over
Roger Ailes is back.
A grateful nation breathes a sigh of relief.
posted by tbogg at 11:55 AM
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More competition for the South Beach transvestites
Ann Coulter is going down...and while that's not really news most days of the week, it's different this time. She's moving to Florida.
Human Uzi Ann Coulter, who left Washington for New York because of the disappointing dating scene, has left New York for Miami.
"YES -- I HAVE MOVED TO THE CITY OF INTERNATIONAL INTRIGUE!!!!" the tall blond bestselling author e-mailed us yesterday. "Many reasons. Among them: The tax rate is a lot better for my business. The weather is better for my business. The real estate prices are better for my business. Moreover, that Democrat Michael Bloomberg is a latter-day John Lindsay -- he's wrecking New York City and I didn't want to pay for his fascist smoking police." Never mind that Bloomberg ran for mayor as a Republican.
"Soon he'll be mandating that New Yorkers have a glass of milk and engage in calisthenics every day. He seems to imagine that New Yorkers were drawn to that city for the clean living. It's literally mind-boggling that the mayor's response to a disastrous NYC economy is to crush the restaurant and bar business. I'm not sure even Lindsay could have come up with something so breathtakingly stupid. Reduced bar business means reduced tax revenues means Ann-Pays-More. So I'm gone.
"Also, I'm sick of working all the time and I need to sit on the beach and drink pina coladas with little umbrellas for a while to recuperate. Perhaps I will have a cigar with my pina colada -- which is still legal in Florida. And of course, Matt Drudge is in Miami -- as well as lots of swarthy, patriotic Cubans: the nation's best Americans. Having felt the lash of Democratic 'patriotism' at the Bay of Pigs, I believe they will like my next book."
Coulter's move has also been forced by the fact that, since Katherine Harris moved to DC, Florida is no longer in compliance with Federally mandated minimum levels of State Skankiness.
(Thanks to Maia for sending me the link)
(Added: Suckful has pictures. Make all children and cats leave the room before clicking)
posted by tbogg at 10:11 AM
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Guy must be a traitor or something.....
Fifth-columnist John Kerry
Senator John F. Kerry said yesterday that President Bush committed a ''breach of trust'' in the eyes of many United Nations members by going to war with Iraq, creating a diplomatic chasm that will not be bridged as long as Bush remains in office.
''What we need now is not just a regime change in Saddam Hussein and Iraq, but we need a regime change in the United States,'' Kerry said in a speech at the Peterborough Town Library.
Despite pledging two weeks ago to cool his criticism of the administration once war began, Kerry unleashed a barrage of criticism as US troops fought within 25 miles of Baghdad.
By echoing the ''regime change'' line popular with hundreds of thousands of antiwar protesters who have demonstrated across the nation in recent weeks, the Massachusetts senator and Democratic presidential contender seemed to be reaching out to a newly invigorated constituency as rival Howard Dean, the former governor of Vermont and a vocal opponent of the war in Iraq, closes in on Kerry in opinion polls.
Kerry said that he had spoken with foreign diplomats and several world leaders as recently as Monday while fund-raising in New York and that they told him they felt betrayed when Bush resorted to war in Iraq before they believed diplomacy had run its course.
He said the leaders, whom he did not identify, believed that Bush wanted to ''end-run around the UN.''
''I don't think they're going to trust this president, no matter what,'' Kerry said. ''I believe it deeply, that it will take a new president of the United States, declaring a new day for our relationship with the world, to clear the air and turn a new page on American history.''
This story will be repeated later on Fox News as:
Furrow-browed Jew Threatens Our Christian President.
posted by tbogg at 9:49 AM
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Roger Ailes held hostage
Day three... Roger is still a Lord of the Rings-obssessed goth-chick fending off advances from the Virgin Ben who wants to see The Two Towers at least once with a girl other than his mom.
Roger never knew he would someday become whacking material for the socially stunted. At least his career counselor never mentioned it....
A nation watches...and waits.
Won't somebody help? If not for Roger...do it for the children.
posted by tbogg at 9:33 AM
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Spinning like a top
Yesterday on my way home, I heard local hate-radio racist Roger Hedgecock spreading the latest spin on the story about the van that was fired upon by American soldiers. Busy Busy Busy points out that the " Fedayeen made us do it" story is bullshit.
This is another example of irresponsible hate radio "personalities" (an oxymoron, if there ever was one) lying with every word that comes out of their mouths. In Hedgecock's case, it's not too suprising. He has a long history as a professional liar:
Soon after winning the mayoral race over Maureen O'Conner in 1983, Hedgecock and his allies were enmeshed in a series of grand jury investigations and later, trials over alleged illegal campaign fund raising.
After a first trial ended in a hung jury, Hedgecock was convicted in 1985 in a second trial of 12 counts of perjury and one count of conspiracy of illegal campaign financing, forcing his resignation.
Hedgecock appealed and the State Supreme Court reversed the perjury counts. In 1991, the single felony was reversed to misdemeanor and then dismissed, with Hedgecock paying a $5,000 fine. McDade, who was the only targeted defendant to voluntarily talk to the grand jury about the campaign, was never charged with any wrongdoing, but his association with Hedgecock led to health problems.
More on Hedgecock here
To anyone who would listen, Hedgecock claimed he was the victim of a vendetta by Miller and the press. He sued The San Diego Union. He hired a San Diego lawyer specializing in drug cases for his first trial and then a Las Vegas lawyer who represented organized-crime figures for his second. When the second jury convicted him of conspiracy and perjury, he claimed a bailiff’s comments to jurors constituted tampering, although the trial judge disagreed.
As he imposed sentence, Judge William L. Todd Jr. said he had no doubt of Hedgecock’s guilt and that he had “violated the public trust in an onerous, onerous way... Your conduct ... is reprehensible in every sense of the word because you violated the public trust, completely, over and over again.” Facing automatic ouster under state law, Hedgecock had resigned at 3 p.m., December 5, 1985, just minutes before being sentenced.
By the way. Roger occasionally fills in for Rush. If you ever hear him...give him a call and ask him his opinion on perjury.
Good fun for the whole family.
posted by tbogg at 9:02 AM
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Filling up their pockets while the country is distracted.
Meanwhile the war continues at home:
The House is moving swiftly to enact energy legislation, hoping to revive a proposal for oil drilling in an Alaska wildlife refuge and, in a boon to farmers, expand the use of ethanol as a gasoline additive.
Both provisions were included Wednesday as separate committees crafted key parts of the energy legislation. Lawmakers said they expected an energy bill to be voted on by the full House, possibly as early as next week.
[snip]
``We're talking about a very small amount of land,'' Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, said shortly before the House Resources Committee passed a package of energy measures that included opening the Alaska refuge to oil companies.
``This nation needs the oil,'' he said.
Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., argued that drilling in ANWR's 1.5 million acre coastal plain would ``ruin the jewel of the national wildlife refuge system'' and said more oil could be save if the government imposed tougher fuel economy requirements on automobiles.
But hours later, in another committee, a Markey proposal was rejected that would have forced automakers to make more fuel efficient cars by requiring a 10 percent reduction in gasoline use.
The Resource panel passed a series of financial incentives aimed at spurring production of oil, natural gas and coal.
The bill would allow producers to forego paying federal royalties when developing deep offshore wells in search of natural gas in the Gulf of Mexico and off Alaska, remove limits on how many acres coal companies may lease and require the government to reimburse energy companies for the cost of meeting environmental reviews.
Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., called it ``a buffet table'' for the oil and gas industry.
posted by tbogg at 8:37 AM
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The Trojan whore
Beware of lobbyists appointed to important positions.
The No. 2 official in the U.S. Interior Department participated in meetings on oil and gas leases involving companies that were clients of a lobbying firm he had worked for previously.
Clients of Deputy Interior Secretary J. Steven Griles' former lobbying firm had huge financial stakes in the leases off Florida and California.
Some of the meetings involving Griles figured in a dispute that ended with the Bush administration paying $46 million to Chevron USA Inc. to abandon a natural gas drilling project in the Gulf of Mexico, just 30 miles from Florida beaches.
Before the Senate confirmed Griles in 2001, he promised to refrain for a year from involvement in any issue in which one of his former clients or employers had a financial interest.
Though Griles is listed as a lobbyist for Chevron in reports filed with Congress by his firm, he says he did no personal lobbying for the company.
While Griles' nomination was pending before the Senate, Chevron was paying Griles' firm $80,000 to lobby the Interior Department, according to reports filed with Congress.
In September 2001, two months after he was confirmed, Griles participated in the first of at least four meetings with Interior Department colleagues about the Chevron project, according to Griles' appointment calendars, which were obtained by news organizations and environmental groups under the Freedom of Information Act.
Interior spokesman Mark Pfeifle defended Griles' actions, saying he acted ethically.
Pfeifle said Griles participated in discussions about the dispute involving Chevron's leases, but made no decisions. The Justice Department negotiated a settlement with the company.
``Steve Griles made as many decisions for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win the Super Bowl as he did on the Destin Dome buyout,'' said Pfeifle. Destin Dome is the name of the area of the Gulf where Chevron's leases were located.
Pfeifle said the Chevron settlement was negotiated by career employees who saved taxpayers more than $285 million because Chevron and other oil companies had sued the federal government for far more than they collected.
After inquiries by The Associated Press, Griles' former lobbying partner Marc Himmelstein said the firm plans to change each of the three lobbying reports it filed with Congress to remove Griles' name.
So it looks like Griles lied at his confirmation hearings.
He wouldn't be the first Bush appointee to do that. He won't be the last.
posted by tbogg at 8:32 AM
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Wednesday, April 02, 2003
The Pope of Provincetown
I try not to do it. Every night I tell myself I'm not going to go look at Sully's blog. That he's not even worth a left click and a scroll. But he really is a car wreck of a writer, and, like a co-ed in a slasher movie, I can't stop myself from going up those stairs. And every night there it sits...the horror... the horror:
You can argue the costs but you can't argue the moral good of it. We will save many lives; we are rescuing many people who are oppressed in ways those who constantly talk about "oppression" do not really know or understand. These are good things to know. They are vital things to remember.
Here is something you need to know:
Hussein Ali Hussein, 26, a door-to-door gas salesman, lay on a bed, the stump of one leg covered in a bloody bandage, a mass of flies settling on the gauze. He said that he had been in a car that was hit by an American tank shell as he drove south toward Kifl, near Najaf.
"We believed the Americans, when they said they were not going to attack civilians," he said. "Why would the Americans do this to me?" As nurses arrived to wheel him away for surgery, he added: "But we Iraqis will never accept that this country is ruled by anybody but Iraqis, so we will fight to the last drop of our blood."
Another patient, Bassan Hoki, 38, said he was in the bus attack. Surgeons had amputated his right arm above the elbow, and seeping bandages covered deep wounds on both his legs. Mr. Hoki, with a neatly trimmed, gray-flecked beard, gesticulated with his remaining arm as he described seeing the tank from the window of the bus.
"There was no warning, they simply opened fire," he said.
He said that his mother, who was seated beside him, was killed instantly in the blast. "I looked around me, it seemed like everyone was dead," he said, "people's heads were snapped off their bodies. The bus was torn to pieces."
He said, "I have just one thing to say to George Bush. He is a criminal and a liar to talk of bringing us freedom. He attacks civilians for no reason. This is a crime, a crime, a crime."
"the moral good of it".
Blow it out your power glutes, Andy.
posted by tbogg at 9:55 PM
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Ben Sargeant
posted by tbogg at 9:27 PM
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They say we must fight to keep our freedom
But Lord, there's just got to be a better way
RIP Edwin Starr.
Yes. It's ironic.
(CNN fails to mention his other hit: Twenty-Five Miles. Tsk tsk. Shame on them.)
posted by tbogg at 9:12 PM
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Hearts and Minds Redux
How the world sees us:
On the steel torsos of their missiles, adolescent American soldiers scrawl colourful messages in childish handwriting: For Saddam, from the Fat Boy Posse. A building goes down. A marketplace. A home. A girl who loves a boy. A child who only ever wanted to play with his older brother's marbles.
On March 21, the day after American and British troops began their illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq, an "embedded" CNN correspondent interviewed an American soldier. "I wanna get in there and get my nose dirty," Private AJ said. "I wanna take revenge for 9/11."
To be fair to the correspondent, even though he was "embedded" he did sort of weakly suggest that so far there was no real evidence that linked the Iraqi government to the September 11 attacks. Private AJ stuck his teenage tongue out all the way down to the end of his chin. "Yeah, well that stuff's way over my head," he said.
According to a New York Times/CBS News survey, 42 per cent of the American public believes that Saddam Hussein is directly responsible for the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon. And an ABC news poll says that 55 per cent of Americans believe that Saddam Hussein directly supports al-Qaida. What percentage of America's armed forces believe these fabrications is anybody's guess.
It is unlikely that British and American troops fighting in Iraq are aware that their governments supported Saddam Hussein both politically and financially through his worst excesses.
But why should poor AJ and his fellow soldiers be burdened with these details? It does not matter any more, does it? Hundreds of thousands of men, tanks, ships, choppers, bombs, ammunition, gas masks, high-protein food, whole aircrafts ferrying toilet paper, insect repellent, vitamins and bottled mineral water, are on the move. The phenomenal logistics of Operation Iraqi Freedom make it a universe unto itself. It doesn't need to justify its existence any more. It exists. It is.
This is an excellent piece by writer Arundhati Roy. You really need to read the whole thing.
posted by tbogg at 8:10 PM
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...and this is in a blue state
Are we getting stupider?
An Oregon anti-terrorism bill would jail street-blocking protesters for at least 25 years in a thinly veiled effort to discourage anti-war demonstrations, critics say.
The bill has met strong opposition but lawmakers still expect a debate on the definition of terrorism and the value of free speech before a vote by the state senate judiciary committee, whose Chairman, Republican Senator John Minnis, wrote the proposed legislation.
Dubbed Senate Bill 742, it identifies a terrorist as a person who "plans or participates in an act that is intended, by at least one of its participants, to disrupt" business, transportation, schools, government, or free assembly.
The bill's few public supporters say police need stronger laws to break up protests that have created havoc in cities like Portland, where thousands of people have marched and demonstrated against war in Iraq since last fall.
"We need some additional tools to control protests that shut down the city," said Lars Larson, a conservative radio talk show host who has aggressively stumped for the bill.
I don't know what more dangerous: small-minded small-town legislators or over-the-hill top 40 DJ's who become radio hatemongers.
...and speaking of morons.
In comparison, we may someday look back on Joe McCarthy with fondness.
posted by tbogg at 7:48 PM
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Hot Aaron on Aaron action.
Boondocks.
posted by tbogg at 7:34 PM
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No matter how many hats he wears, they still end up on the same empty head
You've got to hand it to President Midnight Train to Offut AFB. After running away and deserting during the Vietnam war, he has really commited himself to this one. USA Today provides us with a profile of how he is doing during during Operation Inigo Montoya.
First of all, he's under a lot of strain:
People who know Bush well say the strain of war is palpable. He rarely jokes with staffers these days and occasionally startles them with sarcastic putdowns. He's being hard on himself; he gave up sweets just before the war began. He's frustrated when armchair generals or members of his own team express doubts about U.S. military strategy. At the same time, some of his usual supporters are concerned by his insistence on sticking with the original war plan.
...and he feels tested:
Interviews with a dozen friends, advisers and top aides describe a man who feels he is being tested. As might be expected from loyal aides, they portray the president as steady, tough and up to the task, someone whose usual cheer has shifted to a more serious demeanor. Their observations yield a rare inside look at how the president functions in a crisis.
...which is usually bad news for someone that has gone through life struggling to achieve "gentlemen's C's". A gentleman's C in Iraq would be....the Korean War, at best. The good news is that he is still "steely-eyed":
Friends say the conflict is consuming Bush's days and weighing heavily on him. "He's got that steely-eyed look, but he is burdened," says a friend who has spent time with the president since the war began. "You can see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice. I worry about him."
He wears many hats:
Bush is juggling a lot more than projecting the image of a confident commander in chief. He's a prosecutor who quizzes military officials about their backup plans when things go awry on the battlefield. He's a critic who sees himself as the aggrieved victim of the news media and second-guessers. He's a cheerleader who encourages others not to lose faith in the war plan. He's a supervisor who manages the competing views and egos of top advisers.
He consults with God and relies on his Affirmative Action education from Yale:
Bush believes he was called by God to lead the nation at this time, says Commerce Secretary Don Evans, a close friend who talks with Bush every day. His history degree from Yale makes him mindful of the importance of the moment. He knows he's making "history-changing decisions," Evans says
But he is also secretive and doesn't want to leave a paper trail:
But Bush doesn't keep a diary or other personal record of the events that will form his legacy. Aides take notes, but there's no stenographer in most meetings, nor are they videotaped or recorded.
He's concerned with his image so he likes to play dress-up Army man:
They are now built around war updates. Bush receives a report on overnight developments by phone at 6 a.m. from national security adviser Condoleezza Rice. After an 8 a.m. intelligence briefing, he conducts a National Security Council meeting for 30 minutes to an hour. Afterward, he meets privately with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld for a half-hour or so. Bush and Rumsfeld usually talk by phone at least twice later in the day.
In the first days of the conflict, the president's aides said he was leaving the details of war planning to his generals. Then, fearing that he might seem too uninvolved, they began describing him as interested in all the specifics.
That's how the White House message has shifted, but the bottom line is that Bush is an active manager and defender of the war plan. He and Rumsfeld spread out maps of the war zone in their meetings. Bush wants to know where U.S. troops are, where they're headed, what weapons are being used and how the enemy is faring. He rebukes and then bucks up aides who question the tactics, pace or human costs of the war.
He is still notoriously thin-skinned:
When an aide asked Bush recently how the war with Iraq has changed him, the reply was curt: "We've been at war since Sept. 11."
People who know Bush well say the burdens of war take a toll on him. His wry humor, which generally punctuates his relationships with his aides, largely evaporates in times of great stress. He can be impatient and imperious.
On March 17, before he delivered a 48-hour ultimatum to Saddam, Bush summoned congressional leaders to the White House. They expected a detailed briefing, but the president told them he was notifying them only because he was legally required to do so and then left the room. They were taken aback, and some were annoyed. They were just as surprised by his buoyant mood two days later at another White House meeting.
At a news conference Thursday at Camp David with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Bush couldn't contain his annoyance at a reporter who asked if the war might last for months. "However long it takes," Bush said sharply. "That's the answer to your question, and that's what you've got to know."
Don Evans points out that only Bush can save us:
Bush copes with anxiety as he always has. He prays and exercises. Evans says his friend has a placid acceptance of challenges that comes from his Christian faith.
"He knows that we're all here to serve a calling greater than self," Evans says. "That's what he's committed his life to do. He understands that he is the one person in the country, in this case really the one person in the world, who has a responsibility to protect and defend freedom."
...and finally, he isn't letting this darn war keep him from maintaining his boyish figure:
Bush has imposed an almost military discipline on himself. Even though he's as lean as he was in college, he decided just before the war that he was unhappy with his running times, which were slowing from his preferred pace of 7.5 minutes or less per mile.
So Bush gave up his one indulgence: sweets. It worked; he's losing weight and improving his time.
When Bush doesn't find time to run three or four miles a day, he still works out. He uses an elliptical trainer, lifts weights and stretches. Exercising regularly, he says, gives him time to think, improves his energy and helps him sleep.
There. Don't you feel better now?
Me neither.
posted by tbogg at 8:10 AM
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Tuesday, April 01, 2003
The MRC lies about lying
This is really Daily Howler material...but what the hell. From the Media Research Center:
Actress/comedienne Janeane Garofalo is back. War coverage may be keeping her, for now, off the cable news channels, but she popped up Friday night on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher. [Be advised, this item includes an accurate quotation of a vulgarity.]
Garofalo labeled the U.S. attack on Iraq as “not fair” because it is an “unprovoked strike.” Talking about those denouncing Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks for saying she was “ashamed” to be from the same state as President Bush, Garofalo suggested the attacks on the Dixie Chicks are a “wonderful way for really stupid people to hook up. They meet...they tell stories about who their favorite Fox anchor is...”
When co-panelist Michael Graham, a radio talk show host, recalled seeing a sign at an anti-war march proclaiming, “We Support Our Troops...When They Shoot Their Officers,” Garofalo doubted it ever existed and flew into a rage about how “that's what all you right-wing radio hosts do. You make shit up all the time.”
[snip]
Graham recalled seeing this sign at an anti-war march: “We Support Our Troops...When They Shoot Their Officers.”
That set off Garofalo: “That one guy that had that one sign that you'll probably beat into the ground. You're going to use it over and over whether it actually existed or not. That's what all you right-wing radio hosts do. You make shit up all the time.”
As you can see, Garofalo never "doubted it ever existed" (unless the MRC Super Secret Thought Reader was working that day). She instead makes a point about hate radios penchant for grabbing the outrage du jour ( Peter Arnett or Nicholas de Genova, anyone?) and running with it just because Drudge runs a screaming headline about it. She even admits the existence of the sign:
"That one guy that had that one sign that you'll probably beat into the ground."
You know the guy who compiles these for Brent Bozell should probably know better. I'm sure he has a lively social life where he meets people of all persuasions which has given him great insight into how diverse people think and speak. Isn't that right, Brent Baker?
Okay. Maybe not.
posted by tbogg at 10:51 PM
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The context of the moment
Apparently Pentagon Spokewoman and Fashion Tragedy, Victoria Clarke just isn't doing her job. Why else would Kathleen Parker, the Oriana Fallaci of South Carolina, step into the breech to 'splain away some of those media misconceptions:
Over the weekend, the media played the meme game to perfection, taking a single quote and spreading it around like a germ, infecting other minds along the way so that by now the homeless hitchhiker "knows" that coalition forces misgauged Iraqi resistance.
The quote du jour, attributed to Lt. Gen. William Wallace, commander of U.S. Army ground forces, and simultaneously repeated in Time magazine, The New York Times (compliments of columnist Maureen Dowd), and a scattering of other newspapers that picked up the original wire story, went like this:
"The enemy we're fighting is a bit different than the one we war-gamed against," he reportedly said. Well, yes, that seems true enough. So what? Soldiers train to fight other soldiers, not children or disguise artists or cowards strapped with bombs. But that's not how Wallace's purloined statement is meant to be understood.
As framed by Dowd, it was intended to bolster the position that the United States is simply clueless in this war, the implication being that since we were wrong about "Iraqi resistance," we're wrong about everything else. Dowd's parenthetical -"No doubt, that truthful heads up will earn General Wallace a slap down" -is surely unlikely.
I suspect Wallace's military footing is secure. Moreover, his statement, while true within the context of the moment, is hardly the sum total of his thoughts. Here's what else he said several days earlier:
"I don't think we'll know until we get in contact with them," he said when asked whether Iraqi soldiers would fight or surrender. And this: "We've got no business to underestimate this enemy. He's cagey, he's foxy, and he's going to fight."
That doesn't sound like a man who is going to be shocked or surprised. Rather only certain members of the media seem to be. Other Americans, notably soldiers and their families, seem to have far greater equilibrium in the face of war than do their interviewers.
See? Context is everything, even when the statement is "purloined" from someone that it is "attributed" to....
Everything is fine...nothing to see here. Hey look! It's Buster the Dog of War.
Ahhhhhhhhh...
posted by tbogg at 10:14 PM
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Welcome to the Hot Links...
The Talking Dog...a true modern iconoclast.
Go forth and read.
posted by tbogg at 9:51 PM
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Peter Arnett alert.
To a very limited degree, the Iraqi regime's strategy has been a success. The American advance has been slower than planned, and the effort of fighting day and night battles has occupied much of the time and energies of everyone in the division
Oh wait. It's Michael Kelly.
Mike has grown out of last weeks Hemingway mode. This week, he's Tom Clancy:
Maj. Mike Oliver, the operations officer of the 1st Brigade, directed the brigade's armored task force, the 3-69 Armor Battalion, in a fierce 30-hour battle last week. Fighting nearly the entire time in a sandstorm, the battalion held a bridge across the Euphrates River at the town of al Kifl. Against four M1 Abrams tanks and 10 Bradley Fighting Vehicles backed by artillery rockets and Air Force bombers dropping satellite-guided bombs, the Iraqis attacked in trucks and on foot, armed only with AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) backed by mortars.
Whoops. Back to Hemingway:
So far, the third test is being met: The principles are holding. But it is hard.
Smell the testosterone...
posted by tbogg at 9:31 PM
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See the world. Get a tan. Lose weight now. Ask me how.
Looks like Rummy & Franks have got them just where they want them.
The Iraqi defense minister suggested tonight that Iraq was now pursuing a protracted war with stepped-up guerrilla tactics that would carry into the summer, when soaring temperatures would sap the American will to fight.
As a steady bombardment threw up plume after plume over Baghdad today and shook the capital's southern environs, senior members of Saddam Hussein's government denounced Iraq's enemies and warned an advancing American army that it would face destruction.
Defense Minister Sultan Hashem Ahmed spoke at a news conference tonight, while Tariq Aziz, the deputy prime minister, told an Arab satellite channel earlier in the day that given the air superiority of the allies, "it's best not to fight them in the desert, but to lure them into the cities and towns and to populated areas, the areas where planes can't work with great competence."
Odd. This wasn't the way it panned out at the Annual Pentagon Risk Tournament.
posted by tbogg at 9:17 PM
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We must support them and our leaders at times like these. We have no choice.
David over at Orcinus reminds of the kind of people we are dealing with.
The email he reproduces appers to be a good translation from the original German.
posted by tbogg at 9:10 PM
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Dazed and confused...mostly confused.
Occasionally I start reading posts in one blog and click on a link in a post that takes me to another blog and then soon I don't remember where I started and I how I got there. That's how I came across this somewhat long post by Sasha Castel-Dodge:
Forgive me for not having written much over the past few days. Part of it was due to the site being down due to maxed out bandwitdth AGAIN, but part of it was due to...well, something else I can't quite put my finger on.
Here at Casa Dodge just off our bedroom is a tiny room that serves as a storage area. Out-of-season clothes, books, knicknacks, and all manner of things find their home here, including several boxes of stuff that I brought with me from my apartment in New York, but have yet to decide if I'm taking to England or not.
A few days ago I was rummaging around in there for a book, and I happened upon a box that had not been opened. I sat down and looked through it. What I found made me cry like a lost child.
Newspapers and magazines from my hometown, the dates beginning September 12, 2001 The New York Times: "US ATTACKED: HIJACKED JETS DESTROY TWIN TOWERS AND HIT PENTAGON IN DAY OF TERROR". The Daily News: "10,000 FEARED DEAD". New York Post: "ACT OF WAR: WORLD TRADE CENTER DESTROYED, MANY DEAD". New York Magazine, no headline, just the date "September 11, 2001" and a photo of the smoldering towers.
All and all, it starts out quite well....then it turns maudlin...and then it makes a hard right turn into the misguided. I'll leave the maudlin (it's almost Noonan-esque) to you to peruse at your leisure, and I'll cut to, in my opinion, the just plain wrong.
There I sat, on the floor of the storage room, newspapers strewn all around me as I cried. And I thought to myself, this isn't so different, what we are going through now. The families of Iraq, fathers killed by a murderous regime, mothers raped, children kidnapped and tortured, to serve some bloody idea of Saddam's omnipotence. With Al Qaeda, it left thousands of destroyed families in New York, even as we never saw the men threatening us. Saddam is just as deadly and even more visible to his tormented citizens.
I have nothing but the vilest comtempt(sic) for those who oppose the liberation of Iraq. Perhaps our forces will not bring perfect democracy to Iraq. That is certainly a lot to hope for. But anything is better than the fear, that fear that we all felt in the aftermath of September 11, that our families may be cruelly taken from us because of some fanatic. We feel it here in the USA, and we can empathize with the people in Iraq who feel it too. The Australians, too, understand; they lost hundreds in the Bali nightclub massacre. The French and Germans do not understand: they think that feeding the monster will make it more docile. It won't, it just makes it more ravenous. And they are willing to sacrifice American and English and Australian lives to keep it sated.
We are fighting for freedom of the Iraqi people, to be sure, but we are also fighting to free ourselves from that fear that has lingered since that awful day a year and a half ago. We as Americans are refusing to be hostages anymore. We will not let rogue states, jihadists, monomaniacal dictators or anyone else tell us what the destiny of America should be. It will be difficult but we cannot shy away from the fight. We must realize that we are taking our future, and the future of the free world, into our hands. And I hope that all the French, Germans, Turks, anti-war protesters and fifth-columnists realize it too.
Leaving aside the obvious, Saddam is not Bin Laden, Ms. Castel-Dodge takes her sorrow and her fear and uses it to justify the invasion of a country that is resulting in the deaths of these same people with whom she empathizes. She has taken a hold of the ever-shifting rationale for invading Iraq ( It's Saddam...he's behind bin Laden...okay, he's not, but he's has WMD's...okay we can't find them, but they are there...and he backs terrorists like al Qaeda...and he's threatened America...okay he hasn't threatened America, but he could....and it's about saving the people of Iraq, because now we really, really care about them, even when we didn't before 9/11...and it's definitely not about oil....repeat until you start to believe it) and convinced herself that somehow, after ridding the world of Saddam Hussein, that all the fear and bad vibes and feelings of impotence will just melt away. That's a convenient justification, and I'm sure a comforting one too, but it's also misplaced rage. We can't find the real bad guy behind 9/11, so we transfer our anger to another guy, and if we have to inflict some collateral damage on his country and kill a few thousand innocent civilians in the process, well, that's an acceptable risk that we are willing to take in their name.
We will destroy their country in order to save them.
How very generous of us. How humane. And we get to feel good about ourselves as a bonus.
I've heard this all before...and this joke's not funny anymore.
posted by tbogg at 8:54 PM
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As seen on TV!
No more awkward deaths at the dinner table!
How many times have you had the Vice President over for a barbeque of big fatty pork ribs, only to have him keel over due to acute cardiac arrhythmia? If you're like us, that can really spoil the picnic for the kids, particularly if it happens before they get to the Adam Clymer piñata. That's why we keep the Cheneymaster 3000™ Defibrillator and Bacon Fryer in a convenient location just in case the Veep starts flopping around on the ground like a landed trout while the Second Lady is busy stuffing cocktail onions into the pool boy’s Speedo, giggling like Dennis Hopper in Blue Velvet. With just a few quick bursts from the Cheneymaster 3000's Escalating Energy™ (200J to 360J) function, you'll have the VP up and selling the country out to energy lobbyists faster than you can say "Halliburton got the no-bid contract!".
Best of all, it’s non-scarring and leaves the gentle scent of fried chicken on the recipient after each use. Simple to use, it comes complete with a set of Cardio Pads, battery, instruction booklet, and a three-pound jar of bacon fat for quality conductivity.
But wait! There’s more! Order now and we’ll throw in a free can of Lynne Cheney’s Lesbian-B-Gone, the combination aerosol anesthetic and closet freshener. No right thinking, godly home should be without it!
Call now to get the Cheneymaster 3000™ Defibrillator and the bonus can of Lynne Cheney’s Lesbian-B-Gone for the low price of only $199.99! Or you can use our convenient USA credit plan and delay your payments until your grandchildren are old enough to take them over.
Call now… 1-800-DIX-DEAD….. our operators are standing by….
A product of BushCo™ LLC… Better living through running and hiding©.
(Happy Make Fun of the Cheneys Day)
posted by tbogg at 1:45 PM
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Why do you think they call them dopes.
Proving nothing suceeds like failure....
The White House anti-drug office will end its controversial drugs-and-terror advertising campaign and, in a reversal, shift more of its
$150 million budget toward children's media as it fights for Congress to extend the program another five years.
The Office of National Drug Control Policy will also cease a polarizing $8 million annual study that found the ads aimed at youth were not working and that pitted the drug office against the Partnership for a Drug-Free America.
Now, the office will direct 60% of its buys toward youth-oriented media -- the same percentage it had previously directed at adults -- and will focus on halting drug use among children already using rather than aim to deter youth from starting drugs. The drugs-and-terror ads will end in May.
Ask any kid on the street and they'll tell you that the ads, actually all ONDCP ads, are laughable except for the one with Rachel Leigh Cook going all-Coulter-nutso in the kitchen with the frying pan. And that was only because she was way hot in that ad. I just don't think that ONDCP planned for their ad to convert boys from dopers to strokers.
Then again....
posted by tbogg at 1:05 PM
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Thanks...
To Atrios and Jim at Rittenhouse for letting people know I hadn't lost my mind and gone green and train obsessed.
Roger Ailes, unfortunately is still condemned by blogger to be a Lord of The Rings worshipping, goth-twin obsessed, young nubile...a part he usually only plays in the Den Beste Androids Dungeon Chatroom....
Meanwhile Jim has joined in the great Merry Making at the expense of Second Family; the Cheney's, Dick, Lynne, and the girls: the fat straight one and the skinny lesbian one.
posted by tbogg at 12:39 PM
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I'm Back!
Well. That was interesting.
...and here I am without anything to say, which never stopped Andy Sullivan from posting. And speaking of which, here's Andy quoting Teddy Roosevelt:
"It is not the critic who counts, nor the man who points out where the strong man stumbled, or where a doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man in the arena whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs, and who comes up short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause. The man who at best knows the triumph of high achievement and who at worst, if he fails, fails while daring greatly, so that his place will never be with those cold timid souls who never knew victory or defeat." - Teddy Roosevelt on the back-seat drivers in this war, "The Strenuous Life: Essays and Addresses."
a little while after criticizing Peter Arnett (with requisite Orwell reference...because, you know, Andy and Orwell are like soulmates or something) :
And now we have Peter Arnett, mouthing Ba'ath Party propaganda, lying about declining support for the war in the U.S., sucking up to the Stalinists who control the Iraqi police state, and generally making a huge ass of himself. This interview is disgusting. It is propaganda. It could demoralize Iraqi resistance to Saddam; it could therefore increase the likelihood of a longer war and cost American lives. This after barely two weeks of warfare. Two weeks.
Arnett, of course, is actually covering the war from Iraq while Andy lounges on his recliner in Provincetown and watches it on Fox news.
To be fair...I'm sure Andy hasn't dusted in weeks...there's a war on, don't you know.....
posted by tbogg at 12:29 PM
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Monday, March 31, 2003
What the hell?
As of, oh, now, 10pm Monday night, Blogger has blown out my template and added some weird graphics.
Hopefully, by the time you read this in the morning, things will be back to normal.
posted by tbogg at 9:58 PM
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DWI
Driving while Iraqi.
The Army announced tonight that American soldiers killed seven women and children this afternoon after a vehicle in which they were riding failed to stop when troops from the Third Infantry Division waved them down and fired warning shots.
This is just the start. While the media likes to keep us focused on the big booms ("Explosions heard in Baghdad...this is a recording") the real "little'' war is going to go on forever with random killings of both civilains and American "liberators". Sniper attacks. Car bombs. Suicide missions. It's going to be daily guerilla warfare where no American soldier will ever be able to let down their guard. Soon American distrust of the Iraqis will boil over into hatred and resentment, and a year from now, maybe sooner, we will have our first Iraqi My Lai.
Saddam or no Saddam, we...are...in...their...country, and we were not invited this time.
Call it Cheney's law: Those who ducked out on their chance to fight in Vietnam are doomed to force others to repeat its mistakes.
I pity our servicemen.
posted by tbogg at 9:30 PM
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Pre-emptive attack
What with the attacks on Rumsfeld becoming the lead story everyday, Republicans have started their counter-attack...on retired General Wesley Clark. Digby pretty much nails it:
When Coulter and Limbaugh both launch character assassinations on the same day, you know the word has gone forth. The Republicans are worried about General Wesley Clark.
Looks like the RNC blast-fax-o-matic is back in operation.
posted by tbogg at 9:11 PM
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The Angel in America
Tony Kushner has a few things to say...and isn't afraid to say them:
"We're seeing this sort of grotesque, illegitimate recrudescence of the Reagan political agenda that was solidly rejected in three straight presidential elections," Kushner said. "Bush started with no political clout after the electoral college fluke and the political theft of the elections process by the Supreme Court. He'd be in the toilet now if he had not benefited tremendously from 9/11."
That's just a warmup. Here's what Kushner had to say about why Bush steered the country into a war with Iraq:
"He wants to secure oil markets by unilateral military action and give back as much as possible to the very rich. If he didn't start this war and if Congress hadn't given up its war powers, what would we be doing but watching Wall Street swooning, unemployment going up and the economy tanking. This guy is a catastrophe. He's given away the goodwill of the world and turned America into a rogue nation."
On the war itself:
"Right now, we've got to hope he gets what he wants: a zipless little war. Who doesn't want to see Saddam Hussein go away? Hooray, George W. Bush. But there could be consequences far beyond what we see now. Even if he manages to 'liberate' the Iraqi people, what then? I'm happy the Taliban are gone, but the Afghan people have been largely abandoned."
On patriotism in a time of war:
"We're all supposed to just shut up and fall in line when Americans are in danger, when our bombers are bombing. It's nonsensical that we must respect this ghastly president when our troops are on the line. This guy is a disaster and an idiot who executed so many people as governor of Texas. He's really just an appalling little plutocrat."
And for good measure:
"The heartbreaking thing is, this is a turning point in history. Listen to me. I'm going on and on and on. But I love this country, I love the accomplishments of American democracy. But we've never done anything like what we're doing: waging war with imperial purposes. It feels very tragic, especially because it's being done in the name of 9/11. Before he was elected, Bush openly acknowledged a hatred for New York City, and now he's benefiting from our tragedy."
I think that about sums it up for me.....
(Thanks to Chicklet)
posted by tbogg at 1:07 PM
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"What's the sin of the children? What have they done?"
The Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld axis looks like they are having a "hearts and minds" problem.
The boys were killed at 11 a.m. today when, as another relative recalled, "the sky exploded." Daif had been digging a trench in front of the family's concrete shack that could serve as a shelter during the bombing campaign that continues day and night. He had been working with Sabah Hassan, 16, and Jalal Talib, 14. The white-hot shrapnel cut down all three. Seven other boys were wounded.
The explosion left no crater, and residents of the Rahmaniya neighborhood struggled to pinpoint the source of the destruction. Many insisted they saw an airplane. Some suggested Iraqi antiaircraft fire had detonated a cruise missile in the air. Others suggested rounds from antiaircraft guns had fallen back to earth and onto their homes.
Whoever caused the explosion, the residents assigned blame to the United States, insisting that without a war, they would be safe. "Who else could be responsible except the Americans?" asked Mohsin Hattab, a 32-year-old uncle of Daif.
"This war is evil. It's an unjust war," said Imad Hussein, a driver and uncle of Hassan. "They have no right to make war against us. Until now, we were sitting in our homes, comfortable and safe."
...and Bush sleeps like baby.
posted by tbogg at 8:42 AM
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Should we call it "Fox Radio"?
Clear Channel, of course.
Clear Channel Communications has long been the company that the music industry loves to loathe, so aggressively dominant as the nation's biggest radio broadcaster that some critics refer to it as the Microsoft of music. Now, though, Clear Channel finds itself fending off a new set of accusations: that the company is using its considerable market power to drum up support for the war in Iraq, while muzzling musicians who oppose it.
The company's executives insist they have no political agenda, and even some of its most outspoken business antagonists say many of the latest accusations do not stand up to scrutiny. But the criticism has grown sufficiently loud that Clear Channel hired a crisis communications firm last week to help it handle the uproar.
One former Clear Channel executive said that the company's rapid rise — from 43 radio stations only eight years ago to more than 1,200 now — had not prepared it for the bruising life at the top of the industry. "They don't recognize the playing field they are playing on now," this person said.
The critics, whose views have been expressed in newspaper articles and columns, and on Salon.com and other Web sites, cite an unusual series of pro-military rallies drummed up by Glenn Beck, whose talk show is syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks, a Clear Channel subsidiary. He has convened the rallies in part to counter antiwar comments by celebrities.
The company's critics also point out that some Clear Channel country music stations stopped playing the Dixie Chicks earlier this month after the group's lead singer, Natalie Maines, told fans during a London concert, "We're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas."
Clear Channel's opponents either imply or say outright that Clear Channel has taken these steps to build support within the Bush administration at a time the Federal Communications Commission is considering regulations over how many radio stations a single company can own.
John Hogan, the president and chief executive of Clear Channel's radio division, dismissed the idea of a corporate political push as "laughable," saying, "I won't kid you and tell you that Clear Channel is above criticism, but the brush that is painting us as evil and mean-spirited, and with some sort of onerous political agenda is one that I have a hard time getting my arms around." Clear Channel, he said, is purely a company that builds audiences through entertainment so that advertisers can sell goods and services to them. "We're in the business of having the largest possible audience," Mr. Hogan said, not "the most politically unified audience."
[snip}
More difficult is explaining away the 18 "Rally for America!" events that had been held through last Friday at the urging of Mr. Beck and co-sponsored by one of his advertisers, Bills Khakis. Thirteen of those rallies were co-sponsored and promoted by local Clear Channel stations, including one held March 15 in Atlanta that was sponsored by Clear Channel's WGST and attended by an estimated 25,000 people. Further plans for rallies include events in Tampa; Lubbock, Tex.; and Dothan, Ala.
Such rallies are highly unusual, said a longtime radio executive at another company, who, citing Clear Channel's power, spoke on condition of anonymity. "It flies right in the face of the fact that the government has always said that radio stations should have a balanced view of what is going on, serve the public interest and not take sides," the executive said.
Clear Channel, which hired Brainerd Communicators, a financial communications and crisis-management firm, last week to help deal with the controversy, did not make Mr. Beck available for an interview. But in a draft op-ed article he circulated, Mr. Beck described the rallies as a grassroots response to his personal broadcast call to "Mr. and Mrs. America" to urge their local radio stations to hold rallies. "There is no corporate conspiracy, hidden agenda or grand design," he wrote. He derided criticism of his campaign as "a concerted media effort to marginalize the voices of patriotic Americans."
posted by tbogg at 8:02 AM
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Sunday, March 30, 2003
London calling to the faraway towns
Come out of the cupboard, all you boys and girls
posted by tbogg at 11:40 PM
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Now caddying for Miguel Estrada....Byron York
Byron York sure has a woody about getting El Topo on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Sam Heldman points out that York is full of crap.
posted by tbogg at 11:27 PM
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A Volcano Virgin for Peggy.
What's a little human sacrifice among friends if it will make you and the townspeople feel better? Remember those old jungle movies where the terrified villagers would offer up a Volcano Virgin (sit down, Ben) to an angry volcano god so they could live in peace again? Looks like the Jungle Princess of the Upper West Side thinks a little war is just the kind of thing to get the world to see that we're serious, goddarn it, and, hey, we could stock up on a bit more self esteem while we're in the neighborhood:
The second Gulf War will not be quick. And one senses no one will doubt, when it was over, that every medal was earned.
But the long haul is going to mean and demonstrate more than that. A resentful world is about to see that America had to fight for it. They are about to see America could fight for it--that we had and have the stomach for a struggle. Our implacable foes and sometimes doubting friends will see that America's armed forces don't just shock and awe, we stay and fight.
The world will be reminded that America still knows how to suffer. In a county as in an individual, the ability to withstand pain--the ability to suffer--says a great deal about character. It speaks of maturity and courage, among other things. The world knew half a century ago that America will absorb pain to reach progress. It is not all bad that they are seeing it again.
Americans too may be heartened to see that we know how to absorb pain. Deep in the heart of many pro-invasion thinkers has been a question they do not ponder for it could only be answered in time. It was: Can we still take it? It won't be bad for us to see that the answer is yes.
Our armed forces, the professionals, are going to learn that they can do it. They've wondered too. They are also going to learn how to do their jobs better, because they're really going to have to do the job. They are not going to feel when they return that they got all dressed up and the party was canceled. They're going to know they put on 50 pounds of gear and then slogged through a sandstorm to take town after town. And no one is going to wonder if there was grade inflation in the medal giving.
Pretty brave words from the saucy New York divorcee who has the inner strength and stamina to crank out 900-1200 words a week for us to slog through...with, or without, her non-fat, no-foam venti vanilla latte.
But come a clear and sunny June 27th morning, with "the fresh warmth of a full-summer day", when the stones have been piled up in the village square by the young boys, and Mr. Summers brings out the black box.
Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remembered to use stones. The pile of stones the boys had made earlier was ready; there were stones on the ground with the blowing scraps of paper that had come out of the box. Mrs. Delacroix selected a stone so large she had to pick it up with both hands and turned to Mrs. Dunbar. "Come on," she said. "Hurry up."
"It isn't fair, it isn't right," Mrs.Hutchinson Noonan screamed, and then they were upon her.
posted by tbogg at 11:04 PM
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Where in the world is Mike Hawash?
I received an email today regarding the arrest and detention of Mike Hawash, and I think it's very important that the word gets out on this. According to the Oregonian:
A software designer was being held Thursday as a material witness in a terrorism investigation after FBI agents searched his Hillsboro home and his office at Intel.
According to neighbors and co-workers, Maher Mofeid Hawash, 38, was the target of Thursday's searches by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force.
Hawash was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on Thursday afternoon and put on a "material witness hold" at the request of the U.S. Marshal's Service, a sheriff's department spokesman said. A material witness designation allows the government to hold someone in order to compel testimony.
The FBI issued a short statement Thursday morning saying that in an "ongoing investigation," the Joint Terrorism Task Force had executed four federal search warrants in the Hillsboro area and that the Hillsboro Police Department assisted in the searches.
Prosecutors and investigators refused to say who the target of their search was or what they were looking for. The federal search warrants filed in the case are sealed, meaning the information in them is secret. Asked whether anyone was taken into custody as a result of the searches, officials said they could not answer the question because of a court order.
It is important to note that Hawash is an American citizen and, citizen or not, he is being deprived of his basic Constitutional rights. This is the kind of thing that happens when the highest court in the land steps in and picks the President who then appoints a paranoid Christian bigot, who couldn't beat a dead man in an election, as the Attorney General.
For more information on Hawas please go here and help anyway you can.
Democracy begins at home. We ought to consider trying it again.
posted by tbogg at 5:24 PM
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You've probably already read it...
...but go read Mo Dowd again.
We're shocked that the enemy forces don't observe the rules of war. We're shocked that it's hard to tell civilians from combatants, and friends from foes. Adversaries use guerrilla tactics; they are irregulars; they take advantage of the hostile local weather and terrain; they refuse to stay in uniform. Golly, as our secretary of war likes to say, it's unfair.
Some of their soldiers are mere children. We know we have overwhelming, superior power, yet we can't use it all. We're stunned to discover that the local population treats our well-armed high-tech troops like invaders.
Why is all this a surprise again? I know our hawks avoided serving in Vietnam, but didn't they, like, read about it?
I don't know about you, but I would have paid good money to see Rumsfeld's face when he read that, and believe me, he read it.
posted by tbogg at 11:55 AM
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Both hands on the wheel, Buddy.
Amy over at Rubber Nun points out the growing problem of masturbating drivers.
Something, by the way, that's not as prevalent in Iraq because they're not free like us.
USA! USA! USA!
Two questions come to mind: Is this why they still put ashtrays in cars?...and is this what they mean by autoeroticism?
Discuss.....
posted by tbogg at 11:24 AM
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Only We Who Guard the Mystery Shall Be Unhappy
Shakespeare's Henry IV, fearing the people's perception of his reign as illegitimate, advises his slacker son, Prince Hal, to direct the public's attention elsewhere.
"I had a purpose now to lead out many to the Holy Land, lest rest and lying still might make them look too near my state. Therefore," says the old politician to his drunken, frat-boy son, "(let) it be thy course to busy giddy minds with foreign quarrels."
Ashamed of the boy who carouses with Falstaff and friends, Henry nonetheless educates his unlikely heir in Realpolitik. The kid converts, dumps his party animal pals, and becomes "the mirror of a Christian king." Newly crowned, he takes his dad's advice. We meet him in "Henry V," seeking support for war from his financially needy advisers. Then, careful to distinguish the manly English from the effeminate French, he invades France.
Shakespeare's evergreen history plays – always equivocal about the uses of power and lately subject to darkly ironic readings – parallel recent American events so closely it's eerie. But Shakespeare wrote nearly 200 years after Henry the elder's death in 1413, dramatizing this Lancastrian family ambition when Elizabeth I was securely on the throne.
Today's playwrights aren't waiting. Living in democracies where heads aren't supposed to roll for art, they're bolder than the Bard, quicker with the mighty pen.
Tony Kushner struck a week before the American bombs rained down on Iraq, publishing the first scene of his bleakly exuberant new play about a baffled Laura Bush sweetly reading to Iraqi children. Iraqi children in their dear little pajamas – dead Iraqi children.
Kushner won every theater award in the known universe for his dazzling two-parter "Angels in America" (1993), about the state of the nation during the Reagan era and the age of AIDS. His most memorable creation was Shakespearean in dimension: the closeted, red-baiting attorney, Roy Cohn. Kushner next proved prescient months before Sept. 11 with his "Homebody/Kabul," about a curious Englishwoman dismembered in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
Now, in his "Only We Who Guard the Mystery Shall Be Unhappy," First Lady Laura Bush arrives in heaven (or is it?) to read to the children. Well-meaning and innocent, though clueless as to who she actually married, the former librarian asks questions to the young ones seated around her. Being souls, they cannot answer. But an angel interprets.
One died in 1991 when a smart bomb mistook a shelter for a nuclear plant, the angels tells her. Another from dysentery when a bomb polluted the water near a cement factory. And so on.
The first lady responds with a long monologue about her favorite writer, Dostoevski, her favorite novel, "The Brothers Karamazov," and her very favorite scene – the harrowing Grand Inquisitor sequence. It's a little advanced, this scene, for the children, but being dead, she thinks, perhaps they "command a broader view."
She says she was already miffed at Bushie for teasing her and for going to bed so very early every night. And now, for staining her conscience with the blood of these children, which not "all the perfumes of Araby" can wash away. In a final turn-the-tables passage of "Exorcist"-like horror, she begins to fear that the messianic leader and liberator of Iraq, her husband, may actually be what she thought Saddam was – Satan.
No word on when the entire play will be premiered. But Kushner has made the first scene available free for readings or performances. Permission "will be happily granted," he says, at MysteryGuardians@aol.com.
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